By Michael Burt
The NSW Labor Government has officially recognised the important role of farmers and their fitted-out farm utes and trucks in fighting fires.
Farmers will be able to register and use their Farm Firefighting Vehicles (FFVs) to drive on public roads and respond to emergency bushfires in what Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison describes as “common sense reform”.
It will come at a cost, however, with the conditional registration costing up $209. This does include the cost of vehicle inspections to establish registration, with an inspection required every second year and registration to be renewed annually.
The cost for conditional registration will drop after the first year with the cost, including an inspection estimated at $126 (or only $75 when inspection not required), subject to CPI and CTP increases.
Firefighting equipment must be permanently and securely attached to the vehicle.
Vehicles must only be used for emergencies, not regular operations.
The move follows recent trials of around 350 FFVs, which supported their use in emergencies and proposed a conditional registration scheme.
FFVs are often used on private property and are not typically registered for use on public roads.
“We know that in many regional areas, farmers are often the first on scene at bushfires. This change is about ensuring farmers and other road users are safe when they respond to bushfire emergencies,” said Minister Aitchison
NSW Farmers’ President Xavier Martin said the new scheme was progress on solving the problem facing farmer volunteers after years of advocacy.
“These vehicles are lightning quick at getting to fires and getting them under control – but it’s simply not practical to register these units when they’re primarily used on farm for just a few months each year,” Mr Martin said.
“A more reasonable method to conditionally register these units for their specific purpose, so they can be used legally and under the protection of third-party insurance, is much needed – and this is a step towards that.”
“It’s certainly not a perfect solution, but this is an important starting point after two trials.”
“It has taken a long time to get here, and this scheme has got to work for our farmer volunteers, who are the ones that use these units to fight fires and protect not just their farms, but their communities too.”
The scheme will commence on 7 October. More details including eligibility requirements are available on the Service NSW website.