Eddie Russell
The United Firefighters Union has called on the state government and Fire Rescue Victoria to update the current fleet of fire engines.
It comes after firefighters from the Melton Fire Brigade experienced major equipment setbacks on their fire engine when responding to an incident in Brookfield on Monday, July 15.
The setbacks included a jammed hose reel, pump failure, and missing extension ladder, which delayed fire protection measures.
The pumper was being loaned to the Melton station while their truck was undergoing repairs – it is the third spare they have had to use because of faulty equipment, the union said.
Melton’s pumper is 13 years old and approaching the recommended service period of 15 years.
Firefighters use pumpers to respond to fires, car accidents, hazardous material incidents, and medical emergency responses.
Melton lead firefighter and UFU delegate Tom Upton said the shortage of readily available vehicles was having a serious impact on fire crews’ ability to efficiently respond to emergencies.
“As the trucks age, they are breaking down more regularly and there’s a lack of spares available to service the fleet … this makes trying to get a truck that works significantly harder,” he said.
Mr Upton said an inattention to detail from the state government and Fire Rescue Victoria had led to an alarming situation.
“This has been an ongoing issue … currently 40 per cent of the FRV fleet is beyond the 15-year service period,” he said.
“They [pumpers] are a critical vehicle for the safety of Victorians.”
Mr Upton said the Melton station is feeling the impact of the pumper shortage due to its isolation from other crews.
“The closest support of the same capability is from Caroline Springs or Taylors Lakes … or the volunteers at the CFA,” Mr Upton said.
An FRV spokesperson said the necessary resources were available statewide.
“FRV has 25 specialist appliances across Victoria that can deploy at any time to support firefighters in performing operations,” the spokesperson said.
“We continually utilise our vehicle pool across the state to ensure a high level of availability for emergency response. There is no single point of dependency.”
The state government said it has allocated more than $15 million in the 2024 budget for 22 new trucks and support vehicles.
This includes Victoria’s first electric fire truck, 12 heavy pumpers, four heavy rescue vehicles, three breathing apparatus support vehicles, and two rehab units.
