❓ Ms. Quirk questions the Minister for Emergency Services about providing breathing apparatus to volunteer bush fire brigade firefighters under the local government grants scheme. The Minister responds negatively, citing lack of scientific evidence and practical concerns.
AnsweredQoN 655Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FIREFIGHTING RESOURCES — LOCAL GOVERNMENT
GRANTS SCHEME
655. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the
Minister for Emergency Services:
Mr Speaker —
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany, stop putting the member for Girrawheen off!
Ms M.M. QUIRK : I
refer to concerns raised by volunteers that volunteer bush fire brigade
firefighters are not supplied with breathing apparatus or with training under
the local government grants scheme through the emergency services levy unless a
need is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Department of Fire and
Emergency Services.
(1) Does the
minister support our bush fire brigade firefighters being supplied with
breathing apparatus?
(2) If no to
(1), is this because the funds under the local government grants scheme have
not increased, despite an over 80 per cent rise in the ESL and increased
demand?
GRANTS SCHEME
655. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the
Minister for Emergency Services:
Mr Speaker —
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany, stop putting the member for Girrawheen off!
Ms M.M. QUIRK : I
refer to concerns raised by volunteers that volunteer bush fire brigade
firefighters are not supplied with breathing apparatus or with training under
the local government grants scheme through the emergency services levy unless a
need is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Department of Fire and
Emergency Services.
(1) Does the
minister support our bush fire brigade firefighters being supplied with
breathing apparatus?
(2) If no to
(1), is this because the funds under the local government grants scheme have
not increased, despite an over 80 per cent rise in the ESL and increased
demand?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
I thank the member for Girrawheen. Happy 434 th anniversary! It is
434 days since Labor Party members have asked a question about emergency
services in this place. Clearly, they take it so seriously!
Several
members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Member for
Mandurah!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : I
welcome the Auditor General's report tabled today and his findings in
support of the preparedness of fire and emergency services volunteers. I was
going to make some other comments and I did not expect this question. However,
I am certainly willing to talk about it, and in particular whether or not
volunteer bush fire brigade firefighters should be given breathing apparatus.
This is a very interesting debate. Firstly, I must point out that the majority
of volunteer bush fire brigade firefighters, on my understanding, actually do
not want BA. There is also an issue with the fact that because of the exposure
they get, as long as they are only fighting bushfires, not other fires with
carcinogens other than smoke from the bush, they probably do not need breathing
apparatus. There is also the issue of whether, in the conditions in which they
fight fires—prolonged conditions when they are exposed to lots of heat,
predominantly over summer—it would be physically too onerous for
volunteer bush fire fighters to even be wearing BA. If the member wants to talk
about personal protective equipment—in other words, just masks—or
protective equipment overall, that is another issue. I know the member for
Girrawheen specifically asked about BA and whether I support it: at this stage,
no, I do not. I have not seen any scientifically based evidence to suggest that
volunteer bush fire brigade firefighters exposed only to bushfire smoke should
be subjected, either compulsorily or of their own will, to wearing closed-air
breathing apparatus.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
It has nothing to do with the money; it is to do with the scientific
requirement of whether their exposure to the smoke would have any kind of
impact or carry any carcinogens. I put to the house that if we look at all the
fundamental bases on which we have proposed—we have already passed some—the
next tranche of legislation to do with bush fire fighters and career
firefighters and everyone else being exposed to carcinogens and giving them the
presumptive legislation coverage, I would argue that if there was any chance
whatsoever that bushfire smoke carried carcinogens and could result in someone
contracting cancer, no-one here would ever go to another smoking ceremony at an
opening. I saw many members of this place at the opening of Fiona Stanley Hospital,
where a lovely smoking ceremony was done by the Noongar people that exposed
everyone there to bushfire smoke.
Several members interjected.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
Seriously. There is no requirement, as far as we are concerned, to give bush
fire fighters closed-air breathing apparatus systems. In closing, on top of all
that, almost every single bush firefighting unit is the responsibility of local
government.
I thank the member for Girrawheen. Happy 434 th anniversary! It is
434 days since Labor Party members have asked a question about emergency
services in this place. Clearly, they take it so seriously!
Several
members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Member for
Mandurah!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : I
welcome the Auditor General's report tabled today and his findings in
support of the preparedness of fire and emergency services volunteers. I was
going to make some other comments and I did not expect this question. However,
I am certainly willing to talk about it, and in particular whether or not
volunteer bush fire brigade firefighters should be given breathing apparatus.
This is a very interesting debate. Firstly, I must point out that the majority
of volunteer bush fire brigade firefighters, on my understanding, actually do
not want BA. There is also an issue with the fact that because of the exposure
they get, as long as they are only fighting bushfires, not other fires with
carcinogens other than smoke from the bush, they probably do not need breathing
apparatus. There is also the issue of whether, in the conditions in which they
fight fires—prolonged conditions when they are exposed to lots of heat,
predominantly over summer—it would be physically too onerous for
volunteer bush fire fighters to even be wearing BA. If the member wants to talk
about personal protective equipment—in other words, just masks—or
protective equipment overall, that is another issue. I know the member for
Girrawheen specifically asked about BA and whether I support it: at this stage,
no, I do not. I have not seen any scientifically based evidence to suggest that
volunteer bush fire brigade firefighters exposed only to bushfire smoke should
be subjected, either compulsorily or of their own will, to wearing closed-air
breathing apparatus.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
It has nothing to do with the money; it is to do with the scientific
requirement of whether their exposure to the smoke would have any kind of
impact or carry any carcinogens. I put to the house that if we look at all the
fundamental bases on which we have proposed—we have already passed some—the
next tranche of legislation to do with bush fire fighters and career
firefighters and everyone else being exposed to carcinogens and giving them the
presumptive legislation coverage, I would argue that if there was any chance
whatsoever that bushfire smoke carried carcinogens and could result in someone
contracting cancer, no-one here would ever go to another smoking ceremony at an
opening. I saw many members of this place at the opening of Fiona Stanley Hospital,
where a lovely smoking ceremony was done by the Noongar people that exposed
everyone there to bushfire smoke.
Several members interjected.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
Seriously. There is no requirement, as far as we are concerned, to give bush
fire fighters closed-air breathing apparatus systems. In closing, on top of all
that, almost every single bush firefighting unit is the responsibility of local
government.
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