Stuart Ayres MP, Member for Penrith and Minister for Police and Emergency Services has today welcomed an additional 40 fire-fighters and five state of the art tankers to strengthen Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW).
The 40 new fire-fighters will be stationed at key locations across the Sydney metropolitan region with Fire & Rescue NSW to operate with a record budget of $665 million.
“This is the largest budget in the organisation’s 130 year history, which is a sign of this Government’s strong support for Fire and Rescue NSW,” said Stuart Ayres.
“In addition to the extra fire-fighters, five new state of the art tankers, worth $1.77 million, will also be rolled out to increase our capability to deal with fires on the urban/bush interface.
“Our fire-fighters work tirelessly to protect our lives and our property, and we will continue to support them in doing so,” Stuart Ayres added.
Fire & Rescue NSW Commissioner Greg Mullins also welcomed the announcement, saying it was recognition of the important role that Fire & Rescue NSW plays in the community.
“The additional funding and resources announced today is a credit to the professionalism and commitment of our fire-fighters,” Mr Mullins said.
“The five new fire trucks, which will provide additional capability on Total Fire Ban days, during bush fires and severe weather events like the recent Sydney storms, will be based at Miranda, Lane Cove, Kellyville, Narellan and Cranebrook and will be staffed by 40 additional fire-fighters.
“The additional fire-fighters will also be used to help ensure that full-time fire stations in Sydney are online and available to respond to fires and other emergencies both around the city and beyond,” Mr Mullins added.
Today also saw significant reforms to the Permanent Fire-fighter’s Award seeing an increase in pay of 2.5 per cent.
Additionally, $1 million has been allocated to fund new equipment for Fire & Rescue NSW’s volunteer Community Fire Units (CFU), which play a vital role in protecting and saving homes during bush fire emergencies.
A further $375,000 has been provided for the development of a mobile phone app to keep CFU volunteers up to date on bush fire activity in their area.
