.png "Ballan and Geelong West firefighters")
Ballan and Geelong West firefighters
CFA is further enhancing the safety of its firefighters while working at heights with five new props recently added to its training centres across the state.
The $8mil project included the construction of Safe Work at Heights props at CFA's Victorian Emergency Management Training Centres (VEMTC) at Sunraysia, West Sale, Longerenong, Penshurst and Central Highlands.
The existing prop at Hunty VEMTC has also been upgraded and plans are underway for Bangholme VEMTC to receive the new prop soon.
Acting Deputy Chief Officer Operational Doctrine and Training David Maxwell joined other dignitaries to officially handover the five new props today at Central Highlands VEMTC.
"Safe Work at Heights training allows CFA members to safely access roofs that aren't already fire affected," David said.
"The prop involves the use of a harness, ropes and anchoring to create a safe system for our members to access areas above two metres high.
"It allows the rigging of the system in a controlled environment under supervision, preparing our members for real-life scenarios.
"The training also closely aligns with other emergency services, allowing for cross agency support in multi-agency situations.
"This not only improves our safety and capability at incidents in Victoria, it also allows us to further support our interstate partners by deploying our members to emergencies interstate when required.
"We've proudly delivered more than 160 of these specialised training courses to more than 900 members across the state, which accredited 140 brigades for Safe Work at Heights operations."
The training prop also has the ability to conduct Low Voltage Fuse Removal training which enables our members to disconnect overhead mains power to a structure at an emergency with specialist equipment.
CFA's VEMTC sites and props are also widely utilised by other emergency services and agencies, providing a broad range of practical skills and services to train members in a safe environment.
