A total of 48 heavy and two light tankers will be given to fire stations state-wide as part of the Victorian government's $126 million CFA Capability Funding package.

Penshurst, Noorat and Dunkeld fire stations will be among the first to receive the new vehicles, which are set to arrive mid-year.

Penshurst CFA captain Anthony Page said it was exciting news.

"It's exciting for the brigade - our tanker is 15 years old," he said.

"It's still serviceable but this will make a massive difference with the ability to carry extra water - our current one is 3000 litres and the new one is 4000.

"A lot of our fires are out in the rural areas where water is not easy to get to so we've got longer duration out in the field.

"We also support a lot of smaller brigades."

Mr Page said recent fires which sprouted around Penshurst highlighted the importance of increased capability.

"The timing couldn't be better," he said.

"For the recent fires, it was a long trip to get in amongst the stony rises and if you've got 4000 litres rather than 3000 you get longer time on the field.

"The new trucks have a lot more technology built in like front-mounted monitors so we can actually attack fires from within the cabin with remote control monitors on the front.

"We're just excited to be chosen as one of the lucky brigades."

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CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said the new tankers were highly advanced.

"These new tankers are state-of-the-art firefighting vehicles," he said.

"The heavy tankers feature a 15-tonne crew-cab chassis with a 4000-litre water tank, while their 4x4 capability and automatic transmission will help crews access fires in difficult terrain.

"They also include features such as electronic monitors and electric rewind hose reels, as well as using a higher percentage of recyclable build materials.

"The heavy tankers also have a 1200 l/min diesel engine-driven fire-fighting pump, crew roll over and burn-over protection and full equipment stowage cache."

Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes said the tankers would help protect crews.

"With its dual cab features and life-saving crew protection systems, these new CFA tankers will ensure our volunteer firefighters have the latest equipment and best protection to do their vital work."

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