Gundagai’s Rural Fire Service brigades have moved into the South West Slopes Zone with Cootamundra following the amalgamation of the two shires.
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The change from the Riverina Highlands Zone will be complete by the end of June this year with the SWS Zone recently conducting radio testing with the Gundagai brigades to ensure this is up to scratch.
SWS Zone District Manager Andrew Dillon reported the testing went well.
Some changes have been made to the network to enable this communication to occur.
“We were able to speak clearly with the Gundagai brigades,” Mr Dillon said.
The new zone means a number of new and used trucks for Gundagai brigades, of which there are 11.
Over the next two months Gundagai brigades will receive two new trucks; a category 1 and category 7.
The will also receive four secondhand trucks.
“This will make good inroads into modernising the fleet,” Mr Dillon said.
He said essentially similar trucks are used in Gundagai as in Cootamundra although some lighter trucks, such at the category 7, are preferred in hillier country.
Brigades from all surrounding towns, whether they sit in the SWS Zone or Riverina Highlands Zone, will be called upon to provide back-up in the event of a fire, according to Mr Dillon.
He could not comment on whether the change will mean altering a preferred location of a new SWS Zone headquarters; the current headquarters being in Harden.
“NSW RFS is still committed to a fire control centre in the SWS Zone,” he said.
Mr Dillon thanked Gundagai brigades for their cooperation during the changeover.