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The Big Give is an event supporting central Victorian community groups. The Bendigo Advertiser will be profiling several of the registered campaigns each week until the initiative ends with a 24-hour giving day on September 1.
Time flies when you’re fighting fires.
Twenty-three years ago, Golden Square Fire Brigade bought a specialist response salvage vehicle.
Even then, it was not new, Lieutenant and Community Safety Coordinator Chris Corr said.
“It was six years old when we bought it,” he said.
The brigade has appealed for the community’s support to replace the aging vehicle.
A fundraising goal of $10,000 has been set for the cause’s Big Give campaign – a fraction of the new vehicle’s cost.
Sausage sizzles, a farmer’s market, and more recently a tin rattle are among the methods the Lieutenant Corr said the brigade had used to raise money in the past.
“We need your help to replace this specialist vehicle that not only services Golden Square and Bendigo but can travel up to 100kms outside of Bendigo to supply important equipment to a range of emergency situations,” the Big Give campaign read.
It said the old vehicle lacked capacity to grow to the brigade’s specialist roles, was becoming unreliable and lacked ergonomics.
The new vehicle will be equipped with specialist tools to tackle situations such as LPG gas leaks.
It will provide cooling to firefighters and emergency services personnel at incidents, reducing their core body temperatures to a safe level.
Atmospheric monitoring equipment will detect, measure and monitor gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
Clearing smoke and toxic gases from large or commercial premises will be possible with a positive pressure ventilation fan.
The vehicle will be equipped with an LED lighting and salvage equipment.
Lieutenant Corr described the new vehicle as “absolutely critical” and was hopeful the community would give generously.
“The Golden Square CFA is operated entirely by volunteers that respond to, on average, 250 emergency calls each year within Bendigo and surrounding areas.” the Big Give page reads.
The Big Give started on August 1 and ends on September 1.
Fundraising will culminate in a 24-hour giving day, when almost 70 causes will be eligible to win a share in a $30,000 prize pool.
East Loddon P-12 College entered the Big Give about a week after fundraising started, but has almost doubled its initial goal.
It sought to raise $3000 to improve its gym. The fundraising total on Monday afternoon was more than $5600.
Golden Square Fire Brigade’s ‘CFA specialist emergency support vehicle replacement’ campaign had raised about $50 and been shared more than 60 times.