Rodney Stevens

Clarence Valley landowners who have a vehicle equipped to fight fires have until the end of the month to register to be involved in a trial aimed at enhancing regional and rural firefighting capabilities.

The Farm Vehicle Firefighting Trial is a collaboration between Transport for NSW and the NSW Rural Fire Service which allows the use of unregistered private Farm Firefighting Vehicles, provided they meet eligibility criteria.

Designed to eliminate expensive registration fees for firefighting vehicles, the trial allows vehicles to travel on roads within 100km of their home.

To comply, the farm firefighting vehicle must have firefighting equipment permanently attached, the vehicle must only be used in emergency bush fire incidents, the vehicle can only be used on roads within a 100km radius of where it is stored, and the vehicle must be in safe operating condition.

NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner, Rob Rogers said the trial was a great opportunity for the RFS to team up with landholders to tackle fires.

“Farmers are an integral part of firefighting, particularly in rural NSW where you get significant distances, and it can take a long time for our brigades to get to some places,” Commissioner Rogers said.

“Farmers are there already have machinery and often can hold a fire until the brigade gets there or, indeed, put the fire out.”

Commissioner Rogers said the trial was a chance to improve the RFS relationship with farmers and the was an opportunity for the trial to be extended, if successful.

“I think the RFS moved away from the farmers and farming brigades and, to be honest, we need to reconnect with that,” he said.

“There’s been a really good positive working relationship in the past few years with farmers and this solidifies something.”

To nominate a vehicle for the trial, owners must complete a nomination form which can be found at https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/vehicle-registration/unregistered-vehicles/when-you-can-drive-an-unregistered-vehicle#toc-farm-fire-fighting-vehicle-trial 

Included with the nomination form must be two photos of the vehicle, one taken from the front that includes the driver’s side of the vehicle, and one taken from the rear that includes the passenger side.

Completed forms must be emailed to fffv@transport.nsw.gov.au and if approved, vehicle owners must keep a copy of the nomination form and acknowledgement from Transport for NSW to show police or authorise officers upon request.