A $20.5 million Brumby Labor Government package will significantly help emergency services volunteers and staff respond to emergencies and help make Victoria the safest place to live, work and raise a family.
Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron said the cornerstone of the package was a $12.8million radio replacement program that will replace more than 10,400 of the CFA’s emergency hand held and vehicle radios.
“CFA’s volunteers and staff are highly trained and skilled and these new state-of-the-art radios will greatly help them as they protect the community on the fireground or at any emergency they attend,” Mr Cameron said.
“The Brumby Labor Government is taking action to make Victoria the best place to live, work and raise a family. This $20.5 million funding will improve the safety of our communities and of our brave and selfless emergency services personnel.”
Mr Cameron said the 2008-09 State Budget also provided $2.6 million to replace and upgrade essential emergency response equipment for Victoria’s State Emergency Service (VICSES).
“This funding will deliver rescue trucks, emergency response trucks, road accident rescue kits and rescue boats,” Mr Cameron said.
“VICSES volunteers have worked hard over the past year dealing with floods and wind storms and this new equipment will enable them to continue to deliver the high level of service to Victorians.
“This new equipment builds on the record funding VICSES has received since this Government came to office.”
Mr Cameron said CFA volunteers and staff in regional Victoria will receive a further $4.6 million for technical rescue vehicles and new fire trucks with hydraulic platform ladders.
“The best way for CFA to quickly extinguish large building fires, such as a factory fire, is through the use of fire trucks with hydraulic platform ladders,” Mr Cameron said.
“These types of fires not only threaten lives but can result in significant loss of property and have a long term impact on production and business operations.
“The funding will help ensure the CFA is properly equipped to deal with such fires and help ensure the health and wellbeing of regional Victorians is protected.”
Mr Cameron said the Budget provided $450,000 to the Victorian Rural Fire Brigades Association to establish a financial hardship fund similar to that already run by the Victorian Urban Fire Brigades Association.
“CFA volunteers often respond to calls for help from others, now this funding will mean they can seek assistance should they need help themselves,” he said.
The Government has provided the CFA with a record Budget, an additional 520 fire trucks and delivered 181 new fulltime firefighters since coming to office.
