The Rural Fire Brigades Association Queensland (RFBAQ) represents brigades and brigade members in Queensland.
The RFBAQ receives no local, state or federal funding; all income is derived from running 5 Art Unions a year and receiving tax deductible donations.
In the last financial year, the RFBAQ has provided $866,163.98 ex GST to brigades through the donation of the FusionCruiser, Buy Local Brigade Grants, Standard Grants, Brigade Resource packs and Brigade Specific Donations.
Brigade Specific Donations are where 100% of the donated money goes to the specified brigade and the donor gets a tax deductible receipt. These are very popular with both donors and brigades and in the last financial year amounted to $183,321.31
Over the last 5 years the RFBAQ has provided over $6 million, which is a phenomenal achievement for a small state-based charity. Click to view a list of all the funded grants to date.
The 200 x $5,000 Buy Local Brigade Grants were so popular we ended up approving 263 grants at an average of $4,000 per grant and here is a pie chart of what everyone purchased from their local suppliers with our charity dollars.
That’s real, on the ground support and improvement for brigades and brigade members across Queensland and shows that the objects of the Association are being met –
The objects for which the Association is established are: -
1. To consider and make representation in matters affecting the welfare and efficiency of Rural Fire Brigades and Brigade Members.
2. To provide financial assistance and support to Rural Fire Brigades and their Brigade Members
The reason we can do this is that we have a mission statement, core central beliefs, direction from a State Executive and Management Committee made up of elected brigade leaders and a small team of committed staff. Another vital component for us as an organisation is that all dialling to sell art union tickets is through our own contact centre which is located at our offices in Gympie. This means that all profits can be returned to the members of the association.
To only raise funds to pay grants to brigades covering Government funding shortfalls would be like having a bucket with a hole in it and endlessly adding more water instead of fixing the leak.
So, we also advocate for better equipment and support for brigades. A key example of this is the fight to have cancer coverage through Presumptive Legislation extended to volunteer firefighters. This was introduced in Queensland in 2015, with the then State Government, Fire Service and paid firefighter union not wanting to extend equal coverage to all firefighters.
In conjunction with the LNP, the RFBAQ tabled a Private Members Bill in Queensland Parliament prior to the Government tabling their own Bill. Following a long and sometimes heated campaign, in September 2015, Queensland Parliament voted for the highest level of firefighter cancer support in Australia irrespective of your pay status. The link is a historical blow-by-blow of how we got there. - https://www.rfbaq.org/equalcancercoverage
An RFBAQ initiative, Yellow Ribbon Day is a way of acknowledging the commitment and dedication that over 27,000 rural fire brigade volunteers provide to Queensland and is held during the first parliamentary sitting week in September each year.
Yellow Ribbon Day is the physical way that politicians, councils, business and members of the public can show support for all Rural Fire Brigades and the volunteers who wear the yellow coat and ride the yellow trucks.
Not tied to any claims and not as a fundraiser, the intent of the day is to engender a positive conversation at the front of Parliament House in Brisbane.
The RFBAQ has supplied many thousands of pre-cut ribbons to brigades and volunteers (free of charge) who have requested them as well as supplying ribbons to the Kedron Park complex and RFSQ
YRD, brigades at Parliament in the morning.
In the evening, the Parliamentary Friends of Rural Fire Brigades function is held in the Parliamentary Annexe and this is an opportunity for MP’s to engage with a selection of elected 1st Officers and brigade members from across Queensland.
This RFBAQ initiative is direct elected brigade leader / MP contact with no minders or filters.The RFBAQ designed and built 6 prototype Light Attack vehicles incorporating rotor moulded water tank that sat within the chassis. These vehicles were displayed across the state and received feedback from brigade volunteers. Here is a link to the page including collation of feedback received - https://www.rfbaq.org/la-prototype
They were then given to 6 Rural Fire Brigades who did not have a fire truck. – here is the link to the explainer video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRXG9duVnDE&t=434s
From that feedback we made some alterations to give us Landcruiser 2.0, which we built 2 more of and gave to 2 more Rural Fire Brigades who did not have a truck.
The RFBAQ / Quikcorp Innovation Platform was the catalyst for a conversation about new crew safety equipment as firefighters contract 23 different types of cancer in significantly higher numbers than the general population.
The platform itself was donated by Mercedes Benz and The Dowling Family Foundation made a very generous donation to the RFBAQ to help cover the cost of equipment, fit-out, registration and insurance.
At the end of the process the RFBAQ gave this vehicle to Murphys Creek Rural Fire Brigade. The full history of the platform can be read at - https://www.rfbaq.org/innoplat
Pretty much was what the name suggests, we fused our Landcruiser Light Attack 2.0 design with the crew safety learnings from the Innovation Platform, then we gave it away to Booie Rise Rural Fire Brigade. See all the cool stuff at - https://www.rfbaq.org/fusioncruiser
Through the development of the 8 initial RFBAQ Landcruisers, the RFBAQ / QuikCorp Innovation Platform and the RFBAQ FusionCruiser, we believe that there has been a real advancement in user-driven design and firefighter safety in light attack firefighting platforms.
In the pursuit of a less flammable and more survivable light attack we have come to a stage where the only thing that is not electrically driven from the main vehicle power unit is the firefighting motor/pump.
Developing a high flow electric pump that can Case 4, deliver through multiple lines, is simple to operate and is very quiet is the piece that has been missing in future-proofing firefighting vehicle design. Video and blog here - https://www.rfbaq.org/pebble
There was no purpose built CAFS Town Heavy Attacks fire truck available for Rural Fire Brigades in Queensland. The RFBAQ built 2 and gave them to Birdsville and Burketown Rural Fire Brigades. Both locations where support from other brigades is many hours in coming if at all. Here is the explainer video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40TUlk3m2Wk
There was no purpose-built grassfire / bushfire heavy attack available to brigades in Queensland. In 2 Mitchell Grass fires in Central Queensland, 10 firefighters were killed, as a desert grass fire can move at more that 50 kilometres per hour. The Bushfire Heavy Attack incorporates all the latest safety features on a prototype platform. It is currently out with brigades receiving feedback. Watch the video here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHX-vukiz9I&t=1092s
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 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 new 5,000L skids allows the local brigades/landholders to stay on the fire front longer.
The skids can go on landholders/brigade members body trucks or council tippers. https://www.rfbaq.org/announcements/ahead-of-fire-season-the-first-5000l-skids-arrive-in-the-central-west
In 2017 at the Rotary Field Days in Mareeba an identified need of brigades was realised through conversations with brigade members.
A locally manufactured prototype was built as a joint RFBAQ/RFSQ venture and while the concept was found to be sound the execution left much to be desired.
Fast forward to 2020 where the RFBAQ and RFSQ met and the concept was re-invigorated and the learnings of the 2017 protype used to produce a simple, workable and practical firefighting unit.
There are a number of Primary Producer Brigades that are looking after small and very small communities/settlements that find that slip on firefighting units and/or 1,000L trailers units do not provide enough water and in the case of the slip on units, are not immediately available. These can also be towed by Police, Council or anyone with a 3.5T ute.
A really good way to get a handle on how diverse this organisation can be in pursuit of our core goal of representing and supporting Rural Fire Brigades and their Brigade Members would be to look through our magazines, which are available online at - https://www.rfbaq.org/smokesignals