New Preston Beach fire station unveiled with major upgrades boosting its capacity

A Peel fire station received some big upgrades recently, making the outdated old shed one of the top stations in the region.

The doors were opened to the Preston Beach fire station on April 27, unveiling the $300,000 refurbishment of the facilities to the community.

The new station has turned what was a cramped shed packed with out-of-place computers and firefighting equipment into a spacious hall ready to serve the community in any disaster threatening the region.

Preston Beach Fire Brigade captain Don Bebbington said the upgrades have been absolutely necessary for the station.

“Compared to other fire stations, this used to be way below par,” he said.

Brigade secretary Peter Eastlake was one of the main driving forces behind the refurbishment, personally designing five separate station plans and working tirelessly to deliver the upgrades.

He said the old station was cramped, uncomfortable and lacked essential facilities.

“There was no specific comms room, there was no room on the desks to have computers, we had a photocopier in the meeting room and the light tanker only just fitted inside the shed,|” Mr Eastlake said.

The station also only had one bathroom, which became a growing issue with a increasing number of male and female volunteer firefighters.

Mr Eastlake said the facility is now “future proof”.

“This will be here for the foreseeable future,” he said.

“We’re all very pleased and the builder has done a really good job.”

Mr Eastlake said the station is better suited than ever to act as a control room if there is ever a major incident threatening the region, thanks to the new space.

Present at the opening were Shire of Waroona staff, Shire president Mike Walmsley, Department of Fire and Emergency Services representatives and Murray-Wellington MLA Robyn Clarke.

She described the shed as being the most important in Preston Beach, highlighting the work the brigade has done to keep the community safe since the 1970s.

“I can’t imagine what it is like to be in the bush facing raging flames in the middle of an uncontrolled fire, so on behalf of the Cook Government, I would like to thank the 28 members of the Preston Beach Bush Fire Brigade, for their commitment to keeping communities safe,” Mrs Clarke said.

“I hope you will thrive in your new facilities.”

The $300,000 refurbishment was funded through the Emergency Services Levy Local Government Grants Scheme with continued support from the Shire of Waroona.