Jacquie Petrusma,Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management
The Taroona Volunteer Fire Brigade celebrates its 75th anniversary today, recognising the inspiring contribution and commitment that each and every volunteer has made, and continues to make for our community.
Founded by Marc Ashton and his band of Taroona brothers in 1946 as an unofficial local brigade, in 1951 the group was officially registered as the Taroona Rural Fire Brigade.
Over the years, the Brigade has been involved in some significant fires in Tasmania, including the 1967 fires, the Taroona Bowls Club, Pre-School, and High School; Dunalley in 2013 and in the North West in 2016 where members assisted for 29 consecutive days.
Taroona volunteers have also assisted in interstate deployments in NSW and QLD in 2018 and 2019 – a truly amazing effort, and a testament to the critical role our volunteers play in keeping our communities safe.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is a strong supporter of our volunteer firefighters. In 2018 we established a $2 million Fire and Emergency Service Volunteer Grants Program for TFS brigades and SES units to fund equipment, improve station amenities and undertake non-core brigade management and training. A further $2 million has been committed to extending this funding to 2025-26.
This funding enables our volunteers to act in a variety of roles for TFS, from frontline firefighters responding to emergencies, to offering support behind the scenes by keeping the stations running.
On behalf of the Tasmanian Government, congratulations to all past and present volunteers of the Taroona Fire Brigade on reaching this important milestone in your Brigade’s history, and thank you for what you do to protect the Taroona community each and every day.
