5,000 litre firefighting skid tour

Central Western Queensland Brigade members, Local Government elected members and staff are invited to attend.

 

RFSQ A/Chief Officer Joanne Greenfield wants to know what you want Rural Fire to look like into the future and new the 5,000 litre firefighting skid will be on display for feedback and design improvement.

 

This is a great opportunity for both truck and non-truck brigades and local government to have their voices heard at the beginning of the process of building a new Rural Fire Service that will support brigades in defending Queensland communities. 

 

 

New Equipment - 5,000 litre firefighting skid tour

 

The Rural Fire Service has 3,700 x 500L slip-ons in service and about 400 x 1,000L trailers. These are great so long as you have people who can put them on their personal vehicles as it gives an immediate knockdown ability at fires and maintains control of the fires in the hands of the locals who understand how fire moves through their country.  

 

This is why 60% of Rural Fire Brigades in Queensland don’t have a truck and most don’t want one. 

 

Brigade membership as a percentage of population is still constant however with depopulation in the central west and far west there are fewer people. If we keep supplying the same small units we will have fewer actually on the fire front. When they need to go refill, the fire gets a run.  

 

The proposed system and associated equipment that allows the local brigades to stay on the fire front longer is the supply of 5,000L skid units. These would are being user tested in February 2023 in the central west.  

 

Units would be located at select rural fire stations and / or council depots, and at the commencement of fire season local brigade members who participate will bring in a flatbed truck and have the 5,000L skid loaded onto their truck. This will then be a resource to either fill up the local slip-on units or to knock down the flanks of a fire. 

 

This would not result in a reduction in slip-ons or trailers, rather be an additional resource. 

 

At the end of fire season the brigade member will then bring the 5,000L skid in, and the RFSQ will have the equipment serviced and safely stored under cover against the next time of identified need. 

 

At the LGAQ Annual Conference in Cairns the RFBAQ spoke to a number of Mayors and Councillors regarding the concept and they were very keen to get involved.

 

Nu Tank in Rockhampton have been very involved in the build and in seeing a central Queensland manufacturer building firefighting equipment for central Queensland users.

 

This is a 100% RFBAQ driven and funded initiative from art union ticket sales and donations.

 

• Ilfracombe – Monday 13th February - 4.30pm – Ilfracombe Rural Fire Brigade Station
• Jundah – Tuesday 14th February – 10.30am – Jundah Rural Fire Brigade Station
• Muttaburra – Wednesday 15th February – 10.30am – Muttaburra Rural Fire Brigade Station
• Barcaldine - Wednesday 15th February – 4.00pm – Barcaldine RFSQ Area Office
• Tambo – Thursday 16th February – 10.30am – Tambo Rural Fire Brigade Station

 

Enquires to Justin – 0428 218 507 – gm@rfbaq.org