New fire truck drives emergency response enhancements at Altona Refinery

The fire truck project, managed by Altona Refinery Emergency Response & Security Lead and Fire Chief Simon Thomas, took 18 months to bring to fruition and included the full design of the new truck. 

“The truck utilises a Mercedes Benz cab-chassis which incorporates an ergonomic low style entry cabin, so that emergency responders can easily enter and exit the vehicle. It includes hoses, breathing apparatus equipment, cabinet shelving, ergonomic drawers, emergency lights and sirens and livery.

"I personally oversaw completion of factory acceptance testing for the fire truck at Kronenburg in the Netherlands. This included a thorough check of every line item in the design specifications that the truck had been manufactured to,” Mr. Thomas said.

As part of the ongoing focus on safety at the refinery, firefighters from the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (MFB) Altona and Newport brigades participated in a safety briefing at the refinery.

Mr. Thomas said the session focused on the design specifics associated with an industrial fire truck, as well as the ExxonMobil standards used as the basis for the design and manufacture of the new truck.

“We continually work with organisations such as the MFB to ensure we are well-prepared to protect the environment, our neighbours and our workforce, as well as the environment, in the event of an incident at our site,” he said.

Altona Refinery Manager Riccardo Cavallo said safety is our core value at the refinery and the new fire truck will significantly bolster Altona Refinery's emergency response capabilities.

“We work hard to ensure we meet our goal of operating Altona Refinery safely and reliably at all times. 

“We have had a long-term focus on building a culture where every person working at our site is committed to keeping themselves, and their colleagues, safe, and this commitment is reflected in our strong safety record. In July 2017, we celebrated a milestone eight years without a lost time injury at our site.” he said.