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About a thousand firefighters in the Hunter, Sydney and Illawarra regions went on strike for five hours yesterday (Thursday) afternoon over the changes that the O’Farrell government wants pushed through NSW Parliament to reduce costs for WorkCover.
Police and other rescue workers have been exempted from the cuts to travel coverage, and a deal struck yesterday with Christian Democrat MP Fred Nile appeared to have added the firefighters to that list during the day.
But Fire Brigade Employees Union sub-branch secretary Luke Russell said he did not believe Mr Nile’s proposals helped firefighters or ambulance officers – who were also exposed to the changes – in any meaningful way.
Mr Russell said the union executive would meet in the coming days to work out its next move.
About 250 stations around the state are closed in the first general strike since 1956.
Fire trucks lined up outside State Parliament after the industrial action began at 1:00pm (AEST), with crews also spraying the building with their hoses.
Firefighters say they will not respond to emergency calls.
The secretary of the Fire Brigade Employees’ Union, Jim Casey, says unfortunately, the dispute may be long and bruising.
A man says he is disgusted that his Sydney house burned while firefighters were striking over changes to the workers compensation scheme.
Kym Loutfy’s wife and grandson were rescued from the burning house by a passer-by on Thursday, while firefighters were turning their hoses on Parliament House during a protest.
Firefighters in Sydney, Newcastle and the Central Coast went on strike for five hours at 1pm (AEST) on Thursday, to protest reforms to workers compensation they say treat them poorly compared to exempt colleagues in the Rural Fire Service (RFS) and police force.
NSW Fire and Rescue said in a statement that crews arrived at the scene within seven minutes of receiving a call from police.
It said local crews on their way to the protest responded to the call and carried out search and rescue operations.
However, they went on to join the protest after the arrival of the Airports Rescue and Firefighting Service.
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Also on STATter911 …
- Bah! Humbug! Did DC’s mayor play Scrooge for cops & firefighters over the holidays leaving them out of the holiday bonus? Vince Gray says no. Unions say yes. – December 25, 2012
- ‘Practical joke’ leads to arrest of three Vermont firefighters. Allegations of hazing of 16-year-old cadet in Lamoille County. – May 11, 2012
- Firefighter falls through floor at Jewell, IA house fire. Power company & cops man hose lines. – August 12, 2012
- It happens. But it’s not often that it’s caught on video. – April 12, 2012
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If the reports are accurate, & these guys went to protest rather than put out a fire & pull vics out, EVERY ONE OF THEM SHOULD BE FIRED! I’ve been a career FF for 20+ years. I need to pay the bills, no question, but I’ve never done this job for the $$. Protecting life & property has always been priority #1, over all else. May sound cheesy to some but it’s how I feel. IMO, anyone who feels differently is in the wrong line of work. Be safe out there Brothers & Sisters.
2 crews on the way to the industrial action responded to the house fire and were on scene in 13 minutes. They conducted SAR and then commenced fire fighting operations. They then remained on scene until members from Aviation Rescue and Firefighting service arrived. Once position was in hand, the crews then made their way to the industrial action in town. Their first priority was and as ALWAYS is to save lives and protect property. These fire fighters responded and undertook their duties whilst knowing they would not be covered if serious injury happened to them at the time. The industrial action was NOT about wage rates, but making sure our comrades who have been and may be injured whilst performing their duties are looked after as they are entitled to be. We have families too! Please refrain from making comment from afar unless you are certain you have the facts on the matter. I am a member of FRNSW and am proud of what I do, and I DON’T do it for the money, but I do hope that by putting myself at risk at times, I’m not putting my family at risk also. I hope this clears up the details of the incident for you LT. Skippy. Stay safe
Well said, mate.
If the first priority was lives and property, your guys never would have left their stations- except when the tones hit for Mr. Loutfy’s home. Sorry mate. Try protesting off-duty next time. Still gets the point across, and nobody’s house burns down.
Sorry “BROTHER”, when you take first due fire apparatus out of it’s response area to protest, no matter how good the cause, you’re in the wrong. I feel for you regarding healthcare, we here in the states are dealing with similar issues ourselves. I agree with what others have said though, if people lose their houses, property, or lives because you’re flowing water on the govt building, it’s tough to plead your case. I hope you all use better judgement in the future. Stay Safe!
But you have to admit FF Battersby that it was pure luck they were around, what would have happened if they were indeed at the rally, what plan was in place to provide fire coverage, was it the avation crews or relying on vollys ?
Im all for the cause, but not at the risk to public safety, could have rallied enough pumps without taking them all off duty?
Everything is a photo ops these days
The simple fact is these guys put their duty to the public aside for their own personal gain. Yes, two crews responded to this fire…because they were in the area. If they had already been at the protest then nobody would have shown up for 45 minutes. The job is to protect not only life but property. these people are now without a home, and for what??? The industrial action didn’t work. Hats off to the rural vols that got the job done.
I agree that protesting should of been done by the off-duty folks. You still would of had a good enough turn out to get your message out. You want the public on your side, as they PAY your salary (well at less here in the states). Not responding to fires will piss off the public and they will go against what you are trying to acheive
Firefighters should be taken care of if hurt in the line of duty, but like everyone else has said. You sign up for job knowing that risk.
To JM,
the industrial action DID work and the Government of NSW has included Firefighters and now also Paramedics in the exemptions to the new Workers Comp scheme. This was the first time since 1956 NSW firefighters have been placed in this situation by the Government which forced us to take this action, which was not done lightly. We had plenty of support from the public and the oppositions in Government. There was NO time given for ANY debate on the matter due to the Government forcing this through so quickly. Our members stood by our Union and are very proud of standing as one fighting for something which we truely believed in. I can now do my duty with the knowledge that if something does happen to me which takes me off duty for an extended period of time, my family wont be paying all the medical bills into the future. And Patrick, I did not sign up for the job thinking that if I got injured my family would be the ones who pay the medical bills, as this was not the case when I joined, and thankfully is not the case for Police, and now also paramedics and us.
Take care
Congratulations.
Now, every one of you owe an apology to Mr Loutfy and his family. A collection to help with his expenses would be nice too. Bare minimum, actually.
You had the balls to protest despite the risks, let’s see how you handle those who have to suffer the consequences of it.
Good Day, FF Battersby from California.
For those who have an interest in this Story check it out at:
http://www.febu
This is the Fire Brigade Union website for NSW.
Oops ukfbbuff!
Little typo there. Try http://www.fbeu.net/
Stay safe, All
This is the same type of attack on public sector unions we’re seeing in the US. There is a line you must draw in the sand and fear that one day you may need to strike. 1979 Toledo Ohio all city workers went on strike for 3 days. In the US most fire unions have a no strike clause but gained binding arbitration to settle disputes.
These men and women are just exercising their rights they have in Australia. Any one of us would flip out if they took our workers compensation or health insurance away if you get injured on the job.
To FF Battersby:
I’m glad you guys got what you wanted. You guys should have never been forced to do it. Just a shame a family had to lose their home because of it. Just glad that when if I ever dial 911 for a fire at my house my departments going to show up no questions asked everytime.