Far North Region receives major boost to emergency services
Cairns and surrounding communities will have greater firefighting and rescue services following the delivery of new appliances to local Fire and Rescue stations.
Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, Craig Crawford inspected the new equipment at Smithfield Fire and Rescue Station today and said it was critical to supporting the local community when disaster strikes.
"Smithfield Station received a new state-of-the-art $800,000 Scania appliance, as part of our Fire and Rescue Service fleet replacement strategy," Mr Crawford said.
"It was purposefully built to respond to bushfires, grass fires, technical response and road crash rescues. It has a rear mounted pump that can disperse 4,500 litres of water per minute.
"It will service an area that extends to Palm Cove in the north, and Machans Beach in the south, so people can rest assured the Fire and Rescue Service is ready to respond to any incident."
Mr Crawford said the region would also benefit from a $100,000 heavy vehicle road crash rescue trailer (HRT) which would be based at Mareeba Fire and Rescue Station.
"The HRT was purposefully built to respond to remote incidents and will support road crashes involving heavy vehicles or complex entrapments.
"It includes battery-operated hydraulic rescue tools, spreaders, a stabilisation kit and full lighting, meaning it can be used any time, night or day."
Member for Cook, Cynthia Lui said she welcomed the addition of the heavy vehicle road crash rescue trailer (HRT) based at Mareeba Fire and Rescue Station allowing QFES to respond to incidents in the area.
"Having equipment like this is vital to ensuring we can support our community," Ms Lui said.
Mr Crawford said the Technical Rescue Coordination Centre had also received an all-terrain vehicle and trailer to reach remote and inaccessible areas.
"The $40,000 vehicle can carry four people and is fitted with a winch, emergency beacons, 200 litre water tank and hose reel.
"The $10,000 custom-built trailer includes a secure storage compartment for equipment and fuel.
"The trailer can be towed by an emergency response vehicle so this is a significant addition to our emergency response arsenal," Mr Crawford said.
Member for Cairns, Michael Healy said we need to be fully equipped to respond to any situation.
"The appliances will significantly increase QFES' capability across the whole region which is prone to emergency incidents and natural disasters," Mr Healy said.
Mr Crawford said crews have been busy preparing for the delivery of the new appliances, including undertaking online training to use them, given the restrictions in place for COVID-19.
"The community can rest assured that these state-of-the art firefighting and rescue appliances means their firefighters are ready to respond when needed."
