There was a time when fighting a fire on Coochie involved rather more improvisation than it does today.

Back in the late 1960s and 70s, there was no shiny fire appliance waiting at the station. If something caught fire, locals grabbed hand tools and knapsack sprayers, while water tanks were loaded onto trailers and towed by tractors or private 4WDs.

Very Coochie, really. See a problem. Find some willing humans.

 Work out how to fix it.

As the island grew, that grassroots response became a formal Rural Fire Brigade, staffed by local volunteers protecting homes, bushland and foreshores. They fought grass and structure fires, managed fuel loads and carried out hazard-reduction burns.

But Coochie was changing.

More permanent residents and more houses meant the job was changing too. Rural firefighting equipment and training are primarily designed for bush and landscape fires. A house fire, particularly one requiring firefighters to enter a smoke-filled building wearing breathing apparatus, is another beast entirely.

Eventually, Coochie transitioned to an Auxiliary Fire Station, becoming Station 661.

Today our auxiliary firefighters are paid, part-time emergency personnel trained for structural firefighting and a surprisingly broad range of emergencies.

And fire is only part of it.

They may be called to bushfires, house or vehicle fires, electrical hazards, storm damage, fallen trees, medical emergencies, marine incidents, fuel spills or search-and-rescue operations.

With no full-time ambulance base on the island, they can also be among the first people providing emergency assistance while QAS and transport from the mainland are being coordinated.

The station generally responds to around 30 to 70 callouts a year, although thankfully serious structure fires are relatively rare.

And our little island crew can end up much further from home.

Coochie auxiliary firefighters can nominate for strike teams responding to major bushfires elsewhere in Queensland or interstate, provided enough crew remain behind to protect the island.

Quite an evolution.

From neighbours turning up with tractors, hand tools and water tanks to trained firefighters capable of joining major emergency deployments.

Although one thing hasn’t changed much at all.

When Coochie needs help, Coochie people turn up.

Hearing the call? Check out the requirements. There are signs outside of the fire shed and at the jetty indicating they are looking for more firefighters and have other roles available as well.