The next generation of locally made emergency services vehicles is being rolled out across Western Australia bolstering the State’s firefighting capability ahead of the bushfire season.
Eight new vehicles were unveiled at the Fire and Emergency Services Academy today, demonstrating key improvements that have been made to WA’s emergency services fleet.
This includes two brand new vehicles: the Road Crash Rescue Tender, designed to be the primary road crash response vehicle in rural and coastal locations, and the General Rescue Utility, a land search and rescue vehicle used primarily by the State Emergency Services.
Features of the new fleet include enhanced safety features, increased water capacity for firefighters and, importantly, improved off-road capabilities for regional brigades.
More than 170 emergency services volunteers and career personnel have been closely involved in the design and delivery of new vehicles, undertaking innovation workshops, user testing and providing feedback.
The new vehicles are part of the McGowan Government’s $125 million investment in local emergency services manufacturing, which includes new manufacturing work in Malaga and Collie.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) operational fleet consists of over 1,600 vehicles, capable of responding to a range of hazards including bushfires, structure fires, cyclones, rescue, storms, floods and HAZMAT incidents.
As stated by Emergency Services Minister Francis Logan:
“DFES has worked with volunteers and career officers to redesign WA’s emergency services fleet to improve community safety and provide the appliances that work best for each situation.
“As part of the locally built new generation vehicles, volunteers also now have more truck chassis to choose from. This option was introduced after extensive consultation with volunteers across the State who all expressed different needs.
“The McGowan Government is taking every step possible to ensure we are prepared for the future, and ensuring our emergency service responders have a modern fleet is one of those measures.
“This Government is also committed to local jobs wherever possible so it is especially pleasing that not only do we have new generation vehicles, but they are locally made in Malaga and soon will be in Collie.”
