CFA volunteers in regional Victoria are demanding the replacement of their decades-old trucks due to their inadequate condition. The state government defends its CFA funding, stating that new tankers are being rolled out. However, many rural brigades still struggle with outdated vehicles and insufficient funding.
CFA volunteers in regional Victoria say their decades-old trucks are not up to the job and need to be replacedWhat's next?
The Mittyack fire brigade applied for the vintage plates in protest over the age of their 33-year-old truck and a lack of funding for rural brigades.Other Country Fire Authority volunteers have told the ABC they are regularly forced to use trucks that are more than three decades old, and that rural brigades are being chronically underfunded.
"We were sitting there looking at the fire truck and one of the members got the service book out and the truck had first been serviced in 1991," he said. "We just wonder how long we're going to go before we get a new truck — this is getting to the ridiculous stage in rural Victoria.Mr Vallance said truck issues aside, volunteers were fed up with increasing compliance involved in being a volunteer, including requirements for experienced members to repeatedly retrain.
"I think the CFA would be at least 15 years behind, maybe more, in their tanker replacement program."Mr Taylor said recruiting volunteers was difficult at the best of times, and having old tankers made it even harder.
CFA Volunteers Regional Victoria Trucks Replacement Funding Vintage Registration Plates Mittyack Fire Brigade Rural Brigades Fire Rescue Victoria
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