News

2 days 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

View on Facebook

4 days 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

View on Facebook

6 days 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

View on Facebook

6 days 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

View on Facebook

1 week 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

View on Facebook

1 week ago

Specialist skills, knowledge and expertise for the most technical emergencies, yet the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA continually fail to ensure minimum country crewing levels in Albany. More and more frequently, the Department is also leaving the region unprotected, failing to recall staff to duty when on shift crews are deployed to protracted out of area incidents.On top of all of this, WA Labor continue to undervalue these specialist skillsets, paying Firefighters significantly less than other WA Public Sector Workers and providing worse conditions, like 4 weeks less parental leave and less annual leave compared to Public Sector shift workers. We're actively fighting for community safety and the future of our members as a result.But the Fighting Needs to Stop.#fightingforyoursafety #FightingForOurFutureIn times of emergency, our first responders swing into action 🚨Albany’s career fire and rescue officers were literally doing that yesterday a part of a training exercise at the overpass over Albany Port Road.Albany fire station officer Blair Walkington said it was for category two confined space rescues that were used in a broad range of situations.“Ship holds, things in Albany like the wind turbines from the top of one of those, tunnels anything along those lines all the way through industry, fuel tanks,” he said.“It’s becoming a country-specific skill set.”Because of their extra roping skills team members were also sent to help with the rescue at Bluff Knoll earlier this week.Latest local news: www.abc.net.au/greatsouthern ... See MoreSee Less

View on Facebook

1 week ago

𝟑𝟖𝟏 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬... $𝟑𝟔𝟑,𝟎𝟎𝟎... 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟖 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡Did someone say systemic mismanagement?WA's Career Fire and Rescue Service Staffing CRISIS has exploded in March 2026; and it's only been 8 days!👩‍🚒 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.Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA and WA Labor - We're constantly needing to fight you for community safety and the future of our members. The Fighting Needs to Stop.#fightingforyoursafety #FightingForOurFuture ... See MoreSee Less

View on Facebook

2 weeks ago

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.#FightingForOurFuture#FightingForYourSafety ... See MoreSee Less

Visit Profile

View on Facebook

2 weeks ago

Our members are onsite at an Apartment Fire in North Perth, attending in trucks that are funded to be appropriately staffed 24/7 every day of the year.These very trucks, as with the rest of the fleet across the Career Fire and Rescue Service, have been Decommissioned, placed on Restricted Duties, and operated below safe staffing levels or experience profiles frequently since mid-2024. Today, it is down to luck that these trucks were online and available to attend this Incident... As well as the off-duty Station Officers and Firefighters, more than 20 of them across the Metro area, who volunteered to complete a 24 hour shift or recall to duty on their day off. A service run on luck, goodwill and overtime isn't a healthy one. It's a service grappling with systemic mismanagement and it is placing everyone at risk.That's why we are Fighting for Community Safety and the Future of Our Members.And the Fighting Needs to Stop.#fightingforyoursafety #FightingForOurFuture ... See MoreSee Less

View on Facebook

2 weeks ago

The owner of the The Bellevue Darling Range Hotel has praised the fast response of our members to Sunday's structure fire, where crews managed to contain the damage upstairs.This incident highlights the importance of having all fire stations operational, all trucks online and every specialist resource appropriately crewed as they're meant to be: 24/7 - every day of the year. Saving lives and properties shouldn't be down to luck. That's why we are Fighting for Community Safety and the Future of Our Members.And the Fighting Needs to Stop.#fightingforyoursafety #FightingForOurFutureThe Bellevue Darling Range Hotel's owner praised firefighters for their quick response to Sunday's fire. Despite extensive upstairs damage and an undetermined cause, the owner is hopeful the downstairs pub will open soon. ... See MoreSee Less