CFA is growing its fire truck fleet, building 12 new heavy pumpers at at Bell Fire Rescue’s factory in Queensland.
The trucks will include a range of improved technology and stowage capacity, making incident response more efficient for our firefighters.
The new trucks are part of the Growth Programs’ 350 Firefighter Program – a Victorian Government commitment to employ 350 career firefighters, while building more infrastructure and promoting existing career firefighters to support the growing workforce.
Inspections need to be carried out at each stage of the build to identify any potential design issues to be rectified, and Operations Manager Craig Brownlie along with Heavy Pumper Project Manager Ken Hare, took a team up to the Sunshine state in July to check out progress.
“We need to check the equipment fits correctly – if a heavier item is stored too high, this can be a safety risk for crews needing to use the equipment during an incident,” Craig said.
He outlined examples of improvements and advancements made to the truck design.
“There are a number of new design elements to these trucks, which not only make life easier for our firefighters but also cut down on running costs,” Craig said.
“For example, we’ve replaced a lot of the petrol-powered rescue equipment with battery appliances, which are much more efficient to run.
“We are also working with MFB on these appliances, which will make interoperability easier in the future.
“We will offer a training program to firefighters using these trucks over the coming months.”
Other improvements include safer hose reels; more efficient stowage for EMR equipment; and the latest battery operated positive pressure fans.
The first two trucks are on track to be delivered to CFA by the end of October for final pre delivery by District Mechanical Officers prior to being deployed to fire stations by the end of the year.
Author: CFA News