Four Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) Barwon South West units are changing how its volunteers respond to emergencies thanks to new equipment.
VICSES’ Bellarine, Torquay, South Barwon, and Corio Road Crash Rescue (RCR) accredited units have received state-of-the-art battery-powered hydraulic tools.
The hoseless Pentheon equipment range allowed volunteers to manage rescue-related emergencies without an external hydraulic pump source through a VICSES.
Capability deputy chief officer David Baker said 47 VICSES RCR units would have the new equipment by the end of July.
“VICSES volunteers play a vital role in the state’s integrated agencies approach to RCR,” he said.
“It’s important they have the equipment they need to respond to emergencies efficiently and safely on our roadways.
“Almost 50 VICSES Units across Victoria are trained and using the state-of-the-art battery-powered hydraulics, providing them with increased capability to support their communities.”
Other VICSES Barwon South West Region units that have received the new equipment included Hamilton, Port Fairy, Portland, Colac, and Warrnambool.
The equipment will allow volunteers more freedom and flexibility in accessing rescue incidents in hard-to-reach locations.
VICSES Barwon South West Region volunteers have attended more than 200 rescue-related incidents this year.
The South Barwon, Corio, Colac, and Warrnambool units have attended more than 20 incidents each, with 1500 rescue incidents occurring throughout the state during the year.
The hoseless Pentheon range of equipment is developed by Netherlands manufacturer Holmatro, with each kit valued at more than $115,000.
This month’s rollout of the equipment concluded a four-year process to update RCR capacity at close to 50 locations across the state, with each unit trained in the equipment’s use.
