❓ A parliamentary question addresses water contamination concerns at the WA fire and emergency services academy, including potential health impacts and remediation efforts. The Minister provides answers regarding incident reporting, water quality testing, and plans for a new training centre.
AnsweredQoN 27Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES — ACADEMY —
WATER CONTAMINATION
27. Hon
MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I
refer to reports of water contamination at the WA fire and emergency services
academy resulting in ''numerous ailments and injuries''.
(1) Has the
Department of Fire and Emergency Services referred the concerns to WorkSafe for
investigation; and, if not, why not?
(2) Please table
the report of contractors that were engaged to investigate the water quality,
including any water analysis completed.
(3) What action
has DFES taken to rectify the situation and address health concerns at the
academy?
(4) Noting the view of the Department of Water and
Environmental Regulation that the current site is a ''high priority
for action to mitigate the risk to human health, the environment and
environment values'', when does the government expect a new fire and
emergency services academy will be operational?
WATER CONTAMINATION
27. Hon
MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I
refer to reports of water contamination at the WA fire and emergency services
academy resulting in ''numerous ailments and injuries''.
(1) Has the
Department of Fire and Emergency Services referred the concerns to WorkSafe for
investigation; and, if not, why not?
(2) Please table
the report of contractors that were engaged to investigate the water quality,
including any water analysis completed.
(3) What action
has DFES taken to rectify the situation and address health concerns at the
academy?
(4) Noting the view of the Department of Water and
Environmental Regulation that the current site is a ''high priority
for action to mitigate the risk to human health, the environment and
environment values'', when does the government expect a new fire and
emergency services academy will be operational?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of this question.
(1) No. Under legislation—section 35 in part 3,
''Incident notification'', of the Work Health and Safety Act 2020— it
is not a notifiable incident. Testing confirmed that the water was not
contaminated by chemicals but as a stagnant water source it can be subject to
algae growth.
(2) I table the attached report.
[See paper 2009 .]
(3) The
Department of Fire and Emergency Services—DFES—undertook
remediation actions by —
(a) using an
alternative water source in training drills while the testing was conducted;
(b) draining and
refilling the dam as a precaution;
(c) engaging
external contractors to conduct weekly testing and maintenance reporting on
water quality; and
(d) implementing
a management plan to assess water quality.
(4) The Western Australian
emergency management training centre project is still underway.
some notice of this question.
(1) No. Under legislation—section 35 in part 3,
''Incident notification'', of the Work Health and Safety Act 2020— it
is not a notifiable incident. Testing confirmed that the water was not
contaminated by chemicals but as a stagnant water source it can be subject to
algae growth.
(2) I table the attached report.
[See paper 2009 .]
(3) The
Department of Fire and Emergency Services—DFES—undertook
remediation actions by —
(a) using an
alternative water source in training drills while the testing was conducted;
(b) draining and
refilling the dam as a precaution;
(c) engaging
external contractors to conduct weekly testing and maintenance reporting on
water quality; and
(d) implementing
a management plan to assess water quality.
(4) The Western Australian
emergency management training centre project is still underway.
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