Firefighters save water while training to save lives

Crews at the Wodonga Fire Station have been conducting training drills using Water Recycling Pods (or WRPODs), which have saved around 355 million litres of water over the last decade.

FRV has five WRPODs that can be deployed to fire stations across the state for training, which increase environmental and safety outcomes significantly.

FRV’s Fire Rescue Commissioner Ken Block said this initiative was a prime example of the many benefits of fire and rescue service reform for Victoria.

“FRV now has the ability to seamlessly share and deploy different resources across our response area, meaning firefighters in Victoria receive the consistency in training regardless of where they are in the State,” Commissioner Block said.

“Firefighters can now train together in an environmentally friendly way, particularly at stations where water is such a precious resource.

“Every drop of water we save makes a difference, and our crews in Wodonga have been hard at work practicing hose drills and fire attack formations that will enhance the service FRV delivers to the community.

“Our firefighters are using the pods to train for a variety of emergency scenarios, meaning they are ready to respond when the community needs them most,” said Commissioner Block. 

Previously, firefighters based in regional Victoria would need to travel away from home and their families to conduct this type of training in Melbourne.

Crews in Wodonga are the first regional crews to use the WRPODs for training, FRV will deploy these resources to strategic locations across Victoria so that crews can further enhance their skills.