July 18, 2016
Cooyar has a big, new fire shed to house its two local brigades thanks to generous support from the State Government, the local business community and the Rural Fire Brigades Association of Queensland.
The four-bay shed cost $126,000 to erect and was officially opened by QFES Assistant Commissioner for South Western Region Steve Smith and First Officers Wayne Schefe and Tony Murphy on Saturday morning.
The shed will house the trucks and equipment that belong to the Cooyar Town and Cooyar District rural fire brigades.
The project was also supported by the Heritage Community Branch (Highfields and Crows Nest), the Tarong Community Partnership Fund and the Eastern Downs Rural Fire Brigade Group.
Emergency Services Minister Bill Byrne said the facility was a welcome addition ahead of the bushfire season.
“The new facility is a welcome boost to Cooyar Rural Fire Service’s response capability,” he said.
“It will support about 68 volunteers.
“Crews in this region need to be ready to respond to a wide variety of incidents, including bushfires, structure fires and road traffic crashes.
“This new facility will ensure they have a strong home base and will be well placed to respond to the community’s needs well into the future.”
Assistant Commissioner Smith said the new facility would also provide a great meeting and training base.
“Our firefighters and supporting members play a pivotal part in keeping the community safe in times of crisis,” he said.
“They spend hours training and improving their skills, in order to help keep Cooyar residents and surrounding towns safe.
“This new facility will mean firefighters in the area can continue to hone their skills here and provide a top-class response to this area.”
