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LABOR SPINS RFS FIREFIGHTER NUMBERS: COMMUNITIES IN DANGER

The Liberal and Nationals have obtained a document that reveals that 40 per cent of volunteers in the Rural Fire Service (RFS) are not active firefighters, resulting in some regions in high-risk areas being left without the required manpower, Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Melinda Pavey said today.

The document was obtained through an FOI and was created when Nathan Rees was Emergency Services Minister. It reveals that in the Bland-Temora Zone there are 70 per cent fewer bush firefighters than required, 30 per cent fewer in the Far South Coast region, and almost 10 per cent fewer in the Blue Mountains, one of the highest risk bushfire areas in NSW.

“This document reveals serious short comings in the state’s fire fighting capabilities, when we should be undertaking large scale hazard reduction measures coming into the summer fire season,” Mrs Pavey said.

“This is another case of the NSW Labor Government putting spin over substance, and they should come clean on just how many firefighters there really are. Many former firefighters have said they are on the books but not participating.

“There is a massive gap between the number of RFS members and the number of actual fire fighters on the ground, which may result in less hazard reduction being carried out.

“In the wake of the Victorian bushfires we must be prepared. The State Labor Government must address the shortfalls in this document.

“Nathan Rees must be held directly responsible for failing to address this serious problem.

“Volunteers on the ground are telling me that in some parts of the state they don’t feel supported in wanting to undertake hazard reduction and there are too many bureaucratic obstacles in their way.

“Volunteers have said currently 90 per cent of Bushfire Management Plans covering different regions across the state have not been approved, with some of them many years over due.

“The fact that the Bushfire Management Plans for the South East region, bordering Victoria, and the Blue Mountains are not completed is not good enough given they are high risk areas.

“The NSW Labor Government should be doing more to support and encourage volunteers to become firefighters so they can protect our communities and ensure another tragedy does not occur in NSW.

“The NSW Liberal and Nationals Coalition will continue to pressure the Labor Government to better support volunteers to ensure NSW achieves a safer target of hazard reduction given nearly 50 per cent of the target was not achieved in 2007-2008,” Mrs Pavey said.

MEDIA: Melinda Pavey 0427 203 051 / Verity Lomax 0413 415 893

Rod Bruce
Senior Media Adviser to Andrew Stoner MP
NSW Leader of The Nationals
Ph: (02) 9230 2281
Mob: 0409 637 264