QUEENSLAND FIREFIGHTERS DEPLOYED TO NSW

Following a request from the NSW Rural Fire Service, a task force of Queensland emergency services personnel will today depart for bushfire-affected areas of western New South Wales.

Emergency Services Minister Pat Purcell said the 150-strong task force will consist of 120 Queensland firefighters,five Intensive Care Paramedics and an Emergency Management Queensland crew.

Specialist incident management, communication, technical and mechanical personnel will also be deployed as part of the group.

“The firefighters, which include 80 QFRS Rural Fire Service volunteers, come from various brigades throughout the Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Toowoomba regions,” Mr Purcell said.

“Our emergency services personnel are well-equipped, well-trained, and well-resourced, and we’re happy to be able to lend a hand to our colleagues over the border in their time of need.”

Mr Purcell said the task force will be deployed to support NSW RFS crews around Narrabri and Coonabarabran where more than 41 fires have been burning in recent days.

The task force will be briefed by Queensland Fire and Rescue Service Assistant Commissioner (Northern Region) Ron Twomey at the Queensland Combined Emergency Services Academy at 12pm this morning and farewelled by Emergency Services Minister Pat Purcell and QFRS Deputy Commissioner Iain Mackenzie at 2pm this afternoon.

Media are invited to attend the briefing and deployment.

When:
12.00pm – Task force briefing
2.00pm – Task force departure

Where: Queensland Combined Emergency Services Academy,
15 Howard-Smith Drive, Lytton

Media contacts:
Minister Purcell: Tim Shipstone 07 3247 8194, 0409 620 571;
Daniel Landon 07 3247 8992, 0437 837 976.

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service media: 07 3247 8186