Airservices Australia ARFF aviation fire fighters lent a hand to the clean-up effort around Brisbane’s CBD earlier this month, as the city began to recover from last week’s devastating floods.
Two teams, each consisting of six or seven aviation fire fighters, an ultra-large fire vehicle, plus an additional 4WD and cleaning equipment, spent the weekend of January 15-16 helping to clean mud from streets and arterial roads in the Hamilton and Yeronga areas. Over last week, fire fighters also assisted with clean-up efforts at the Rocklea Fresh Foods Market and Virgin Blue’s corporate headquarters. ARFF water rescue crews also removed debris from the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay. All Airservices crews were tasked through the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service.
Airservices general manager aviation rescue and fire fighting, Andrew Rushbrook, said that Airservices fire fighters were using specialised vehicles, capable of dispersing large quantities of water up to 77 metres through the use of a roof monitor. This included one Mk6 and one Mk7 ultra-large fire vehicle, capable of holding 6500 and 10,000 litres of water respectively. “This capability is unique to Airservices aviation fire trucks and one which is proving to be quite useful in helping to clean large areas of the mud left behind by the flooding,” Rushbrook said.
Meanwhile, Airservices has also pledged to match staff donations to the Queensland Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal dollar-for-dollar. During the 2009 Victorian Bushfires, Airservices staff donated in excess of $100,000, which was also matched by the organisation.
