Leopold Fire Brigade welcomes new tanker

LEOPOLD CFA has welcomed a big boost to its brigade following the official handover of a new tanker to its unit.

State Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant was in attendance to witness Leopold’s fire station accept the vehicle in order to continue protecting the community.

The tanker was added to the brigade thanks to the Victorian Government’s Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP) with the capacity to carry 2,350 litres of water to suppress fires and can incorporate a crew protection system to help volunteers during a burnover.

The tanker also exhibits a four-wheel drive crew cabin fitting up to five firefighters inside.

“Leopold Fire Brigade provides an essential service to the Bellarine area, and I am pleased to officially handover this new medium tanker to these deserving volunteers,” Ms Marchant said.

Leopold Fire Brigade received more than $320,000 worth of VESEP funding in 2020-21 towards the purchase of the tanker.

It then generously contributed more than $58,000, bringing the total investment to almost $380,000.

Brigade captain Chris Wilkinson said the new vehicle has a number of upgrades.

“We’re finding operationally it’s more efficient and there’s a really good feel about the truck among the brigade,” Mr Wilkinson said.

“This tanker is a four-wheel drive, whereas the other one was a two, so we’ve gained a drive system that has the capacity to get us further when we get called out.

“It also helps that the design is similar to our other tanker, so the transition has been smooth, and we can now run with two crew cabin variants.”

Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes said VESEP was an annual grants program that supports Victorian emergency service volunteer groups to purchase essential equipment.

“Victoria’s emergency service volunteers are exceptionally dedicated to their communities and these grants ensure they have the equipment they need to continue their work safely.

“VESEP grants have a positive impact in supporting our volunteer emergency services and we encourage eligible groups to apply for this year’s round.”

Founded in 1942, Leopold Fire Brigade is home to 53 members, including 30 operational members.

Leopold Fire Brigade averages more than 150 callouts per year attending jobs such as rescues, motor vehicle accidents, and scrub, grass and house fires.