Paterson RFS triumphs at RFS Field Day

Paterson's RFS Brigade managed to finish in first place overall, meaning that the crew will be travelling to Albury later in the year for the State Championships.

Vacy's brigade finished in second place while Dungog took home a number of medals from individual events.

Taking place on June 16 at Maitland Showground, Paterson's brigade's training officer John Marquet said that taking home first place overall was a huge shock.

"We had no expectations whatsoever going in, we were just going there for a bit of fun.

"It was a bit of a shock but it's actually been quite pleasing for a small brigade to take it all out," he said.

The Lower Hunter Field Days saw RFS brigades from across the Lower Hunter compete in a number of activities to test their training in a variety of areas.

The events all target different skills that RFS members train in, such as putting on equipment in the turn out event or instructing a group of people how to put lego sets together via a radio in the communications event.

Mr Marquet attributes Paterson's performance success to the consistency that the brigade shows in training.

"It was just being consistent," he said.

"We're still pretty dumbfounded that we went so well. It does mean a lot, it shows that the guys from the bush can still put it together," he said.

Vacy's brigade took home first place in the communications event, second place in the turnout, third in the portable jump and third in the speed event.

"They've done exceptionally well.

"They got second place overall and considering it was a team where none of them had ever competed in a field day before they've done really, really well," Vacy's captain Peter Williams said.

Dungog's brigade came second in the communications event.

"Our goal was to go have fun, meet new people from different brigades," Dungog's deputy captain Matt Faulkner said.