The early days of fighting fires with beaters, buckets and knapsacks are long gone as the CFA’s fleet has evolved dramatically over the past several decades.

When the CFA formed, the organisation inherited a mixed range of former war surplus trucks.

However, most firefighting trucks in the 1950s were Austins. Each holding 1800 litres, the tankers were the workhorse of the rural fleet for many years.

CFA’s fleet and protective equipment head Danny Jones said CFA’s financial focus in the 1950s was purchasing trucks and trailer units.

“By 1960, CFA had 773 vehicles in its fleet — 516 of them in rural brigades,” Mr Jones said.

He said the size of tankers and pumpers grew in capacity as new trucks became available, including those with diesel engines.

“CFA started to manufacture a range of specialised vehicles to suit our diverse needs, which have continued to evolve over the years.”

CFA introduced radio communication vans, hazmats, road accident rescue, high angle rescue, mine rescue, protective equipment, rehabilitation, salvage, lighting, telebooms, ladder platforms, aerial pumpers, alpine and tracked vehicles, sand tankers, breathing apparatus vans, field operations vehicles, hose layers and educational units.

Today, most vehicles are twin-cabbed, airconditioned and have comfortable seating compared to earlier vehicles.

Safety features, such as rollover protection systems, heat shields, vehicle sprinklers, window curtains and remote-control monitors are common.

The latest truck to join CFA’s firefighting fleet is the Ultra-Heavy tanker, which has the capacity to carry 10,000 litres of water — more than some of the water bombing fleet.

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Sunday, 16th March 2025

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