Kingston’s volunteer fire brigade will soon get a dedicated daytime crew, with the Tasmania Fire Service planning to have the team in place to help close a critical response gap in one of Tasmania’s fastest-growing areas.
The service will redeploy existing resources to cover the station south of Hobart during business hours, when most volunteers are tied up with work and unable to respond.
Deputy Chief Officer Matt Lowe said volunteers continued to provide strong coverage after hours but simply could not attend daytime callouts.
“Due to working outside of the area during the day they can’t provide a response during business hours,” Lowe told parliamentary committee.
“After hours there is no issue there, we have plenty of numbers in there, they’re doing an excellent job.”
Independent MP David O’Byrne raised the concern during questioning of Minister Felix Ellis, saying the rapid development across the Kingborough and Channel districts had shifted the region’s risk profile.
“The risk has changed and evolved over the years and central to is you know can you respond in the time required,” O’Byrne said.
He pointed to increasing pressure on nearby Margate and Snug stations, which was evident during a bushfire incident in February.
At the moment, Hobart crews are automatically dispatched to support Kingston volunteers as soon as an emergency call comes in.
Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Jeremy Smith said recent discussions with the local brigade chief had prompted the decision to boost support.
“It’s important that we do continue to help the volunteers in the Channel and Huon and Kingston areas,” he said.
“We are considering implementing a daytime crew into the Kingston area to support their operational activities and build more resilience in those communities.”
“Certainly we’ve had discussions about how we staff that and potential time frames for that crew from existing resources to be moved into the Kingston area … that’ll be occurring most likely within the next three months.”
The Kingston volunteer brigade is among the busiest in the state, Ellis said, with some members responding to more than 3,000 calls.
The state government has committed $15 million for a new emergency services hub in Kingston, although construction is not scheduled to begin until 2029-30.
Ellis said remedial works had already begun at the existing station as an interim measure, while a business case for the new hub is developed and expected to be submitted by the end of 2025-26.
