Mansfield Fire Brigade were delighted to have a new heavy tanker officially handed over by Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes today.
The $465,00 heavy tanker is one of 50 new appliances funded by the Victorian Government.
Mansfield Captain Andrew Peachey welcomed the addition to the brigade’s fleet that already includes a pumper, light tanker and big fill trailer.
“The new heavy tanker will boost the brigade’s firefighting capability to better protect our community against incidents within our response area,” he said.
“It carries more water than our previous medium tanker and is well suited to responding to grassfires in wide, open spaces.
Acting Chief Officer Garry Cook said Mansfield was one of first brigades to receive the new, state of the art firefighting vehicles.
“The heavy tankers feature a 15-tonne crew-cab chassis with a 4000-litre water tank,” Garry said.
“The 4x4 capability and automatic transmission will help crews access fires in difficult terrain.
“They also include features such as electronic monitors and electric rewind hose reels, as well as using a higher percentage of recyclable build materials.”
The Victorian Government funding comes under the CFA Capability Funding Package for the CFA to invest in training opportunities, facilities and appliances being rolled out for volunteer firefighters across the state, as well as initiatives to support retention and recruitment of members.
Mansfield Fire Brigade welcomed the official handover event after several delays due to COVID-19 and the October 2022 flood event.