VOLUME 21 - ISSUE 9
10 - 24 JUNE 2026
WWW.mountmorgan.org.au
MOUNT MORGAN ARGUS PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY MOUNT MORGAN PROMOTION & DEVELOPMENT INC. ABN 21 391 526 801 | 1 RAILWAY PDE, MOUNT MORGAN, Q 4714, AUSTRALIA.
Standing Together..Page 4
Dam Speed Limits...Page 6
Gangulu Camp...Page 10
31 years forged in fire For more than three decades, the sound of the emergency pager meant one thing for Darren Barnicoat: drop everything, gear up, and protect the community. After 31 years of dedicated service with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES, formerly QFRS), the Mount Morgan Auxiliary Captain has officially hung up his
helmet.
volunteer.
It is the end of a remarkable era defined by deep camaraderie, lifesaving rescues, and a passion for community safety that began nearly 44 years ago when he first stepped into emergency services as a young State Emergency Service (SES)
Now, as he steps away from the fire station to catch a well-earned breath, Darren shares an honest, reflective look back at the evolution of the service, the memories that linger, and the enduring bonds of the firefighter family. Stepping onto the station floor in the early 1990s looked vastly different than it does today. Over 30 years, Darren witnessed a major technological evolution that fundamentally changed how firefighters operate, making rescues faster and safer. “The equipment has improved—we have the same equipment, but it has been enhanced,” Darren explains. He points to thermal imaging cameras as a game-changer, noting they do far more than just locate hot spots in a burning structure; they are now vital tools for finding missing persons in dense smoke or tracking down victims thrown from vehicle accidents. Similarly, the transition to battery-powered road crash rescue gear—like cordless drills, grinders, and reciprocating saws—has stripped away the need for cumbersome hydraulic hoses, allowing crews to set up and extricate patients in a fraction of the time. Personal protective clothing and structural training processes have seen similarly massive upgrades. Yet, alongside these structural positives, Darren is candid about the challenges modern regional stations face. Recruiting auxiliary firefighters has become increasingly difficult, and
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