VOLUNTEER firefighters at the CFA’s Fiskville training centre need better health protection, according to the state’s volunteer firefighting chief.
Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria chief executive Andrew Ford called for an “exposures roster” to be implemented for volunteers.
“We do feel there needs to be a better process for volunteers to be able to identify potential exposure and for an exposures register to be established – not just for training but for exposures experienced as a result of active duty,” he said.
The VFBV said volunteers faced the same hazards as their paid colleagues and should receive the same protection, although there had been no official concerns with water quality from the 96 volunteer groups at Fiskville in the past year.
The CFA maintains volunteers are adequately protected. “There are standard operating procedures in place for all CFA staff and volunteers who have concerns about any biological and hazardous exposures,” a spokesman said. “This involves access to specialist medical services and health monitoring if required.”
The VFBV said volunteers were only covered by situations that arose at the time of the exposure or shortly afterwards.
“What we are looking for is a register that routinely records each volunteer’s exposures throughout their years of service, so there is a clear and easily accessed record available in case that volunteer has health problems that emerge months, years or even decades from now.”
The Greens have backed the VFBV’s call for new state legislation to remove some of the barriers to compensation for firefighters with certain types of cancer.
The Federal Fair Protection for Firefighters Bill, which applies only to firefighters employed by the federal government, recognises that certain cancers are more common in firefighters. It reverses the onus of proof, presuming the cancer to be work-related unless proven otherwise. The CFA said it was a matter for the state government.
A Fiskville instructor, who did not want to be named, said legislative changes would give firefighters peace of mind. “It would make things a lot easier for us. The system in place at the moment is not good enough for protecting firefighters.”
-Ben Cameron
