Lower Beechmont Rural Fire Brigade

25/05/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=986783212706163&id=100041234811531&mibextid=Nif5oz

*** Bushfire Safety - ***

To improve safety in the Lower Beechmont area, we are installing 4 new water storage tanks for firefighting at 2 strategic locations.

Two tanks will be installed along Bottletree Lane. The other two tanks will be installed in Syd Duncan Park near the corner of North Road and Outlook Avenue.

We have carefully selected the locations in consultation with the Lower Beechmont Rural Fire Brigade to improve operations after lessons learned fighting the 2019 Black Summer fires.

This project was primarily funded by the federal government (Thanks Scott Buchholz MP!) but will be supported (administratively and financially) and delivered by Council.

Find out more here at the project page;
https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/Services/Projects-works/Lower-Beechmont-firefighting-water-tank-installation

(pic is of Syd Duncan Park, but not where the tanks will be; they are to be positioned closer to the entry of the park)

14/05/2022

Lower Beechmont residents refreshed their CPR skills and learnt how to use an AED today at the CPR workshop. This was one of the activities that are happening as part of a project to rebuild our community's resilience.

Thanks to Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) and City of Gold Coast for their support in running the workshop.

11/05/2022

Looking for something to do on a wet Saturday afternoon?

Queensland Ambulance Service in conjunction with Gold Coast City Council are running a CPR Awareness Workshop especially for residents in Lower Beechmont. With the delay to ambulance response due to the road closure, knowing how to perform CPR could make the difference of someone dear to you surviving a heart attack.

The workshop will be held at the Lower Beechmont Rural Fire Brigade shed at 2 Mirani St on Saturday 14 May from 1pm to 4pm.

Places are limited. To secure your place, register at http://www.cityofgoldcoast.com.au/workshops or phone 07 5581 6642.

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].

Please note this is not an accredited CPR course.

We run free workshops and information sessions for community groups.

26/04/2022

There are some safer homes in Lower Beechmont after their residents attended fire extinguisher training at the Brigade tonight.

If you couldn't make tonight (or forgot 🤭), send us a message and we'll organize another session.

17/04/2022

These are just some of the amazing entries in our Easter Colouring In Competition.

Well done everyone and congratulations to all the winners!

15/04/2022

Have you got your Easter colouring competition entry almost finished?

Entries need to be in by 2pm to the General Store or bring them to the Easter Egg Hunt in Syd Duncan Park at 3pm. The competition will be drawn after the hunt.

Extra entry sheets are available at the General Store or you can print one out from this link: https://scontent-syd2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/278374292_348855077283081_8539509468417478722_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=WjeoW_XgXJIAX9rcaLL&_nc_ht=scontent-syd2-1.xx&oh=00_AT93q8xg8KQojUnZ9jlZKUbcIhRp0fO6pnGXsx7-o4mQBg&oe=625FAE0E

The Brigade will have some of our equipment on display at the park and members will be available to have a chat with about fire safety and supporting your local Brigade.

11/04/2022

Easter Colouring In Competition.

The Lower Beechmont Rural Fire Brigade is running an Easter Colouring In Competition for the children of Lower Beechmont.

Keep an eye on your letterbox for an entry or download and print out the one below. Extra entry sheets available at the General Store.

Entries to the General Store by 2pm Easter Sunday.

Competition will be drawn at 4pm after the Easter Egg Hunt at Syd Duncan Park on Easter Sunday.

09/04/2022

Fire Extinguisher & First Aid Training.

The Brigade is currently looking at arranging fire extinguisher training and basic first aid training for the community.

Fire extinguisher training would involve learning about what household fire extinguishers are and are not capable of doing, how to judge when they are appropriate to use, and practical hands-on training in operating an extinguisher on a real fire. This training would be provided free of charge.

Basic first aid training would be certified training provided by a qualified first aid trainer. The cost would be around $170 per person. If there were enough people interested, we could arrange for a trainer to conduct the training here in Lower Beechmont.

