Melbourne and regional firefighters have taken the unprecedented step of voting for work bans, taking up to 30 trucks off the road due to concerns over a dangerously unreliable aging fleet. The firefighters' union, citing a 42% fleet replacement rate exceeding 15 years, demands government investment in new equipment, stating it's a state of emergency and potentially jeopardizing public safety.
Melbourne and regional firefighters have voted to take up to 30 trucks off the road in a dramatic escalation of their dispute with the Allan government and Fire Rescue Victoria over what they say is an ageing and dangerously unreliable fleet. United Firefighters Union boss Peter Marshall said the proposed permanent work ban s – which members voted for unanimously on Wednesday, in the middle of – were unprecedented and would deplete the number of trucks available by 15 percent.
The firefighters’ union estimates that 42 percent of the Fire Rescue Victoria fleet is past its 15-year replacement date.“It is a state of emergency,” Marshall said on Tuesday. “This is not firefighters putting the community at risk, this is firefighters not having the equipment to do the job.” After the unanimous vote on Wednesday, Marshall welcomed Deputy Premier Ben Carroll’s comments that the Victorian government was willing to invest further in firefighting, including in equipment. “Minister Carrol said today that if there was more the government can do, it ‘will do it’, so we look forward to meeting with him to ensure that happens because it’s one thing to make comments in the media, but firefighters need action – and now,” Marshall said. “This is an issue that has dragged on for far too long, and the consequences of further government inaction are potentially lethal.” The union meeting was told more than 530 faults had been recorded across Fire Rescue Victoria’s fleet in the past 18 months. The union last year failed to secure agreement for an independent audit of Victoria’s estimated fleet of 200 trucks and servicing records through the Fair Work Commission. The union is separately locked in a protracted wage dispute with Fire Rescue Victoria and the government, currently before the Federal Court. Before the vote, Fire Rescue Commissioner Gavin Freeman urged the union not go to ahead with the work ban.He said there were established procedures in place for firefighters to report concerns about faulty equipment, and Fire Rescue Victoria would not return the road trucks taken out of service for repairs until they were safe and fully operational. “When critical issues are reported, they are actioned swiftly,” he said. “We do not hesitate to take a fire truck out of service when required.The Bureau of Meteorology, meanwhile, is forecasting high temperatures in Victoria’s north and west at the weekend, with 40-degree days possible next week across much of the state.The equipment ban will create further political headaches for Premier Jacinta Allan and her new Minister for Emergency Services, Vicky Ward. It comes just days after the state government welcomed an in-principle agreement reached between Victoria Police and the state’s Police Association onMarshall’s leadership of the United Firefighters Union, which he has served as Victorian branch secretary for 30 years, is also under scrutiny. Fire Service Implementation Monitor Niall Blair last year described the industrial environment surrounding the fire services asFire Rescue Victoria, a service created in 2020 from a forced merger of Melbourne’s Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Country Fire Authority crews in regional centres, privately warned the government three years ago that due to the age of its trucks, it did “not have the fleet they need to sufficiently protect personnel and communities”.Marshall said that warning – contained in a cabinet-in-confidence submission ahead of the 2022-23 budget – turned potentially deadly in April last year when the water pump on a truck that arrived at a house fire in Truganina in Melbourne’s west failed to operate. This resulted in a firefighter rushing into the burning building to rescue trapped residents without any water for protection. The firefighter responsible for operating the pump on the night of the fire described in a statement provided to this masthead a chaotic scene as the truck stalled each time he tried to engage the water pump.“I could hear the roof collapsing. I had neighbours with about seven kids at my door asking why I wasn’t helping. My crew was wondering what was going on.The firefighter, speaking confidentially to avoid workplace recriminations, said the truck had passed safety checks at the start of his shift but had a history of previous failures.in Truganina this month, a truck was dispatched from across town in Richmond because those nearer in Sunshine and Footscray were not in service. Other equipment failures this summer include a truck catching fire in Port Melbourne and a faulty boom trapping three firefighters next to the West Gate Freeway.42 percent of the Fire Rescue Victoria fleet is past its 15-year replacement date and that figure will climb to 64 percent by the end of the year. Freeman said Fire Rescue Victoria planned to replace all its trucks after 15 years, but they were built to safely remain on the road for longer if required.He said this year’s state budget contained $1
FIRE FIGHTERS WORK BAN FLEET EQUIPMENT VICTORIA FIRE RESCUE VICTORIA GOVERNMENT SAFETY EMERGENCY SERVICES UNION INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE
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