Massive upgrades on track for emergency response in the Hunter

Massive upgrades are coming to emergency response in the Hunter, with a new fleet of firefighting trucks rolling out of a Tomago factory and construction starting on what will be the largest State Emergency Service zone headquarters in NSW.

Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib visited both projects on Tuesday, joining Hunter MPs and senior fire and SES leaders at the Varley Group's Tomago plant and the Black Hill Industrial Estate.

The minister's first stop was Tomago, where he announced more than $40 million was being invested in 2026-27 across a range of manufacturers to deliver Fire and Rescue NSW and Rural Fire Service trucks, including aerial appliances, support vehicles and tankers.

About 60 of those trucks will be assembled by the Tomago-based Varley Group.

Work will begin on an order of 40 trucks for the RFS, made up of 25 Category 7 tankers and 15 Category 1 tankers, which are among the largest water-carrying trucks in the RFS fleet.

Varley will also deliver 20 Fire and Rescue NSW vehicles, including pumpers and bushfire tankers.

Some of the Fire and Rescue vehicles on the assembly line are bound for bases at Dungog and East Maitland.

Varley Group's CEO vehicle division, Jeff Honniball, said every fire truck they made at Tomago had a clear purpose to support firefighters and help protect communities in NSW.

"These vehicles bring together the skill and experience of our local workforce with the operational knowledge of firefighting organisations," he said.

"We are proud of our long-standing relationship with both FRNSW and the RFS, and of the contribution our people make to delivering modern, capable emergency vehicles here in the Hunter."

Mr Dib said building fire engines in the region "supports local jobs and delivers the equipment our firefighters need to protect communities across NSW".

Port Stephens MP Kate Washington said the work would support 530 jobs in the Hunter.

"It's great news that the future RFS firefighting fleet will be delivered by Varley Group, a Tomago-based manufacturer, right here in Port Stephens," she said.

The investment follows the delivery of more than 200 new appliances and 75 refurbished vehicles to RFS brigades in 2025-26.

Fire and Rescue NSW executive director Kelly McFadyen said new vehicles were fitted with WiFi so satellite technology could keep crews connected in areas with limited radio coverage.

RFS deputy commissioner Kelly Qaundt said Category 1 and Category 7 tankers played "an important role" in responding to bush and grass fires.

Later on Tuesday, the government marked the start of construction on the NSW SES Northern Zone Headquarters at 27 Imperial Avenue, Black Hill.

The facility will be four times the size of the current headquarters at Metford.

The government says it will be the largest SES zone headquarters in the state.

The government has put the investment in the Black Hill facility at $4 million.

The Northern Zone covers 15 local government areas and 32 SES units, stretching from the Central Coast to Nambucca Heads and west to Wauchope and Cessnock.

The new building will include an incident control centre able to hold more than 75 people, with a multi-screen audio-visual wall, a media room and a flood rescue coordination centre.

I will also have working areas for partner agencies during major emergencies, upgraded technology and amenities for prolonged operations and a bigger warehouse and storage space for additional fleet vehicles and equipment.

SES deputy commissioner Damien Johnston said the centre would be one of the largest and most sophisticated of its kind in regional NSW, strengthening coordination between the SES and partner agencies during major weather emergencies.

Mr Dib said the centre would replace "an outdated facility" and give volunteers and staff "the tools they need to complete their highly-skilled and life-saving work".

Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said it would also be built for the future, equipping the Northern Zone to respond "as the population grows".

"This is an important investment in our region," she said.

"This new facility is focused on further enhancing our interagency response across the Hunter and supporting our volunteers' ability to respond safely and effectively to where they are needed most."