Labor has promised to fund an extra 12 Community Fire Units if re-elected, bringing the total to 50, but the Liberal Party believes there should be double that number to ensure the best bushfire protection in the suburbs.
Emergency Services Minister Simon Corbell said the 12 new fire units would be the final ones rolled out and were determined on advice from the ACT Fire Brigade ''to provide complete coverage in all high-risk areas on the urban interface across Canberra''. More than five years after the January18 firestorm in 2003, the deep south of Canberra would also get its first fire units, in Gordon (2), Bonython (2) and Urambi Hills.
Others would be at Deakin (2), Weetangera, Cook, Duffy, Fadden and Mt Stromlo with Labor committing $640,000 over four years to set up and maintain the new fire units.
There are now 900 volunteer members of the existing 38 units, trained to protect and prepare their neighbourhood against fire.
A member of the Community Fire Units consultative committee, Dr Garth Brice, said it asked the Fire Brigade to assess the areas of greatest risk on the western interface and the Government had accepted its advice by funding the extra 12 fire units.
Fifty fire units was ''a good outcome'' based on the opinion of the experts, although that might change over time, particularly with the development of new suburbs.
Labor's emergency services policy announced yesterday included two old announcements made more than a year ago in the 2007-08 budget: a $6.5million vehicle replacement program and a revision of the Strategic Bushfire Management Plan.
It also confirmed a move to reclassify the status of ambulance officers from transport workers to allied health professionals in Canberra.
Transport Workers Union official Ben Sweaney said it was a ''great result'' for the 144 ambulance officers and would hopefully result in greater recognition and better pay that would be negotiated at arbitration.
Mr Corbell said the Government had taken account in its budget calculations of possible higher income for ambulance officers.
Opposition emergency services spokesman Steve Pratt said he broadly welcomed the extra fire units but believed there should be 75 to 100 in Canberra.
''When you look at the urban edge covering about 25km, we are pretty well short of what we need,'' he said.
Mr Corbell confirmed the Government still planned to spend $18.4million for a new headquarters at Fairbairn for the Emergency Services Agency to move into next year, while continuing to pay almost $174,000 a month on rent at Fairbairn on buildings that were not fully occupied.