MOUNT Cotton councillor Julie Talty has accused other councillors of being unreasonable in not supporting her campaign to set up a mainland rural fire service, saying it will potentially increase fire danger to homes.
She said councillors did not support her move despite state fire risk mapping which showed that Mount Cotton, Sheldon and parts of Redland Bay were subject to the highest fire risk in the state.
“Councillors were happy to increase rates by $20 so they could say they would plant one million trees, but would not responsibly support managing the risk with a contribution of a couple of dollars ... per year,” she said.
Cr Talty wants residents to write to councillors, asking them to support a mainland rural fire service.
She said fire mitigation and fuel reduction burns were inadequate and a mainland volunteer fire unit would give added manpower to council’s fire mitigation.
Cr Talty said councillors preferred to ignore the issue, in effect hiding information behind a claim of budget deliberations being in confidence.
She said a 2015 public meeting at Mount Cotton voted to ask Redland City Council mayor Karen Williams to write to the Queensland Fire Commissioner to get a mainland rural fire service formed.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services then asked Redlands to back a whole-of-city levy on rateable properties of about $2.50 per household per year to support the plan.
A council spokesperson said council had asked QFES to consider registering a rural fire brigade and a decision was yet to be made by QFES.
Cr Talty said councillors decided not to introduce a mainland rural fire levy but to raise the issue again during budget deliberations next year.
She said arguments had been made that urban residents should not pay for a rural fire service but there was no area that did not have bushland with the potential to endanger homes.
The best idea would be a whole-of-city-approach with rural fire, SES and volunteer emergency response and rescue groups supported by one small annual charge of about $2 per house per quarter, she said.
Cr Paul Golle said QFES advice to councillors was that there was no need for a mainland rural fire service which was why the idea was not adopted.
Winter fire tips, page 5
