Fire authorities need an estimated $1.5 billion between 2024–25 and 2033–34 to address critical fire truck replacement and upgrade needs. But they only have around one-quarter of the funding they need.
CFA and FRV have well-designed systems to plan their fleets. But some parts of their asset strategies are not fully in place, which may limit their ability to respond to risks and needs.
DEECA’s fleet planning approach has significant gaps. It lacks strategic and operational plans, and it did not follow development and quality assurance processes for parts of its fleet. This led to widespread faults in DEECA’s fleet, which meant DEECA operated fire trucks that were overweight or had cracking. It removed over half of its fleet from service in 2025 to address these issues. It has since returned these fire trucks to service under ongoing monitoring and repair programs.
No fire authority is completing all its scheduled maintenance, which may lead to more breakdowns.
Together, these issues increase the risk that fire authorities will not have enough fit-for-purpose fire trucks to respond to fires and other emergencies.
Findings here:
