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The Country Fire Authority appliances used throughout the state of Victoria by the CFA are provided through a mixture of State Government funds, money provided through insurance contributions as well as donations from both members of the public and external parties.
Contents
Firefighting appliances utilised within the CFA are all painted white over orange/red with undercarriages painted black, equipped with red/blue flashing emergency lights and sirens.
Breakdown
The CFA fleet can be broken down as follows:
CFA owned vehicles:
Brigade-owned vehicles - 1,469
Tankers
Tankers are generally used in bushfires as the water can be carried to where it is required and then used at the fire ground to extinguish the fire. The pump on a tanker runs independently, so that the truck can drive around and extinguish the fire.
Tanks are divided into different types via a mixed number/letter specification. The specification gives an indication of how much water is carried in the tank, the wheel drive type and type of pump.
For example, the 3.4C tanker means:
Pumpers
Pumpers are equipped with a large pump capable of pumping thousands of litres of water per minute, some up to 4000 litres per minute. Pumpers are generally used in an urban environment to fight structure fires, as they require a reticulated or static water supply (e.g.: a dam) to operate.
Pumpers are also equipped with an extensive inventory of operational equipment including hoses, nozzles, ladders, breathing apparatus, chemical protection suits and other fire fighting gear, stowed in lockers on board the pumper. Pumpers carry some water, up to 2000 litres, but because their pumps are so large, they need the truck engine to run them, so pumpers operate only when they are parked.