News - United Professional Firefighters Union

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩The Enterprise Bargaining system has failed to address long-standing, structural problems within the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES).Years of unresolved issues have steadily eroded the capability, sustainability, and wellbeing of WA's Career Fire and Rescue Service.For more than a decade, Firefighters have absorbed increasing operational complexity, emerging risks and heightened public expectations while wages, conditions and organisational support have failed to keep pace.The consequences are already visible. There are growing difficulties attracting and retaining firefighters and officers, increasing levels of stress and burnout, rising medical retirements, and escalating workers’ compensation claims. These are not isolated issues. They are clear indicators of a system under strain.Industrial agreements that are intended to provide stability are being routinely challenged or reinterpreted by DFES, forcing constant disputes over matters that should be resolved through consultation and good faith.WA's Career Fire and Rescue Service is not seeking special treatment. It's searching for fair and reasonable conditions that reflect modern firefighting, protect workforce sustainability, and ensure the community continues to receive the level of service it expects and deserves.When an entire workforce feels undervalued, unsupported, and unheard, outcomes suffer immensely. That is why we've been Fighting For Our Future.And the Fighting Needs to Stop.#FightingForYourSafety #FightingForOurFuture ... See MoreSee Less

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United Firefighters Union of Western Australia

1 week ago

𝐖𝐀 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝We'd be absolutely ecstatic to report that the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA and WA Labor have decided not to fight WA's Career Fire and Rescue Service as part of an arbitration process in the WA Industrial Relations Commission, instead deciding to fund:⚕️ A holistic health and wellness program aimed at stopping Firefighters leaving the job broken through injury, trauma, cancer and a range of other injuries/illnesses.🔋 Adequate investment in emerging risks and technologies to ensure the right training, equipment and skillsets are deployed at incident types involving new, more complex threats to public safety.👩‍🚒 Appropriate wages and conditions to ensure experienced staff are retained, a diverse pool of people can be recruited and staff feel valued in their roles, addressing significant morale issues across the service.🪜 Correction of the existing rank structure, ensuring adequate professional development, assisting staff retention and future proofing leadership.🗣️ Enhanced consultation so that decisions affecting our members are made with their input - Nothing about us without us.𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞.#FightingForOurFuture ... See MoreSee Less

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United Firefighters Union of Western Australia

1 week ago

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭Our members responded to a 4th alarm underground structure fire in Alkimos this morning, approximately 1,500m down a tunnel related to a Seawater Desalination project in the area. This was an unusual and complex incident that required specialist capabilities, knowledge, skills and problem solving abilities, which are not currently recognised by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA and WA Labor in terms of wages, conditions and work value.It was also an incident requiring specialist training and equipment, but our members have only been provided access to, or are supplied with, both of these in limited forms. Finally, it was an incident that required capabilities, specialised equipment and breathing apparatus support from one of WA's two Specialised Equipment Tenders (SET).However, this support was significantly delayed (37 minutes) due to Osborne Park's SET being unavailable (as a result of a staffing matter that was no fault of the Department's) and the alternative of Murdoch's SET not being available given it was on Restricted Duties (their Station Officer had been sent by DFES to another station at the start of the 14 hour nightshift due to the ongoing staffing crisis, making the truck unavailable).This incident highlights the impact of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA and WA Labor running the service lean, without redundancies. It also exemplifies significant need to manage emerging risks, in terms of training and equipment. Further, it affirms that our members are being expected to possess advanced skillsets and capabilities without these being fairly recognised in work value or conditions. Incidents like these are why we're having to Fight for Our Future. And the Fighting Needs to Stop.#FightingForOurFuture ... See MoreSee Less

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United Firefighters Union of Western Australia

