![Captain Tom Woodhams, Darren Herpich and South Western Auxiliary president Heather Love. Picture by Eddie Guerrero Captain Tom Woodhams, Darren Herpich and South Western Auxiliary president Heather Love. Picture by Eddie Guerrero](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/154914734/d702445d-a715-4f1a-b141-7df11e5c4fbc.jpg/r0_0_5884_3923_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Warrnambool Fire Brigade will soon have a new vehicle to better equip crews to respond to incidents.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The brigade's captain, Tom Woodhams, said the vehicle was expected to arrive in September.
Mr Woodhams said the brigade had raised $85,000, which included a $10,000 donation from the Warrnambool-based South Western Auxiliary.
He has called on the community to dig deep to help them reach $135,000.
The state government chipped in the remaining $148,333 through its Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program.
Mr Woodhams said the closest vehicle of this kind was in Ballarat and there was a smaller one in Cobden.
"The intention is, if there's a fire anywhere, and we'll use Koroit as an example, we can go out and give them fresh full cylinders, take their empties and then their community is still safe," Mr Woodhams said.
"In days gone by, if there was a fire in Mortlake they would hold the cylinders for a day or two empty until someone was coming to Warrnambool to get them filled."
He said the breathing apparatus protected crew members from smoke inhalation and contaminants.
The truck is also fitted with equipment to ventilate and burn off gas from LPG vehicles involved in crashes, with the closest available in Sebastopol.
In the meantime, crews have been taking the equipment to jobs by attaching a trailer to a utility vehicle.
IN OTHER NEWS
Meanwhile, volunteer Darren Herpich has been awarded firefighter of the year at the brigade's annual dinner.
It is given to a member showing dedication and commitment to the brigade over the past year, while also maintaining a good life balance.
Service, national, encouragement and life membership awards were also presented on the night.
Mr Herpich joined the brigade about two years ago when he moved from Mount Gambier to Warrnambool with his wife and daughter.
"The reason I joined up was to meet new people and create a network because we moved to Warrnambool and didn't know anybody, so it was a great opportunity," he said.
Mr Herpich said he was surprised to win.
"There's a lot of other people who are part of the group so I was very shocked," he said.
He said his most memorable job was helping the brigade to collect money for the The Royal Children's Hospital's Good Friday Appeal.
"It's just amazing how many stories you hear from people that have either had children or relatives with children affected," Mr Herpich said.
"It's amazing the stories people tell you and how they open up to you."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark https://www.standard.net.au/
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines and newsletters
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
- Tap here to open our Google News page
- Join our Courts and Crime Facebook group and our dedicated Sport Facebook group
- Subscribe