Rural Fire Service Queensland is to receive over $654,000 worth of equipment including drones and portable water storage from the government.
This is part of the Miles Government Budget’s $19.5 million commitment which also includes $15 million worth of Light Attack appliances.
Fire and Disaster Recovery Minister Nikki Boyd said rural firefighter volunteers were the backbone of safe communities.
Last fire season, 7500 bushfires and almost 30,000 vegetation fires across Queensland were attended by 1400 RSFQ brigades made up of volunteers.
Bundaberg RFSQ currently has 837 volunteers working to keep the area safe.
“The new equipment the Miles Government is rolling out is about backing rural volunteer firefighters who protect and support local communities” Ms Boyd said.
“The Miles Government continues Labor’s record investment in RFSQ and acknowledgment of the commitment of volunteers to building a stronger, safer, more resilient Queensland.”
RFSQ Deputy Chief Officer Pete Hollier said the Bundaberg area would soon receive next generation drones to replace the current models.
“We already have a number of drones in the Bundaberg area and they actually support our larger district across a number of the areas and we do have a number of trained qualified operators that can go out and do a range of things with those drones,” Mr Hollier said.
“They can do mapping, surveillance, check out an area ahead of a fire to identify points of access, egress and water sources.”
Portable water storage will also be supplied to help minimise the crews time away from the fire when taking trucks to fuel up.
Having the water supply close by offers an advantage, and while Bundaberg already has two, there are hopes that more portable water tanks will be available for the region ahead of the fire season.
“Up until now we’ve had a lot of rain in some areas so it could be a slightly later start to the fire season but there is a lot of growth in the grass area,” Mr Hollier said.
“There will be some quite active grass fires that will occur between now and the storm season which can kick in anytime from October to December depending on the year so between now and then, as things start to dry out you will see more and more fires pop up.”
He warned locals to be vigilant in reporting any smoke or signs of fire that is unattended to triple zero so that crews can tend to the fire as soon as possible.
If anyone wishes to volunteer for the RFSQ, visit their website to identify the closest brigade and contact that area office to speak with the team.
