Minister applauds ‘winning’ performance of Commonwealth Games QFES personnel

Following three years of meticulous planning, QFES confidently and effectively delivered the highest level of support and response during last month’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Fire and Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford said today (Tuesday).

Mr Crawford said Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) personnel will now continue to fine-tune ‘their performance to keep them on the winning track’.

“The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games left us with some lasting impressions in our sporting memory,” Mr Crawford said.

“And while the athletes can certainly take a bow, I’d like to highlight the gold winning behind-the-scenes performances of our Queensland Fire and Emergency Services personnel.

“From the get-go, the Palaszczuk Government - and QFES – stressed its commitment to providing an enjoyable Games’ experience.

“Our $11.35 million QFES Commonwealth Games program included the deployment of 880 personnel, comprising paid staff and volunteers - as part of Operation Paratus.

“This was a benchmark occasion for QFES, and I am proud to say they can hold their head high thanks to the incredible efforts and commitment of the staff and volunteers.

“I had the pleasure of meeting some of our people involved in this event, from the personnel on-the-ground who worked around the clock keeping residents, visitors and athletes safe – to the staff in our QFES Commonwealth Games Office.

“This dedicated office liaised closely with Games partners to ensure a collaborated approach to emergency planning at the event.”

Mr Crawford said:

• QFES personnel carried out a total of 3419 paid and 900 volunteer shifts during the Games.
• QFES’ busiest day was Tuesday, the 10^th of April – when 396, or almost half our total Games’ deployment - were on shift.
• Fire and Rescue crews completed 860 building fire safety checks at venues.
• And QFES volunteers contributed a total of 11,000 hours - across 13 operational and event support tasks around the Gold Coast.

“The presence of our highly-skilled staff and volunteers meant that no matter the event, specialists in fire, rescue and emergency response were on-hand,” Mr Crawford said.

“As is the case following any major operation, we will now conduct debriefs and collate feedback to identify any lessons to be learned – providing QFES with a lasting legacy from this very successful event.”

ENDS

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