CFA members about to leave for Queensland
More than 500 Victorian CFA staff and volunteers have been deployed to Queensland to help tackle the devastating bushfires.
Around 200 staff and volunteers are already there and a further 69 are enroute today (November 2). They will be stationed in Toowoomba and Rockhampton to support Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.
Strike teams (trucks and crew), incident management teams, air supervisors and officers are among those who have headed north.
Paul Carrigg, CFA State Agency Commander said it was important volunteers provided support for their interstate counterparts.
"It's also important, in some cases, that their employers allow them time off to free them up to go to Queensland and families have to take on more responsibility than normal. We're very thankful," he said.
"It's a big thank you to our volunteers, their employers and their families."
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan praised contributions made by CFA volunteers and staff.
“Our CFA personnel are well-equipped to handle any challenge and we are proud to offer our resources to our partner agencies interstate to continue to keep communities safe from bushfires,” he said.
“CFA has sent five strike teams, staff and volunteers to support resourcing in the Toowoomba and Rockhampton regions. In addition, we are deploying eight members for aviation support in Queensland, NSW and Northern Territory.
“We would like to thank everyone involved in the deployments, as well as those who remain behind to continue to prepare and protect our communities.”
More than 80 bushfires have been burning across Queensland - destroying more than 50 homes.