Turning up heat for new recruits

A two-day course to train the 10 new members concluded yesterday with a hazard reduction burn at the Golf Club.

Mount Isa Rural Fire Brigade first officer Kimberleigh Smith said the Golf Club's need to hold a controlled burn lined up perfectly with the training day to give the volunteers an opportunity to court their first blaze.

"There is a great difference to reading about how a fire can act in a book and seeing it with your own eyes," she said.

"We had sections that took off really well and other areas that burned really slowly so it was a fantastic opportunity to get them out there and explain why that happened."

Rural firefighters often pursue the volunteer role between work and play but in recent times the brigade have struggled to get enough volunteers on different working schedules.

Ms Smith said the majority of the new volunteers worked in the mining industry and had different rosters providing more flexibility for future crews.

"When all of our volunteers work nine to five they usually can't help out during the week," she said.

"Having this new group allows us to have people available for seven days a week."

The new fire fighting force learned about their personal protective equipment, the different functions of the fire hose and nozzles on a fire truck, how to use fire management tools, fire behaviour, safety on the fire ground, chain of command and communication skills, and how to use radio communications.

The latest recruitment drive has boosted Mount Isa's Rural Fire Brigade to 40 members, enhancing a service that is responsible for fighting bush fires around the city limits and assisting the urban Queensland Fire and Rescue Service with their operations.