onight, a structure fire in Sunshine North AGAIN revealed a critical issue in our fire services. Thick smoke filled the air, and crews escalated the incident to a 2nd alarm. A Teleboom aerial appliance, used to fight fires from above was responded but here’s the alarming reality:
The Teleboom from Fire Station 44, just 1.9km away, couldn’t respond. Why? At 24 years old, 9 years past FRV’s 15-year service life policy, it’s often out of action.
Instead, a replacement came from Fire Station 10 in Richmond, 30 minutes away, 10 times longer than the 3 minute response Sunshine North deserved.
Every Victorian pays a fire service levy. Sunshine North deserves a reliable fire service, not one crippled by outdated equipment and underfunding.
This is a fire crisis. Replacements must be funded now before tragedy strikes.