Page 3138 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 2013
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SES base for Calwell—that would be a very important development for the Calwell area should that proceed; Greenway, the conversion of the existing fire station, because that fire crew will move to the south Tuggeranong station when it is completed, to become a new ambulance station; Gungahlin, the upgrade and extension of existing RFS facilities in the JES, the Joint Emergency Services Centre there; looking at a new fire and rescue station for the Campbell-Pialligo area; and in the city centre the need for a dedicated ambulance station right here in the city centre, because of the very significant demand for ambulance call-outs, given the large number of people working in the city centre.
Phase 2 due diligence activities are almost completed by the ESA, and the government will be accessing the outcomes of those due diligence assessments in the coming months.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Berry.
MS BERRY: Minister, what innovations have been included in the construction of the new station at Charnwood that will allow ambulance officers and firefighters to be able to conduct their service to west Belconnen residents safely and comfortably?
MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Berry for the question. I was delighted to accompany Ms Berry on an inspection of the site earlier this year where we were able to see some of the very important measures that are being put into the new facility at west Belconnen. First of all, there is a very strong focus on the energy efficiency and environmental performance of this new fire and ambulance station.
It needs to be a comfortable place for our fire and ambulance personnel to work in, to be based in. It is a 24-7 building. There will always be someone in the building if they are not being called out to an incident. The efficient space heating systems in the building, the use of solar hot water systems and gas-fired heating systems are a very efficient way of heating and cooling the building. We also have a range of other measures. They include the deployment of photovoltaics on the site to assist with the energy needs of the building and also rainwater capture so that we are able to re-use rainwater captured on site. These are some of the very important sustainability performance measures being put into this new fire and ambulance station.
There are also measures to make sure that it is more comfortable for the crews that are based there. For example, the vehicle bays at the station have in-slab heating, making it more comfortable for crews to service their vehicles, particularly in the winter months. Working on a very cold floor in the middle of winter when some minor maintenance needs to be done or even just restocking of vehicles can be a problem. An effective means of in-slab heating in the vehicles bays at the Charnwood station improves comfort and workability for crews and allows them to do their task regardless of outside weather conditions.
These are the types of innovations that have been built into this project and demonstrate the commitment this government has to delivering state-of-the-art facilities that will meet the needs of our community and our emergency services well into the future.
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