CFA volunteers fight fires with 1990s trucks and private family utes
CFA volunteers rely on untrained civilians and private vehicles to fight rural fires.
Upper Murray volunteers fight bushfires using trucks from the 1990s. Shortages of modern CFA gear force volunteers to use private vehicles and recruit untrained people, including farmers.
Using old equipment and untrained help stretches thin crews and raises safety risks. Wodonga's fire station has a 19-year-old truck, four years past its recommended lifespan.
Rob Jones, a firefighter and union representative, said Wodonga meets only about 70 per cent of its response times for emergencies. The state Coalition has promised $160 million over four years to replace the entire fire fleet if elected.
- 70 percent in Wodonga
- Response time target met
- 160 million dollars over 4 years
- Fleet replacement promise
- 7 minutes 42 seconds for building fires
- Fire response mandate
Why it mattersSlower response times and untrained people on firegrounds put rural communities at greater risk during bushfires.
AustraliaRural Australians face longer waits for emergency response as ageing CFA equipment goes unreplaced without new funding.
