Operations at a temporary fire station for career firefighters will go live at 8am on Friday 8 December in Lucas ahead of the completion of a new permanent fire station, expected to be operational next year.
The permanent Lucas Fire Station will have four engine bays and 10 bedrooms for firefighters to provide 24/7 coverage to the community.
The new fire station is part of the Growth Programs, which is a government commitment CFA is delivering to improve service delivery at integrated fire stations through significant investment in new career firefighters and infrastructure.
District 15 Operations Manager Brett Boatman said Lucas was one of the newest suburbs in Ballarat with significant new residential and infrastructure growth, so increasing service delivery in this area was a priority for the community.
“The population in Lucas has grown to more than 7000 residents since it was established in 2011, and with new housing developments, a shopping centre and other infrastructure developments underway, it’s likely the number and complexity of emergency incidents will increase,” Mr Boatman said.
“Building a new fire station in Lucas will benefit the local community and broader Ballarat region by enabling CFA career firefighters to respond to incidents around the clock.
“Firefighters will have access to modern facilities and the latest emergency management equipment, including a brand new heavy pumper fire truck and trained personnel and equipment to respond to Emergency Medical Response (EMR) incidents.”
To meet service delivery needs in the area while the Lucas Fire Station construction is underway, CFA is modifying facilities at a warehouse in Delacombe which will become a temporary fire station for career firefighters.
Portables, plumbing, electrical and IT infrastructure, and temporary walls are nearly completed inside the warehouse, while fences and electric gates have been developed to allow fire trucks and support vehicles to securely park on site.
“Building a brand new fire station is a complex and time-consuming process, so these temporary arrangements allow us to bring additional career firefighters into the area to service the community while the bricks and mortar are laid,” Mr Boatman said.
“These temporary arrangements will ensure our incident response times are maintained and the community continues to receive the services they expect from CFA.”