$12m sustainable Fire Station officially opens in Derrimut

Fire Rescue Victoria’s new $12 million sustainable Derrimut Fire Station was officially opened yesterday in one of Melbourne’s fastest growing regions.

Published:
Wednesday, 21 April 2021 at 11:38 pm

The station is currently being assessed by Green Star for a 5-star energy rating and if successful, will become Australia’s first accredited 5-star sustainable fire station on the Green Star rating system.

Fire Rescue Commissioner Ken Block welcomed the news and commended the project’s high-quality green energy credentials, as well as the community and firefighter safety outcomes it will deliver.  

 “This innovative project will help keep our community and our people safe, reduce operating costs and improve environmental impacts for many years to come.

“We’ve learnt a lot from this project; our experiences will be applied to all future FRV station builds and will influence the design of fire stations across Australia – making them more sustainable, energy efficient and safer for the crews who occupy them.

“Derrimut Fire Station includes a state-of the-art diesel emissions system that captures exhaust fumes as appliances enter the station, improving the health and safety of our firefighters.

“The station can accommodate four appliances and a crew of 16, meaning FRV’s emergency response capacity can scale up in line with population growth in Melbourne’s west in the future.

“This is a significant achievement and a great result for the environment, the community, and our firefighters,” said Commissioner Block.

Derrimut Fire Station’s features also include a, kitchen and mess room, multipurpose room, office space, and gym with access to an internal courtyard. The station also boasts solar panels, rain water tanks, an irrigation system and double glazed windows.

This fire station is one of several new fire station projects in Melbourne’s western suburbs, with the official opening of Tarneit Fire Station also occurred yesterday and a new Fire Station in Brooklyn under construction.

The $5.4m station in Tarneit also has capacity for four emergency appliances.

The new Derrimut site will eventually replace North Laverton Fire Station and the current Spotswood Fire Station will eventually be replaced by a two-bay station in Brooklyn.

Tarneit Fire Station has been in operation from late 2019 however the official opening was put on hold during the unprecedented bushfires and pandemic to ensure the community and firefighters remained safe.

CFA volunteers will continue to co-respond alongside FRV crews in the area to deliver a seamless fire and rescue service to the community.

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