By Mitchell Clarke
Pakenham’s firefighting identity will change from the start of July, as the brigade’s career firefighters move to operate under a new title – Pakenham Fire Rescue Victoria Station 93.
The Pakenham CFA has been an ‘integrated brigade’ since 2014, when it changed its classification to welcome the inclusion of career firefighters to serve alongside volunteers.
Since then, 30 career firefighters and officers have manned the Princes Highway station 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
From 1 July, the paid employees will officially leave the CFA title and become inaugural members of the new Fire Rescue Victoria service.
Pakenham Fire Rescue Victoria Station 93 will remain at 780 Princes Highway and the members will continue to serve the community, albeit with a new logo.
Under new legislation, the State Government announced that the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) would be removed to make way for the new service, which will cover existing boundaries and serve metropolitan Melbourne, outer urban areas and larger regional centres including Pakenham, Cranbourne and Dandenong.
More than 60 volunteers, about 35 operational members, currently make up the Pakenham CFA.
“The long and proud history of Pakenham CFA will continue to exist, providing a support role to Fire Rescue Victoria locally and of course the state of Victoria during the bushfire season as a fully volunteer fire brigade,” a CFA Facebook statement read.
Pakenham CFA First Lieutenant Chris Poulton told the Gazette the main difference would be a “different sticker on the door”.
“It’ll basically be the same, they (the career firefighters) will respond within a certain radius of the station and they’ll be backed up by other brigades,” Ltd. Poulton said.
“Volunteers will become a support role, whereas currently we have a primary role within our area.
“Everyone has their own opinions on the change, but personally I don’t think it’ll affect us as such, we will still respond when the pager goes off. We’ll still continue to respond.”
Ltd. Poulton said while volunteers shared a “tremendous” relationship with career firefighters, the CFA will retain its own identity.
“We have our own identity as volunteers within the community but at the end of the day we’re all out there to do the same thing,” he said.
“We’re still yet to find out a lot as to what’s happening and what our role will be non-operationally, but we still have a role to serve our community.”
Incoming Pakenham CFA captain Michael Corzelius agreed, stating that volunteers were yet to receive details on what impact the change would have at integrated stations.
“Change is inevitable in all industry,” he said.
“I think it will be different but if it benefits the community as a whole then we should embrace it.”
