Tackling youth’s “unhealthy fascination” with fire is the reason behind the reintroduction of the Fight Fire Fascination program in the next six months.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While visiting Mount Isa on Friday, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the aim of the program was to educate children about the dangers and hazards of fire at an early stage.
When asked about recent fires in Mount Isa, Commissioner Carroll said she was aware of the incidents including the recent burning of the city’s Police Beat in Pioneer suburb.
“Obviously it is a concern that you see young people, very young people having a very I suppose unhealthy fascination with fires and that really is what that program is about,” she said.
Commissioner Carroll said the service had a prevention role within the community and hope this program would be rolled out by early next year.
The program was originally run in school across Queensland but was stopped about three years ago.
Commissioner Carroll said the agency didn’t have a choice to stop the program, but looked forward to reintroducing it to Queensland.
“It was a policy decision that wasn’t made by the agency, but hence the new government has agreed that it should come back into the agency,” she said.
“From a young age, children need to have a very good understanding about fire so that is the area that you target the most.
“Certainly we are very willing, able and excited about progressing that again.”
As part of her role, Commissioner Carroll is responsible for efficiently leading all divisions of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and implementing a renewal process from recommendations made by recent reviews within the organisation.
During her tour on Friday, Commissioner Carroll said she was impressed with the station and all emergency services in the city.
“I’m always impressed with people coming to Mount Isa and people working in Mount Isa,” she said.
“I say that in the sense that, and a lot people would know, coming from the east coast how closely people work together.
“How well they know each other, it doesn’t matter if you’re in one agency or another it almost seems to not really matter; they work so closely together.
“When we did have that couple of responses recently, and I also got this from a policing aspect, everyone just kind of sinks in together and gets on with the job.”
She said while it is important everywhere for services to work together, in places like Mount Isa it really shows.
