Shire of Dardanup receives National Disaster Risk Reduction grant towards emergency generator for new offices

The Shire of Dardanup has received a major boost in keeping vital services operational during an emergency situation. Council voted at last month’s meeting to accept a nearly $64,000 grant from the National Disaster Risk Reduction program to partly pay for a $132,000 backup generator for its new administration building. The generator would provide a power supply to the entire building in the event of an extended power outage caused by an emergency situation, with a 13-hour run time. Council applied for the grant through the Department of Fire and Emergency Services in January, with Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson revealing the shire had been successful in May. The shire have now confirmed they will pay the remaining $68,000 through financial and in-kind contributions. Shire president Tyrrell Gardiner was pleased with the grant result. “It’s something we did investigate way back in the new build process and we couldn’t make it work at the time so to get it plugged in if we do need it, it’s certainly going to be a good thing to have as a backup if required,” he said. An installation date for the new generation is yet to be confirmed with the Herald.