Queensland Fire Department to plead guilty over radio failures

The Queensland Fire Department has announced it will plead guilty to charges regarding radio communication failures during a 2023 warehouse fire in Slacks Creek, south of Brisbane. The blaze resulted in the death of 46-year-old firefighter Izabella Nash and caused major burns to her colleague, Lia Drew.

While prosecutors from Work Health and Safety took action regarding the alleged radio failures, a department spokesperson clarified that it is not alleged that these specific failures caused the death of Nash or the injury to Drew.

QFD Commissioner Steve Smith stated that the department has since implemented all recommendations from a Structural Firefighting Action Plan. This includes the delivery of new rapid intervention equipment and updated training for firefighter self-rescue and rapid intervention operations to strengthen structural firefighting safety.