PAST and present employees at CFA’s Fiskville training centre will receive health checks for the next five years under the organisation’s new health surveillance program.
The CFA is contacting people who worked at Fiskville from 1971-99 and were found to be at high and medium-risk of exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.
The Weekly reported last month that Professor Rob Joy’s six-month investigation into chemical handling practices at the site had found that ‘practical area for drill’ (PAD) operators were most at risk. Most of these operators are thought to have lived in Moorabool.
The new health program, which could cover up to 250 people, will offer annual medical assessments, including medical examinations and questionnaires. It will run for five years, with further surveillance to be carried out based on medical advice.
CFA chief executive Mick Bourke said the program was an important step forward.”Understandably, many present and past members are anxious following the release of the Professor Joy report,” he said. “The health surveillance program will monitor many of those identified in the report, providing them with a greater opportunity for early information on their health.”
The CFA began contacting known past and present members last week, while investigators are searching for other former employees. The program is one of 11 management initiatives launched by the authority, in addition to the 10 recommendations of the Joy report.
