Regulations for farm firefighting vehicles in New South Wales have changed to help farmers respond to nearby bushfires
Farmers and rural landholders in New South Wales will now be able to register and use farm firefighting vehicles (FFVs) to respond to emergency bushfires near their property, following a common sense reform delivered by the state government.
The move has been made following recent trials of around 350 FFVs, which supported their use in emergencies and proposed a conditional registration scheme.
FFVs are often used on private property and are not typically registered for use on public roads. The legal use of these vehicles on public roads in emergency situations will allow farmers and rural landholders to attend nearby fires, not just those on their own property.
“Farmers must have the tools they need to safely and effectively fight fires, and it’s good to see the state government recognise that,” NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin says.
“NSW Farmers has long been calling for a new restricted use conditional vehicle registration category for farm firefighting units, so they can be used legally to get to fires and support the emergency response.
“The best response is a local response to get bushfires under control as quickly as possible.”
The new scheme offers a lower cost conditional registration, which includes inspection for a light vehicle and the issuing of a licence plate expected to be a maximum of $209.
The cost for conditional registration will drop after the first year with the cost, including an inspection estimated at $126 – or only $75 when inspection is not required – subject to inflation and compulsory third-party increases.
Under the scheme, vehicles will be subject to the following requirements:
- Vehicle inspections as per the Authorised Inspection Scheme to establish registration, with inspection required every second year and registration to be renewed annually
- Firefighting equipment must be permanently and securely attached to the vehicle
- Vehicles must only be used for emergencies, not regular operations
- May use roads up to 50km away from garaging address east of the Newell Highway, with no distance limit from garaging addresses west of the Newell Highway.