By KATH GANNAWAY
WANDIN and Warburton fire brigades are among more than 200 CFA brigades getting new equipment under the State Government 2015-’16 Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program.
Wandin will get a new forward command vehicle which will also serve as rescue support and Warburton will get modern new nozzles for their hoses and a drip torch.
Both brigade captains, Peter Polovinka at Wandin and Hazel Clothier at Warburton, said the grants would help the brigades enormously.
The organisations who will share the $12.5 million in funding were announced today by Minister for Emergency Services, Jane Garrett, who said the grants would help keep their communities safe.
The funding is made up of a two for one contribution, with the government contributing $2 for every $1 contributed by the brigades.
Capt Polovinka said it was good news for the brigade and for the local community.
They will receive $44,130 to be matched with $22,070 from community fund-raising.
“This will give us a second rescue support vehicle which means where you have say, a two-car crash we can have one crew working on one vehicle and the other working on the other.”
It will also be used as forward command for strike teams.
Capt Povolinka said the news capped off a good period of expansion for the brigade.
“We have been going ahead in leaps and bounds over the past seven years,” he said.
“We’ve rebuilt the station, extended it twice, received two brand-new trucks and this is now a third new vehicle, and we have purchased land at the rear of the station so we can expand into rescue training and provide more car parking.”
Capt Clothier said they had not been so hopeful, so news that they had been successful was ‘fantastic’.
The grant of $3,253 will be matched with $1627 from the brigade.
“The majority of what we put in for was for new branches,” Capt Clothier said.
“We have very old, brass nozzles and put in for modern, pistol-grip branches.
“Especially with a lot of our younger members and female fire-fighters, these will be much more adaptable and easy to use.”
Capt Clothier said the brigade’s contribution would come from funds generated from the Warburton Up and Running event held earlier in the year.
The VESEP grants program provides funding to emergency services including CFA, SES, Life Saving Victoria, the Volunteer Coast Guard Association and other eligible volunteer emergency services.
Some $7.1 million was allocated to CFA brigades.
Ms Garrett said the government recognised the enormous contribution of the state’s 90,000 emergency services volunteers and was pleased to support them by helping to fund life-saving equipment and vehicles.
“Volunteers are the backbone of our community,” she said.
“They help protect the lives of 3.3 million Victorians and deserve our support.”
