The Granville Harbour Wind Farm Volunteer Emergency Services Grant will give $50,000 to West Coast-based Emergency Services to assist them to protect and preserve the safety of residents and businesses.
“Granville Harbour Operations have launched this new Grant to acknowledge the tireless contribution of Volunteer Emergency Services – to the community and to our wind farm project,” Project Director, Lyndon Frearson, said.
“It is still very recent memory for us that local volunteers and career personnel were front and centre, battling wildfires that threated communities at Granville Harbour and Zeehan in 2019.
“Straight off the back of this crisis, they were then active in preparing us for what is now known as Australia’s Black Summer.
“Now – again – volunteers are visibly assisting their communities to endure another State-wide emergency – at a time when their ability to do so is constrained by coronavirus and social isolation requirements,” he said.
Local Emergency Services personnel have been key collaborators in the safe and responsible development of the Granville Harbour Wind Farm since construction started in November 2018.
Collectively, the Country Fire Service (CFS), State Emergency Service (SES), Police and Ambulance have provided the project with expert advice on how to protect the $280 million development – and its onsite staff – from major threats or incidents.
John Laing Group, the international infrastructure investor, is a major shareholder in the Granville wind farm and initiated the new Grant, providing half of the $50,000 funding.
“John Laing prioritises the safety of our employees and the communities in which we operate” said Justin Bailey, Regional Managing Director.
“Many of our 14 projects across Australia are situated in rural and remote locations, and The West Coast is no exception. We admire the efforts of the Tasmanian Emergency Services to overcome these challenges and we wanted to support them so that people living in these locations can benefit from the same level of safety and emergency preparedness as other communities across Australia” Justin said.
The Volunteer Emergency Services fund will enable West Coast Emergency Services to purchase new equipment, raining community training and awareness programs and support the ongoing skill development of emergency service volunteers.
Consideration will be given to Volunteer Emergency Services units based in Zeehan, Queenstown, Rosebery, Strahan and Tullah.
Visit the Community page for further details on how to apply.