WORK has started on a new $762,000 station for the O’Connell Rural Fire Brigade’s volunteer firefighters.
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The first sod was turned on Friday for O’Connell brigade’s new station which will be constructed on the corner of O’Connell and Mutton Falls roads, just 130 metres up the road from the current station.
The new shed will be 400 square metres and it will sit on a 1700 square metre Oberon Council-owned site.
It will have a three-bay garage for the brigade’s vehicles, as well as meeting and training rooms, a workshop and kitchen.
O’Connell Rural Fire Brigade is one of the busiest in the region, and Captain Phil Le Breton said the fire station’s construction will be good for the community.
“We just haven’t got the facilities that we need, so this will make a huge difference,” he said.
We just haven’t got the facilities that we need, so this will make a huge difference.
- O’Connell Rural Fire Brigade Captain Phil Le Breton
Until now, the brigade had been operating out of a much smaller station that was built on private property.
Captain Le Breton said the brigade’s 46 members regularly respond to a range of incidents including motor vehicle accidents and fires, as well as assisting other brigades where required.
NSW RFS Senior Assistant Commissioner Bruce McDonald said while the inside of the new station will have every modern feature required by the firefighters, the outside will be sympathetic to the heritage of the region.
“It’ll have heritage colours, look and style,” he said.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said there was a vital need to support the RFS volunteers as they assist the community in their time of need.
“Our Rural Fire Service is made up of hard-working volunteers and these are the men and women that are called upon,” he said.
The new station has been funded by local and state governments, as well as the NSW RFS Rural Firefighting Fund.
The O’Connell station is due for completion in November this year.
The start of work on the O’Connell station follows the recent completion of a new $3 million Chifley region fire control centre on Hampden Park Road that features the latest equipment and training facilities.
The centre is large enough to cater for other agencies, including National Parks and State Forests, which will also be involved if there is an incident.