1 week ago

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐒 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝟏,𝟒𝟒𝟔 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬WA's Career Fire and Rescue Service has been suffering from a staffing CRISIS since mid-2024. Since then, we have received 1,446 reports of trucks being removed from service, stations closing or minimum crew profiles not being met.For today's 10 hour dayshift, the following has occurred: 🚒 Welshpool 1st - Restricted Duties due to staff vacancies. This is the fourth consecutive shift where the appliance has operated below minimum crewing level, and has therefore not been available as a primary response vehicle or adequate backup appliance. Hannah Beazley MLA and Cassie Rowe MLA🚒 Vincent 1st - Decommissioned (removed from service) due to no relief or off-duty staff being available to crew the truck. John Carey🚒 Joondalup 2.4 - Decommissioned (removed from service) due to no relief or off-duty staff being available to crew the truck. Emily Hamilton MLA🚒 Fremantle 2nd - Decommissioned (removed from service) due to no relief or off-duty staff being available to crew the truck. Simone McGurk MLA🚒 Perth 2nd - Restricted Duties due to staff vacancies, making them unavailable as the primary response vehicle for their turnout area and impacting their ability to provide backup to other crews. John Carey🚒 Perth Vertical Rescue Capability - Offline due to insufficient staff numbers at Perth Fire Station. John CareyThis CRISIS continues to impact day to day operations of WA's Career Fire and Rescue Service. The community is not receiving the service they deserve, expect or pay for, but the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA and WA Labor are failing to acknowledge, let alone address the issue. That's why we are Fighting For Your Safety and the Future of Our Members.And the Fighting Needs to Stop.#fightingforyoursafety #FightingForOurFuture ... See MoreSee Less

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United Firefighters Union of Western Australia

3 weeks ago

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United Firefighters Union of Western Australia

3 weeks ago

𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 - 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐲1,397 operational crisis reports about staffing issues have been received since mid-2024. The majority are from 2025 and have progressively escalated in number, impact to service delivery and general level of bewilderment. The latest bewildering example was brought to us today, Tuesday 17 March 2026:🚒 SOS Form 1,397: Osborne Park Specialised Equipment Tender (SET) was placed on Restricted Duties when the station commenced it's 10 hour dayshift without any of its Station Officers. Only one off-duty Station Officer was available to keep their Pump and Light Tanker online, with no other relief or off-duty Officers available for the SET.Subsequently, Murdoch SET was mobilised to a 3rd alarm structure fire in Woodvale reported around 0830am, whilst Osborne Park's SET, along with its crew of three Firefighters, sat idle on station. It took Murdoch 20 minutes longer to arrive on site than it would have taken Osborne Park's SET.At around 10am, because Murdoch were still busy in Woodvale, Osborne Park's SET was sent to a second structure fire in Kelmscott, but under normal road (non-emergency) conditions because it was on Restricted Duties. This also took Osborne Park about 20 minutes longer than it would have taken Murdoch to arrive on site.A third structure fire around 1130am saw Murdoch's SET redirected to Midland when they were finally on their way back from the incident in Woodvale. They never made it to the incident, with crews on site standing down additional resources before they arrived.Due to the ongoing, unmanaged staffing CRISIS, the first two incidents experienced significant delays in breathing apparatus support and the arrival of specialised equipment. Minimum standards, set by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA, are not being met, Firefighter wellbeing and safety is being impacted, and the WA community is not receiving the service they're paying for.Examples like these are why we are having to Fight for Community Safety and the Future of Our Members.And the Fighting Needs to Stop.#fightingforyoursafety #FightingForOurFuture ... See MoreSee Less

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United Firefighters Union of Western Australia

3 weeks ago

𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 - 𝟏,𝟑𝟗𝟏 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐒 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝Just another day in Western Australia, with Career Fire and Rescue Service trucks removed from service due to no action being taken by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA and WA Labor to address the ongoing staffing CRISIS. Today, the following occurred:🚒 SOS Form 1389: Daglish 1st Pump Decommissioned, with their off-duty Station Officer (who was holding back) sent home, and three Firefighters sent to fill oustanding vacancies at other stations.Jonathan Huston MLA and Basil Zempilas - Daglish looks after your Electorates, but was operating at half capacity today.🚒 SOS Form 1390: Rockingham 1st Pump Decommissioned after returning from a 3rd Alarm Scrub Fire for shift-change (the incident was still active at the time) due to no available off-duty or relief Station Officers in the system. Vincent 2nd Pump had to be removed from their area, leaving their station at half capacity, to provide coverage instead.Magenta Marshall - Your electorate was impacted yet again by this crisis. What have you done to fix it?🚒 SOS Form 1391: Osborne Park Specialised Equipment Tender was Decommissioned when the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA refused to approve a 24 hour shift for the outgoing Station Officer, who had offered to stay on shift for the day (which would have made them unavailable for their next nightshift). One Firefighter was sent to a different station to fill other, outstanding vacancies and the remaining two Firefighters were left on station.The Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA would refer to this as placing the truck on Restricted Duties. However, it is clear that operating the truck below their own minimum staffing requirements and not having it available for normal turnout to incidents equates to a truck that is offline, and the use of the words 'Restricted Duties' is simply smoke and mirrors.David Michael - What are you doing to stop this crisis?Basil Zempilas - Osborne Park is your other local station, making that 2/2 with Decommissioned trucks for your Electorate today. The Fighting Needs to Stop.#fightingforyoursafety #FightingForOurFuture ... See MoreSee Less

