Work starts on a new home for Yarloop firefighters

As the Yarloop Volunteer Bushfire Brigade fought on the frontline of the Waroona Yarloop Fires last year they lost their own station, however work began this week to rebuild it.

The new Yarloop fire station is being built on its original site in combination with a new shire depot – nearly 20 months after they were destroyed.

Harvey shire chief bushfire control officer and Yarloop brigade member Phil Penny said the brigade members were pleased to see it start.

“Hopefully it won’t be too much after Christmas and we’ll all be in and have some place to call home again,” he said.

The station will include four vehicle bays, three for the brigade and one for the council depot, as well as toilets, showers, a training room and offices.

“It will be quite a big complex when it’s finished,” Mr Penny said.

Mr Penny said the new facility would also include a bigger turning bay for fire vehicles.

The new station was allocated $935,729 in the the 2017/18 council budget with further funding coming from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

Shire president Tania Jackson said the Yarloop community was anxious to see the public buildings rebuilt.

Cr Jackson said the new station was particularly anticipated because of community anxiety around what happened during fire season and a desire to support the volunteers with their own facility.

“I think it’s really important in the context of rebuilding the town and for the people that live here, and volunteers within the fire brigade,” she said.

Since the fires the 26 members of the Yarloop brigade have been storing equipment and sharing space with the Cookernup Volunteer Bushfire Brigade.