Currently the unit's vital equipment and vehicles are stored at various locations across the Moyne Shire. Its heavy rescue truck is housed 15 minutes drive away in Koroit, affecting the unit's response time to return to Port Fairy in an emergency.

Unit controller Steve McDowell said he was looking for a shed to store the truck after the SES unit's Sackville Street headquarters were condemned in May, posing an unacceptable safety risk. "We've had to move out of there so we're homeless," Mr McDowell said.

"We've got our vehicles stored at CFA stations around the place and our gear stored in CFA facilities which is not ideal but we're still able to respond and do what we'd normally do, just with a few more challenges."

The unit responds to between 120 and 140 call outs per year.

Volunteers are awaiting a new purpose-built facility to be constructed following a $4 million announcement in the May 2021 state budget.

"Until the new facility's built that's the space we're operating in," he said. "We are still looking for a shed in Port Fairy to park our rescue truck. We're very keen to get that back to Port Fairy as soon as we can and we're looking at all options.

"We've been asking if anybody has a shed for rent or lease we'd be really keen to have a chat to them because there's not that many around in Port Fairy."

For more information contact Steve on 0407 877 421.

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