Mt Cottrell Group received its new FCV on Sunday 18 June at an official handover.
CFA Board Member Peter Shaw presented Group Officer Damien Milloy with the keys to the Ford Ranger. He spoke of growth in the Wyndham and Melton municipalities which Mt Cottrell Group covers. He was surprised by the urban sprawl and that many streets were not yet on his GPS.
City of Wyndham Deputy Mayor and Councillor Kim McAliney, spoke of the strong relationship between CFA and the municipality, particularly around community engagement. She was positive and confident that these relationships would continue to build, which can only benefit the residents of Wyndham.
Damien thanked all those present and the 11 fire brigades in Mt Cottrell Group who helped with the fundraising efforts or donated towards the deposit. Damien was proud to have received this vehicle on behalf of the group, which has already proven its worth at recent incidents, such as the Tarneit child care structure fire.
Mt Cottrell Group has 11 fire brigades and 1 coast guard flotilla. The brigades attend around 4000 incidents a year, making it one of the busiest in the state.
The vehicle was funded partly through a grant from the 2016-17 Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program, which gave the group two-thirds of the money needed.
Special thanks to Di Frost, CFA VESEP project coordinator, for her valuable support throughout the process.