Queensland Government
Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services

Fire safety in the home

The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) urges Queenslanders to prepare now for the event of a fire.

Family members can easily develop an emergency evacuation plan by sitting down together to identify all possible exit routes and ensuring all household members are catered for, including the young, elderly and people with disability.

Draw your agreed escape route on a floor plan of your house and place it somewhere prominently to keep it fresh in your mind.

In the event of a fire, a working smoke alarm used in conjunction with an emergency evacuation plan will greatly increase the chances of getting out safely.

QFRS provides a fire safety education program for Queensland Seniors and offers all residents a free home fire safety visit to help identify and eliminate fire risks in the home. To book these services call 1300 369 003.

Social players have a ball

Organisers of soccer training sessions for young men with a disability in Bundaberg have been overwhelmed by the sessions’ popularity.

Launched early this year, the weekly sessions have consistently drawn around 50 teenagers and young men to an oval owned by the Diggers Football Club, sited next to the Salvation Army’s Tom Quinn Centre.

The participants enjoy the social interaction and gain self-esteem from learning a new skill.

For more information about this Department of Communities funded social inclusion program, contact the Salvation Army’s Jody Schneider on 4151 3557 or 4151 5749.

Cooktown cyclone centre

A new multipurpose community events centre in Cooktown is one of the first such multipurpose centres to be constructed in Queensland with category 5 cyclone shelter rating.

The centre, opened in mid-winter, is being used for Cook Shire Council, school and other meetings. As an entertainment venue, it is well equipped for major shows with a stage and amphitheatre inside a 550-seat auditorium.

Run by the PCYC, it also has a fitness centre, commercial kitchen, a sports hall and sporting equipment.

The new facility resulted from a partnership between the Queensland Government, the
Australian Government and Cook Shire Council.

SES seeks volunteers to join its ranks

The thousands of Queenslanders who rolled up their sleeves and pitched in to help clean up following the devastating flooding at the start of the year are encouraged to sign-up with the State Emergency Service (SES).

More than 6,800 volunteers state-wide don orange overalls to ensure the community receives the assistance they need in trying times.

You can learn a vast range of practical skills with the SES which transfer over to everyday life whereas those with certain skills like radio operations or abseiling or chainsaw operations can use and hone these skills in potentially lifesaving environments.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the SES should call 132 500 and ask about signing up with a local unit.

A day to see red

Queenslanders will see red again on Friday, 28 October, the annual Day for Daniel organised by the Daniel Morcombe Foundation to draw attention to child safety.

As well as encouraging people to wear red on the day, the foundation hopes more smaller communities will follow the lead of Cloncurry, Collinsvale and Leyburn, which last year were painted and draped in red.

The awareness raising event is strongly focused on Queensland schools. Last year, up to 500,000 school children participated in competitions, talks, community walks and other activities. For more information go to www.danielmorcombe.com.au or phone 0434 326 435.