Page Description: In early 2013 WA State Parliament passed Presumptive Cancer Legislation that only covers the 1,123 Career Fire and Rescue Firefighters of WA. While this is a great achievement, over 31,000 Volunteer Bush Fire Fighters, 2,000 Volunteer Fire and Rescue Firefighters, members from Volunteer Emergency Services, crews from Volunteer Fire Services and fire crews from the Department of Parks and Wildlife go without such cancer cover. These Firefighters, with the exception of the latter, are often called upon to extinguish, or aid the extinguishing of, car and structural fires. However, unlike those in the Fire and Rescue Services, these Firefighters are expected to do this without Breathing Apparatus. With that noted, the primary form of smoke, bushfire smoke, that the aforementioned Firefighters are exposed to is still carcinogenic. Its effects are amplified further by the long hours these Firefighters spend in it. Indeed, rubbish, plastics and other materials are often found burning amongst the vegetation, thus adding further carcinogens that our respirators do not protect against. Additionally, such Firefighters do not benefit from decontamination of uniform. As such, the Volunteer and Department of Parks and Wildlife Firefighters of WA are being treated like second class citizens. This simply has to stop. Our Aims: - Presumptive Cancer Legislation for ALL Firefighters - Same Standards (e.g. Uniform quality, burn-over protection for all vehicles, equivalent training and equal recognition for the roles we play in society). The Buck Stops With Us for if the Current Generation of Firefighters do nothing; the Future Looks the Same as the Past.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:17:51 +0000
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