Representatives from Fix our Fire Service attended the Bateman’s Bay Fire Station to draw attention to the fact that the station, like many on the south coast, are cramped, outdated and, as buildings, no longer fit for service.
They are calling for funding for:
Firetrucks responding to bushfires to be retrofitted with burn over protection (sprinkler systems)
Fire stations to be equipped to meet basic standards and extraction systems to remove hazardous fumes
Fit-for-purpose stations for local communities including Batemans Bay.
Representatives said "In recent years, Fire and Rescue NSW Career Firefighters have battled through Australia’s worst bushfire season on record, increases in population and the pandemic, while continuing to serve and protect our communities.
"The number of Career Firefighters has only increased by 0.6% in a decade. Funding has not kept pace with the needs of local communities and the situation is now desperate. Fire stations in NSW are outdated and, in some cases, unsafe and fire trucks lack vital safety equipment. More firefighters are needed, with modern training to meet the demands of the growing population.
A message to Bega by-election candidates:
Firefighters in your community need you. In recent years, Fire and Rescue NSW Career Firefighters have battled through Australia’s worst bushfire season on record, mass increase in population and a global pandemic, while continuing to serve and protect our communities. Did you know that in the last decade, the population of NSW has grown by approximately 12% but the number of career firefighters has only increased by just over .06%?
Funding for Our Fire Service has simply not kept pace with need and the situation is now desperate. Local fire stations are outdated, not fit for purpose and in some cases unsafe. Fire trucks lack vital safety equipment. And we urgently need to recruit more Career Firefighters with access to modern, state of the art training to meet the demands of our growing population. This year has already been one of the hottest on record and in the midst of a pandemic we are extremely concerned that we are not sufficiently resourced to provide the communities you wish to represent with the protection they deserve. We are calling on you as a candidate in this by-election to pledge to Fix Our Fire Service. Below is a list of commitments we are seeking from each candidate in this by-election:
Protect
Protect us so we can protect you by making sure we have what we need to keep our community safe. Locally, this means we need you to commit to publicly seek funding so all our firetrucks that respond to bushfires are retrofitted with burn over protection (bushfire sprinkler protection systems) to keep us safe if we’re trapped in a bushfire before of the next fire season.
Invest
Invest in our fire stations to ensure they meet basic standards such as amenities for our growing workforce, along with delivering on improved health and safety infrastructure including extraction systems to remove hazardous fumes in our workplace.
Resource
We urgently need to recruit more Career Firefighters and ensure they have access to modern, state of the art training to meet the demands of our growing population.
Above: Dr Michael Holland, one of the Bega by-election candidates, signing his commitment to Fix Our Fire Service
