Brisbane firm ‘Public Safety Training & Response Group’ was among the first responders to begin the mammoth tasks of checking infrastructure across Brisbane for damage and public safety risks in the wake of ex-Cyclone Alfred.

The Group utilised its ground crews to conduct rapid damage assessments of the city’s road corridors, bridges and key bikeways, while its swiftwater crews checked jetties and various river inlets, drone crews assessed the ferries and terminals, and one of our helicopters was tasked to conduct damage assessments from the air.

“Brisbane is a big city, and while Cyclone Alfred lost its punch as it crossed the coast, its lingering strong winds and very heavy rainfall was an ongoing concern and caused widespread damage and disruption,” said Meegan Olding, CEO of Public Safety Training & Response Group.

“The city experienced major flooding, power outages, plenty of trees down, damaged bridges, damage to residences, and it was vital make sure that all damaged was logged for action, there were no hidden hazards posing any risks to the residents of the city, and what needed to be done to begin the recovery.

“We have a great relationship with Brisbane City Council, we work well together; ex-Cyclone Alfred posed a sizable emergency, and we are honoured to have used our expertise to help council and the community in damage assessment.”

Public Safety Training & Response Group, with its headquarters in Oxley, specialises in all aspects of public safety. Its mission is to prepare individuals and communities to respond to real-world emergencies by delivering accredited training courses, including first aid and CPR, through to flood awareness and management training, whitewater rescue and recovery training, helicopter rescue crew competencies, helicopter pilot training, and more.

(More about the training courses here: /education-and-training/)

The Group’s response and rescue arm, One Response, owns and operates a suite of assets, from Inflatable Rescue Boats, jet skis, drones, high clearance vehicles, and helicopters for various commercial services – many of these assets were utilised for search and rescue support during ex-Cyclone Alfred.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred formed as a Category 4 in in the Coral Sea off north Queensland, in mid-February 2025. It followed an unpredictable path southward and, despite being downgraded to a Category 2 and then a Tropical Low as it crossed the coastline in early March, it still delivered severe weather to Southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales – including one flood-related fatality in northern New South Wales.

“Our tasks covered pretty much all aspects of public concern – from ground crews on foot and bicycles, through to our Inflatable Rescue Boats patrolling the waterways, our drones inspecting the bridges and ferry terminals for any damage, and helicopter patrols across the city and Moreton Island,” Meegan Olding said.

“The majority of our personnel are ex-military and ex-emergency services, are highly trained, professionals – and tasks like this are our speciality.

“We have a number of formal agreements with local governments around Queensland to provide expert training in public safety, and emergency response services when the inevitable natural disasters strike. We are negotiating a number of other MOUs and are available to any local governments that may wish to discuss a similar arrangement.”

Significantly, the emergency was well underway during International Women’s Day, March 8. The Group tasks included a number of women in key roles – helicopter pilot Chantelle Dow, the high-tech drone team includes Tara O’Connor, admin and logistical support by Tamantha Michaels, and the team led by CEO Meegan Olding.

“Cyclone Alfred seemed to hover around, kept changing its mind, but it just happened to hit landfall just after International Women’s Day, and it’s memorable that our women were well-involved with our response initiatives,” Meegan Olding said.

“We have a highly trained professional team here, most of our personnel are either ex-military or ex-emergency services, and our women are a valued part of that mix.

“We’ve got Chantelle flying one of the helicopters, Tara utilising our high-tech drone applications to gather valuable aerial damage data for the recovery planning, Tam provides a range of valuable support initiatives, and I’m the lucky one who gets to oversee the entire team.”

Prior to the arrival of the ex-cyclone, the Group was approached by Brisbane City Council to conduct welfare checks on homeless residents, as one of the important preparatory actions to safeguard all residents of the city and its suburbs.

“The high winds and rain, and the likelihood of flooding from Cyclone Alfred, posed a major risk and it was important that anyone who was vulnerable – especially those homeless living along our rivers and in our parks – were also made aware of the danger and the support that is available,” said Meegan Olding.

“We were more than pleased to be able to support Brisbane City Council in utilising our expertise and trained personnel to make sure the community’s most vulnerable are also supported during this rare and serious weather event.”

One Response personnel conducted a sweep of the river and many of its tributaries to inform homeless residents of the pending dangers and advise them on where to seek support. This service was conducted free of charge as a service to the community.

(More on the welfare checks for at-risk residents: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1F79NT3Wrw/)

Public Safety Training & Response Group is available to discuss its rescue support services for governments across Queensland, Australia, south-east Asia and internationally.

The Group’s business arms include:

• One Response is a specialised owner/operator of a suite of high-level public safety and rescue aircraft and equipment along with trained ex-military and Emergency Services staff, ready to be deployed in response to emergency and disaster situations, land and sea, anywhere in Australia.

• Special Mission Helicopters is a high-level helicopter service provider, offering aerial support and transport for a wide array of government, corporate or private requirements, including search and reconnaissance over land or water; aerial firefighting support work; emergency organ transfer; medical retrievals of injured bushwalkers and climbers (for example); transport of dignitaries and specialised police; and more.

• Uncrewed/Remote Pilot Training and Services – Accredited drone services include CASA-approved uncrewed pilot licence training, search services, real-time imagery collection, mapping and 3D modelling of disaster areas. Drone pilot licences offer career opportunities in agriculture, construction and infrastructure, flood mitigation planning and monitoring, real estate, mining, and more.

• PST&RG Headquarters – Our head office includes two training rooms, fully-equipped incident control room, a media/TV recording studio, helicopter rescue crew training hardware, and support offices and facilities.

Contact Public Safety Training & Response now to discuss your training needs and our response support services.

Contact: /contact-us/