L-R: Mildura Captain Jason Currie, Mildura 1st Lt Mark Pendlebury
Mildura Fire Brigade was officially handed over the key to their new heavy tanker today.
The tanker was presented to the brigade by Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes at the Sunraysia Victorian Emergency Management Training Centre (VEMTC) today (18 July).
Mildura Captain Jason Currie said the community will be better protected because of the amount of water these new tankers can carry.
"This is a huge benefit in remote areas where it can sometimes be difficult to refill our tankers when tackling larger incidents," Jason said.
"The heavy tankers are fitted with a water tank capable of carrying up to 4000-Litres of water."
Commander Michael Sporton said the new heavy tankers have fantastic safety features for our members.
"They include vehicle rollover and burn-over protection with a 15-tonne 4x4 crew cab chassis with an automatic transmission," Michael said.
"The new features also aim to reduce crew fatigue and improve safety and ergonomics including easy to read electric monitors and electric rewind hose systems."
The heavy tankers were funded through the Victorian Government's CFA Capability Funding package and are two of the 48 new heavy tankers being rolled out to CFA fire brigades across Victoria to ensure volunteer firefighters are well-equipped to protect their communities.
The package was announced in June 2020 as part of the State Government's Fire Services Reform and has so far invested a total of $22.73 million across Victoria.
The local area will be further boosted by a new fire station at Irymple with works starting on site last month.
The new station will incorporate environmentally sustainable design principles and features include four drive-through motor bays, operational support areas, a training area and offices.
The Irymple station is expected to be completed by early next year.
