Hon Martin Aldridge asks about the replacement of ageing VHF radios and the rollout of Complex Structural Firefighting Radios to DFES and Local Government BGUs. DFES provides a timeline for replacement and training.

AnsweredQoN 1551Legislative Council
Asked
17 August 2023
Portfolio
Emergency Services

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to hand held radios supplied to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and Local Government BGU's and I ask: (a) when will the ageing VHF handheld radios be replaced; (b) are sufficient spare parts and spare radios available for the ageing radios; (c) what is the training duration for the Complex Structural Firefighting Radios; (d) has a volunteer focused course been developed and what is the training duration; (e) How many Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service and Volunteer Fire and Emergency Service brigades are yet to receive and be trained on the Complex Structural Firefighting Radios; and (f) if those identified in (e) when will they be issued with Complex Structural Firefighting Radios?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
12 September 2023
Responded by
Minister for Emergency Services
Response time
4 days
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) advises:
(a) The VHF radio replacement program will begin in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions in October 2023.
(b) Yes.
(c) - (d) The core operational and safety elements of the training for volunteers for Complex Structural Firefighting Radios will be delivered by a combination of online and face-to-face training, with an initial half-day course. Training to reinforce learnings will be completed by their DFES District Officers as a station drill and by BGUs in their regular training programs.
(e) 84 Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service brigades and 23 Volunteer Fire & Emergency Services units.
(f) Delivery of the Complex Structural Firefighting Radios is expected to commence in October 2023 and implementation concluded by 30 June 2024.

Explore WA Government Data

Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.

Explore more