Ahead of fire season, the first 5,000l skids arrive in the Central West

Manufactured in central Queensland by NuTank, the first 4 skids were delivered on Monday with the programme coming in on time and slightly under budget.

The remaining 8 skids will be delivered over the next three weeks.

The first units are located in Alpha, Jericho, Muttaburra and Barcaldine. Further deliveries will see units go to Jundah, Longreach, Winton and Tambo.

If you are coming to Westech in Barcaldine over the 5th & 6th of September, a 5,000l skid will be on display at the RFSQ tent. This event will be an excellent opportunity for brigade members to speak to RFSQ Staff from the newly re-opened Barcaldine RFSQ Area Office ahead of what looks to be a large potential fire season.

The RFBAQ would like to thank and acknowledge the funding received from the State of Queensland through QFES under this Grant to produce 12 x 5,000 litre firefighting skids.

https://www.rfbaq.org/announcements/rfbaq-skid-tour-of-the-central-west

Background

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. 
 
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. This will also for the first time build flexibility into rural fire and allow for the moving of assets to meet varying state risk.
 
Enquires to Justin – 0428 218 507 – gm@rfbaq.org