Tasmanian
Firefighters are facing a fire season in unsafe equipment due to the inaction
of Minister Ellis and the Department of Police Fire and Emergency Services.
Firefighters across
the state have been raising serious concerns about the safety conditions they
are being expected to work under, with responses to these issues from Minister
Ellis taking months.
Felix Ellis’ department
has finally agreed to get an independent report done due to concerns from
firefighters at the reactive and potentially life-threatening response.
The solutions
to overweight vehicles have included having the firetrucks carry less water,
removing their spare wheel, and making modifications to vehicles to get them to
weight without independent engineering or HSR advice.
They have now
had to permanently decommission 20 trucks. The 10 replacement vehicles for them
are only temporary and not fit for purpose.
There are
currently 55 vehicles that do not meet the current safety standards and need to
be modified.
These
conditions are being pushed upon our firefighting service at a time when the
TFS is already critically under resourced and desperately looking for savings
to meet its existing roles.
Minister Ellis
must provide the necessary support and funding for the TFS so that the work on
these vehicles is independent, that the solutions are consulted and
transparent, are in line with their legal health and safety obligations to
provide a safe workplace, and that firefighters are not put at risk with unsafe
equipment.
We are heading
into a fire season without the appropriate resources. Tasmanians deserve better
than what they are getting from the Liberal Government.
Michelle O’Byrne MP
Shadow Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management
