Wentworthville fire station to get $6 million upgrade

A $6 million overhaul has been announced for one of Sydney’s major fire stations amid a “horrendous” death toll for home fires gripping the city.

Wentworthville fire station will be redeveloped into a $6 million facility to house some of Sydney’s busiest crews.

The state government announced the upgrade on Monday amid the high toll of home fires that have claimed 13 lives in winter — more than triple the number for the same period in 2021.

The 88-year-old station at Garfield St has been updated since 1934 but the major revamp will see it bulldozed in the next financial year and fitted out with an extra engine bay, separate amenities for male and female firefighters and larger administration and training spaces.

A temporary base for firefighters has not yet been determined while the station is being built.

Its redevelopment is part of the $862 million state budget allocation for firefighters, which will also include building stations at Oran Park and Marsden Park in Sydney’s burgeoning southwest and northwest respectively.

Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Paul Baxter said Wentworthville responded to about 1250 incidents each year in the suburb and neighbouring Greystanes, Pendle Hill and Westmead.

“Wentworthville is in a critical strategic location for responding all over the city,’’ he said.

“Many of the areas it services have recently been identified as having a heightened fire risk because of its socio-economic make-up, higher-density living arrangements and large industrial presence.’’

NSW Fire and Rescue Commissioner Paul Baxter with firefighters Cheyne Jobson, Matthew Springall, Matthew Casey, Stephen Francis, Philip Vaiciurgis and Michael Morris at Wentworthville fire station.

Firefighter Philip Vaiciurgis has welcomed the new station.

“Right now, the station’s not fit-for-purpose for a modern fire service compared to when it was built and … we’re always one of the busiest fire stations in the zone, always on the go,’’ he said.

Senior Wentworthville firefighter Stephen Francis said crews responded to between eight and 13 calls every 24 hours. The growing subcontinental community in western Sydney, with “people who didn’t grow up here” has contributed to blazes and, alongside Bankstown, Wentworthville’s crews are among the busiest in Sydney.

Fire and Rescue NSW will soon roll out a campaign in 70 languages to relay fire safety messages — not overloading powerboards, being cautious of “massive” battery power packs fuelling laptops and electric scooters, and strictly using devices such as charcoal cookers and barbecues for the outdoors.

On July 18, six people “were close to perishing” after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning when they used a charcoal barbecue inside their Merrylands home.

The Iranian refugees revealed soaring power prices led to the decision.

At Parramatta on July 10, international student Raunak Chaudhary died after an overloaded powerboard caused a fire at his Campbell St unit.

NSW Fire and Rescue Commissioner Paul Baxter and Emergency Services and Resilience Minister Steph Cooke survey a burnt heater at Wentworthville fire station.

There were no smoke alarms in the home he rented on the third storey of the walk-up block.

With a month of winter remaining, Commissioner Baxter urged residents to install smoke alarms.

“I’ve got to say this winter season so far has been absolutely horrendous as far as loss of life,’’ he said.

“We’ve lost 13 souls over the last two months and what we think are purely preventable residential fires.’’

From more than 500 structural fires over the past two months, over half of the properties did not contain working smoke alarms. And “even worse” 20 per cent of homes failed to have any alarm.

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