It was a lucky day for LIttle Yarra CFA on 26 November as the small brigade received a whopping $250,000 grant.
It came after the Gladysdale based brigade was successful in its application for the State Government’s 2025/26 Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP).
Little Yarra CFA captain Peter Cookson said the funding would deliver long needed upgrades for the station.
“That station was built 30 years ago, so we’ve only got one single toilet, and no proper change rooms for if we’ve got female firefighters, which we do.
“We really need the station down at Gladysdale, which is our main station, big enough for both vehicles to have their own bay,” Mr Cookson said.
Little Yarra CFA’s satellite station in Powelltown houses two vehicles but only has one roller door so members were required to back one truck in, and then back the other “on a dog leg”.
The grant funding would be used to “effectively double the size” of the station, constructing another vehicle bay, allowing it to house another truck and free up space at the satellite station in Powelltown.
The VESEP funding has been spread across 168 projects which included a range of facility upgrades and replacement vehicles for brigades including 14 Medium tankers, 12 Ultralight tankers and 31 Field Command Vehicles (FCV).
Wesburn-Millgrove CFA also received $71,000 to fit out a new vehicle for the station.
Mr Cookson said it was “totally awesome” to receive the funding.
“We were going up against every other fire brigade in the state of Victoria, we were just over the moon.”
The upgrades would fit the station with standard facilities expected in modern buildings such as an accessible toilet, a shower and a washing machine.
“We’re going to have a washing machine and that in there so we can wash our gear because we go to fires and we come back and there’s still a lot of particulates and carbon on our gear that we’d be breathing in.
“This means so much to our little brigade to get something like this and really make us stand out now that we are moving ahead with the time,” Mr Cookson said.
He hoped the upgrades would show the community Little Yarra CFA is ensuring it’s up to date so it can help the community as best it can.
“We may be firemen, but we are still a part of the community and want to work with the community
“That’s what it’s all about, keeping them informed and knowing that if the shit does hit the fan, we’re there for them.”