Could you please indicate below if you are interested in either of these training and what is the more suitable days and times for you to attend them.

08/04/2022

House Fire Training.

On Saturday morning the Brigade will be conducting training to respond to a house fire. This is part of the Brigade's change in focus in response to the road closure, and for many of our crew, it involves learning new skills and hazard awareness.

You are welcome to come and watch us train.

07/04/2022

First Minutes Matter FREE trauma training program.

The team at LifeFlight believe that knowing basic skills to help in a medical emergency and knowing your way around a first-aid kit is really what 'being prepared' is all about 🩹. They have developed an online video training program to help you be prepared if the worst-case scenario were to happen and you had to manage a medical emergency while help is on the way.

The First Minutes Matter FREE trauma training program covers common trauma incidents such as burns, bleeding, snake bites, choking and more.

More information is available from:

First Minutes Matter is a FREE trauma training program offered in-person and online. Sign up for the online program or join a workshop today.

01/04/2022

Community Safety Update.

Since the closure of Beechmont Rd, the Brigade has been working closely with emergency services and community groups to do what we can to maintain the safety of our community.

We are currently working on the assumption that the road will be closed for around 1 to 2 years based on the information we have been provided so far.

Fire & Rescue

Lower Beechmont will not have a guaranteed response from Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (aka the urban red trucks). There will be a best effort response from Canungra if they are available or Nerang for serious incidents but response times will be in excess of 1 hour.

The Lower Beechmont Rural Fire Brigade is currently making preparations to change our focus from bushfire protection to structure fire response. This will require us to be trained and equipped in things like disconnecting electricity and responding to house fires.

That said, there is very limited water available on the mountain and a typical house fire requires 40,000 litres (a big swimming pool) to extinguish. We are currently working on solutions to that problem.

We also have no equipment or training for motor vehicle crash rescue. If you crash your car, you are going to have a very long wait to get cut out of the wreck - keep that in mind as you speed down the mountain. We have already had three accidents this week.

Please be aware that the Beechmont Rd from Lower Beechmont to Canungra does not have the same safety features that you may be used to. On the road to Nerang, every corner is sealed with high grip bitumen for safety in the wet, so if you drive in the same manner, you will literally come unstuck at some point. The road is also steeper and narrow in places with very rough shoulders.

Our other limitation is crew members. We have 10 volunteers to protect 400 houses, and many of those volunteers work off the mountain during the day. There are times when there is only one or no volunteers available to respond to a call. We will be calling for new volunteers soon, so if you are on the mountain during the day, please keep a look out for that message.

Ambulance & Medical

Ambulance will be dispatched from Canungra if it is available or Nerang as a back up. Response times will be 45 minutes at best, an hour or more if things are busy.

If you have a serious medical condition, you may want to reassess the risks involved in living up here for the time being.

If you think you might need an ambulance, make the call to Triple Zero (000) as early as possible. Ambulance officers will be able to give you medical advice over the phone and make preparations if an ambulance could be needed. This is especially important in cases of breathing difficulties, chest pain and suspected heart problems. Call early.

No, they will not just send a helicopter to pick you up. Helicopter retrieval only occurs in serious cases after the patient has been assessed and stabilised by ground based medical staff.

The Brigade, in collusion with the QCWA, have a proposal in progress to obtain and install a defibrillator (AED) in the village. This will be accessible 24hr for anyone to use in the case of certain types of heart attacks. Part of the proposal is to provide training on its use for anyone in the community.

Defibrillators are also available at the Flying Bean Cafe and at Graceleigh Hall.

The Brigade, also in collusion with the QCWA, is planning to undertake first aid and resuscitation training for all of our members. This will give us the capability to provide limited first response for medical emergencies in conjunction with the ambulance service. We are also looking at the possibility of making this available for all community members as well.

Fire Trails

Yes, there are fire trails off the mountain at various locations. However, they all cross private property, are rough and steep requiring 4WD vehicles, single lane, and mostly downhill only. Even if they were an option, they are such a slow trip that it is actually quicker to take to back road anyway.

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