Absent Lara hazmat unit leaves service hour away

The absence of Geelong’s only hazmat truck has left the high-risk region an hour away from the essential service.

Lara firefighters Sonya Roguljic, Callum Murdoch and Daniel Carew are worried about the absence of a hazmat unit in the region. Photograph: Phil Yeo

Geelong firefighters are being forced to wait hours at jobs due to the absence of an essential vehicle.

The region’s closest Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) hazmat unit is now in South Melbourne, after the Lara station’s 14-year-old truck was declared unfit for use on March 24.

Lara is one of five locations in Victoria allocated a hazmat unit due to its industrial assets.

Infrastructure, such as Corio’s oil refinery, make the region susceptible to hazardous materials exposure incidents.

Firefighter and United Firefighters Union (UFU) delegate Daniel Carew said not having a hazmat vehicle in Geelong posed a risk to the community.

“It’s a high level of concern,” Mr Carew said.

Daniel Carew says the lack of a hazmat unit in Lara is a “concern”. Photograph: Phil Yeo

“The obvious one for the community is the refinery here on our doorstep.

“Right now, if we get a job at the refinery, we’re waiting on either South Melbourne or Lucas (in Ballarat) to get here.

“It’s easy to say they’ll come, but there’s no way to know if they’d even be available.”

Mr Carew said he wasn’t aware of any plans to relace the unit, and there are currently no spare units available statewide.

An FRV spokeswoman said Lara’s vehicle was currently being repaired.

“(It) will be back online as soon as the repairs are complete,” she said.

“While these repairs take place, FRV has relocated some resources to ensure Victorians are well protected.”

“FRV pumpers and other fire trucks are equipped with atmospheric monitoring equipment and breathing apparatus, which allow firefighters to investigate, seal off and undertake an initial response to hazmat incidents while they wait for the specialist heavy hazmat unit to arrive.”

Lara firefighters Sonya Roguljic, Callum Murdoch and Daniel Carew. Photograph: Phil Yeo

Since March 24, hazmat units have been required on four separate jobs, with firefighters forced to wait an hour each time.

This includes three incidents at Barwon Prison, the latest occurring on Monday evening, as well as a suspicious package at the North Geelong office of the organisers of the Avalon Airshow.

A source with knowledge the first incident at Barwon Prison said the delay in response could have compromised the investigation into the cause of the suspected gas leak.

“When we first arrived, we turned off the airconditioning and turned the extraction fans to start removing the contaminants,” he said.

“That was mainly due to the fact we couldn’t remove the prisoners simply.

“Given they were on for two hours before the hazmat got here, there’s a good chance that most of the contaminants had been removed, and therefore we weren’t able to sample correctly.

“If we had of found the source of the leak, we wouldn’t have been back twice since.”

An FRV spokesman confirmed the South Melbourne Heavy Hazmat Unit attended the complex.

“The first FRV truck arrived on scene within 13 minutes of the triple-0 call – noting that responses to prisons take longer due to crews having to go through security protocols,” he said.

UFU secretary Peter Marshall said people in Geelong are “paying their fire services levy expecting that firefighters will have the equipment they need to protect public safety when it counts the most”.

“In an industrial centre like Geelong, this includes protection from incidents involving hazardous materials,” Mr Marshall said.

“Local firefighters are showing up every day willing to put their lives on the line for public safety.

“They need working equipment to do their job.”

According to Mr Marshall, two in three trucks across Victoria will be older than 15-years, the age at wish they are meant to be due for replacement.

Originally published as Absent Lara hazmat unit leaves service hour away