An already stretched Brimbank SES cannot recruit more volunteers because it doesn’t have room for them at its Keilor Park base.
But nearly 250 requests for help inside 24 hours from noon last Sunday – almost as many call-outs the unit receives in an average year – has highlighted the need for more members and space.
Star Weekly revealed earlier this year that the unit based in Stadium Drive is desperately undermanned, cash-strapped and in need of a second home.
Brimbank SES unit deputy controller Brad Dalgleish said facilities were at breaking point.
With the unit attending more than 300 emergencies each year on average, each taking between 30 minutes and eight hours to complete, the 60-member service is stretched.
“We’re in a bit of a spot at the moment – we cannot physically house any more people,” Mr Dalgleish said.
Last Sunday strong winds of almost 100km/h lashed the municipality, bringing down a “significant number of trees” on to cars and homes.
Mr Dalgleish said Brimbank was in the top three for calls-out across the state because of sustained winds of about 50 to 70km/h.
There were 80 reports of building damage and nearly 150 fallen trees.
He said a small team of five at Keilor Park were run off their feet for more than 24 hours, with Deer Park, Sunshine and other south-west areas the worst hit.
More than 5000 homes and businesses in the Sunshine area lost power on Sunday when a power line fell on to train lines in Albion. Trees also fell on to a power line on St Albans Road near the Fun City Entertainment Complex.
And wild winds lifted a jumping castle off the ground in Sunshine at a public event and struck a man in his 40s who suffered neck injuries.
But it wasn’t the worst day in the unit’s history. “Far from it – we had a hailstorm back in 2011 which was far worse,” Mr Dalgleish said. “We got something like 1800 jobs in six hours.”
