Firefighter Safety Concerns in South Australia
The topic is about unions.
The firefighters' union has a problem with the safety equipment of the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service.
In short, the union says the equipment is not good enough.
The firefighters union says that the South Australian MFS firefighters do not have enough protective equipment.
The MFS says its equipment is good enough and meets industry standards.
What's next in this situation?
The union has taken its concerns to the workplace tribunal.
Some fire trucks in Adelaide have been stopped from working, and some training has been cancelled because of problems with protective gear.
The United Firefighters Union says the SA Metropolitan Fire Service has not given its firefighters enough personal protective equipment.
The union says the MFS has also failed to maintain its protective gear properly.
The union's acting secretary, Peter Russell, says there is a big problem with the protective equipment system in the MFS.
He says they have found items that were sewn on incorrectly and things that were facing the wrong way.
The union has given the ABC photos of MFS gear with broken zippers and repairs.
A photo shows a Metropolitan Fire Service firefighter wearing a coat with a faulty zipper.
Mr Russell says it is impossible to know how much MFS gear is unsafe because the service does not have records.
He says even the newest gear has faulty zips that could come apart during fires and hurt firefighters.
The MFS says all its current operational structural firefighting equipment meets industry standards and there is enough supply.
The MFS has been introducing new personal protective equipment since 2023.
A spokesperson for the MFS says the safety of firefighters and the community is very important.
There is a photo of a faulty zipper on Metropolitan Fire Service personal protective equipment.
There are concerns about delays in laundering the equipment.
Mr Russell says firefighters have told him they are worried about how long it takes to get their equipment back after it is laundered.
He says delays of six weeks or more have been reported, leading to shortages.
Firefighters are afraid to send their gear for laundering because they do not trust that it will be returned to them.
A lack of sufficient protective equipment is also why some fire trucks were not usable.
The union's investigation found that this was not just a problem at one station.
Mr Russell says it became clear that the problem was not isolated to one station.
A MFS spokesperson did not comment on the specific example but said it was not unusual for a truck to be taken offline after an incident.
The spokesperson says that during this time, firefighters and appliances are decontaminated, and equipment is restored or replaced.
The union claims that some MFS fire trucks have been grounded due to issues with protective equipment availability.
The MFS spokesperson says the service has reserves of protective equipment in several storage spaces across Adelaide.
These reserves are used to replenish equipment that has been sent for decontamination.
Older equipment sets have been removed from the reserves.
There is a temporary pause on structural firefighter training.
The MFS chief officer, Jeff Swann, wrote that the Angle Park training centre must not be used for training unless approved by the chief officer.
This temporary pause will stay in place while the MFS considers the matters raised and determines any further steps.
Staff were reminded about recent safety alerts regarding structural firefighting personal protective equipment.
Mr Russell says the shortage of protective equipment is partly to blame for the pause in training.
He says the situation has gotten so bad that they have had to close part of their training centre because it is not safe.
A MFS spokesperson says a review is underway to ensure the training centre remains safe and effective.
Other training can continue to take place on site, and this pause does not impact frontline emergency response.
Emergency Services Minister Rhiannon Pearce says the state government continues to invest in firefighter equipment, training, and resources.
The government has increased funding for emergency services, including an extra $3.7 million for the MFS in 2024-25.
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