Any immediate need for forest fire fighting has been compromised – if not crippled – by the removal of two entire fleets of fire fighting vehicles in recent weeks.

Used by Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) for rapid response and access to remote terrain, the 300-strong G-Wagon and Unimog fleets have been grounded for the second time due to chassis and sub-frame faults.

The grounding has drawn criticism from the opposition with Nationals’ leader Danny O’Brien and Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland saying it would force CFA volunteers to fill any gap, stretching ‘already overworked’ brigades.

The vehicles were launched in 2017 under a $32m state-of-the-art upgrade and touted as world-class firefighting assets.

Ms Cleeland said the situation highlighted Labor’s ‘chronic mismanagement’ of the state’s emergency services.

“This is an extraordinary failure that puts regional communities at risk,” Ms Cleeland said.

“Labor promised a modern, reliable firefighting fleet – instead we’ve got hundreds of vehicles off the road and local brigades scrambling to cover the shortfall.”

Ms Cleeland said the timeline for repairs had stretched into months, despite the government saying it would be fast-tracked.

“Fire doesn’t wait for government red tape,” Ms Cleeland said.

“CFA volunteers are already doing the heavy lifting with ageing trucks and limited resources (and) with a dangerous fire season approaching, our communities deserve confidence that every resource is ready – not locked up in a repair yard.”

The office of DEECA’s coordinating minister Lily D’Ambrosio was contacted for an updated timeline.