An LNP Government will provide a grant of $100,000 through the Supporting Our Emergency Volunteers initiative, towards the construction of a Rural Fire Brigade Shed at Rollingstone.

Hinchinbrook MP, Andrew Cripps, said the Rollingstone Rural Fire Brigade had spent some time identifying and securing land for a shed and were now looking to build their new facility.

Mr Cripps said the volunteers in the Rollingstone Rural Fire Brigade had been called on regularly over the last few years to respond to bushfires throughout their area of responsibility.

“Dry weather over the last few years has seen more fire events and increased risk of fire, so the rural fire brigades have also been busy with controlled burns to reduce fuel loads” said Mr Cripps.

“This has been true for the Rollingstone Rural Fire Brigade, which has been very active in its down area and lending support to nearby brigades on Townsville’s Northern Beaches” he said.

“Our emergency volunteers deserve to be able to access adequate facilities to support their activities and the Rollingstone Rural Fire Brigade currently doesn’t have a shed of its own”.

“The new shed will be a central location to accommodate and store fire-fighting equipment and vehicles, undertake training and act as a base for operations when the volunteers are called out”.

Mr Cripps said steady residential growth in the Rollingstone, Balgal Beach and Mystic Sands area over the last 15 years had resulted in the Rural Fire Brigade servicing a large community.

“Helping the volunteers at the Rollingstone Rural Fire Brigade with the cost of building their shed will be a very practical and welcome support to the local community in the Rollingstone district”.

“The LNP’s Supporting Our Emergency Volunteers program is aimed at making it easier for our volunteers to provide a service to the community and that’s what this grant would do”.

Mr Cripps said if the LNP was successful at the coming state election, the Rollingstone Rural Fire Brigade would receive the $100,000 grant towards the construction of their new shed.