Tarneit Fire Brigade became operational today, after many months of planning, consultation and construction of a new fire station.
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CFA's newest brigade moved from the existing Hoppers Crossing Fire Station to the new station located at 417 Derrimut Rd, Tarneit. Volunteers sought Victorian Government and CFA support to stay at the Hoppers Crossing station as a volunteer-only Brigade, leading to the creation of Tarneit as a career-only Brigade.
The $5.4 million Tarneit Fire Station has four engine bays and modern facilities for up to six career firefighters per shift to protect life and property in the community around the clock.
Tarneit Fire Station Officer-In-Charge Andy Waterson said the new station would enhance service delivery in this fast-growing outer-western suburb.
"It took us longer than we had planned to move into the new station because of unforeseen impacts from other infrastructure projects in the area and some internal planning considerations we needed to work through," Mr Waterson said.
"The Brigade is pleased to now be responding to incidents from this state-of-the-art facility, supporting surrounding communities including Truganina, Werribee and Hoppers Crossing in an area that's constantly changing and expanding.
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"Firefighters have access to modern facilities and the latest emergency management equipment including a heavy pumper and a heavy tanker, as well as trained personnel and equipment to respond to Emergency Medical Response (EMR) incidents."
"The Brigade is also planning to be able to respond to road accidents and perform support for dedicated heavy rescue units in the coming months."
Mr Waterson advised drivers around the station to take note of the new traffic lights, which are activated when fire trucks are turning out to incidents.
"We've worked with VicRoads to install these traffic lights to ensure fire trucks can exit the station as efficiently as possible to respond to an incident," he said.
"It's a tried and tested traffic management approach, so we ask the community in Tarneit to be mindful of the changes. We also welcome people seeking additional fire safety information or considering firefighting as a career to visit the new station."
The new fire station is part of the Growth Programs, which is a government commitment CFA is delivering. This initiatives is intended to improve service delivery at integrated fire stations through significant investment in recruiting 350 career firefighters, building and upgrading infrastructure and moving the existing workforce around to support growth, since 2010.
The Brigade is planning an official opening early 2020 to celebrate this significant milestone.
