Out with the old and in with the new. Firefighters in Casey will have new uniforms by the end of the year, following a statewide move. CFA staff member Matt Lawrence models the new uniform, and colleague Amber Fletcher wears the old.By Rebecca Fraser
CASEY firefighters will be decked out in new uniforms by the end of the year, amid angry union claims that current protective clothing fails to meet minimum design and performance standards.
United Firefighters Union (UFU) secretary Peter Marshall said existing Victorian firefighters’ uniforms failed to meet Australian standards and said the replacement being pushed by Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and Country Fire Authority (CFA) had not been adequately tested.
The claims are denied by the CFA.
Mr Marshall said testing of the garment in the United Kingdom confirmed that the outer protective layer of the uniform burned and disintegrated compared to the UFU’s preferred outer material that remained intact and functional.
He said the new uniforms had been tested at the University of Wollongong but only for their capacity to release accumulated heat and were not tested for protection against radiated heat, which is the greatest hazard to a firefighter’s face.
Richard Warwick, the National Health and Safety Convenor from the UFU of Australia, said: “It beggars belief that Victorian firefighters have to threaten to go on strike to be provided with firefighting protective clothing that meets their needs.
“How can anyone possibly expect firefighters to run into burning buildings and risk their lives in anything but the best protective clothing available?” he said.
Mr Warwick also accused the CFA of trying to fight fires “on the cheap”.
But deputy CFA chief officer Craig Lapsley said although the uniforms no longer complied with new Australian standards, they were definitely safe.
He said $25 million would be spent to dress Victoria’s 14,000 career and volunteer firefighters in the new uniforms, which had been thoroughly tested in the UK by the CSIRO and the University of Wollongong.
Mr Lapsley said the safety of officers was an absolute priority and no one’s safety would be compromised.
“I use the analogy that cars from five years ago that had no airbags are still safe, but the new cars with airbags are safer,” he said.
“Two years have been spent on detailed research into the new uniforms and we have come up with the best new generation of pants and jacket.”
He said 100 fire officers were currently testing out the new uniforms that provided much better visibility.
“The old uniforms are safe but there is no doubt that the new ones are better and offer extra features,” he said.
