Victoria’s bushfire readiness has suffered a major blow with the state’s entire fleet of G Wagon and Unimog firefighting vehicles benched weeks ahead of a “dangerous” fire season.

Forest Fire Management Victoria has operated the fleet of G Wagons and Unimog heavy tankers since they were rolled out as part of a $32 million upgrade in 2017, in what the government dubbed an investment in “world leading firefighting technology”

However the Mercedes vehicles, which are used for rapid response and to access remote terrain, have been taken off the road due to serious safety concerns after chassis and sub-frame cracks were discovered on multiple vehicles.

According to a Victorian government spokesperson, safety checks have identified issues on almost 300 vehicles with repairs to be “fast tracke

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