THE United Firefighters Union has demanded that WorkSafe complete a full inquiry into health concerns at the CFA’s Fiskville training centre.
UFU secretary Peter Marshall said the CFA had failed to protect firefighters from contaminated water following the release of data showing they had been exposed to dioxins and other toxic chemicals at levels up to hundreds of times greater than recommended safe exposure.
The CFA has denied the claims.
“The CFA knew that it was putting firefighters at risk but withheld this test information,” Mr Marshall said.
“It shelved a 2005 report into water quality and resisted calls from its senior training staff to clean up the five dams and other installations at Fiskville.
“Now we find that WorkSafe also received test results … and failed to protect Victoria’s new firefighting recruits and other firefighting trainees.”
Mr Marshall said MFB firefighters had only been withdrawn from training at Fiskville in the past few weeks, and CFA trainees were last week training off site and avoiding contact with Fiskville water.
“We know firefighters have been complaining for years of gastric illnesses, rashes, lesions – even bleeding within their uniform while marching,” he said. “One recruit who attended at Fiskville couldn’t eat properly for more than a year after training there.”
A CFA spokesman said claims that firefighters had been put at risk were unsubstantiated.
He said the centre would operate at reduced capacity after an independent water investigation began last week.
The spokesman said mains water would be used after two dams of recycled water were shut down, reducing operations by as much as two thirds in some areas.
The spokesman said he had no idea how long a review of the water system would take.
“We’ve been told it will take some time; we’re not quite sure at this point,” he said.
“We’ll either be told to tweak a few things or we’ll have to replace it.
“This will slow progress. It will make training difficult, but we’re committed to restoring confidence in the facility.”
The CFA board is yet to make public a
report following a six-month independent
investigation into chemical handling practices
at Fiskville.
CFA chief executive Mick Bourke said noone from CFA had reported ill from water used in live firefighting training and reports of brown and frothy water could not be verified.
