Greendale CFA is one of seven fire brigades in line to receive a new tanker.
The CFA said it purchased “truckloads” of cab chassis to ensure it is stocked up of the manufacturer discontinuation of the model.
Fifty of the truckers are currently lined up at the CFA’S State Logistics Centre, where they will be sent off in small batches to a local specialist body manufacturer Bell Environmental, to be turned into Light Tankers.
CFA head of fleet and protective equipment Dan Jones said it is expected to take about six months to transform the trucks into light tankers, the rollout to brigades to start in mid-2026.
“These light tankers will come equipped with the latest safety features and new firefighting equipment,” he said.
“They’re a low-profile emergency response vehicle with 4×4 manoeuvrability which assists with navigating through busy urban streets or rugged rural terrain.
“It’s also lightweight with the capacity to hold 2000 litres of water, so they’re a vital asset to our firefighting fleet.
“It was important to ensure we had the stock so we can continue delivering these vital firefighting vehicles to our brigades across the state over the next couple of years.”
The first seven of these new Light Tankers will be delivered to Greendale, Echuca Village, Ellerslie, Kingston, Bulart, Corinella and Jamieson brigades.
All seven brigades helped fund those trucks through local community donations and funding grants through the 2024-25 Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP), the CFA said
The new tankers will follow the competition of the CFA’S radio replacement program.
As one of the biggest investments ever made to CFA, the $138 million program involved the delivery of 18,000 devices across the state, including all mobile and portable devices, bag radios and local bases.
CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said the new radios include additional functionality for CFA including GPS on the portable radios and multiband capability to allow direct communication with partner agencies.
“The new radios have great coverage and improved capability in buildings and structures,” he said.
