Romsey Fire Brigade welcomed a new medium tanker into its engine bay, celebrating the handover with members and a visit from a local politician.
Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas passed over the keys to the medium tanker to Romsey Fire Brigade members on Thursday, October 3.
Romsey Fire Brigade captain Nic Needham said the new vehicle would enhance firefighter safety through several modern features.
“The Hino GT medium tanker provides almost 2500 litres of useable firefighting water,” Mr Needham said.
“It has [a] front-mounted monitor … which allows for in-vehicle firefighting, and a four-wheel drive crew cabin, which allows a crew of five to travel safely together in the cabin [with] greater offroad capability,” he said.
With an average of 85 callouts per year, and with 44 brigade members, Mr Needham said the new tanker was a fantastic addition to the fleet before the fast-approaching fire season.
“All of the members are super excited to have a new vehicle,” he said.
“The vehicle couldn’t arrive at a more opportune time, and to be able to put it online prior to the fire season is a real plus. It gives us an operating platform to work from and allows us to switch out whether we send tanker one or tanker two on strike teams, giving us more capacity. If the pumper and tanker attend a callout, it gives us the ability to leave a firefighting appliance in the town that can provide coverage from a structural and wildfire perspective.”
The new tanker replaces a single-cab two-wheel drive tanker and was purchased through the Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program, with a total cost of $392,000 and a brigade contribution of $58,000.
