Metropolitan Fire Service

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:29): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. Will he update the chamber about the newest fire truck delivered to the Metropolitan Fire Service?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (15:29): I would like to thank the honourable member for his important question on a fantastic piece of kit that has now been fully delivered to the Metropolitan Fire Service by this government. Last month, I had the pleasure of getting out to Bowden—a great suburb, Mr President, and one in which I reside—with the assistant chief officer, Michael Morgan, and also the member for Reynell, to see the Metropolitan Fire Service's newest combination aerial pumping appliance, more commonly known in the MFS as a CAPA. These are state-of-the-art fire trucks which can combine aerial—

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: On a point of order, Mr President: we are still in question time, and we have conferences happening in the back of the chamber and conferences on the side, and no-one can hear the honourable minister on his feet.

The PRESIDENT: You are right. I was having difficulty listening to these two while you were speaking, minister. So, please be a little bit more thoughtful next time.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Mr President, I understand they have got to get their updated instructions from the Australian Bankers Association; it's entirely appropriate that they do so!

The latest truck delivered to the MFS is the sixth and final appliance of a $7.8 million project announced by the government in 2004 and is funded entirely out of the state's emergency services levy. The appliance is now operational, based at Christie Downs MFS station, and joins the other five trucks delivered by this government to the MFS fleet, strategically positioned at Adelaide, Oakden, Woodville, Mount Gambier and also the Whyalla MFS station.

What members may not be aware of is that these CAPAs are unique and were designed by our very own Metropolitan Fire Service team as yet another example of our world-class and highly resourced sector. They are believed to be the only of their kind in the world, and it is perhaps no surprise then that they have also drawn significant interest from emergency services agencies from not just across Australia but also abroad.

Some of the key features of the CAPAs include a tight turning circle as well as room to navigate narrow streets, not to mention the ability to reach 22 metres high in 60 seconds, which is around three times faster than the previous Skyjet appliances used by the MFS. Bowden provided a fitting backdrop to this announcement, as the appliance demonstrated its swiftness, manoeuvrability and safety within high-density living arrangements which are transforming the profile of developments across certain sections of the metropolitan area.

We have already seen the strong benefit of these appliances during large emergency operations such as the Edinburgh plastics factory fire in January and also a recent cliff rescue in the South-East and a high profile rescue at Whyalla last month. In particular, the Para Hills West wooden pallets fire in May is also a great example of how incredibly useful this appliance is. After attending the scene of that fire early in the morning I was blown away at how quickly and professionally the MFS had managed the incident, which meant that the employees of the factory were able to resume work that very same day.

The delivery of these six high-tech appliances to the MFS demonstrates yet again that this government will do everything it can to ensure we have a well-resourced emergency services sector. South Australians can be proud of the MFS for their unique fire truck design and can be assured that they will receive a swift, effective and world-class response in their time of need. The fact that this truck is being sought by other fire agencies globally and domestically I think is a great tribute to the men and women of the MFS, particularly those people who specifically went about the business of designing this unique truck that will serve South Australia for many, many years to come.