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United Firefighters Union of Western Australia

4 weeks ago

𝟏𝟓𝟎 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐲Today we were proud to support Senator Glenn Sterle, together with Bedshed, Centurion Transport and KEYS - The Moving Solution, in the delivery of mattresses to WA’s Far North through Bedshed’s Bedroom Project. Our members assisted with the loading of 150 king-sized mattresses as part of this genuine effort to improve the lives of others. For some community members, this project means receiving a mattress of their own for the first time.Amazing work by all involved in this wonderful initiative! ... See MoreSee Less

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United Firefighters Union of Western Australia

4 weeks ago

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐒 - 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝟔𝐏𝐑 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐡As we reported the other day, WA's Career Fire and Rescue Service Staffing CRISIS has exploded in March 2026. Within the first 8 days, we saw:👩‍🚒 381 staffing vacancies required off-duty staff to recall to work or complete 24 hour shifts.🚒 18 out of the 30 Career Fire Stations have been left without staff, some on multiple occasions, impacting their ability to respond to emergencies with the minimum crewing requirements stipulated by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA!📡 Communication Systems Officers also impacted, with reports of WA's only Fire and Emergency Services 000 call centre operating below minimum staffing requirements on at least one occasion already this month.⚠️ 43 operational staffing crisis reports have been submitted. That's 43 times a station or truck hasn't been available on normal duties.💰 $363,000 in taxpayer money has been spent, which is over $45,000 PER DAY to keep the Career Fire and Rescue Service operating at a standard which is still below minimum requirements.These figures are already out of date, with the number of additional shifts worked by off-duty staff skyrocketing, more and more trucks being placed on Restricted Duties or Decommissioned, and the overtime bill climbing continuously. Everyone who needs to know about this problem knows, but nothing is being done to fix it. That's why we are having to Fight for Community Safety and the Future of Our Members.And the Fighting Needs to Stop.#fightingforyoursafety #FightingForOurFuture ... See MoreSee Less

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United Firefighters Union of Western Australia

4 weeks ago

𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲Maddington and Hope Valley's High Threat Period 3.4 Urban Tankers were unstaffed and offline today as the bushfire emergency unfolded in Perth's hills (Beechina).A fleet of state operational spare 3.4 appliances was also removed from the Career Fire and Rescue Service at the start of summer, making them unavailable to send to incidents such as this. Subsequently, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA could only send Urban Pump appliances which, in contrast to the 3.4 Urban Tankers, are not specifically designed for bushfires, lack comprehensive crew protection systems, have limited water and are better suited to urban firefighting, road crashes, and other rescues.The cause? A problem that we've been highlighting since mid-2024; the WA Career Fire and Rescue Service staffing CRISIS, which the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA and WA Labor continue to do nothing about. Murdoch's Specialised Equipment Tender was also removed from service today so that staff could be sent to other fire stations, such as Kensington, to prevent those stations from closing and becoming unavailable to protect the community.With various Urban Pump appliances removed from the gazetted Fire District in response to this bushfire emergency, remaining stations will need to plug gaps in operational service delivery to ensure community safety. That is why it is so important that all Career Fire and Rescue Service Stations are staffed and available 24/7 as they're intended to be. Otherwise one significant incident elsewhere could mean that you, at your own emergency, receive a delayed response which could be the difference between life and death.That is why we are Fighting for Community Safety and the Future of Our Members.And the Fighting Needs to Stop.#fightingforyoursafety #FightingForOurFuture ... See MoreSee Less

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