Blazing fireys blame red tape
A PAIR of Toolakea volunteer firefighters sanctioned for “administrative matters” have alleged they were strongarmed by heads within the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service over missed paperwork during a year marred by death and illness within their ranks.
The Toolakea community remains undefended by their local brigade after their truck was taken away in August.
Former first officer Michael Cossens, who was stood down along with his wife Lorna, has been devastated by the conflict after more than 14 collective years as a volunteer firey.
“In 1983 down in Victoria I was involved in Ash Wednesday,” he said.
“The fireground I was on, six firefighters got killed that were there with me.
“To see what happened there and know people are so vulnerable, and they didn’t stand a chance that’s why I’m so anal about fire breaks.”
Mr Cossens said the seizure of the truck prevented the brigade from doing back burning in the area, allowing a blaze in early September to rip through thousands of hectares of land.
“If they had left the truck in the area, this domino effect would not have occurred,” Mr Cossens said.
Five allegations have been levelled against the Cossens by the QFES, one being the failure to hold an annual general meeting by October 2017.
But Mr Cossens said a meeting was the last thing on his mind as Lorna battled four life- threatening infections, spending months in hospital from June last year.
“She comes first, the family comes first, because she was so sick but they didn’t accept it,” he said. “I was still going out to road accidents when she was in hospital. They thought it was just an excuse, you know?”
Mrs Cossens’ health woes came in the middle of a tu- multuous year for the Toolakea brigade, after they lost their secretary to an aggressive cancer in May 2017, and the second officer was forced to leave to care for his terminally ill wife in November.
“I said to them ‘ look, when she comes out of hospital we’ll have it ( the meeting)’, and we did,” Mr Cossens said.
The brigade had the meeting on August 8, but it was deemed “non- compliant”.
The brigade was placed into administration and the fire truck was taken away on August 10.
A special meeting was held on September 18 to elect a new management committee to steer the future of the brigade, but a quorum was not met.
A QFES spokesperson con- firmed another special meeting would be held at a date yet to be determined.
“A number of factors are considered when reinstating a brigade, including whether it can form a functional management committee,” they said.
“QFES is working with the brigade to determine its future operations and the best way forward for its members.”
But Mr Cossens said it appeared the brigade was “likely to collapse” if internal politics were not dealt with, leaving the community unprotected.
A QFES spokesperson said operational arrangements for the Toolakea area to be serviced by an adjacent brigade has been made and “service delivery to the community has not been affected”.