By Violet Li
A residential fire on Spartan Avenue has sparked fury over the undelivered Clyde North Fire Station.
Eight garages and one townhouse were destroyed in the blaze on the morning of Sunday 3 March, less than 400 metres from the proposed station site.
FRV’s Cranbourne senior station officer Geoff Barker, who was at the fire rescue, said if the Clyde North Fire Station had been built, it would significantly minimise the property loss.
A Country Fire Authority (CFA) spokesperson said 12 CFA units along with FRV crews attended the fire.
The incident was under control at 9am and deemed safe at 11.17am.
Two people were taken to the hospital for observation.
Mr Barker recalled that when Cranbourne Fire Station first responded at 8.11am, it was initially a fence fire, but it was quickly upgraded to a structure fire with reports of four garages on fire.
“By the time the fire trucks arrived on the scene at 8.21am, some 10 minutes after response, the fire had destroyed eight garages, a number of cars, one townhouse and damaged seven others,” he said.
“I apologised to the residents for the stress and anxiety they went through and apologised that our response time was not satisfactory.
“That 10 minutes is unacceptable by both FRV and CFA standards.”
FRV’s Service Delivery Standards across all of Victoria are to respond to structure fires within 7 minutes and 42 seconds.
Mr Barker pointed out the irony was the burning site was just opposite the proposed Clyde North Fire Station, which was first identified in 2009.
“It’s been on the card for at least 15 years,” he said.
FRV announced the site for Clyde North’s fire station nearly three years ago, which would be situated on the corner of Matterhorn Drive and Thompson Road.
It was estimated that work was expected to begin in 2021 and finish in 2023.
The construction has not commenced.
Star News talked to United Firefighters Union delegate for Cranbourne Fire Station Sam Watterson in early February this year, who was frustrated at the failure to deliver the promised fire station as it posed operational difficulties to Cranbourne Fire Station.
A spokesperson for FRV commented in February that planning for the Clyde North Fire Station was underway.
Mr Barker explained that an unsuppressed fire would just continue to spread until it ran out of fuel.
“A rapid response time is critical to cut off that fire before it extends to other buildings,” he said.
“Had an FRV crew been across the road, and responded within a minute, (I have) no doubt in 25 years of professional firefighting that it would have been restricted to maybe a couple of garages.
“That’s why we are calling on Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes to fund this Clyde North Fire Station so the residents of Clyde North can have the response time befitting of the risk in the area.”
He said that both CFA and FRV firefighters were working hard to lobby the State Government to provide the funding.
FRV 2022-23 Annual Report shows that more than $7 million was allocated to Clyde North, but Mr Barker said the tender was put out some time ago.
“Their building costs have obviously gone up and exceeded the budget,” he said.
Berwick MP Brad Battin said immediate action had to be taken to finally get the emergency service infrastructure built in Clyde North before more events like this occurred.
“Sadly, we are no longer talking about what could happen, but what is happening due to the absolute failure and incompetence of years of Labor government’s inaction in Clyde North,” he said.
“Residents on Sunday morning were watching their properties up in flames while also staring directly from their street at the empty block of land Labor promised their fire station would stand – it’s absolutely inexcusable.”
An FRV spokesperson said the planning for Clyde North Fire Station was complete.
“FRV will communicate a timeframe for construction once it is established. FRV and CFA continue to ensure the local community is provided with a high level of service.
“The new station will be a significant improvement in community safety. It is strategically positioned so FRV can better respond to emergencies and response times in the area and surrounding suburbs will improve.”
The State Government was contacted for comment.
