13 Aug Rural Fire Brigade Expands
The Yarwun community will be better protected from future bushfire disasters as the local rural brigade prepares to expand to a bigger facility, thanks to a 25-year rent-free land lease from Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC).
The Westowe Rural Fire Brigade was first established in 1953 and will now be able to increase their vital services with 1.4 hectares of land at Calliope River Road in Yarwun.
The existing Brigade on the corner Boyles and Spring Valley Road only has two vehicle bays inside the shed, meaning members have had no option but to park their third truck outside.
First officer Danny Devers said the new headquarters will future-proof the Brigade for the next two-and-a half decades.
“We’ve got a 30-year-old shed which is hidden from the road and impossible for some to find,” Mr Devers said.
“Our current location has caused a few issues for us and recently we’ve had several break-ins,” he said.
“We’re all looking forward to more space and having a real meeting room, at the moment we have to take the trucks out to use the space and it can be very hot in summer.”
Mr Devers said the Brigade began looking for a new location three years ago before it found the port land.
“GPC were more than happy to give us the land at Yarwun and we have been fundraising for a new shed over the last 12 months,” he said.
“All our members are over the moon to be able to expand, especially because the last few fire seasons we’ve had, we had to buy water but now with our own bore we can cut costs, there’s a lot of benefits,” Mr Devers said.
