A NEW 4WD fire tanker for the Gazette Fire Brigade must be included in the May budget to replace their 32-year-old 2WD single cab that has no foam and is not fit for purpose.
Lowan MP, Emma Kealy, said the government would attempt to hack and slash its way out of the fiscal hole they have dug in the upcoming State Budget, however, the safety of the Gazette community and its brigade volunteers cannot be compromised.
Ms Kealy said it was critical that the tanker be upgraded to a 4WD medium dual cab so that members and volunteers can safely navigate the boggy and rocky terrain in the area, but was concerned it would be left out.
“Five years ago, following the devastating St Patrick’s Day fires, the Gazette Brigade was promised a new tanker to better handle both the rocky and boggy country, however Labor has failed to deliver on its commitment,” Ms Kealy said.
She said the recent bushfire season highlighted the vital role our local CFA brigades play in protecting our communities from the devastating impact of bushfires.
Ms Kealy said CFA volunteer firefighters were often the first line of defence in bushfire emergencies, putting their own lives on the line to protect their communities, however, many local CFA brigades were struggling to maintain equipment and infrastructure due to a lack of funding.
Gazette Fire Brigade 1st Lieutenant, Lincoln Ellis, said the Brigade had concerns about the vehicle’s safety since 2010 and have been campaigning for a new tanker since then.
“We’ve had safety concerns for a long time that have been backed up by our regional CFA commanders,” he said.
“The vehicle has had handling issues since 2010 - it’s not safe to go faster than 80km and it bounces all over the road.
“We’ve had an official reply from higher up, but our CFA members have read the letter and they think it’s a brush off.
“That said, the DMO’s (district mechanical officers) have done their best to fix it - it’s got new steer tyres, shocks, had the breaks machined - but it still jumps all over the place.”
In a submission to CFA dated March 8, 2023, presenting the issues with the current 2WD tanker, the Gazette Fire Brigade asserted the vehicle “gets bogged easily - we cannot park the truck off the road at a motor vehicle accident or wash away as the verge is soft and damp for a large part of the year”.
“It easily becomes stuck or unstable in the local terrain; often cannot be parked in the appropriate fend-off position which is not safe for our crew and has sloppy steering, causing the truck to bounce all over the road.
“This becomes worse with any increase in speed. There is also a brake shudder, seriously compromising safety and it necessitates significantly reduced speed, seriously slowing response times.”
In a response from CFA South West Region deputy chief officer, Rohan Luke, dated March 31, 2023, whilst acknowledging there was greater off road capability with a 4WD tanker, “the current tanker meets the safety requirements of a firefighting vehicle and like all vehicles should be driven to the conditions”.
Lieutenant Ellis said a new tanker would be at an approximate cost of $385,000.
“Basically, the government are not prioritising fleet replacement over other projects,” he said.
“What they’ve had done is allocate $9 million to workwear - but if they put that into new tankers - that equates to 23 new tankers.”
Ms Kealy said she was calling on the Victorian Government to recognise the important role that our volunteer firefighters play in protecting our communities and to provide them with the support they need.
She said under premier Daniel Andrews, the government had a bad reputation for mismanaging the CFA, but that did not negate their responsibility to ensure it was properly funded.
“The government cannot continue to pull funding from regional projects and organisations in order to fix the blowouts from their Big Build in Melbourne,” Ms Kealy said.
“The Gazette Fire Brigade deserve their fair share of state funding and to be supported in their generous volunteer work to protect the community from fire.”
The 2023-24 State Budget will be delivered on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
