Regional fire trucks are being moved to Melbourne to cover for broken down fire trucks.
This morning, a specialist ladder platform fire truck broke down in Footscray and couldn’t respond to a factory fire in Derrimut. Victoria is supposed to have 13 of these life-saving trucks — now only 5 are operational due to an ageing fleet.
Ballarat’s fire truck has been moved to Deer Park, and Warrnambool’s may soon be sent to Geelong — leaving regional communities dangerously exposed.
All while the Labor government has slashed the fire truck replacement budget by 50% compared to last year and regional Victorians are paying three times more for less protection.
FRV Commissioner Freeman has completely failed to maintain a functioning fire service. The community and firefighters have no confidence in his ability to secure the funding needed to protect Victorians.
This crisis is a direct result of failed leadership — both from FRV and Allan/Symes Government with Victorians paying the price.
