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General News

16 September, 2024

Extra support arrives to help local firefighters

Townsville has sent relief crews to ensure Mount Isa's firies are not worked into the ground.

By Troy Rowling

Fires, including this one near Lake Moondarra, have been causing headaches for the local brigade.
Fires, including this one near Lake Moondarra, have been causing headaches for the local brigade.

Mount Isa Fire Station has tripled the number of crews and vehicles available in response to the widespread blazes across the city.

Queensland Fire Department Western Command Inspector Jarrod Olivero said there was usually a single truck fully equipped to immediately respond to emergencies, however that had been increased to three vehicles in recent days.

He said the station had also increased the number of crew working on day shift and had tripled the firefighters on call at night.

Six firefighters were flown from Townsville last Thursday and six additional rural fire volunteers were also brought across from Townsville and Pentland, along with a light attack fire vehicle, to increase fire response capabilities.

At the time of print, Mr Olivero said QFD was assessing whether there was an ongoing need for the additional crews to remain in Mount isa.

He said up to six rural fire volunteers were often required at each grass fire incident in recent weeks, which prompted the decision to bring the crew from the coast.

Mr Olivero said many of the total 40 professional and volunteer firefighters in Mount Isa had been forced to work 18-hour shifts in recent weeks due to the constant spread of fires in the city.

“We decided to bring the additional staff across from Townsville to give Mount Isa staff some relief- instead of having them on call 24 hours a day, we want to give them some time to recharge,” he said.

“The deployment crew can be used as part of the call out crew, which means some of our guys can actually get a decent night’s sleep.

“All the rural fire staff are volunteers and have taken time off from their primary employment to come and support Mount Isa, so their time is greatly appreciated by all of us.”

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