Debate has raged for several years on the facilities at the Mackay St fire station and news of the new home base was welcomed by the brigade.
Both will be in new locations, with a likely emergency service complex to be developed — similar to the High St precinct at the Echuca South complex in Echuca.
The ambulance, SES and fire brigades are all located in the vicinity.
In Rochester work on the Mackay St ambulance station had just begun before the floods hit the town.
Conversely, the Victoria St base of the SES has just been re-developed and that work has now been destroyed by the floods.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes were at Rochester CFA last week to announce the $8 million rebuild fund.
Rochester Fire Brigade Captain Luke Warren said it was exciting news not just for the fire brigade and the SES, but for the whole community.
“This new facility will enhance the capability of both services, which is great news for the entire community.
“As a brigade we are really excited by the announcement of a new station. The current station was built in 1964 and has served the brigade well, but the reality is, we had outgrown the station and it was becoming difficult to work out of,” Captain Warren said.
“The new station will ensure the brigade can grow and better serve the community for many years to come,” he said.
Long-time SES controller Tim Williams said here had been a couple of sites identified for the rebuild, but no discussions had taken place about the pros and cons of any particular site.
Work on the Victoria St SES building was only completed in December last year.
He said no concept plans had been discussed as yet.
“It's very disappointing that our newly renovated building has been damaged by floodwater, but like many others in the Rochester community that didn’t flood in 2011, we thought we would have been safe.
“Unfortunately that wasn’t the case and we are looking forward a purpose-built facility that will be able to withstand floodwater and enable us to continue to service the community,” Mr Williams said.
Consideration of what the units will look like and where they will be located will be worked through in partnership with the VICSES unit, the CFA brigade and the community.
Construction will begin as soon as initial scoping works can be completed.
It’s expected the new facilities will meet the growing demands of the Rochester community, with enough room for the current units and to help attract more volunteers.
Female-friendly change rooms and showers will be a priority, along with training and operations rooms, space for current and future vehicles, administration offices and areas for volunteers to meet and unwind.
Since the beginning of the flood event on October 12, VICSES has received more than 8000 requests for assistance, with Rochester one of the busiest areas for rescues and building damage.
Rochester VICSES and CFA volunteers also played a pivotal role in commanding the local flood response along with Victoria Police — making sure their local knowledge and skills were front and centre to help respond to the immediate emergency and inform the recovery of the town afterwards.
Premier Andrews said his government had said it would stand by flood-affected communities every step of the way in rebuilding and these unit rebuilds were one part of that journey.
”Rochester’s volunteers are the lifeblood of the community — they deserve to have new facilities that help them continue their incredible work and attract more people to a rewarding experience as a volunteer,” he said.
Ms Symes said Rochester’s VICSES and CFA volunteers had put everything on the line to defend their community’s homes — at the expense of their own home base.
”We’re helping them build back better and have facilities that reflect the amazing work volunteers have done to respond to this emergency and keep Rochester safe,” she said.
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