News 
Huntly CFA volunteers are shining a light on fire safety with a new initiative to grab the attention of passing motorists on the Midland Highway.
The brigade has erected a large electronic LED sign on the front of the fire station to provide community safety messages and information.
The 3-metre long by 0.5-metre wide sign will feature advisory messages like fire restriction periods or Total Fire Ban days, and special alerts if there is a fire in the area.
Brigade member and former captain Alan Roberts said the LED sign would help the brigade to better communicate with the community.
“Like lots of brigades we have a sandwich board sign that we put out on Total Fire Ban days, but that’s a pretty basic way of communicating a single message,” Mr Roberts said.
The brigade investigated a range of options, such as vinyl signs that could attach to the fence, but decided an LED sign would be the most effective and flexible option.
“I had driven through Nhill which has a smaller LED sign at the front of their fire station and it struck me that a sign where you could have a series of programmable messages and the ability to create specific messages was a much better idea than vinyl signs that would wear out,” Mr Roberts said.
“It’s one of only a few such signs we know of in District 2,” Mr Roberts said.
The brigade obtained permits from the CFA, VicRoads and City of Greater Bendigo for the $6000 sign, which was funded through brigade fund-raising and a grant from the Bendigo Northern District Community Enterprise.
About 15,000 cars drive past the Huntly Fire Station on the Midland Highway every day.
Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) CEO Adam Barnett said the sign was a great example of volunteers taking the initiative to improve community safety.
“This shows how volunteers put community safety at the forefront of everything they do,” Mr Barnett said.
