Five fire-trained parks and wildlife rangers, including one from the Sunshine Coast, have joined the fight against ongoing bushfires in western Victoria.
Ranger Cooper Jenkins, from Tewantin, flew to Melbourne yesterday and he has joined other interstate firefighters in response to significant bushfires near the Grampians National Park.
The rangers will form part of a 20-person taskforce that includes fire personnel from other state agencies, supporting crews from Victoria who have been fighting fires in the area since late 2024.
Due to the intense and rapidly-changing nature of bushfire response, the rangers have been put through rigorous fitness and practical testing to ensure they are equipped to face the task ahead of them.
Deputy Director General of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Ben Klaassen, said they welcomed the opportunity to assist with the bushfire response.
“Current weather conditions in many parts of Queensland means we have capacity to deploy a crew of our fire-trained rangers to help out our southern neighbours,” Mr Klaassen said.
“We hope that our assistance will not only help protect nearby communities and the environmental and cultural values of Little Desert National Park and Grampians (Gaiwerd) National Park but will also give our counterparts some well-earned reprieve after a long bushfire season.
“We wish our team all the best over the coming days and a safe return, and of course are sending our thoughts to impacted Victorian communities,” he said.
