Give us a rural fire brigade before it’s too late

Brisbane westside residents say a rural fire brigade closed in the 1980s must be rebooted soon before a disaster can strike.

Tom Hulbert, 19, a Brookfield RFS volunteer. Westside residents are calling for a new RFS brigade to bolster the fire response capability in their area. Picture: Jamie Hanson

Residents have launched a push for a Rural Fire Service (RFS) brigade covering Anstead to Karana Downs and Mt Crosby, before a bushfire disaster strikes.

About 200 worried locals, including more than 20 trained or serving RFS members, have formed the Safer Fire Response for Western Brisbane group to lobby for a new brigade as they have had no local one since the Moggill RFB closed in the 1980s.

SFRWB secretary Greg Thomson, who is a serving Queensland Fire and Rescue Service crew leader, said large distances and traffic meant the two nearest RFS brigades — Pine Mountain and Brookfield — were often unable to respond quickly.

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There were several call-outs in December where it took more than 20 minutes for an appliance (fire truck) to arrive.

SFRWB chair, Kanchan Bandyopadhyay, said locals wanted to build their own resilience, given surrounding bushland and fuel loads.

“Bolstering current resources with a new brigade will fill the gap between existing services,’’ he said.

Mr Bandyopadhyay and another SFRWB member, Simone Karandrews, said the Anstead, Lake Manchester, Moggill, Karana Downs and Mt Crosby communities were very concerned about the increased fire risk in their area, and their ability to respond to potential threats.

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Greg Thomson, Simone Karandrews and Kanchan Bandyopadhyay show the heavy fuel load in the Pullenvale area, which they say is a problem across the inner west. Picture: AAP/Sarah Marshall

Fuel loads were also at worrying levels and the complex pattern of land ownership was crying out for an overarching hazard reduction policy.

The State Government, Brisbane City Council, SEQ Water and landowners with blocks more than 4000sq m now organise their own burn-offs.

“We still have only single-lane roads — Moggill and Mt Crosby — in and out with the Moggill ferry at one end,’’ Ms Karandrews said.

“We are at risk of being cut off. And we only have one official ‘place of safety’ for 17,000 residents in the wider area.’’

Ms Karandrews said the area’s notoriously poor mobile phone and internet reception was another risk factor, compounded by NBN access problems for residents in the area.

“We’re very concerned about not getting alerts,’’ she said.

Recent fire incidents* (unofficial data from RFS phone app)

Dec 6, 2019: Lake Manchester Rd, Kholo. Call received 2.20pm. By 2.50pm still no appliance on scene.

Dec 7: Moggill Rd, Moggill, near ferry. Call received 1.43pm, first appliance on scene 2.13pm, second appliance at 2.23pm

Dec 17: Allawah Rd, Chuwar: Brookfield RFS received call 1.55pm, arrived approximately 30 minutes later.

Mr Bandyopadhyay said the large distances meant Pine Mountain and Brookfield RFS brigades, despite their best efforts, often took a long time to respond.

He said Moggill Rd was a “carpark’’ in peak periods, exacerbating the difficulties, as was Mt Crosby Rd from the Warrego Hwy.

“Our response times are more than 20 minutes.

Communities on the D’Aguilar Range like Closeburn, Samford and Dayboro were, in comparison, only six to 10 minutes from their nearest RFS brigade.

Leader of the LNP, Deb Frecklington, at the Brookfield Rural Fire Brigade with LNP MP for Moggill, Dr Christian Rowan, and Shadow Fire Safety Minister Lachlan Millar. Ms Frecklington unveiled a 10-point-plan to improve bushfire preparedness, including more urban-based RFBs. Picture: AAP/John Gass

Mr Bandyopadhyay said that while there were two urban stations, Karana Downs and Pullenvale, urban appliances could not use 4WD tracks and had to slow or stop to deploy hoses – unlike rural fire appliances which often moved while dousing grass fires.

He also pointed out that Mt Crosby water treatment plant, which supplies 60 per cent of Brisbane’s water, is surrounded by thick bush which Karana Downs appliances cannot not reach.

Mr Thomson said if there were a large number of fires, similar to the current situation interstate, Pine Mountain and Brookfield RFS brigades would be stretched to help them.

Brookfield RFS, for example, was down to just one appliance in November last year because it had to divert one truck to help with the Peregian fire and another appliance was sent to the Gold Coast.

Internal unclassified documents sent to QFES/QRF in 2016 showed support for the group’s concept for a new brigade, as the region was classified by QFES fire hazard mapping as medium-high risk.

Then Queensland Fire and Emergency Service deputy commissioner, Mike Wassing, told the group in early 2016 that a new rural brigade was needed in their area, and a Council disaster management official also told them the area would need a staged evacuation in the event of a fire crisis.

A QFES spokeswoman said it was “actively assessing the risk in Moggill and surrounding areas’’, with QFES due to meet SFRWB and Moggill LNP MP Christian Rowan on January 30 to “discuss service delivery opportunities’’.

* QFES says its official data showed different response times to those provided by SFRWB, which is based on RFS app information. QFES says its data shows the following response times:

Dec 6:

WN

Lake Manchester Rd, Kholo. Call received 2.20pm. First Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) crew enroute at 2.32pm. By 3pm the FRS crew had investigated the area and found no sign of smoke or fire.

Dec 7:

Moggill Rd, Moggill, near ferry. Call received 1.38pm. First FRS crew enroute at 1.42pm, on scene at 1.57pm. Fire under control at 2.04pm.

Dec 17:

Allawah Rd, Chuwar. Call received 12.57pm. First unit assigned at 1.01pm.

First FRS appliance enroute at 1.10pm, on scene at 1.18pm.