By Alesha Capone
The CFA has identified land to build the new Truganina fire station on.
The fire authority revealed the news last week, in relation to an enquiry from Star Weekly.
In a statement, the CFA said it was working with a developer and council before the land acquisition could be finalised.
“Once land has been purchased, CFA will consult with the brigade on the design of the station,” the statement said.
“It is anticipated that construction will commence in 2021.”
Almost three years ago, the state government announced $7.5 million in funding to acquire land for, and to build, new fire stations in Truganina and Wyndham Vale.
Tarneit MP Sarah Connolly said: “We’re giving our emergency services volunteers and workers the resources they need to keep themselves and the community safe, particularly in high growth areas like Truganina.
“We know how important this project is and understand delays in finding suitable land have been frustrating – we’ve been working hard to ensure an appropriate site is secured so our volunteers can continue their incredible work keeping the community safe.”
The CFA recently released brigade response times from October to December last year.
The data showed that within the Tarneit region – which includes the Truganina, Tarneit and Hoppers Crossing brigades – less than 60 per cent of emergency response times met CFA targets.
The CFA’s target response times range from eight minutes for a class two hazard (which covers significant urban areas) to 20 minutes for a class four hazard (which primarily cover bush and grassland, and isolated dwellings and structures).
During the three-months, the Tarneit station was the second-busiest in the state, responding to 294 call-outs.
Wyndham mayor Josh Gilligan said that Trugaina’s firefighters “deserve answers on when they’ll see the fire station they were promised to do their jobs effectively and safely”.
“These response times present a red alert for the Wyndham community,” he said.
“Any further delay undermines the recruitment and retention of firefighters to protect our community.”
