For the first time, South Morang fire station has paid, full-time firefighters taking the pressure off volunteers.
Country Fire Authority’s operations manager, Trevor Roberts, says the station now has three full-time firefighters based at South Morang during business hours. The new arrangement began on Monday last week,
Volunteers will continue to respond to calls after hours.
Mr Roberts said the CFA had changed its response to cater for South Morang’s booming population. Latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures name the suburb as the fastest-growing in the nation. “Over the past decade, we have seen a steep rise in population and an equivalent rise in numbers of incidents requiring CFA attendance, and this trend is expected to continue,” Mr Roberts said. “South Morang is a strong brigade and a busy brigade that has kept homes and families safe through dedication and commitment over many years.
“This change is about taking some of the pressure off volunteers and their families.”
The “career firefighters” will work side by side with the South Morang brigade’s volunteer members. Former Sunbury firefighter Adam Whitford, one of the three career firefighters to begin work at South Morang, said his first priority would be to familiarise himself with the area.
“Local knowledge will be indispensable,” he said. “We’ll be tapping into the brigade’s knowledge and community contacts and looking to pick up as much knowledge as we can as quickly as we can.”
The fire station will transition to a 24-hour staffing model later this year.
The CFA has 1200 brigades, but just 34 of them have paid, full-time staff.
Lexi Cottee
