Despite having two years to prepare for the shutdown of the national 3G phone network, the Allan Labor Government has failed to properly resource Victorian fire services to ensure vital real-time tracking of fire trucks.
Unlike managers of any other truck fleet in Australia, Labor has failed to install vehicle tracking and monitoring systems that would ensure at times of emergency, there is complete oversight of where all Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) assets are located.
In Question Time in State Parliament on Thursday, Minister for Emergency Services, Jaclyn Symes, stated that all trucks are "equipped with 5G compatible phones." What she didn't admit was that the phones regularly go flat, need constant resetting, and are a far cry from the basic yet effective technology every other transport operator in Victoria uses.
Shadow Minister for Emergency Services, Richard Riordan, said: "Victorian lives, and the lives of our FRV staff, are again at risk due to the inability of the Allan Labor Government to manage emergency services' budgets and equipment.
"The safety of Victorians and the lives of our firefighters shouldn't depend on whether a phone battery remains charged or who remembers to reset an unreliable app.
"Basic sat-nav technology is readily available and could have been organised within two years by this Labor Government. The lack of investment in modern technology means our fire trucks are the only trucks in Melbourne still using a Melway, and whose location can be unknown to its home location.
"This appalling oversite by the Allan Labor Government is leading to inefficiency and putting Victorian lives at risk.
"Labor cannot manage money, cannot manage emergency services and Victorians are paying the price."
