From the depths of Ballarat tragedy have come positive changes to keep workers safe, employers accountable improve rescue responses for the entire community.
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On Friday's International Workers' Memorial Day, local families who have lost loved ones in workplace accidents joined in a service to remember workers across the world who have died at their jobs.
Also joining the service in Delacombe, near the site of the trench collapse that claimed the lives of Charlie Howkins, 34, and Jack Brownlee, 21, in March 2018, were Fire Rescue Victoria members and their new technical rescue truck.
After their trench collapse tragedy the families of the victims - Mr Howkins' wife Dr Lana Cormie, and Jack's parents Dave and Janine Brownlee - campaigned for industrial manslaughter legislation which was passed in 2019.
They also helped lobby for specialist technical rescue capabilities within local emergency services, which Fire Rescue Victoria assigned to Lucas fire station late last year.
"The truck is named CJ in honour of Charlie and Jack out of respect for the family and the fact they have done so much," said FRV commander Adam Young.
Cdr Young said there had been concern for many years that Ballarat did not have a dedicated truck for technical rescue. When the trench collapse occurred, the closest technical rescue trucks were in Warrnambool, Melbourne and Wangaratta.
"We had a limited ability for steep angle and high angle rescue with a ute at Ballarat City but it didn't give capability to address confined space and trench rescue, which given the amount of development in and around Ballarat was needed," he said.
Over the past six months staff at Lucas and Ballarat City fire stations have been working hard through all of the specialist training needed to ensure the appliance is fully crewed when needed.
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"It's now one of the busiest technical rescue appliance of this type in the state. We cover anywhere from Bacchus Marsh to the South Australian border," Cdr Young said.
The technical rescue unit covers steep angle and high angle rescues including cars or individuals who have fallen over a steep embankment, or rescues at height including industrial environments such as wind turbines or on large towers. They also deal with confined spaces such as grain silos or underground sewers, and trench rescues.
In the past week alone it has been called to eight incidents.
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