Please see the below statement from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) Acting Commissioner Mike Wassing regarding Taskforce Vulcan.
QFES has had no reduction in its fire investigation capability since the conclusion of Taskforce Vulcan.
Taskforce Vulcan was a Central Queensland focused joint initiative with the Queensland Police Service to educate the public and raise awareness on the dangers of deliberately lit bushfires. The focus of the Taskforce was to encourage the public to report to Crime Stoppers suspicious fire behaviour in areas where bushfires had started. There was no dedicated QFES resource to the Taskforce and it was delivered as part of business as usual bushfire education activities.
QFES continues to provide fire investigation support to QPS as the lead agency for investigation. Taskforce Vulcan was concluded at the start of Operation Cool Burn in April 2018 which focuses on broader bushfire preparedness, mitigation and education activities as part of QFES’ annual campaign.
As part of Operation Cool Burn, QFES continues to target arson and conducts education programs focused on arson prevention.
