Between a farming community and disaster stands the Rockleigh Country Fire Service brigade and its only truck, a critical piece of equipment when bushfires erupt in the area's rocky, hilly terrain.

That critical piece of equipment had been housed in a private shed for the past year, but now stands out in a paddock due to delays in the construction of the brigade's promised station.

Captain Don Moore said several sites had been proposed before the current one was settled upon and development approval was granted.

However, he said the station would now be held up for another six months or more because an Aboriginal heritage assessment had not been completed as part of the approval process.

A crisis meeting with CFS higher-ups in April failed to produce any results, and the truck was evicted from its shed on July 1.

Mr Moore said the lack of a proper station was killing the brigade.

"A lot of guys won't leave their uniforms in here because we get mice and things like that, and you can feel how cold it is in here," he said.

"There's no amenities here: no toilets unless you go in the house, no internet, no phone, so it's not like a real station.

"They feel like they've been hard done by."

The proposed station will also come with two 20,000-litre water tanks, an invaluable resource.

The truck has a capacity of just 2000L, enough to last 15 or 20 minutes.

A lot of guys won't leave their uniforms in here because we get mice and things like that.

Otherwise Rockleigh's volunteers rely on dams and private tanks, or reinforcements from the nearest water carrier, at Jervois.

The brigade has fought major fires every year since its registration in 2012: several times at Rockleigh, but also elsewhere around South Australia, including at Pinery and Sampson Flat.

Crew members have also joined strike teams sent to fight fires in Tasmania, New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Victoria.

"Our brigade has done everything we've ever been asked to do," Mr Moore said.

"We hold our head up pretty high.

"The brigade feels we're getting the short end of the stick."

Emergency Services Minister Tony Piccolo originally declared a station would hopefully be open in time for the 2015-16 fire season.

The Standard will seek comment from the CFS.

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