District firefighters will able to respond more efficiently to emergencies with the rollout of 18,000 new radios to all CFA brigades across Victoria.
Victorian Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes officially announced the $138 million upgrade of all handheld, vehicle and station base radios.
The new radios have GPS functions on all handheld devices, making it easier for crews to locate firefighters on the ground and ensure their safety.
Firefighters will also have direct communication access with all emergency service agencies in Victoria with the radio’s multiband capability, not just other CFA volunteers.
They will also be able to speak with crews from NSW and South Australia.
This function will be particularly valuable during mass fire events where more than one agency is deployed, such as Fire Rescue Victoria, Forest Fire Management Victoria or SES, or where interstate crews are deployed to events such as fires that cross state borders.
CFA District 22 commander Peter Bell said this would be especially important in border areas where volunteers often fought fires on both sides of the Murray River.
Until now, brigades such as Cobram’s – which regularly fought fires on either side of the river – had a NSW radio permanently in its fire control vehicle, as well as its regular Victorian radio to allow the brigade to speak with its NSW counterparts.
The changes mean that all Cobram vehicles – as well as all other CFA vehicles – will now have radios in them that allow firefighters to speak with Victorian and NSW firefighters on firegrounds, Mr Bell said.
Firefighters doing searches in houses will also have a radio each instead of having one between two.
“It will make it safer and easier to issue instructions,” Mr Bell said.
“We will know what is going on, so the commander control is greater.”
In March last year, 15 CFA districts across the state, including Cobram, Yarroweyah and Muckatah, took part in a three-month pilot program to determine the right radios for the replacement program.
Volunteers from all CFA regions were consulted to assess the radios by testing their functions in simulated, real-life scenarios, including hot, smoke-filled and noisy environments, and while wearing a breathing apparatus.
Cobram, Yarroweyah and Muckatah brigade members still have their portable radios used in the trial.
“They are in full support of the new radios and reckon they are much easier to operate,” Mr Bell said.
Ms Symes said it was exciting to kickstart the rollout of the radios to all brigades.
“Our CFA volunteers go above and beyond to keep Victorian communities safe from disasters – we’re continuing to back this important work with record funding and support.”
The rollout of the radio replacement program is set to begin in mid-2024 and be completed by the end of 2025.
“They are going to be a good asset for the future,” Mr Bell said.