The Queensland Fire Department is undertaking its largest single fleet procurement program with 80 new trucks on order.
The new Type 2 Queensland Fire and Rescue trucks would be built and assembled by Volvo and Fraser Engineering Group, with final fit-out conducted at Volvo’s Brisbane facilities.
QFD Commissioner Steve Smith said bringing consistency to the Type 2 fleet would have flow-on benefits for firefighters across the State.
“This is the largest single fleet procurement arrangement embarked on by Queensland Fire Department,” Commissioner Smith said.
“Type 2 appliances make up about half of the total Queensland Fire and Rescue fleet and they are widely used in metropolitan and regional areas,” he said.
Commissioner Smith said the current Type 2 appliances were from various manufacturers across the ageing fleet.
“Having a single manufacturer is a boost with after-sales warranty and servicing in Queensland, but it also brings consistency for firefighters operating the trucks, making driver training easier,” he said.
“For our own maintenance teams, it also means carrying fewer spare parts on the shelf, and a comprehensive dealer network to support fleet capability into the future.”
He said the new builds would be four-wheel drive trucks equipped with pump capacity to respond to building fires, in addition to road crash rescue capability across regional and metropolitan Queensland.
Premier David Crisafulli said the contract was as part of an $80 million investment in new fire-fighting equipment critical to ensure Queensland was disaster-ready.
Premier Crisafulli said the ageing fleet was no longer fit for purpose for Queensland’s bushfire season.
He said the new partnership would streamline the long-term delivery of the new fire trucks, with the first of the Type 2 trucks set to come off the assembly line late next year.
