TIME TO RETHINK EMERGENCY SERVICES LOCATIONS

TIME TO RETHINK EMERGENCY SERVICES LOCATIONS

The recent devastating flooding in the Manning Valley has highlighted the need to look at relocating a number of emergency services facilities, Member for Port Macquarie, Robert Dwyer said today.

“Both the Coopernook Rural Fire Service and the Harrington State Emergency Service facilities are located in areas that unfortunately are often the first to be inundated with flood water, making it extremely difficult for those organisations to service the community at a time when they are needed the most.

“Members of the community have raised this matter with me as a major concern with  the inability of two local emergency service providers not being able to respond to flooding due to their incapacity to access trucks and equipment from their individual emergency service units,” Mr Dwyer said.

“I have already discussed this issue with the Minister for Emergency Services, the Hon Jihad Dib MP and I have officially written to him requesting financial assistance to relocate these units if suitable sites can be identified.

“Under the Regulations, it is the responsibility of local councils to provide land for these emergency services and I have a meeting this week with Mid Coast Council to try and identify possible new locations for the units.

“This is in no way a criticism of the emergency service volunteers or the performance they provide to our local communities, but rather bringing to light a flaw in the system that has to be looked into,” Mr Dwyer said.

“If new locations can not be identified, we need to look into flood mitigation measures to ensure these two emergency service organisations can get to and from their facilities during times of an emergency.”