Carlsruhe Fire Brigade is on its way to getting a new fire station.
Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas last week announced a $600,000 funding bonus for a station upgrade from the state’s 2018-19 budget.
“This $600,000 redevelopment will provide the brigade’s volunteers with state-of-the-art facilities to allow them to continue the excellent work they do,” Ms Thomas said.
Brigade captain Peter Baldwin said the station’s upgrades had been a long time coming – he said the brigade was talking about improving the station when he joined about 19 years ago.
“At the moment, we’ve basically got a shed,” he said. “The funding will build us a fire station.”
The brigade has been based out of its present facility for most of its almost 60-year history.
Mr Baldwin said the brigade was forced to move its trucks out of the shed to use it for meeting and training sessions because there were too many people for the station’s small meeting room.
There are also occupational and health and safety issues concerning traffic at the station.
Mr Baldwin said the grant would go towards building a station at a new location.
He said the brigade, which is made up of 54 volunteers, will now start looking for a whole new home.
The station, on Three Chain Road, is also used by local LandCare groups and the Carlsruhe Cemetery Trust.
