Truganina Captain Mark Hatton with Dylan Wight MP
Members of Truganina Fire Brigade today celebrated the official opening of their new fire station and the official handover of their Rehabilitation vehicle.
The $4.78 million Truganina Fire Station is a modernised, fit-for-purpose facility which will help the brigade continue to service the fast-growing local community.
Acting Chief Officer Garry Cook said the new station is designed with better volunteer facilities and includes features that adapt to the different needs of the growing community.
"The new station includes a three-bay drive through motor room to house three firefighting appliances, a turnout room and change room areas, a new workshop and office space for volunteers," said Garry.
"The new station will be a comfortable and up-to-date facility for our volunteers to train, turnout and work from."
"We're also confident it will play a positive role in attracting new volunteers to the brigade in the future."
The new building has been designed with numerous sustainability features, including water tanks with a total capacity of 45,000 litres, insulation and glazing, a raingarden to filter stormwater before discharging into a stormwater system and air conditioning systems that can be deactivated when the conditioned rooms are not in use.
It has also been fitted with accessibility features for disability access and gender equality.
Captain Mark Hatton said he'd lobbied hard for a prayer room to be built at the new station.
"I thought it would help us with our recruiting and making our other members feel more comfortable," said Mark.
"It's a big step forward in encouraging more multi-culturalism in volunteering."
The brigade's new home has been designed with flexibility in mind and there are three workstations which allow brigade members to work or study remotely from the station.
This enables the brigade to respond to emergencies faster because if it gets a fire call, members can respond straight away because they're already at the station.
Through its fundraising efforts Truganina Fire Brigade was able to contribute $57,120 for the extension of its new vehicle shed from a 2 bay to 4 bay shed with storage.
The contribution included $38,040 which was provided by the Victorian Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP).
The Rehabilitation Vehicle was also funded through VESEP.
Truganina Fire Brigade moved to its new address at the beginning of 2024.