Caroline Springs Fire Brigade has a new heavy tanker in operation, enhancing firefighting capabilities and bolstering the safety of volunteer firefighters.
Caroline Springs captain Anthony Jenkins said the new heavy tanker is a next generation tanker and will enhance the brigade’s ability to serve the community.
“It has additional water carrying capacity, it’s higher off the ground and it has better capabilities as far as four wheel drive and off road vehicles,” he said.
“It’s much easier for our members to operate and it’s a lot safer with new rollover protection cages.
“We trained tirelessly for weeks so that we’d be ready to use it as soon as it was handed to us.”
The Caroline Springs Fire Brigade has 51 members, 40 male and 11 female, with 28 operational members who respond to more than 450 call outs each year.
The brigade assists with incidents including grass and scrub fires, bushfires, house fires, road accidents and floods.
The heavy tanker has a modern interface, and is equipped with the latest safety features including a 4000-litre water tank, and rollover and burn-over protection to ensure volunteers are protected inside the vehicle.
Valued at $460,000, the tanker has an electric rewind hose reel to increase efficiency and reduce volunteer fatigue.
The dual cab capacity means more crew members can sit inside the cabin, keeping them safe from high temperatures.
Kororoit MP Luba Grigorovitch joined members of the Caroline Springs Fire Brigade and representatives from the Country Fire Authority (CFA) to officially hand over the new appliance and thank volunteers for their work.
“It’s a pleasure to officially hand over the heavy tanker to the Caroline Springs Fire Brigade,” she said.
“This deserving brigade is now better equipped to respond to fires and protect the community.”
CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said tankers are a vital part of CFA’s fleet.
“The new tankers are state-of-the-art firefighting vehicles and we’re committed to providing our volunteers with the best and safest infrastructure,” he said.
Gerald Lynch
