Ballarat and large parts of western Victoria have been left exposed tonight after the Fire Station 67 Ballarat City Ladder Platform truck was taken offline due to a hydraulic oil leak discovered during start-of-shift checks tonight.
Mechanics could not locate the source of the leak without dismantling the truck, and leaving it on the road risked catastrophic failure. With no spare trucks available anywhere in Victoria, the specialist fire truck is now off the road and nothing to replace it with.
This truck rescues people from heights and fights fires from up to 37 metres, responding across western Victoria including Horsham.
It should have been replaced 7 years ago, but ageing trucks continue to be pushed beyond their service life while FRV management ignore the growing risk to Victorian communities.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Treasurer Jaclyn Symes would rather spend money in other areas and gamble with Victorians safety. It’s not good enough and the Fire crisis needs to be fixed!