SWAN HILL Country Fire Authority has a new addition to its tanker fleet — the
brigade’s first new vehicle in more than 10 years.
The medium tanker is an
example of a new generation of firefighting vehicles, which were introduced as a
prototype over the last three years.
The tanker, the largest in the Swan Hill
fleet, contains a number of new features that represent the height of
firefighting technology.
Most of the features have been added with the
protection of the brigade in mind, highlighting the CFA’s commitment to the
safety of firefighters.
“It’s a different vehicle to the one it replaced, it
has a lot more features,” CFA operations officer John Breaks said.
One major
difference is the tanker’s four-wheel-drive capability.
“This will allow us
to access areas we couldn’t before, like beside the river and in the parks,” Mr
Breaks said.The tanker carries 2350L of water, of which 650L is specifically
for crew protection.It also includes silver heat-resistant curtains that can
be rolled down over the windows inside the cabin.
For more on this story see today’s Guardian (October 11).
