Two new fire stations have officially opened in Modewarre and Anglesea to improve the local facilities and provide better fire care to the community.
The more than $2 million Modewarre fire station replaces the brigade’s former facility on Cape Otway Road, and captain Michael Meesen said it would help serve the community better.
“We’d outgrown the old station, it just wasn’t big enough for our growing membership,” he said.
“The larger station with the drive-through engine bay will be fantastic as we no longer need to reverse in, and the storage shed at the back of the building will be really handy.
“The old station down the road will now be repurposed as a Men’s and Women’s Shed by the local community network.
“It’s great knowing that after housing the brigade for nearly forty years, it will still be a valuable asset to the community.”
The new station will feature equipment storage areas, dedicated breathing apparatus cleaning facilities, three motor-room bays, separate turn-out rooms and gender-specific changing facilities, and a large multi-purpose room.
Anglesea Fire Brigade also welcomed a $520,000 satellite fire station that captain Noel Foster said would help the brigade respond to events and house its new ultralight tanker.
“Any of our members can operate the ultralight tanker, which enables us to respond to events more quickly,” he said.
“Whether it’s used to protect communities on the coast or for interstate deployments, this is a valuable firefighting resource.”
Country Fire Authority acting chief officer Gary Cook said he felt honoured to officially open the two new facilities on Sunday, May 21.
“Thank you to the brigades for their invaluable service to their local community and wider area,” he said.
