Secret documentary highlights firefighters at breaking point

Victorian firefighters have filmed a secret documentary to expose the dangers they face every day.

The United Firefighters Union says two in three Victorian trucks are past their 15-year use-by date.

Titled Breaking Point, the doco features raw interviews with firefighters highlighting real incidents.

One incident in Truganina last year saw a truck's pump fail and they couldn't put water on a burning house.

Another incident in Derrimut saw foaming systems shut down and prevent the spread of a factory fire.

And a recent bushfire in the Beaufort area — that saw six homes destroyed — has multiple trucks break down on the way to fight the fire.

Leading firefighter at Melbourne's CBD station, Adam Sadler uses a 32-year-old truck to service the city's high rises, but he says he can't rely on it.

"It's just jammed shut. It's just completely jammed shut. So they had to climb over and hop out on the other side," he said.

Leading firefighter Lachlan Butterfield has told A Current Affair that the upcoming bushfire season is a grave concern.

"Half the state is looking to have a really bad fire season,"

"To have to face that with a lack of trucks and trucks that are not fit for purpose, I just don't know how we're going to get through to be honest," he said.

Watch more in the player above.

Victorian government statement:

We have delivered more than $100 million in recent years to ensure our firefighters have the trucks, resources and equipment they need to protect Victorians and keep themselves safe.

This year's Budget invests a further $40 million dollars towards an ongoing truck replacement program, building on the $15 million in last year's budget for five new specialist pumpers. This is on top of the more than 20 trucks and support vehicles that are currently being built and delivered.

Fire Rescue Victoria's vehicles and equipment are maintained by an expert team to ensure they are both safe to use and ready to respond.

Fire Rescue Victoria statement:

Victorians should rest assured they will always be protected in an emergency.

Senior leaders have commissioned an independent external audit of the fleet and maintenance programs, the outcome of which will inform our maintenance and replacement plans going forward.

FRV has established a specialist team to strengthen its fleet maintenance regime. In parallel FRV is working closely with the Victorian Government to fund and acquire new trucks.

This has seen the Victorian Government investing $40 million dollars over four years towards a rolling fleet replacement program as part of the 2025-26 State Budget.

This is in addition to $15.4 million in funding allocated to FRV in the 2024-25 State Budget for 5 new specialist pumper platform appliances.