New appliances are being delivered to Fire and Rescue Stations in Cairns and surrounding communities.
Speaking at the Smithfield Fire Station, Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, Craig Crawford said it had received a state-of-the-art $800,000 Scania appliance.
“It was purposefully built to respond to bushfires, grass fires, technical response and road crash rescues,” Mr Crawford said.
“It has a rear-mounted pump that can disperse 4,500 litres of water per minute,” he said.
“It will service an area that extends to Palm Cove in the north, and Machans Beach in the south, so people can rest assured the Fire and Rescue Service is ready to respond to any incident.”
Mr Crawford said the region would also benefit from a $100,000 heavy vehicle road crash rescue trailer (HRT) which would be based at Mareeba Fire and Rescue Station.
“The HRT was purposefully built to respond to remote incidents and will support road crashes involving heavy vehicles or complex entrapments,” he said.
“It includes battery-operated hydraulic rescue tools, spreaders, a stabilisation kit and full lighting, meaning it can be used any time, night or day.”
Mr Crawford said the North Queensland Technical Rescue Coordination Centre had also received an all-terrain vehicle and trailer to reach remote and inaccessible areas.
“The $40,000 vehicle can carry four people and is fitted with a winch, emergency beacons, 200-litre water tank and hose reel,” he said
“The $10,000 custom-built trailer includes a secure storage compartment for equipment and fuel.”
