Capt Brendan McKnight & MP Maree Edwards
Baringhup West Fire Brigade has welcomed a new tanker to their engine bay and celebrated the official handover with their local community members.
Local member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, handed over the keys to the medium tanker to excited brigade members on Friday night (6 December).
Captain of the brigade Brendan McKnight said this new tanker was a much-needed update for the brigade.
“It is really bringing fire fighting at Baringhup West up to date and in line with current technologies,” he said.
“It will make things much easier for our members.”
He also said members at the brigade were jumping at the bit to get into the new vehicle due to the addition of an air conditioner.
“We have three vehicles without an AC, and this will be our very first one with it,” he laughed.
It might seem simple, but he said it would make the crews “a lot more comfortable” which would enable them to really be in the best shape to respond to incidents.
The new Medium Tanker can hold 2350 litres of water to suppress fires and incorporates a crew protection system to help protect volunteers during a burnover.
The new state-of-the-art vehicle was purchased through the Victorian Government’s Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP), with the brigade receiving a grant of over $320,000.
To contribute to the total cost of the tanker the brigade chipped in over $58,000 which was generously fundraised over many years.
Brendan McKnight said he was thankful to the community who had helped fundraise the money.
