By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
The Kallista Mechanics Hall and Kallista-The Patch CFA have secured a joint grant of $37,500 from AusNet under the ‘Energy Resilience Community Fund,’ this funding will significantly enhance their response capabilities during power outages.
The initiative was led by a firefighter and chairman of Kallista Mechanics HallChris Job, captain of Kallista-The Patch CFA Luke Maclean, and secretary of Kallista Village Inc. Miki Schwartzbord.
“AusNet has recognised the importance of power resilience in our communities and has made grants available for this purpose and we are thrilled to be recipients of that grant,” Mr Job said.
Kallista-The Patch CFA needs reliable power to quickly open truck bay doors during emergency callouts, helping to reduce response times.
Currently, the doors must be opened manually, which slows down their operations.
“With this new setup, the doors will open automatically during emergencies,” he said.
The CFA also requires power for general station operations and communication during extended outages.
“We now have the infrastructure for a generator that will help with both these needs,” he said.
At the moment, they rely on pagers and a phone app for communication, but once the power goes down after three to four hours, they lose all connectivity, making it difficult for people to contact the station.
Mr Job said as an emergency service, it is vital that they stay connected, especially during emergency situations.
In addition to enhancing CFA operations, the Kallista Mechanics Hall, in partnership with Kallista Village Inc., is working to establish an emergency hub for the local community during severe weather events.
This hub will provide a reliable power source for residents to recharge devices, stay warm or cool, and access important information during extended outages.
The grant will enable the installation of generators that automatically supply backup power, greatly improving emergency readiness in Kallista.
“This will improve our response times and add functionality to the hall as an emergency hub, which we currently don’t have, it’s a positive outcome for our community,” Mr Job said.
In the event of extended outages, the Kallista emergency hub can transform the hall into a dependable power source, allowing residents to recharge devices and access vital information.
“The AusNet grant is an amazing opportunity, and we are very grateful for the support – it ensures that we can respond effectively during emergencies and support our residents when they need it most,” he said.
