Ms Garrett said, while the permanent closure of the CFA training college at Fiskville was a source of some hardship for some people who had been employed there, the decision to close it was necessary due to the toxicity of the site.

She said a new site for a CFA training facility had not been selected but the focus for the search was the Moorabool region. “The CFA board cannot guarantee safety (at the site). They are managing the clean-up but (toxic) chemicals are still being found.

“We have had a number of meetings about the transition. We are looking for an alternative site. The focus is on the Ballan region and the Moorabool area.

“It is a difficult time for the community so we are doing all we can to make the transition as easy as possible.”