Northwest ready for summer with four new Ultra Heavy Tankers

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Member News image From left to right: Waitchie Fire Brigade firefighter Haydn Stewart, Captain Ross Bennett, 3rd Lieutenant Phillip Bennett and 1st Lieutenant Brian Fitzpatrick with the brigade's new Ultra Heavy Tanker

CFA’s northwest region has boosted their fire preparedness ahead of the upcoming season, adding four new Ultra Heavy Tankers to their firefighting capacity.

The four new tankers are a welcome addition to Hopetoun, Berriwillock, Watchem and Waitchie brigades and their surrounding regions.

Waitchie Fire Brigade often attend grass and scrub fires during fire season and as a result have been training on their new Ultra Heavy Tanker, with Captain Ross Bennett saying it will be a great asset for the local area.

“Its water capacity is going to be nearly three times what we've had in the past, having worked with 2,000 and 3,000 litre tankers in previous seasons, we will now benefit greatly from 10,000 litres,” Ross said.

“We will be able to stay on the fire ground longer and two people will be able to crew it to put out a fire.”

The Ultra Heavy Tankers will improve CFA’s ability to fight fires in remote rural areas with open grasslands because of its enhanced water carrying capacity.

District 18 Assistant Chief Fire Officer Gavin Wright said these new state-of-the-art additions are valuable assets to locals ahead of summer.  

“The northwest is full of open space and large grasslands, and in some areas, we have limited access to reticulated water or large open water supplies,” Gavin said.

“Our crews have been training hard to ensure these new vehicles are ready to be used this summer.”

These Ultra Heavy Tankers are a new type of vehicle and an important addition to these regional locations. 

They include a 100-litre A-class foam tank to allow crews to work ahead of fire fronts and for blacking out.  

Hopetoun, Berriwillock, Watchem and Waitchie brigades have received their new Ultra Heavy Tankers with another eight destined for the northwest region over the coming months.

The Victorian Government funded $12.835 million for a new fleet of 29 Ultra Heavy Tankers across regional Victoria, with the rollout announced last year.