Queensland firefighters and emergency service personnel have been honoured with a ticker-tape parade in Brisbane following a devastating bushfire season.

March 7, 2020

Hundreds of people have lined Brisbane’s streets to pay tribute to firefighters and emergency service personnel who risked their lives battling Queensland bushfires.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Service personnel were joined by members of the Rural Fire Service, SES and Australian Defence Force for the ticker-tape parade in the city centre on Saturday.

“People lost their lives fighting fires and saving homes. You can’t repay them enough for what they’ve done this summer,” Emma Graham told AAP as a contingent of about 50 rural firefighters marched past.

More than 45 homes were destroyed and about 2.5 million hectares of land burned during the Queensland bushfire season, which kicked off with a massive blaze in the Gold Coast hinterland in early-September.

At the height of the blazes, thousands of people were evacuated from there homes across the state as more than 65 bushfires burned out-of-control in bone-dry conditions during October and December following years of drought.

Nationally, 33 people died and more than 2700 homes were lost as fires burned through millions of hectares of land during one of the worst bushfire seasons on record.

Queensland Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Craig Crawford tipped his hat to the state’s staff and volunteers who fought the blazes in Queensland and other states.

“You willingly put up your hands to support your colleagues and community, often travelling long distances and taking time away from your families and often also your workplaces,” he said.

“The thing you have in common is the passion for answering the call. You stared down fires, you supported people in their time of need. We thank you.”