Councils welcome ‘red fleet’ changes after long dispute

Story by Tricia Duffield

The Bourke Shire Council could be forgiven for having an ‘I told you so’ moment last week, after a NSW State government decision regarding the Rural Fire Service.

For years, Bourke Shire Council, and all western councils, have resisted including RFS fire trucks – known as the ‘red fleet’ - on the books as an asset, because Councils did not have ownership of these vehicles.

For decades, the NSW government has asked that Councils include these vehicles, and other equipment, as part of their assets, but Bourke Council has steadfastly refused.

Last week, the Minns government announced it would transfer ownership of the ‘red fleet’ of more than 6,000 firefighting vehicles, from councils to the RFS. That is what the Bourke Shire Council has been asking the government to consider for years.

Council General Manager Leonie Brown said commonsense had finally prevailed, and Council had been justified in refusing to comply with the government’s request. For years, Council has refused to record RFS firefighting vehicles as council owned assets in its annual financial statements, arguing it did not own or control the fleet. Despite State Government requirements that councils include the vehicles and associated equipment on their asset registers, Bourke and other western councils maintained the assets belonged to the State. […]

The NSW state government has finally agreed to take ownership and responsibility for the Rural Fire Service Red Fleet. Photo: Beverley Callow

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