Seventeen Sydney fire fighters rode their bikes into Yass from Goulburn, on their way to Gundagai, as part of the ‘400 in 4’ Charity Bike Ride.

Led by Scott Hanley, the fire fighters spent the afternoon with students at Yass Public, spreading the fire safety message and raising much needed funds for the Burns Unit at the Westmead Children’s Hospital.

Scott said the group had experienced perfect weather for the bike ride, together with a rousing reception from cars and trucks on the road. The men and women have been easy to spot with the big red Fire Bus travelling close behind on the highways between Campbelltown and Wagga Wagga.

“We have received a fantastic reception. Cars and trucks have beeped us every few seconds of the way.

“The local fire fighters from Yass have been awesome. They drove us into town with the lights flashing.”

This year’s ‘400 in 4’ has already raised $17,000 for the Burns Unit and the fire fighters are hoping to eclipse $30,000 by the end of their ride. Part of the ‘400 in 4’ initiative is to spread the fire safety message to people in the towns and villages along the way. Scott said delivering a fire safety demonstration and talking to the students, teachers and parents at local schools was one of the best ways of making a difference.

“Early education breeds fire safety knowledge.

“It means generations will grow up with the fire safety message.”

The students at Yass Public proved a captive audience, reciting in chorus the Triple 0 number to call in an emergency and the well known safety messages ‘Get Down Low and Go, Go, Go’ and ‘Stop, Drop and Roll.’

The kids also enjoyed the opportunity to chat with real life fire fighters and have their photograph taken in front of the big red fire truck.

Donations to this very worthy cause can be direct deposited into the following;

Account Name: 400 in 4 Account Number: 482846497 BSB: 112879 (Please leave your name as a reference).

Scott and the group made special mention of thanking major sponsors Macquarie Group Foundation and Wonder Twice the Fibre for their on-going support, as well as the Sundowner Motel in Yass for generously putting the riders up for the night.