Rochester’s VICSES and CFA facilities will be rebuilt after being severely damaged by the recent floods, to ensure the hard-working volunteers who have kept their community safe can have an appropriate home base.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes visited the Rochester CFA on Friday to announce the Victorian Government would invest more than $8 million to rebuild the units.
Consideration of what the units will look like and where they will be located will be worked through in partnership with the VICSES unit, the CFA brigade and the community.
”We said we would stand by our flood-affected communities every step of the way in rebuilding. These unit rebuilds are one part of that journey,” Mr Andrews said.
”Rochester’s volunteers are the lifeblood of the community. They deserve to have new facilities that help them continue their incredible work and attract more people to a rewarding experience as a volunteer.”
Construction will begin as soon as initial scoping works can be completed.
It is expected the new facilities will meet the growing demands of the Rochester community, with enough room for the current units and to help attract more volunteers.
Female-friendly change rooms and showers will be a priority, along with training and operations rooms, space for current and future vehicles, administration offices and areas for volunteers to meet and unwind.
Since the beginning of the flood event on October 12, VICSES has received more than 8000 requests for assistance, with Rochester one of the busiest areas for rescues and building damage.
Rochester VICSES and CFA volunteers also played a pivotal role in commanding the local flood response along with Victoria Police, making sure their local knowledge and skills were front and centre to help respond to the immediate emergency and inform the recovery of the town afterwards.
”Rochester’s VICSES and CFA volunteers have put everything on the line to defend their community’s homes at the expense of their own home base,” Ms Symes said.
”We’re helping them build back better and have facilities that reflect the amazing work volunteers have done to respond to this emergency and keep Rochester safe.”
The rebuild is part of the state government’s response to help flood-affected communities recover after the floods, which also includes several support packages for road repair, health services, business and agriculture, and temporary accommodation for displaced Rochester residents at the Elmore Events Centre.