Six new four-wheel-drives will help Brisbane State Emergency Service rescuers and searchers respond more quickly to fire and floodwater emergencies and reports of missing persons.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk handed the keys to six new four-wheel-drives, worth $240,000, over to SES Brisbane group controller Mark Ryan on Tuesday.
"We're very grateful for their presence; we'd certainly be lost without the SES," Cr Quirk said.
"They do some great work. They are out there in the front line every time the going gets tough in terms of weather conditions in our city."
The SES raised $60,000 towards the new cars, and the council gave the remaining $180,000.
The 2017-18 council budget allocated $5.4 million for the SES.
Cr Quirk said a higher than normal fire risk had been predicted for this year, while rainfall and summer storms seemed fairly average.
"As we know, afternoon storms are very much part of the product of the Brisbane climate, so it's a case of being ready and doing those simple things around the house, making sure items are secured, making sure gutters are cleared of leaf litter and doing those things to make sure you're safe," he said.
Mr Ryan said wild weather events that hit Brisbane in November 2014 and The Gap in 2008 showed how crucial it was for volunteers from the nine SES stations to get on the road and respond to incidents quickly.
"The capability of these six new vehicles will bring to our SES volunteers across Brisbane is certainly a welcome one," Mr Ryan said.
"It allows them to work with more modern equipment, allows us to get to the community quicker and also just be that little bit more professional."
The new fleet of vehicles will be fitted with canopies and roof racks to carry a fully-equipped SES storm damage team to wherever they are needed.
The new vehicles will be at Morningside, Kedron, Newmarket, Richlands, Ascot.
