Fire services
Nicholas McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:31): (334) I am honoured to ask my first question in this place. My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. Minister, you have stated that the average life of the current vehicles that they operate is in the order of 15-plus years – that is 50 per cent of them. Likewise, the CFA regions claim the average age of their fleet is now more than 26 years. Minister, how old are the FRV and CFA fire brigade fleets?
Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:32): Mr McGowan, I understand the theme of your question, but it is a bit difficult to answer, because there is not one single age when you are talking about a fleet, because it is exactly that: a collection of a range of vehicles for both CFA and FRV ranging from your heavy-duty pumpers down to your four-wheel drives and the like. I think what I would say is that both CFA and FRV have dedicated fleet management in relation to in-house mechanics. There is a regular maintenance regime to ensure that the safety of the vehicles and the appropriateness of the vehicles is maintained. The latest advice from the fire implementation monitor was that 90 per cent, I think, of the available fleet for FRV was in operation, and that is higher than the benchmark. I was recently –
Members interjecting.
Jaclyn SYMES: I do not know. I am just trying to answer your question; I will give you a flavour of everything. I was just outside of Ballarat recently, where we handed over 11 new big red trucks to a range of brigades in that region. Brigades like a new truck, and I get to hand over keys reasonably regularly. I have done Mansfield in recent times as well. In relation to FRV – and there has been a fair bit of conversation in relation to that – my latest advice from recent investments in FRV, which has come directly from FRV advice, is that they have recently delivered three combined rescue ladder platforms, and on order and in project stage are 12 heavy pumpers, four heavy rescues, three BA supports, two rehab units and an ultra-large pumper. So there are a range of vehicles going out. I know that brigades quite regularly use the VESEP grants to supplement their fundraising to ensure that they can get the equipment that they need. It is something that is well deserved. It helps them do their job properly. In relation to your specific question, I have given you a range of matters that you might choose to direct your supplementary question back to.
Nicholas McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:35): Can I thank the minister for her answer and in so doing also thank the good folk, the women and men, in FS01 Eastern Hill. After the last session I also managed to visit their facility and look at one of their trucks, which was 31 years of age, which in fact is older than some one or two or three members of this chamber, for the record, I note. My question, following up from the answer, thank you, Minister, is: with no substantial funds –
Bev McArthur: Well serviced.
Nicholas McGOWAN: Well serviced. Well serviced in this chamber. With no substantial funds allocated for fleet replacement in the last budget, what plan is there to upgrade and modernise Victoria’s firefighting fleet?
Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:35): Mr McGowan, I just went through my latest advice from FRV in relation to some of the things that they have got on order. For context, last financial year Fire Rescue Victoria’s total income increased by a net of $1.8 million to $919 million. That is a total operating expense of over $1 billion, so the investment that we put into an organisation to ensure the safety of Victorians is very substantial. As I have indicated to you, there has been advice from FRV in relation to some vehicles and equipment that are on order that will be rolling out soon.