Tuesday, 15 October 2019

In reply to  Ms LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (28 August 2019)

Ms NEVILLE (Bellarine—Minister for Water, Minister for Police and Emergency Services):

The Victorian Government values the Kinglake West CFA Brigade (Brigade) and its selfless contributions to the safety and wellbeing of the community. The Victorian Government also acknowledges the Brigade’s significant efforts to fund improvements to its station over the years, including through the generous support of the local community.

The 2019-20 budget provided $14.7 million in funding for new station developments, which is in addition to CFA’s annual funding of approximately $5.7 million to maintain its 1,229 fire stations.

The prioritisation of station upgrades and replacements within the CFA Base Capital Works Program is informed by a number of fit for purpose factors, including the condition of existing stations, suitability to support current and projected service delivery needs and occupational health and safety standards.

The CFA advises that the Kinglake West station was last inspected on 12 September 2019 and that no evidence was found to suggest that the roof or other building infrastructure is leaking. The CFA has also advised that the water experienced on the engine bay floor is from the appliance overflow points.

The CFA advises that its fleet replacement and cascade program considers asset condition, utilisation, rate of brigade response and brigade risk profile when determining replacement priorities. All vehicles are regularly inspected and maintained to ensure they are safe for active, operational use. The CFA advised that Tanker 1 at Kinglake West brigade is not on any current replacement programs.

The Brigade moved from District 13 to District 12 in the second half of 2010 as part of a boundary realignment. The move to District 12 has not impacted on the Brigade’s priority ranking for station upgrades or vehicle replacement.

Over the past 7 years, the Brigade has received $100k through the Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP) to purchase a medium tanker.

The CFA has advised that the Brigade has not applied for the recent 2019-20 VESEP grant program. The Victorian Government encourages the Brigade to apply for future funding through relevant government funding programs.