Photo: St Leonards-Indented Head Fire Brigade joined by Lisa Neville MP and CFA General Manager Infrastructure Services Anthony Ramsay at new station location.
The start of construction to build the new St Leonards-Indented Head Fire Station was marked with a sod turn event on Monday 24 October.
Member for Bellarine Lisa Neville MP joined CFA GM Infrastructure Services Anthony Ramsay and Commander Nick Callan to observe the start of works and speak with brigade members to learn more about the soon-to-be-built modernised fire station on Murradoc Road.
The new facility will feature three engine bays, a meeting room, gender neutral changerooms and will be environmentally friendly with solar power and battery back-up.
The station will be larger and more modern than the current one, and will better accommodate the brigade’s needs well into the future.
St Leonards Fire Brigade is made up of 19 volunteer members, of which eight are firefighters who respond to an average of 37 emergency call outs per year.
CFA Deputy Chief Officer South West Rohan Luke said the new building will replace a 38-year-old fire station which lacks the motor room space required by the brigade.
“The new station will include improved amenities for all volunteers and provide greater access for members with disabilities, and include more areas for meetings, training and other firefighting needs,” he said.
“Our volunteers work hard to protect their growing community so it’s important we are able to provide them with adequate facilities to support their fire response.”
St Leonards Fire Station is one of 16 being replaced under the Victorian Government’s $126 million CFA Capability Funding Package.
St Leonards-Indented Head Captain Niki Habibis said the new station will be a great asset for not only the brigade, but for the community as well.
“It’s exciting to kick off the building process,” she said.
“Being located on a main road will provide more visibility for the brigade and the new facilities will help us better serve our growing community.”
The St Leonards-Indented Head Fire Station will be the first CFA station build project to be delivered by the Community Safety Building Authority (CSBA), within the Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) on behalf of CFA.