❓ The Minister for Emergency Services details the government's budget commitment to firefighter protection upgrades and a second rescue helicopter in the South West, fulfilling election promises.
AnsweredQoN 440Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES — APPLIANCES
440. Mr G.M. CASTRILLI to the Minister for Emergency
Services:
Can the minister please inform the house of the government's
state budget commitment to provide a second helicopter rescue service and
greater protection for our firefighters?
440. Mr G.M. CASTRILLI to the Minister for Emergency
Services:
Can the minister please inform the house of the government's
state budget commitment to provide a second helicopter rescue service and
greater protection for our firefighters?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Bunbury for his question. Like the
member, I am proud to be part of a Liberal–National government that is
getting on with the job and delivering on our election commitments.
This morning I had the pleasure of announcing two measures
that will make a real difference in saving lives to people in regional Western
Australia. It will make a real difference between life and death for many
people who live outside the metropolitan area. Firstly, we announced the
details of upgraded equipment for crew protection for firefighters. There are
some 30 000 volunteer firefighters across Western Australia, and there are some
667 vehicles that will have significant upgrades made to the equipment inside
them that will protect our volunteer firefighters, who put their lives on the
line and put themselves at risk to look after people in our communities.
A number of key upgrades will be made to the fleet of 667
vehicles. Those upgrades will provide underbody protection from heat. They will
provide spray-mist protection around the vehicle so that if firefighters are
caught in a fire, they can at least dampen some of the flames. They will
provide heat blankets inside the cabin so that if a vehicle is caught in a
fire, the firefighters can protect themselves from the radiant heat. They will
provide heat shields that will come down and cover the inside of the glass of
the vehicle with reflective material, because heat transfers through glass
quite efficiently, and that is exceptionally dangerous for firefighters. We all
know from the recent unfortunate accidents and events in Albany that these
things happen. We want to do everything we can to protect firefighters, because
that is the right thing to do. Additionally, some vehicles will be fitted with
air tanks so that there will be an emergency breathing source within the
vehicles. Lastly, the vehicles will be fitted with modern GPS locaters. It is
very important that when a fire truck is out in the bush and in the middle of
flames and something goes wrong, the firefighters are able to give exact
coordinates and call in some kind of air support and some kind of rescue
mechanism so that their safety can be better guaranteed. This government is
heavily committed to honouring our election commitment when it comes to
protecting volunteer firefighters and to doing everything we can, within
reason, to protect the people who put their lives on the line in trying to
defend our community.
Additionally, we announced the details of a second rescue
helicopter. We already have one rescue helicopter based in Perth. That is the
RAC chopper that we all know about. That rescue helicopter conducts over 400
missions every year, or 40 a month, roughly. But it has a range limitation of
just over 200 kilometres. It can fly further than that, but it will need
refuelling depending on the conditions, the lift load and how long it may need
to hover over a particular spot in order to conduct a rescue.
A second rescue helicopter in the south west, in which we
have a booming population, will do an awful lot to help free up that resource
in the metropolitan area. It will also help to look after the people in the
south west, whether they are having some kind of medical emergency or are
involved in some kind of accident. The time it takes to deliver medical
services to someone who has been injured and get them to a hospital is critical
in saving lives, and a second rescue helicopter will help us to do that.
In summary, the $12.3 million that will be spent over the
next four years started the rollout of the crew protection upgrades for
volunteer firefighters, and I know this will be welcomed by many of them.
Secondly, we will roll out $15.3 million to provide a second emergency services
rescue helicopter in the south west. As I said, I am proud to be part of a
government that is getting on with the job of delivering on our election
commitments.
member, I am proud to be part of a Liberal–National government that is
getting on with the job and delivering on our election commitments.
This morning I had the pleasure of announcing two measures
that will make a real difference in saving lives to people in regional Western
Australia. It will make a real difference between life and death for many
people who live outside the metropolitan area. Firstly, we announced the
details of upgraded equipment for crew protection for firefighters. There are
some 30 000 volunteer firefighters across Western Australia, and there are some
667 vehicles that will have significant upgrades made to the equipment inside
them that will protect our volunteer firefighters, who put their lives on the
line and put themselves at risk to look after people in our communities.
A number of key upgrades will be made to the fleet of 667
vehicles. Those upgrades will provide underbody protection from heat. They will
provide spray-mist protection around the vehicle so that if firefighters are
caught in a fire, they can at least dampen some of the flames. They will
provide heat blankets inside the cabin so that if a vehicle is caught in a
fire, the firefighters can protect themselves from the radiant heat. They will
provide heat shields that will come down and cover the inside of the glass of
the vehicle with reflective material, because heat transfers through glass
quite efficiently, and that is exceptionally dangerous for firefighters. We all
know from the recent unfortunate accidents and events in Albany that these
things happen. We want to do everything we can to protect firefighters, because
that is the right thing to do. Additionally, some vehicles will be fitted with
air tanks so that there will be an emergency breathing source within the
vehicles. Lastly, the vehicles will be fitted with modern GPS locaters. It is
very important that when a fire truck is out in the bush and in the middle of
flames and something goes wrong, the firefighters are able to give exact
coordinates and call in some kind of air support and some kind of rescue
mechanism so that their safety can be better guaranteed. This government is
heavily committed to honouring our election commitment when it comes to
protecting volunteer firefighters and to doing everything we can, within
reason, to protect the people who put their lives on the line in trying to
defend our community.
Additionally, we announced the details of a second rescue
helicopter. We already have one rescue helicopter based in Perth. That is the
RAC chopper that we all know about. That rescue helicopter conducts over 400
missions every year, or 40 a month, roughly. But it has a range limitation of
just over 200 kilometres. It can fly further than that, but it will need
refuelling depending on the conditions, the lift load and how long it may need
to hover over a particular spot in order to conduct a rescue.
A second rescue helicopter in the south west, in which we
have a booming population, will do an awful lot to help free up that resource
in the metropolitan area. It will also help to look after the people in the
south west, whether they are having some kind of medical emergency or are
involved in some kind of accident. The time it takes to deliver medical
services to someone who has been injured and get them to a hospital is critical
in saving lives, and a second rescue helicopter will help us to do that.
In summary, the $12.3 million that will be spent over the
next four years started the rollout of the crew protection upgrades for
volunteer firefighters, and I know this will be welcomed by many of them.
Secondly, we will roll out $15.3 million to provide a second emergency services
rescue helicopter in the south west. As I said, I am proud to be part of a
government that is getting on with the job of delivering on our election
commitments.
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