Individuals and organisations in the Gawler and surrounding areas are being encouraged to apply for grants of up to $2,500 to boost their emergency response ability.

The Regional Capability Community Fund (RCCF) reimburses up to half of the price of approved safety equipment purchases for rural landowners, with a total of $470,000 available across the State.

Local Member of Parliament, Mr Tony Piccolo said that in 2016, there were 21 successful grant applicants in the electorate of Light, delivering equipment such as:

12 mobile firefighting units

2 bulk water storage tanks with CFS accessible fittings

4 High volume water pumps

800 Litre Fire Fighting Unit and Nozzle

2 x 400 Litre Farm Fire Unit and Water Transfer Pump

Young Roseworthy farm worker David Hayman has used his grant from the 2016 funding round to help him prepare for the fire season through the purchase of a 600-litre fire farm unit that he has mounted onto his Land Cruiser.

Mr Hayman said that wherever he goes to work on any farm, the fire unit will be with him ready to fight a fire.This is the third year the RCCF grants have been offered by the State Government, and each year applications have far outweighed available resources.

Mr Piccolo said applications are prioritised based on value for money, geographic area, existing capability, multiple potential users and other risk factors unique to locations.

Emergency Services Minister Peter Malinauskas said the level of community support and interest in this initiative over the last two years has been outstanding.

“This clearly demonstrates community willingness to build local response capability and collectively become more resilient to emergencies,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“This is yet another opportunity for rural landholders to have more safety equipment so that community members can quickly and safely respond to emergencies before they escalate,” he said.

Mr Piccolo said that an important aspect of the scheme is to improve the safety involved with fire farm units. All successful applicants will be required to demonstrate that they have completed appropriate training before receiving grant funds.

Information about the grant is now available on the SAFECOM website at www.SAFECOM.sa.gov.au.

Individuals and businesses will be able to lodge applications online from 20 March 2017 to 31 March 2017, with an announcement of successful applications expected in June 2017.