Farmers and rural landholders will have greater flexibility to register and use Farm Firefighting Vehicles (FFVs) to respond to emergency bushfires near their property.
The move follows recent trials of around 350 FFVs, which supported their use in emergencies and proposed a conditional registration scheme.
FFVs are often used on private property and are not typically registered for use on public roads.
The legal use of these vehicles on public roads in emergency situations is an important reform which will allow farmers and rural landholders to attend nearby fires, not just those on their own property.
The new scheme offers a lower cost conditional registration, which includes inspection for a light vehicle and the issuing of a licence plate expected to be a maximum of $209.
The cost for conditional registration will drop after the first year with the cost, including an inspection estimated at $126 (or only $75 when inspection not required), subject to CPI and CTP increases.
Conditional registration balances the practical need for FFVs to be available as an emergency resource while ensuring vehicle safety standards on NSW roads remain high.
Under the scheme, vehicles will be subject to the following requirements:
• Vehicle inspections as per the Authorised Inspection Scheme to establish registration, with inspection required every second year and registration to be renewed annually.
• Firefighting equipment must be permanently and securely attached to the vehicle.
• Vehicles must only be used for emergencies, not regular operations.
• May use roads up to 50km away from garaging address east of the Newell Highway, with no distance limit from garaging addresses west of the Newell Highway.
The scheme will start on October 7.
