We hear the sirens quite frequently on Bribie. It is a fact of life with the age of our population that quite often many of us are in need of their assistance. Generally, this will be the ambos (god bless their care and compassion) whose siren we hear. Fortunately, rarely do we need all three arms of the Emergency Services plus additional support from other government and non-government sectors.
Fire, particularly a raging bushfire that threatens our lives and property in this community will invoke that kind of response. And thank goodness it did! For the period from Thursday 17th to Sunday 20th January this year, our local and regional emergency services teams were put to the test. It is comforting, as a community, to know how well trained, experienced and dependable these men and women are who help us out in our time of need. Many times life and death hang in the balance and it is these well-trained professionals who more often than not succeed in making the outcome a positive one. This issue celebrates their success on this occasion.
So next time you see an ambulance, police or fire officer maybe give them a smile or say thank you on a job well done. In fact why not extend this gesture to all those who serve us so well in our community. Many of them are volunteers who are more likely than not your relative, friend or neighbour.
Our cover photo… Wayne Brown of the QFES passed on this photo for our cover. While we have daylight shots we thought this nighttime shot dramatically depicts what the men and women faced that night.