ACT Labor has promised to fund two new emergency services stations and six specialist firefighting positions if re-elected.
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Labor will this morning announce its key election commitments for ACT Fire and Rescue and the ACT Ambulance Service.
Emergency Services Minister Simon Corbell has promised $42.5 million in capital funding for two new stations in Aranda and on the Calwell/Conder border.
The stations were already announced as part of a major relocation strategy for emergency services stations in Canberra, but the capital funds were not yet committed.
The Aranda station on Bindubi Street will house firefighters and ambulance staff.
The Calwell/Conder station, near the intersection of Tharwa Drive and Drakeford Drive, will be a fire station only, and will service the Lanyon Valley area.
Work on both stations would start in the 2014-15 financial year, and would be completed by the end of 2015-16.
''This is about improving response times for the community in each of those locations,'' Mr Corbell said. ''Better-placed emergency service stations are about improving response times for both fire and ambulance.''
Labor has also promised additional resources for ACT Fire and Rescue.
Six firefighters would be employed 24 hours a day with urban search and rescue and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response crews. The units are currently crewed on an overtime basis, but Labor has promised $4 million over four years to boost the capability to 24/7.
''We think it's important in terms of the growing complexity of issues that ACT Fire and Rescue have to face. Certainly, we recognise that incidents like the Mitchell fire are the types of incidents we could potentially experience more of …'' Mr Corbell said.
