New tech for QFES officers
IT MIGHT look like dishwashing soap, but this high-grade foam could one day save your life.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service has started training its auxiliary firefighters in the Toowoomba region and across southwest Queensland in using the latest fire retardant system that can stop bushfires in its tracks and coat entire trucks within minutes.
QFES instructor and Goombungee Auxiliary Captain John Rosenthal said the compressed air foam system (CAFS) trucks, which combine a non-toxic foam with a small amount of water, would be rolled out over the next few years.
“That’s come in in the last couple of months, and it’ll be the new ones rolled out throughout to all the auxiliary stations,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot of the senior captains from around our auxiliary stations, like Oakey and Goombungee.”
Capt Rosenthal said the CAFS trucks had a strong advantage over traditional response vehicles because they could help stop fires quickly while using minimal water.
He said this made it more useful when the incident might be away from a town, meaning no access to mains water.
“We can cover a large area with a very small amount of foam,” he said.
The QFES was also running assessments for road crash rescues at its Charlton station.