The Western Australian Government has provided a $275,000 new Light Tanker to the Karratha Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS) to support emergency services volunteers in the Pilbara.
The new Light Tanker has been kitted out with safety equipment to protect volunteers when fighting fires, such as radiant heat shields and burn-over blankets, as well as an automated vehicle location.
Over the past two years, the Karratha VFRS has attended more than 450 fire incidents – and mine sites are not immune.
In November 2023 several fires raged at or near mine sites in the Pilbara. On 12 November that year, miners at Rio Tinto’s (ASX:RIO) Silvergrass mine site were evacuated for the second time in 24 hours as firefighters battled a bushfire in the Pilbara.
Then 12 days later a blaze started at the Wodgina mine in the Pilbara, which ranks as one of the world’s largest hard rock lithium mines. The fire prevented ore to be processed for several days at an Australian processing plant run by Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN).
In December 2018, lightning strike reportedly started a massive bushfire at Fortescue’s (ASX:FMG) Solomon iron ore mine hub in the Pilbara. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services at the time said some 80,000 hectares has been destroyed in the out-of-control fire, which was burning south of the Solomon airstrip, travelling along Hamersley Road near the mine site 60km north of Tom Price.
In mid-2017 a fire broke out at BHP’s (ASX:BHO) Mt Whaleback iron ore mine site in the Pilbara mine, near Newman.
Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson says the Light Tanker handover is part of the state government’s $2 million funding commitment to support the brigade. Its arrival follows the government’s funding of $1 million to upgrade the Karratha VFRS station and $813,000 for an Urban Pumper Heavy Rescue vehicle for the brigade.
Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm AFSM says Karratha VFRS is one of the heavy hitters in emergency services, helping communities across the Pilbara stay safe as well as supporting other areas of WA.
“While the new Light Tanker will greatly assist the brigade in its emergency responses, importantly it also has the latest safety features to ensure our dedicated volunteers are kept safe on the frontline,” he adds.
Karratha VFRS was established in 1973 and responds to a range of incidents including road crash rescue, HAZMAT control, as well as structural and bushfire firefighting.
Write to Adam Orlando at Mining.com.au
Images: CSIRO
