In short:
The firefighters union says the 3G shutdown has rendered fire vehicles tracking system obsolete and the replacement GPS system is leaving trucks untracked.
The 3G shutdown has also disabled a system that allowed access to fire stations, with one union delegate saying crews are being shut out of stations on a daily basis.
What’s next:
Fire Rescue Victoria say interim measures have been implemented, and issues should be resolved in the coming days.
abc.net.au/news/fire-rescue-victoria-locked-out-stations-3g-shutdown/104598658
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Firefighters have been locked out of fire stations across Victoria, and state’s fire service is losing the ability to track its vehicles due to the closure of the 3G mobile network.
Telstra and Optus began the shutdown of their 3G networks on October 28, with the telcos aiming to free up bandwidth for 4G and 5G coverage.
The system Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) uses to track and monitor its fleet of trucks — known as the Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system — was rendered obsolete by the shutdown.
The United Firefighters Union (UFU) said firefighters have been forced to download GPS tracking apps to mobile phones as a “stopgap”.
This meant FRV trucks were now unable to be located in rural areas with no network coverage.
FRV firefighter and UFU delegate Doug Lukic told ABC Radio Melbourne the stopgap measure was leading to phone batteries draining quickly, and because the phones only charged while trucks were running, batteries were regularly going flat, leaving trucks untracked.
“It basically works like your Google Maps and your mapping apps on your phone — when you’re running them, they really decrease the battery at a quicker rate,” Mr Lukic said.
The phones were also only in trucks that were in operation, so appliances held in reserve were not being actively tracked.
Mr Lukic said with half the fleet vehicles past their use-by dates, breakdowns were becoming regular, leading to greater reliance on reserve appliances — meaning knowing where they were was paramount.
Mr Lukic said some firefighters were being shut out of their stations because fire station access systems also relied on 3G.
He said this had happened four times this week.
In a statement, the government said it was working closely to ensure the 3G network shutdown would not affect the safety of Victorians.
“There has been no impact on Fire Rescue Victoria’s response to fires and other emergencies from the shutoff,” a government spokesperson said.
“All FRV trucks remain able to be tracked via either the onboard technology or the mobile phone assigned to each truck.”
Union hits out at FRV for not finding solution to dated tech
In a letter to FRV Commissioner Gavin Freeman, UFU secretary Peter Marshall lashed the service over a situation he dubbed both “farcical and untenable”.
“Given that the Australian public was advised as early as September 2022 that the 3G network would be decommissioned, the FRV’s failure to rectify the situation and update its practice is simply bewildering,” Mr Marshall said in the letter.
The 3G network shutdown has also disabled a phone system used to unlock gates at 85 FRV stations across Victoria, with firefighters forced to jump the fence in order to get in.
FRV said the issue was a transitional issue and would be resolved soon.
“FRV was aware of the planned 3G shutdown and implemented a transition of devices and systems to 4G and 5G,” an FRV spokesperson said.
“During the transition, a fault with a station access system occurred. Interim measures were quickly implemented, and all staff can now gain access to fire stations. We expect the issue to be fully resolved in the coming days.”
The FRV spokesperson said if access to a property could not be gained through regular means, personnel know to contact their officer in charge so that access could be obtained through alternative means.
FRV refuted that the service had lost its ability to track vehicles.
FRV has been at odds with the UFU in enterprise bargaining hearings in recent months, with the union calling for upgrades to obsolete equipment along with improved pay and working conditions.
The UFU said no permanent solution to the issue had yet been identified, which was a cause for concern ahead of bushfire season.
“The fact that Fire Rescue Victoria doesn’t have a working system to locate vehicles or let firefighters into stations does very little for the concerns that firefighters hold for public safety and their own as summer approaches,” Mr Marshall said in his letter.