A $120,000 emergency services shed has been built on Russell Island just in time for this year’s fire season.
The shed, on Jackson Road, Russell Island, will be home to more than 20 emergency services volunteers and will become a coordination hub in times of disasters.
Police Minister Jack Dempsey said the training hub and disaster coordination centre, was set up in direct response to last year’s Keelty Review, which called for closer ties between police and emergency services.
“It is the first of its kind and will bring the SES and Rural Fire Service together under the one roof, where everyone will get the same training,” he said.
“It will cut out the doubling up of costs by keeping all resources at the one place and allow maximum use of all the equipment.”
Russell Island Fire Brigade second officer in command Anthony Gleeson agreed and said the facility would give residents “better bang for their buck” while also making the island safer.
Mr Dempsey, who flew from his home town in Bundaberg after overcoming a bout of pneumonia for the opening, paid tribute to the hard work of the island’s SES volunteers saying they were worth their weight in gold.
“This is an opportunity to say thankyou to the volunteers but also their families who also make sacrifices in times of emergencies,” Mr Dempsey said.
State Assistant Minister for Emergency Volunteers Ted Malone was also at the opening which drew a crowd of about 100.
Redland City Council, which launched a massive disaster awareness campaign after 2013 Tropical Cyclone Oswald, contributed $70,000, the largest slice of funding.
Island councillor Mark Edwards said prior to the shed being built all the SES equipment was stored at the homes of various volunteers.
He said not having all the equipment in one spot posed logistical problems when services were forced to respond after Oswald, which left Russell Island without power for five days.
“It’s timely to remember that we are now in fire season and it was only a few weeks ago when a fire broke out on nearby North Stradbroke Island,” Cr Edwards said.
“The risk of fire is real on the islands and it was only in January when these islands were on high fire alert.
“Council currently maintains more than 400 fire breaks on Russell Island but we want residents to also take a pro-active approach and this shed will act as a visual reminder.”
Redlands MP Peter Dowling said volunteers would be able to complete training courses at the site and would no longer have to travel to Cleveland to undertake training.