Slow fire response in outer Melbourne poses a “risk to community safety”

When Freda Kililit saw an ominous glow from her neighbour's backyard, she thought immediately of the baby living next door. Her husband and infant were upstairs at their Clyde North home, while a fire spread rapidly through nearby properties.

Kililit called Triple Zero, woke an occupant in the neighbouring house and waited for the sound of approaching sirens. None came. She called again to confirm the address, but the delay had another explanation: Clyde North's planned Fire Rescue Victoria station, due to be built in 2023, still had not begun construction.

The nearest professional firefighters came from Cranbourne, more than five kilometres away. By the time they arrived, later than the target response time, Kililit's home was burning. “If I worked that day, and didn't see that fire, it would have had a terrible outcome for my family,” she said.

“

If I worked that day, and didn't see that fire, it would have had a terrible outcome for my family.

Fire Rescue Victoria's targets call for crews to reach a blaze within 7.7 minutes in 90 per cent of cases. The target for other emergencies, including car crashes, is 9.2 minutes. Firefighters have repeatedly warned that new stations, trucks and crews are not keeping pace with Melbourne's expanding population.

An ABC analysis of publicly available data from 10 stations in outer-suburban growth areas identified by Fire Rescue Victoria found response times below the agency's targets and a clear deterioration over the years. The areas also performed significantly worse than the state average, which itself remained below target. United Firefighters Union member and senior station officer Geoff Barker described the trend as “embarrassing” and warned that slower responses give fires more time to grow and spread.

“

Embarrassing