South Wangaratta CFA are hoping to expand their Shanley Street headquarters with a $250,000 grant in the upcoming annual Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program grant pool.
The application for funding will go towards a planned expansion which will include an upgrade to toilets, change rooms installing a cleaning room and another bay to hold the capacity to be home to another tanker.
Brigade captain Brendon French said the expansion was something they have been looking at for the past couple of years.
“At the moment our toilets don’t comply with regulations, we want to be able to get our gear out of our cars,” he said.
“A lot of people carry their gear in their cars, so we want to keep that in the station and in an area where it hangs properly.
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“It’s more to do with the OH&S side of things.”
VESEP is an annual grants program funded by the Victorian government, which provides funding to Victorian emergency services volunteer groups to purchase essential operational equipment, vehicles and appliances and minor facility improvements.
Eligible organisations include CFA, VICSES, Life Saving Victoria, Volunteer Marine Search and Rescue units and other eligible volunteer emergency services groups as defined in the State Emergency Management Plan.
Local emergency services have benefited significantly from the funding round in the past which has helped provide $87,000 to Wangaratta SES for a new vehicle and $370,000 for a new tanker at Springhurst CFA.
Mr French said the brigade would have an indication on whether their application would be successful by Christmas.
“We’re always trying to get better stuff for our brigade,” he said.
