10/10/2019
Stop voting in idiots! It’s not just about the dollar. House keeping is the most important job.
**UPDATE**: In a dispute hearing on Friday, the IRC has ordered the old staffing rules be reinstated until a further hearing in November. Hopefully, the NSW Government will decide by then to fund FRNSW adequately so that the closure of fire stations isn't required to stay within their budget.
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Well, that didn't take long.
Heading into what could be the worst bushfire season on record, yesterday Fire and Rescue NSW rescinded the order that determines how fire stations are staffed. This will allow fire stations to be closed or to fall below a safe crew level. If operating at an unsafe level, firefighters will not be permitted to enter buildings to rescue people until backup arrives (5-10 minutes later). This will inevitably lead to increased property damage and a greater chance of injury and death at house fires in these areas.
Today, based on the new rules, FRNSW moved to close/reduce a number of fire stations across NSW. The Fire Brigades' Union have ordered the new rules to be ignored and have lodged a dispute with the IRC. So at this stage, the service cuts have been averted.
These service cuts are purely a result of the NSW Government's cuts to the operational budgets of Fire and Rescue, meaning they are unable to keep all of their stations open.
So much for Gladys Berejiklian and David Elliott MP's repeated promises that there would be no cuts to Fire and Rescue's frontline services. Here are those cuts, for all to see.
If these new rules are implemented, it will mean that fire stations will be regularly closed across the state.