.png "Back L to R: Jeremy Martin, Jai Maher, Aaron Yates, Captain Wayne Draper, ACFO Bryan Russell, Michael Franchetto, Bayley Charalambous. Front L to R: Lynne O'Callaghan, Narelle Douthie, Jarod Rodway")
Back L to R: Jeremy Martin, Jai Maher, Aaron Yates, Captain Wayne Draper, ACFO Bryan Russell, Michael Franchetto, Bayley Charalambous. Front L to R: Lynne O'Callaghan, Narelle Douthie, Jarod Rodway
Morwell Fire Brigade has officially welcomed the arrival of their new Heavy Tanker through the station doors which is set to boost their firefighting capabilities to serve their local community.
Brigade members gathered at the fire station on Thursday, 27 March to celebrate the new addition to their fleet, where CFA Assistant Chief Fire Officer Bryan Russell had the honour of handing over the keys.
Morwell Captain Wayne Draper said the brigade is excited to use the new tanker which will put them in a better position to protect the community because of the increased water capacity of 4000L.
"The new tanker has been great for morale since coming into the station. It's very user friendly and will be a great benefit to us," Wayne said.
"The extra 1,000 litres of water will go a long way out on the fireground.
"It is also now a lot more comfortable for members to ride in the cab, and the simplicity of the layout has been easier for our volunteers to navigate.
"Over the last few months, we've put a lot of work into adjusting to a completely different truck, as this one is a lot bigger than what we've had previously.
"I've been really proud of how well our members have embraced the challenge. We've had eight drivers and operators do more than 15 hours of training each to become accredited and they are keen to put their training into practice."
CFA Assistant Chief Fire Officer Bryan Russell said the new tanker will not just be an asset for response but also for the safety of the members.
"It has some fantastic enhancements, with updated crew protection systems and burn over protection, plus full equipment stowage," Bryan 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."
"Environmentally, we're reducing impacts through use of recyclable building materials and higher levels of emission controls."
The Heavy Tanker's 4x4 capability and automatic transmission will also help crews access fires in difficult terrain.
The new vehicle was funded through the Victorian Government's CFA Capability Funding package and is one of 48 new tankers being rolled out to CFA fire brigades across Victoria to ensure volunteer firefighters are well-equipped to protect their communities.
Morwell Fire Brigade has a strong membership of 78, with 31 of them operational, and a strong female presence of six operational, six auxiliary and 14 junior members. The brigade has a large response area in the Latrobe Valley area of Gippsland and averages 310 callouts a year.
