Toogoom Rural Fire Brigade

 (Murphy's Law of Bushfire Fighting #94.... When the Commmissioner rings.... the fire is always under control.)

We have two appliances, Toogoom 41 & 51, housed at the Toogoom Fire Station. Below are some of thier specifications, and also some of the other resources we can call in if needed.

Toogoom 41 - Toogoom 51 - Burrum Heads 61 - Hervey Bay 91 - 432 Oscar - 436 Alpha & Bravo - Helitack 401

Based on a Nissan Patrol 4X4 Cab Chassis, Toogoom 41 is a light attack, first response appliance. These light attack vehicles are quite versatile and capable despite their limited water capacity of 600 litres.

• 2000 model Nissan Patrol Cab Chassis
• AAA Engineering Tray to QFRS Specs
• 9hp Honda Twin Impeller Fire Fighting Pump
• 600 Litre Galvanised Steel Water Tank
• 30 Metres 25mm Hose on Reel with 360 Protek Branch
• 20 Litres BFFF Foam and "Blizzard Boss" Branches
• 38mm AWG Structure Fire Branch
• 30 meters 38 "Duraline" Lay Flat Hose
• 10 Metres 65 "Percolating" Supply Hose
• 10 Metres 38mm Drafting Hose with foot valve 
• 2X 5 Litre "Fire Bugs"
• 3 2-Way Radios (1 UHF, 2 VHF)
• 3X Burn Over Protection Blankets
• First Aid Supplies

Toogoom 51 is a Medium Attack Appliance equipped to handle both wildfire responses and structure fires.

• 1995 Mitsubishi Canter 4X4 Cab Chassis
• XL Engineering Tray to QFRS Specs
• 20hp Honda Single Impeller Main Pump
• 5.5hp Honda High Volume Transfer Pump
• 1100 Litre Poly Water Tank
• 2X 30 Metres 25mm Hose on Reel with 360 Protek Branches
• 2X 2 Metre 25mm Black Hoses with 360 Protek Branches
• 20 Litres BFFF Foam and "Blizzard Boss" Branches
• 38mm AWG Structure Fire Branch
• 2X Protek 450 l/min 38mm Branches
• 5X 30 meters 38 "Duraline" Lay Flat Hose
• 10 Metres 65 "Percolating" Supply Hose
• 10 Metres 38mm Drafting Hose with foot valve 
• 5X 5 Litre "Fire Bugs"
• 2 2-Way Radios (1 UHF, 1 VHF)
• 3X Burn Over Protection Blankets
• First Aid Supplies
• Husquvarna Semi Professional 18" Chainsaw

Sometimes we require more resources to effectively control fire outbreaks. Some of the appliances and equipment we can utilise when needed are described below.

Burrum Heads Rural Fire Brigade is located just 15 minutes away and have a Heavy Rural Pumper, 61 appliance, available when needed. Based on a Medium Rigid 4X2 Isuzu Truck.

Burrum Heads 61 carries 5000 litres of water, and is capable of refilling a number of units before it needs refilling. It is also equipped with communications equipment, first aid supplies, portable drafting pump, and structure fire fighting equipment to name a little.

Murphy's Law of Bushfire Fighting #318 Remember that your equipment was always made by a company who had the lowest bid!

Hervey Bay 91 is a recent addition to the Hervey Bay Group Fleet. Based on a 2008 Model Turbo Diesel Toyota Hilux Dual Cab. Its purpose is for support at incidents and is equipped witha range of items to assist with effective incident management strategies. The vehicle is also used during training and public relations exercises for crew transport.

• 1000 Channel Simoco VHF & UHF Two Way Radios
• 12v/240v Fridge
• Incident Control "Tac Packs"
• Incident control Tabards
• Various local maps
• Traffic Control Wand
• "Code 3" Light Bar
• 200watt Siren/PA System
• TomTom GPS mapping
• Garmin GPS

432 Oscar is based at Maryborough Fire Station and is both a Hazmat Tender and a Communications Unit.It can be activated with a phone call or by radio to 'FireCom'. These are specialist vehicles for use during major incidents, or what we refer to as level 2 or level 3 wildfires.

Based on a Mitsubishi Canter 4X2 Light Truck it carries a extensive array of items that an incident controller may need, such as:

• Mobile Phones
• VHF & UHF Radios
• Local Maps
• 'Battle Boards'
• Fax Machine
• Internet Connection
• GPS Mapping

436 alpha & bravo are Urban Rescue Pumpers based at Torquay Fire Station in Hervey Bay. If a 000 call from Toogoom is about a house or other structure fire then one or both of these appliances are responded as well as Toogoom. 

They are manned by both Full Time fire fighters and Part Time Auxilliary Fire Fighters, and can be responded 24hrs a day, usually arriving in Toogoom in around 15-20 minutes after being responded.

433 alpha, based at Pialba, is an Auxilliary Brigade that can also be responded.

"Helitack 401" is a water bomber from Rural Operations Air Operations Unit. This is one of a number of Aerial Appliances that we can use if needed. These are a specialist appliance that can only be effective in fire suppression during certain conditions. Although they are being used more and more, they are limited in thier role during wildfires, and are predominantly used to assist ground crews in an initial knockdown of a fire front that could impact on residential areas or other infrastructure such as power stations or water treatment plants.

We were lucky enough to attend "Exercise Elvis" recently, which involved the use of Helitack 401. For more information go to our news page.