Fingal Bay Rural Fire Brigade has welcomed a start on construction of its new home.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Like the old facility it includes two vehicle bays.
And that’s about where the similarities end.
“It’s done the job but now’s the time to upgrade it,” captain Dean Nunn said.
The shed holds a lot of memories for the third generation fire fighter. His grandfather was also captain of the brigade, the maps on the wall his handiwork.
“It’s been here about 40 years,” Mr Nunn said.
“It’s been on the waiting list for a while now. Everyone’s been looking forward to the new one.”
The brigade, with its 22 active volunteers, responds to all manner of emergencies such as car crashes and house fires, as well as bush fires. The state government has stumped up the funds with Port Stephens Council to carryout the work.
Preliminary geotechnical work is already underway, with construction scheduled to start in March and expected to be complete in July 2018.
Related reading:
With the old facility fire fighters rush to get dressed in the narrow space between the fire truck and the shed wall.
“The new one will have a lot more room to get dressed and will generally be easier to move around in,” Mr Nunn said.
It’s equally cramped when it comes to the office which can only be used when the fire truck is moved from the vehicle bay.
“The new one will have a dedicated office, as well as a meeting room,” Mr Nunn said.
“Not only that, it will also have two toilets. We’ll be happy to see it all finished.”
It will be constructed on Port Stephens Council land, at Boulder Bay Road, adjacent to the existing facility.
“This modern station will ensure the local Rural Fire Brigade can continue to protect and serve the Fingal Bay community well into the future,” the council’s emergency services coordinator Cameron Donaldson said.
Work is expected to be complete in July.
