The sooner Belconnen fire station is moved out of the town centre the better because of traffic congestion, the union representing 350 fire fighters in the ACT says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
United Firefighters Union ACT branch secretary Dave Livingstone said the Government was either upgrading, re-locating or building nine new stations, and facing opposition from neighbours at several locations, including at Aranda.
According to the Emergency Service Agency's website, Aranda's station and ambulance will be on Bindubi Street, near the intersection with Belconnen Way, opposite Canberra High School.
"They're moving Belconnen station out of the town centre to Aranda because as they get more traffic down there, it has actually become more dangerous to respond from, for firies and members of the public, " Mr Livingstone said.
He said a new south Tuggeranong station in Calwell was also a priority, replacing the fire station in Greenway in the Tuggeranong Town Centre.
Work is underway on a new station at Charnwood, which will also serve the Belconnen area.
The union also backs a proposal to locate a new station at Pialligo to serve surrounding areas, including Canberra Airport's business park and retail precincts.
Mr Livingstone said did not always agree with the Government, but the station upgrade and re-location project was one of the best things for the territory's emergency services.
"It is going to solidify response coverage into growth areas of Canberra for decades to come and it's troubling to find people are concerned about building a station next to the airport so that the airport can have a station."
Responding to objections to a site on the corner of Pialligo Avenue and Beltana Road, Mr Livingstone said it was part of a broader strategy covering the entire ACT.
Pialligo was one of several sites put forward.
"The Pialligo fire station is less about servicing the Canberra airport and more about servicing that part of Canberra and providing full coverage response in the ACT, " Mr Livingstone said.
"If you look at planned extensions to Majura parkway, all the way down to the Monaro Highway and to south of Canberra, Pialligo would be really well placed to get access for all of Canberra's secondary response."
Mr Livingstone said as a first-response station, Pialligo would respond much faster to a fire at the airport than present arrangements.
He said ACT brigades had been responding to calls from within the airport precinct for some time. An airport brigade was specifically for aircraft fires and crashes.