THE United Firefighters Unions is questioning why the ACT government is partnering with Rosenbauer to develop and procure an electric firetruck for Canberra when it still hasn’t resolved other pressing resourcing issues. 

Branch secretary of the United Firefighters Union ACT Greg McConville says it’s concerning that the ACT government is prioritising the purchase of this particular apparatus when a number of other pressing resourcing issues have not been resolved.

“We became aware of the partnership with Rosenbauer to ‘develop and procure’ this vehicle through the media today,” Mr McConville says.

“ACT firefighters and residents deserve detail about the ACT government’s proposal for this new electric fire truck.

“We’ve had no opportunity to ask questions about this proposal, let alone have those questions answered. It’s understandable that firefighters are sceptical about the ACT government’s capacity to deliver on this announcement in the short to medium term.

“We are calling for the ACT government to commit to a long-term plan to resource our fire services to improve firefighter and community safety. Whether this announcement fits with such a plan remains to be seen.

“We do not dispute that the move to renewable energy sources is critical. Addressing climate change should be a priority for all governments and we have funded significant research about how firefighting must adapt to the pressures that come with the impacts of climate change.  However, firefighters should be at the centre of any discussion about new apparatus, and to date we have no detail.

“We don’t yet have procedures in place for effectively extinguishing batteries in electric cars. If the ACT government were serious about acting on climate change it would address those basics before adopting electric engine technology in a suppression vehicle.”

Canberra gets Australia’s first electric fire truck