Victoria’s professional firefighters have vowed to continue the fight for the safety of all Victorians at their State Conference on Monday, February 13.
Around 130 delegates from fire stations and support workplaces right across Victoria came together to discuss their plans and campaign priorities for 2023 and beyond, and vowed to continue the fight for public safety.
United Firefighters Union Victorian Branch Secretary Peter Marshall said that major problems with fire service resourcing remained, and professional firefighters were determined to continue the fight to protect the community.
“Our priority always has been, and always will be, the safety of firefighters and the safety of the communities they serve across Victoria,” he said.
“And right now, our professional firefighters have been left with outdated fire trucks, overloaded training facilities and lack specialist equipment like trench rescue equipment.
“Our fire stations are antiquated and require urgent upgrades and repairs and most critically, the laws which protect professional firefighters from cancer are broken.
“When firefighters don’t have the equipment and training they need, public safety is put at risk.
“As professional firefighters dedicated to protecting the lives of the community, that’s completely unacceptable to us.
“So far, we’ve seen absolutely nothing from the Andrews Government to indicate they’re interested in acting to address these problems which undermine the safety of the community. Firefighter safety equals public safety.
“Today, UFU Firefighter Delegates right across Victoria once again came together to recommit to standing up to the Andrews government and fighting for the resources they need to keep their communities safe.”
