MEDIA RELEASE
March 2023
FRV firefighters narrowly avoid catastrophe after outdated fire truck blows its turbo and drops 30 litres of oil on engine and road near children’s play area In dramatic scenes recorded on video, FRV firefighters
have narrowly avoided catastrophe after their outdated fire truck blew its turbo and dropped over 30 litres of oil across the engine and onto the road near a children’s play area.
The incident occurred at 4:30 pm, Thursday, 16 March, on McDonald’s Road in Epping as firefighters responded to an automatic fire alarm. As the fire truck was parked next to a children’s playground
with its engine running, the vehicle’s turbo blew up, causing over 30 litres of oil to flood and burn in the engine, resulting in an uncontrollable engine overdrive, which is seen in the video producing a large amount of white smoke.
United Firefighters Union Victorian Branch Secretary Peter Marshall said this was a clear and dangerous example of why outdated FRV fire trucks must be replaced.
“These outdated FRV fire trucks are blowing their engines and pouring flammable oil onto Victoria’s streets, putting the lives of firefighters, and in this case, children, at risk.
“With oil flooding the hot engine, exhaust and pouring onto the road beneath the fire truck, it
was miraculous that the fire truck did not burst into flames, injuring the firefighters. The firefighters on scene were then left in an extraordinary position. Not only did they have to call another fire truck and crew to manage the potential hazard of their own damaged vehicle, but they also had to request a third fire truck to cover the task they initially responded to”
“For over a year now, we’ve been calling on Andrew’s Government to replace these outdated vehicles, which are over 25 years old and are a hazard to firefighters. But Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes has refused firefighter requests to meet on this issue, and the Andrews Government have simply ignored our calls. Now fire trucks are literally blowing up on Victorian streets. Any deaths or injuries resulting
from this, or firefighters not being unable to respond due to broken-down trucks, will entirely
be the responsibility of Andrew’s Government”
“We once again call for the Andrew’s Government to put firefighter and community safety first and replace these broken down trucks.”
You can watch the full video here Download the video here Media Contact: Darren Rodrigo 0414 783 405
