Victoria Minister for Police and Emergency Services Lisa Neville

New CFA Station For Ballarat West Region

Victor P Taffa

A new state-of-the-art CFA station has opened in Ballarat West to service the growing suburb of Lucas and neighbouring communities thanks to the Andrews Government.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services Lisa Neville today officially opened the station, located in the Ballarat West emergency services hub.

“This new state-of-the-art CFA station will provide the local brigade with modern facilities, as well as more space to train and prepare for emergency incidents along with assisting neighbouring brigades.” Minister for Police and Emergency Services Lisa Neville said.

“We’re backing the CFA and making sure they have the resources and facilities they need to keep the community safe.”

$5.8 Million facility was funded by the Andrews Government in 2015 and has been built to meet future demand with the brigade servicing an area that has grown by 7,000 residents since 2011.

4-bay station provides the Lucas CFA brigade with:

• Bedrooms,
• Modern facilities,
• Space for preparing for and recovering from incidents,
• Training and meeting rooms.

New station is home to 32 career firefighters who also support surrounding brigades, including:

• Haddon,
• Sebastopol,
• Smythesdale,
• Wendouree.

Station is equipped with the latest emergency management tools, including:

• HAZMAT truck,
• New heavy pumper fire truck and equipment for emergency medical response incidents.

Firefighters from emergency medical response equipped stations are dispatched at the same time as paramedics to respond to triple zero calls for heart attack patients and non-breathing patients.

“This new CFA Station is equipped with the latest technology including a new heavy pumper fire truck and a HAZMAT truck to quickly respond to incidents in our growing community.” Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison said.

Each capable station has the necessary medical equipment to perform the life-saving role, with defibrillators installed in the fire trucks.

Lucas CFA brigade was founded in December 2017 and worked from a temporary base in Delacombe before moving into the new station in November last year.

Local brigade has responded to 350 incidents in the past 12 months, including:

• Car accidents,
• House fires,
• Supporting paramedics at emergency medical response incidents.

 

Abbreviations:

CFA                Country Fire Authority

HAZMAT       Hazardous Materials