NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers whose truck can barely make it up Brown Mt on NSW's South Coast have been told they could be waiting up to five years for a replacement.
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The age and performance of Bemboka's fire trucks is of real concern to a community struck multiple times by bushfires in recent years, it is being claimed.
Bemboka resident Belinda, who is close to several members of the Bemboka Rural Fire Brigade, shared concerns with the Bega District News of "truly tried and exhausted" fire trucks lacking some of the safety protections of more modern appliances.
While some minor mechanical issues are understandable given the mammoth efforts of RFS crews during both the 2018 Yankees Gap fire and 2019/20 Black Summer, running day and night for months at a time, Belinda said the problems ran deeper.
"Our fire crew drives around in a 21-year-old Cat 1, and a nearly 30-year-old Cat 9 - they are very well and truly tried and exhausted trucks.
"Fire calls on top of Brown Mountain are going to Nimmitabel because our fire truck can't go faster than 30kmh up Brown - and that's if it makes it," she claimed.
"The Cat 1 truck is 21 years old this year. It was fixed a few times during the fires.
"These trucks are not equipped with the new safety gear to protect the volunteers while they are in their trucks.
"One had no air con working, another had a faulty fire reel that wouldn't retract. We need help," she said.
Belinda said the village's brigade had been told 12 months ago they were due to get a replacement truck given its age was topping 20 years.
"Now we have been informed that they are now pushing refurbishment out to 25 years.
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Far South Coast Superintendent John Cullen confirmed that refurbishment of trucks was an ongoing process and that all appliances across the South Coast were maintained to a high level.
He said he was aware of the age of the Bemboka fleet, but that safety was "of the highest priority" and that any issues are taken up at a senior level.
"Servicing work is carried out on all trucks each year to work through any issues that have been raised to the senior group officers," Superintendent Cullen said.
"We have varying aged vehicles across the group that are all maintained to a high level and every effort is made to give the best possible protection on vehicles.
"There is also the best possible training for our members including correct PPE [personal protective equipment], and methods and procedures for if something was to go wrong."
Superintendent Cullen said firefighting appliances were also moved around to where they could be best utilised and that the group had a strategy of looking at the best possible resources for any given situation. That included joint responses to incidents from neighbouring brigades should it be warranted.
"We're very fortunate with the fleet we've got. Bemboka is very well resourced with a Cat 7, a Cat 9 and a Cat 1. Numbugga has a Cat 7 and Cat 9, and Candelo also has a Cat 7, Cat 9 and Cat 1. So there are a lot of resources very close.
"We're aware Bemboka's Cat 1 is reaching the end of its years, but we've had a lot of success with refurbishment over the years," he added.
Belinda said she realised Bemboka may not attend as many callouts as their Sydney colleagues, "but I believe we deserve the same level of protection and functioning equipment as they get".
"Our bushfire seasons are getting longer, hotter and harder to fight. I think we are worth it."