Ripley Valley Rural Fire Brigade

05/10/2026

🔥 It’s been another busy week for Ripley Valley!

Our crews have been highly active supporting firefighting operations across the Lockyer Valley, while continuing to respond to incidents right here in our own community. Our volunteers have been working tirelessly, putting in some long days and nights to support communities near and far.

With conditions keeping crews busy across the region, please stay up to date with current warnings and incidents, and take the time now to make sure your Bushfire Survival Plan is ready. Know what you’ll do, where you’ll go and when you’ll leave. For incident information, visit https://fire.qld.gov.au/Current-Incidents

04/10/2026

SMOKE WARNING - Advice
Please stay up to date with warnings from Queensland Fire Department

For all current warnings, updates and mapping, go to https://www.fire.qld.gov.au/Current-Incidents.

AVOID SMOKE - Swanbank (Ipswich) - fire as at 4:39pm Sunday, 4 October 2026

Warning level: ADVICE

Warning area: Swanbank, Ripley, Flinders View, South Ripley and surrounding areas

There is a fire near Swanbank Road, Swanbank.

What you should do:

- If the smoke is thick where you are, stay inside and close windows and doors.

- If you need medication to help you breathe keep it close. Smoke can make it hard to breathe.

- Stay away from the area if you do not need to be there.

- Check for warning updates often and listen to your local radio station.

- Do not fly drones around the incident as they affect firefighting.

- If you are in danger, call Triple Zero (000) now.

Impacts:

- Some roads may be closed or impacted by smoke. You may need to drive a different way.

- Smoke can make it hard to see when driving.

What firefighters are doing:

- Firefighters are working to control the incident.

More information:

- For all warnings, visit the Qld Fire website. https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/Current-Incidents.

- Follow Queensland Fire Department on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/qldfiredepartment.

- For road closures, visit the QLD Traffic website. https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au/ or call 13 19 40.

- If you are worried about your health call your doctor or 13 HEALTH (13 432 584).

- For local information visit your Council’s Local Disaster Dashboard.

- If you need translation, call TIS National on 131 450.

Updates will be issued if the situation changes.

This warning is from the Queensland Fire Department.

23/09/2026

🔥 PERMIT TO LIGHT SUSPENSION 🔥

A Suspension of Permit to Light will be in place from 12:01am Saturday, 26 September until 11:59pm Friday, 9 October across the Ipswich, Scenic Rim, Lockyer and Somerset LGAs.

The suspension may be extended, varied or revoked as conditions change, so please keep an eye on official updates.

Permit Holders must not light fires under a permit during the suspension period.

Fires that do not require a permit to light (i.e fires that are smaller than 2m x 2m x 2m) are still permitted during the suspension period.

16/09/2026

Hey Ripley 👋

If you’ve noticed we’ve been a little quiet lately, sorry—we’re still here! It’s been a very busy few weeks supporting our own community and others across the region.

Our volunteers have worked alongside Queensland Fire Department, Queensland Police Service, Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) and supporting rural fire brigades to help keep our community safe—and we couldn’t be prouder of everyone involved.

We also want to give a heartfelt thank-you to the families behind our volunteers. Every time the pager sounds, plans change, dinners go cold and precious time together is put on hold while someone they love heads out the door to help others. Your patience, understanding and unwavering support make it possible for our crews to be there when the community needs them. You’re an important part of our brigade family, and we truly couldn’t do it without you.

Our focus will always be on operations, so this page may not have the latest updates. For official warnings and incident information, follow the Queensland Fire Department page or visit https://fire.qld.gov.au/Current-Incidents. Stay informed, review your Bushfire Survival Plan and take care of each other, Ripley. 💛🚒

29/08/2026

🔥 SMOKE ADVISORY – WHITE ROCK 🔥

A planned burn is being completed today in the White Rock area by a third-party contractor, Fireland Consultancy. Smoke may be visible across White Rock, Ripley, South Ripley and surrounding areas whilst the burn is completed.

Residents affected by smoke should close windows and doors and keep respiratory medication nearby if required. Motorists are asked to drive to conditions, slow down and use headlights if smoke reduces visibility.

19/06/2026

Ripley Valley Rural Fire Brigade is saddened to hear of the recent break-in and theft of vital firefighting equipment from Birnam Rural Fire Brigade.

Volunteer firefighters dedicate their time to protecting their communities, and incidents like this affect the ability of brigades to respond when needed most.

We encourage our community to share this post and assist Birnam Rural Fire Brigade reporting any suspicious activity or information that may help identify those responsible.

Our thoughts are with the members of Birnam RFB as they work through this unfortunate incident.

28/05/2026

Good Morning Ripley Valley!

After many years of dedicated service to their brigade and community, it's time to farewell their long serving 71 Tanker and welcome an exciting new addition to the fleet.

Their new 61 Heavy Attack Appliance represents a significant step forward in capability, safety, and service delivery, helping ensure the brigade is well equipped to protect the community for many years to come.

From all of us at Ripley Valley, congratulations to the Mount Forbes members on this exciting milestone.

We look forward to working alongside the Mount Forbes crew and their new appliance in support of our communities across the region.

If you'd like to see the new appliance up close, it will be on display at the 🚨 Harrisville Community Emergency Services Expo 🚨 in just under two weeks more information is on Mount Forbes page.

Interested in volunteering?

Both Mount Forbes Rural Fire Brigade and Flinders Peak Rural Fire Brigade are currently recruiting new members.

If you'd like to give back to your community, learn new skills, and be part of a great team, reach out to them via their pages for more information.

Well done, Mount Forbes! 👏

11/04/2026

Today, our brigade responded to a vegetation fire in Swanbank, working alongside our friends from Mount Forbes Rural Fire Brigade and Pine Mountain and Districts Rural Fire Brigade

Access to the fireground proved challenging for our appliances, requiring crews to operate on hand tools and extended hose lays to reach and contain the fire.

Thanks to the hard work and coordination of all crews on scene, the fire has now been successfully contained and extinguished.

A big thank you to all personnel involved for their efforts in tough conditions 👏

🚒 As always, if you see smoke or fire that concerns you, don’t hesitate to call 000.

10/04/2026

Good Morning Ripley Valley,

Our brigade recently attended a fire at Washpool, working alongside brigades from Kalbar, Warrill View, and Roadvale.

This is what we do best supporting our neighbouring brigades and working together as a team to protect our community and surrounding areas.

A great effort by all crews involved.

As conditions continue to dry out, this is a reminder for landowners conducting burns to ensure permits are in place and to please liaise with your local Fire Warden prior to lighting.

📞 Please remember always call Triple Zero (000) to report fires, not brigade landlines. This ensures the appropriate resources are dispatched as quickly as possible.

🍉 A big thank you to one of the landowners for the ch*****ne melons. They were very refreshing and well appreciated.

Queensland Fire Department ,Allandale Rural Fire Brigade,Kalbar Rural Fire Brigade ,Roadvale Rural Fire Brigade

17/03/2026

🚨In an emergency, always call Triple Zero (000)🚨

When a fire or life-threatening emergency happens, every second counts. The fastest way to get help is by calling Triple Zero immediately – not by contacting your local brigade or station directly.

Your call will go directly to a trained professional who can quickly dispatch the nearest available crews.

For non-life-threatening emergency assistance during severe weather events, such as help with a damaged roof or storm damage, call SES on 132 500.