A PUBLIC meeting will be held to call for the immediate reinstatement of a vital firefighting resource at Sunshine fire station.
Firefighters will be joined by United Firefighters Union national secretary Peter Marshall and Western Metropolitan Greens MP Colleen Hartland as they seek the return of a 3200-litre truck that has been taken out of service.
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade last year replaced the larger truck with a 1300-litre capacity machine.
Leading firefighter Steven Warnock said the extra water could mean the difference between minimal fire damage and loss of property.
“It makes it extremely difficult for firefighters who are called to fires more than 30 metres away from an ordinary house or some kind of water supply,” he said.
“Our focus is always to minimise danger to property whether that be homes, buildings, cars or parkland.”
Mr Marshall said while budget cuts had been blamed for the loss of the larger truck, it was a critical and essential component of Sunshine’s fire protection plan. The meeting will be at Sunshine Meeting Space, corner of Wilkinson Road and Islington Street, from 7pm on March 28. —Melissa Cunningham
