MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — On Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the official opening of the Warrnambool fire station along with Rohan Luke, acting assistant chief officer of the south-west region; Paul Marshall, Warrnambool Country Fire Authority station officer; Richard Bourke, operations manager, district 5; Craig Lapsley, emergency services commissioner; and Lance Baillie, life member of the brigade, along with many, many members of the community.
The Andrews Labor government committed $6.7 million through Project 360 towards the construction of the new fire station in Warrnambool. The station has eight bedrooms, four motor bays and sheds for smaller vehicles at the back of the property. I also had the pleasure of handing over the keys to the new $360 000 medium tanker, funded by the Andrews Labor government and fundraising through the local brigade. The local brigade raised $100 000 towards the funding for the new tanker, a fantastic achievement which highlights the Warrnambool community’s appreciation of the local brigade and their dedication to fire safety. The new fire station and medium tanker will help increase the fire protection for the people of Warrnambool and outlying districts, with the fire brigade expected to respond to around 600 calls per year.
It was fitting for the opening to be held at the beginning of the 2016 Victorian Fire Action Week, which encourages Victorians in fire danger areas to talk with friends, family and members of the community about fire risk and their plans for what they will do on hot, dry and windy days. I congratulate the Warrnambool fire brigade on the new station and wish them safety throughout the fire season.