By Violet Li
An ironic nightmare in Clyde North occured in early 2024 when a residential fire just opposite the undelivered Clyde North Fire Station destroyed eight garages and one townhouse in early March.
When owners realised the proximity of the could-have-been-there fire station, they were left wondering if the reality would be any different.
The damaged site on Spartan Avenue was less than 400 metres from the proposed station site.
FRV’s Cranbourne senior station officer and United Firefighters Union delegate, Geoff Barker, who was at the fire rescue, said at the time that if the Clyde North Fire Station had been built, it would have significantly minimised the property loss.
He recalled that it took some 10 minutes for the fire trucks to arrive on the scene, which was unacceptable by both FRV and CFA standards.
“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.
About a month before the fire, one of the union members for Cranbourne Fire Station had talked with the paper about his frustration at the failure to deliver the promised fire station as it posed operational difficulties to Cranbourne Fire Station.
The proposed Clyde North Fire Station was first identified in 2009. FRV announced the site for Clyde North’s fire station nearly four years ago, which would be situated on the corner of Matterhorn Drive and Thompson Road.
Originally, it was estimated that work was expected to begin in 2021 and finish in 2023.
By the time the Clyde North fire engulfed the houses, the construction had not commenced.
Freda, who lost the townhouse her family had been residing in for only two years to the fire, told the paper that she remembered when she called Triple 0, it was mentioned there was a nearby fire station, so she was expecting sirens straight away.
She later searched for the nearby fire station and saw there was a plan for a fire station just one road across her house.
“But that’s been a long-time plan,” she said.
“I was surprised when I read that piece of information.
“I’m not being political or something. I think this party has failed the people of Clyde North because this has been like a plan for the longest time for a fire station to service Clyde North.”
Berwick MP – and now opposition leader – Brad Battin commented at the time that 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.
An FRV spokesperson said at the time that 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,” they said.
