A “doubling” of the size of Toolern Vale fire station, after the completion of works costing $445,000, means the size of the brigade can also double, according to Toolern Vale CFA captain Danny Lawton.
The Toolern Vale CFA’s 40 members were joined by Emergency Services Minister Kim Wells and Macedon MP Donna Petrovich at the opening of the extended station on July 2.
“We can literally double in size, which is always a benefit to the community,” Mr Lawton said.
The refurbished station features a new kitchen, meeting room, designated room for breathing apparatus, more space to house fire trucks and more room for training.
“We’ve already had interest from the community in getting new recruits, and we’ll start a recruiting program shortly to try to keep up that momentum,” Mr Lawton said. “This new station means we’ll be able to extend our output and engage better with the community coming in and our members going out.”
The station is the 200th to be officially opened as part of the Rural Fire Station Replacement program, which has seen 204 CFA stations built or refurbished since 2011.
The state government has vowed to deliver 250 CFA station upgrades by November this year as part of a $125 million investment.
Among the brigade’s current members is Captain Craig Dunshea, who was hand-picked in January this year to work alongside the CFA chief officer Euan Ferguson as part of a year-long leadership program. Mr Dunshea was one of 21 volunteer leaders selected from a statewide catchment to work closely with the CFA.
Mr Lawton said the next step for the brigade would be dealing with the coming fire season.
