A major Gippsland fire station has been left without vital equipment, including multiple fire trucks, sparking fears that the faults could put lives at risk.
Morwell Fire Station, which operates under Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), will be without multiple trucks, including its heavy pumper, aerial pumper and specialised technical rescue vehicle, due to various equipment and electrical faults.
It is understood FRV has no heavy pumpers available to replace the broken-down vehicles.
Morwell’s specialised technical rescue vehicle has reportedly been replaced with a ute that cannot carry the equipment required for technical rescues.
It is unclear how long the three vehicles will be out of action.
Above: The empty bays at the fire station where the missing pumpers should be and the Aerial Pumper currently out of commission.
Technical rescue vehicles are specialised trucks used to respond to complex emergencies requiring specialist equipment.
UFU Secretary Peter Marshall said firefighters were being left without the specialist equipment and vehicles they need to protect Victorians.
“This is what a fleet crisis looks like,” he said.
“A fire station has three of its key appliances out of commission and is being forced to make do with whatever vehicles can be found.”
As a result, the station cannot provide confined-space rescues and has reduced capacity to undertake high-angle rescues.
One of the biggest concerns for firefighters is the station’s lack of the right appliances to access the nearby coal mines in the event of an emergency.
Morwell would have to wait for a water tanker from Melbourne should an incident occur, which Mr Marshall said was “not an acceptable level of emergency preparedness”.
In 2014, the Hazelwood open-cut coal mine near Morwell burned for nearly seven weeks.
The Morwell Brigade services a 504-kilometre stretch from Phillip Island to Mallacoota.