A team of swift water rescue specialists and support staff from Victoria will be deployed to Queensland today to help emergency services with devastating and widespread flooding in the south east of the state.
A total of 15 personnel from Fire Rescue Victoria, including three four-person crews qualified in swift water rescue, will travel to Beenleigh in Queensland.
They will be joined by a strike team leader, liaison officer, and administration officer and are expected to be deployed for one week.
Queensland has experienced record-breaking flooding in recent days, which will likely result in hundreds more homes being inundated with floodwater.
Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp thanked Victorian personnel for answering the call to assist.
“We have been closely watching the situation as it has unfolds in Queensland and our thoughts are very much with the people of Queensland at this time,” he said.
“Our specialist teams will provide an additional capability to Queensland in swift water rescue and support crew.
“We’ll continue to have the conversation with the National Resource Centre and all states and territories, to look at any additional resourcing that is required over the next few days, weeks and months.”
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting rain and possible thunderstorms in Victoria this week, however not to the extent of Queensland.
This small but important deployment will not have any impact on Victoria’s operational capability.
EMC Crisp said this was a timely reminder for everyone in Victoria and across the country to never walk, ride or drive through floodwater.
Victorians are reminded to never rely on one channel for emergency information. Connect to official sources of emergency information, including the VicEmergency app, www.emergency.vic.gov.au, tune into local emergency broadcasters such as ABC local radio, commercial and select community radio stations, or SkyNews TV, phone the VicEmergency Hotline on 1800 226 226 or follow VicEmergency on Facebook and Twitter.
