By DANE LILLINGSTONE
SOUTHERN Downs Regional Council in conjunction with fire agencies has completed construction of 22 kilometres of strategic fire trails across the region.
Mayor Peter Blundell said the $42,400 in funding had come through the Queensland Disaster Mitigation and Resilience program in 2014 for the fire trails project. The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) and Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ) were involved in the project.
“These newly completed fire trails are primarily situated in the Braeside area of our region. They will facilitate access for fire-fighting personnel and resources to areas of strategic importance during fire-fighting operations to protect local communities, property and infrastructure from the spread of bush fires,” Mayor Blundell said.
“The new fire trails have successfully broken down what was a very large and generally inaccessible area into smaller more manageable blocks, which will help firefighters to control fires in days, not weeks, as has been the case in the past.”
Council’s Disaster Management co-ordinator Mark Saunders said that following a commissioning drive and different tests, it was ready to commence operation.
“All of the firefighters involved in the commissioning drive were happy with the result and believe it will be a big help in providing access into this area to combat bushfires,” Mr Saunders said.
Council spent close to $50,000 last year in the Ballandean fire supporting RFSQ operations. The incident was responsible for approximately 5000 burnt hectares.
It is expected that the fire trails will be a huge benefit to the community.
“Fire trails provide a more effective and safer means of access for firefighters to combat a fire which, in turn, helps prevent the spread of the fire and minimises the damage caused,” Mr Saunders said.
“Land owners are likely to incur less damage to fences, stock, feed and infrastructure, and fewer resources will be required to fight a fire, resulting in a reduced cost to the community in general,” he said.
The fire trails do not cross private land and are not open for public use.
The Strategic Fire Trails project is a joint initiative between the Southern Downs Regional Council, the Queensland Government and the Commonwealth Government.
