Fire union renews call for 24/7 station
BY ADAM WRIGHT
http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/news/local/news/general/fire-union-renew...
22 Jun, 2011 08:21 AM
PERMANENT firefighters and their union have raised concerns at the lack of action in organising staff for a 24/7 fire station in Nowra after the NSW election.
Fire Brigade Employees Union Illawarra Sub Branch secretary Andy Coppin said it appeared the support vocalised by candidates in the lead-up to the state election for a 24/7 station in Nowra had waned.
“We’ve had an ongoing campaign for a number of years, to push for a 24/7 fire station in Nowra,” he said.
“We were under the impression before the state election that funding had been approved for Nowra and Bathurst stations.
“After the election, however, the issue seems to have taken a backseat.
“The mayor in Bathurst, who is also the elected member, has maintained that push and received support from Fire and Rescue NSW,” he said.
Bathurst Council recently voted to back its town’s 24/7 fire station to the tune of $152,000 a year.
Mr Coppin said the 24/7 station would not mean the end for retained firefighters, who covered from 6pm to 6am.
“We still have a requirement for retained firefighters, this would supplement them,” he said.
“I recently met with Gareth Ward and he’s supportive of the placement of permanent staff in Nowra and moving one of the stations to the northern side of the bridge.
“I’ve got a meeting with Shelley Hancock later this month, and I believe she supports it.”
Mr Coppin said Nowra compared favourably with Bathurst in terms of needing a 24/7 station.
Mayor Paul Green said a fire station north of the river could be more of a priority but said he was unsure of the trigger point for 24/7 coverage.
“In the name of safety if there was a poignant reason to go to 24/7 we would have to look into it,” he said.
“I don’t know what the trigger points for needing a 24/7 station are but it would be interesting to see a comparison in fire numbers between Shoalhaven and Bathurst,” Cr Green said.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward supports the push for a fire station on the northern side of the river and for extra fire fighting support.
“Whilst many of our villages are well served by the Rural Fire Service, if we can argue for extra support that ensure better response times to life-threatening situations then this must be the priority,” he said.
A spokesman for Fire and Rescue NSW said the organisation had provided advice to the government on the level of fire and emergency risks in Nowra and resource needs.
“It is understood that funding for additional staff will be considered by the government as part of the state budget in September,” he said.
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