Editorial: Rebuild of Qld Rural Fire Service must be a priority

The government deserves credit for recognising volunteer firefighters need more support, but it also needs to realise this is just the beginning if it wants a properly equipped and trained rural fire service, writes the editor.

Queensland’s Rural Fire Service in action

State Fire and Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan says he’s confident Queensland is prepared for this summer’s fire season.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Service Commissioner Greg Leach also insists the state’s volunteer firefighters – responsible for protecting more than 90 per cent of the state – are “well-prepared, well-trained and increasingly better equipped to deal with the risks they’re facing”.

But that’s not the view of the Rural Fire Brigades Association, which represents the interests of more than 1400 volunteer fire brigades around the state.

Association chief executive Justin Choveaux describes the Queensland’s Rural Fire Service (QFS) as “run down”, with just over 1000 vehicles in its armoury this season, after years of delays in the delivery of new trucks.

He says the RFS has also lost 10,000 volunteer members following the introduction of blue card requirements in 2019.

That leaves Queensland with just 26,000 volunteer firefighters compared with NSW’s 70,000-strong RFS.

Despite Minister Ryan’s reassuring words, the Palaszczuk government clearly knows it’s got a real problem, which it only recently has begun to address seriously.

It is currently in the midst of a major restructure of the state’s disaster and emergency management system following a 2021 review by KPMG, which found that Queensland’s volunteer firefighting force received far less support than other states.

The review calculated that Queensland’s RFS accounted for only about 7 per cent of the state’s overall spending on fire and emergency services, compared with 40 per cent or more in other states.

The state government has responded with a “record-breaking” $101m investment in the RFS this year – a 30 per cent increase on last year, but still only a fraction of NSW’s $780m budget for its rural firefighters.

Included in Queensland’s increased expenditure is $25m for new and replacement fire trucks and support vehicles and another $7m for new and upgraded RFS stations. And so, Commissioner Leach is correct to say volunteer firefighters are “increasingly better equipped”, but that’s coming off a low base, particularly when compared with neighbouring NSW.

Of course, rural NSW has historically been more prone to devastating fires, which makes strict comparisons about budgets, vehicles and volunteer number difficult. But the fact remains that Queensland’s RFS has been historically underfunded relative to NSW and other states.

And in terms of training and expertise, as one RFS insider tells us, the large number of volunteers who have left in the past few years has translated into a significant drop in capability “because the large numbers leaving are those with experience”.

The government says it is aiming to implement its KPMG-recommended reforms, which it describes as “one of the most significant bodies of change to Queensland’s disaster and emergency management system”, ahead of the 2024 fire season.

But as KPMG notes in its own report, this sort of restructuring of essential services “is not an immediate activity and would require active focus and a period of time (likely years) to take effect”.

So the government deserves credit for finally recognising that Queensland’s selfless and dedicated volunteer firefighters need more support.

But it also needs to realise this is just the beginning if it wants a properly equipped and trained rural fire service.

WIN FOR PATIENTS AS COOL HEADS PREVAIL

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has acted quickly to ensure the Gold Coast University Hospital machine that allows people undergoing chemotherapy to retain their hair is brought back on line.

As reported in The Courier-Mail yesterday, the Paxman scalp-cooling machine, one of only two in state hospitals, had broken down and patients were forced to risk losing their hair or book expensive private sessions.

When we asked a hospital spokesman about the machine’s status on Sunday, we were told that the breakdown had brought about “the conclusion of the trial”.

Yesterday, Ms Fentiman announced the machine would be fixed. As well as that, she revealed she had met with concerned patients in late August and had immediately asked her director-general Michael Walsh to arrange repairs.

This is great news for Vicki Jarvis, who was pictured on the front of yesterday’s The Courier-Mail.

“We finally have had a win,” said Ms Jarvis. “I almost cried when I heard, it was crazy it had been mothballed.”

Ms Fentiman said she would love to see the machines rolled out to other public hospitals.

That would be a win for everyone.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here