Victoria needs $1.5 billion to fix aging fire truck fleet
An audit found $1.5 billion is needed for the state's fire trucks, but only $390 million is budgeted.
Victoria's auditor-general has found a massive gap between what the state spends on fire trucks and what it needs to keep them safe and fit. The fleet has more than 3,000 trucks across two services: Country Fire Authority and Fire Rescue Victoria.
Almost 60 per cent of them are more than 15 years old, despite FRV internal documents recommending fire trucks be replaced at that age. The auditor identified a widespread cracking problem in some trucks that has put firefighters at direct risk.
One agency had to suspend more than half its fleet ahead of the summer fire season. The shortfall is stark: auditors say $1.5 billion is needed between now and 2034, but only $390 million has been budgeted.
Premier Ben Carroll acknowledged the problem and the opposition is developing a modernisation plan.
- $1.5 billion
- Funding needed
- $390.4 million
- Budgeted so far
- 3,000 trucks
- Total fleet size
- 60 per cent
- Trucks over 15 years old
Why it mattersFirefighters are using equipment officials know is unsafe, and the state faces a costly backlog to fix it that will take a decade to address.
AustraliaVictoria's emergency services are operating well below safe standards, and taxpayers will bear the cost of the delayed upgrade.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 11 h ago
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