Trench and confined space rescue equipment
Mr GRIMLEY (Western Victoria) (14:26): My question is for the Minister for Emergency Services, and it relates to operational equipment and trained staff for the Lucas fire station in Western Victoria. In 2018 there was a tragic incident that saw two men lose their lives in a trench collapse in Delacombe. The local professional firefighters were only a few kilometres away from the incident, and they responded quickly. Unfortunately they were not equipped with the tools necessary to rescue these men. Professional firefighters have been calling on the government to supply the proper equipment to enable the north-west of the state to have the ability to perform trench and confined-space rescues. The United Firefighters Union (UFU) believes that this equipment is available now; however, it is gathering dust in storage in Melbourne. Given the number of excavation equipment operating daily in the north-west of the state, which is well over 100, it should now be a no-brainer to have equipment and trained staff based in Lucas. Currently the nearest equipment is in Warrnambool or Richmond. Minister, will the government supply trench rescue equipment and staff for Fire Rescue Victoria professional firefighters to keep the north-west of Victoria safe?
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (14:27): I thank Mr Grimley for his question and at the outset acknowledge the deaths of Mr Howkins and Mr Brownlee in relation to the incident that he referred to. Many people in this chamber met with those families because they were instrumental in changes to workplace safety laws and in relation to some significant reforms, industrial manslaughter reforms, that were a direct consequence of those families’ stories. I personally met with those families, and the courage displayed was immense. We know that that was a devastating event that had a profound impact on many people, particularly the local community and emergency services.
In response to your question in relation to technical rescue, this is an important part of the service that our firefighters provide to the community, and that is why we have ensured that Fire Rescue Victoria continue to have equipment such as this. We have made significant changes to stop accidents such as what occurred on that awful day in relation to working with FRV and workplaces and backing the experts on how to respond to rescue situations so that people can learn from these experiences. As you know, we promised to reform our fire services and ensure career and volunteer firefighters are supported in keeping the community safe in relation to appropriate training and the like.
While the deployment of technical equipment is an operational decision for FRV, I have asked FRV to continue to work with industrial partners and other stakeholders on options to further supplement the technical capabilities across the state. That is a conversation that I have recently had with the commissioner, and I am receiving ongoing briefings in relation to the equipment and, as you have correctly identified, in relation to, if you have equipment, making sure you have got the appropriate staff on hand to be able to operate that equipment. Those conversations are certainly ongoing.
Mr GRIMLEY (Western Victoria) (14:29): Thanks, Minister. In a letter that you wrote to the victims’ families of the 2018 trench collapse there were misleading assertions, according to UFU firefighters. This led to a statutory declaration being made to contradict these. According to the stat dec that was made, the minister asserted that the Ballarat city fire station was a technical rescue fire station with trench rescue capabilities. This is not factually correct as there is no equipment at that particular fire station, only the trained staff. These assertions could lead to the victims’ families believing that the equipment and staff were available in the area during the 2018 trench collapse; however, we know this was not the case. I met with the professional firefighters at Lucas, and they would like to clarify with the minister why these assertions were made and why they are not being provided with the necessary staff and equipment to protect their community. Minister, will you commit to meeting the professional firefighters at the Lucas and Ballarat stations to discuss their professional needs prior to the November election?
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (14:30): As I indicated in my substantive answer, Mr Grimley, these are conversations that I am having directly with FRV in a contemporary fashion. In the last two weeks I have met with FRV in relation to specifically this matter and have received ongoing information. What we said was there is technical rescue, not trench rescue, in relation to that correspondence, so hopefully that clarifies the point that you have just made. I do not agree that there was misleading information in relation to that advice. I wanted to make sure I was very direct with the family and very clear on the conversations and the equipment and capabilities of FRV and the ongoing conversations that we have had in relation to the necessary support to ensure that we have the appropriate equipment and people in place to ensure that we can respond to all the range of emergency services incidents.