allan Government Slashes, Victoria burns
big build – big disaster
DANGER — YOU ARE AT RISK!
Firefighters cannot help you right now in case of a fire or toxic environment.
We do not have Long-Duration Breathing Apparatus (LDBA) to safely rescue or protect you while using the new:
- West Gate Tunnel, or
- Metro Tunnel Network.
In these confined and high-risk environments, firefighters currently have only 20 minutes of air, which is not enough to reach or safely rescue people in danger.
1. NO LONG-DURATION BREATHING APPARATUS
Firefighters are being sent deep into tunnels with only 20 minutes of air.
Our long-duration breathing sets have expired and not been replaced — putting firefighters and the community in danger.
2. OLD AND FAILING FIRE TRUCKS
Over 42% of fire trucks are more than two decades old, breaking down daily on the way to emergencies.
Unreliable trucks cost lives.
3. NO TUNNEL-SPECIFIC TRAINING
Firefighters have not received proper training or live drills for the Metro or West Gate tunnels.
Crews will be forced to respond blind in the most dangerous environment we’ve ever faced.
4. EMERGENCY SERVICES TAX – BUT FUNDING CUT
Victorians are already paying double through the new Emergency Services Tax — yet frontline fire services have been cut.
Firefighters are being asked to protect massive new tunnels with expired gear, ageing trucks, and no proper funding.
Government fails to act on Critical Communication Failures in Westgate and Metro Tunnels
Radios are critical firefighting equipment, enabling all fireground communications between firefighters, with dispatchers, with other emergency services and with incident controllers
Firefighters use radios to coordinate firefighting, alert one another to danger, submit “mayday” calls, maintain ongoing accountability for individual roles and welfare and to call for assistance from other emergency services
There are more than 50 pages of core radio training in the FRV training materials for firefighters, and additional materials on using Mayday calls, “red red red” calls and other special instances of radio use
For further information CLICK HERE to download the letter to FRV