• $13 million for upgrades to emergency services volunteer facilities
  • $2 million for water tanks for bushfire brigades
  • Local content and jobs to be the priority as part of McGowan Government’s $5.5 billion WA Recovery Plan

Planning is now underway on a multimillion dollar infrastructure upgrade and expansion package for Western Australia’s emergency services under the McGowan Government’s
$5.5 billion WA Recovery Plan.

Some of WA’s emergency services volunteers will share in a $13 million fund to upgrade facilities and provide new amenities, as part of the McGowan Government’s $60 million maintenance package included in the WA Recovery Plan.

Marine Rescue groups are already part of an upgrade program under the previous investment increase to support WA’s Marine Rescue service.

The new recovery package will include upgrades to existing emergency services facilities such as bushfire sheds, and the delivery of new facilities to house emergency response vehicles and equipment.

Bushfire brigades, who fall under local governments, will also receive further assistance as part of the package with $2 million allocated for new water tanks.

The work will be carried out by locals using local content where possible as part of the McGowan Government’s $5.5 billion WA Recovery Plan to drive economic and social recovery across the State.

It follows the recent announcement in Collie of the location for a $13.4 million multipurpose emergency services facility that will create 12 positions, and the beginning of construction of a fire appliances manufacturing facility that will create 17 jobs in the region.

The new facility in Collie was made possible with a Collie Futures Fund grant of $2.5 million to move some of the work to the South-West town, as part of the $125 million contract to build new fire appliances for our State.

In the last financial year, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, through the Emergency Services Levy, assisted local governments to build or upgrade 24 bushfire facilities throughout Western Australia with $3.2 million in funding assistance.

Comments attributed to Acting Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson:

“This $15 million package will deliver jobs for local people and help drive our State’s recovery while also providing some extra support for our emergency services volunteers.

“We’re committed to focusing on local jobs and content as part of the McGowan Government’s $5.5 billion WA Recovery Plan.

“A list of immediate amenity upgrades is also being put together and will make life a little bit easier for emergency services volunteers.

“Bushfire brigades and their local governments will be further supported with $2 million for water tanks, so a brigade can more rapidly and easily fill up their fire appliances at their base.

“This $15 million package, which is part of the McGowan Government’s $5.5 billion Recovery Plan, not only benefits local economies and communities by driving local work, but it helps support our emergency services volunteers as well.”

https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/McGowan/2020/07/15-million-dollar-COVID-recovery-package-for-WAs-emergency-services.aspx