A new state-of-the-art rescue truck is set to provide much-needed help for the Lakes Entrance Fire Brigade
The Lakes Entrance Fire Brigade has announced the official handover of its new rescue truck, which it says will boost member response time to road crash rescue incidents.
The new $850,000 truck has been funded by the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) as part of an ongoing funding arrangement.
CFA assistant chief fire officer for specialist response Rick Owen says the new truck has state-of-the-art features.
This includes emission free stowage, battery operated tools, increased capacity for heavy vehicle response with a rescue work platform and an increased ability to carry a full steep angle cache.
“The new technology and equipment on these rescue trucks makes them one of the best in Australia, so we’re lucky to add these to our CFA fleet,” Owen says.
“Lakes Entrance Fire Brigade responds to more than 120 call-outs per year, nearly half of those are rescues so it’s easy to see the need to ensure this brigade has the most up-to-date equipment to help protect their community.”
CFA Lakes Entrance captain Philip Loukes says it’s exciting to add the new rescue truck given the diversity of what it does and the vast area it covers.
“We respond to rescues across Gippsland and the Alpine region, we do road accident rescues, rope rescues and rescues of cars that might have gone down an embankment so it’s vital we have skills and the best possible equipment to boost our ability in this space,” Loukes says.
“This new rescue truck will enable us to continue providing a high-quality service to the community for a wide range of emergency incidents.”
Lakes Entrance is one of 21 CFA rescue brigades across Victoria. Brigade members undertake consistent rescue training to keep their skills at a high level to ensure the brigade can continue to service their growing community, particularly over the holiday periods.
The Lakes Entrance rescue truck is one of four being made as part of the $4.2 million TAC funding package.