Aussie Firefighters Demand Truck Upgrades After Repeated Breakdowns

A firefighter sits on his tanker truck awaiting further instructions as the team conduct mop up operations after a bushfire that threatened homes was extinguished in the suburbs of Perth on Feb. 2, 2022. TREVOR COLLENS/AFP via Getty Images

Victorian firefighters are calling on the government to upgrade their fleet after “potentially catastrophic” breakdowns during bushfires in the state’s west.

A 15-year-old pumper tanker was among vehicles deployed to Beaufort on Feb. 22 as part of an emergency strike team intended to battle a bushfire.