Nearly one third of Melbourne’s frontline fire trucks are out of action, raising fresh concerns about response times and growing pressure on already stretched crews.
The Herald Sun can reveal 41 of Fire Rescue Victoria’s 131 metropolitan appliances were this week off the road for repairs inside the agency’s Thornbury workshop.
The sidelined trucks include pumpers normally stationed across Melbourne’s suburbs, forcing stations to reshuffle resources and rely on spare units to maintain coverage.
It comes amid broader scrutiny of emergency services resourcing, with the United Firefighters Union repeatedly warning about ageing infrastructure.
The UFU claims an estimated 65 per cent of FRV’s fleet is out of date, unsafe and no longer fit for purpose
