Gnarwarre Fire Brigade was delighted to have its new medium tanker officially handed over by Member for South Barwon Darren Cheeseman MP and CFA Acting Deputy Chief Officer Brendan Lawson over the weekend.
The new crew cab Hino GT medium tanker replaces the brigade’s previous light tanker and has a range of improved firefighting features.
The 4WD crew cabin truck holds around 2,000 litres of water and another 650 litres set aside for crew and vehicle protection sprays, as well as brackets to hold breathing apparatus (BA) and cylinders.
Gnarwarre Captain Anthony Young was pleased to add the truck to the brigade’s fleet, which also includes an Iveco heavy tanker.
“The new tanker will boost the brigade’s firefighting capability to better protect our community against incidents within our response area,” he said.
The tanker was provided to the brigade through the Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP) 2019-20 grant and $50,000 in brigade funds thanks to community donations.
“I would like to thank the community for helping us raise money that contributed to the purchase of this new vehicle,” Captain Young said.
“But most of all, I’d like to thank our brigade members. Without their dedicated fundraising efforts, we would not have been able to contribute toward the cost of this truck.
“This is not only a brigade asset, but is also a community asset and will help keep our community safer now and into the future.”