Important information for the community about the 21 June firefighters' industrial action

Published: 21st June 2012

What has happened?

The firefighters union has ordered its members, which comprise most

Fire & Rescue NSW firefighters, to participate in a strike from 1pm 21 June 2012.

What will Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) do without firefighters?

FRNSW has set up contingency arrangements using various NSW emergency services and resources to ensure that the community are protected and kept safe during this time. This includes:

  • FRNSW will activate a coordination centre to manage the firefighting resources that are available. These resources include fire stations where staff choose not to participate in strike action, and senior and executive staff who are able to fulfil operational roles
  • If available, retained (on-call) fire crews from the fringes of Sydney, Hunter and the Illawarra will be managed by the Incident Coordination Centre as additional resources
  • NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers will be strategically placed throughout the Sydney Metropolitan, Hunter and Illawarra regions· Government scientific officers will be available to respond hazardous materials (hazmat) incidents, and;
  • NSW Police Force and Ambulance Service specialist staff will be allocated to carry out rescue.

Will my local fire station be closed?

This is a possibility as FRNSW moves its resources, some fire stations may be affected as the available crew and fire truck can be deployed where needed.

If there are not enough firefighters available to operate a fire truck, a station may be closed and the fire truck left inside. The Incident Coordination Centre will know that this is the case, and if there is an emergency in your area, other available resources will be sent.

If my house is on fire or there is another emergency, will I still be able to get help?

FRNSW in conjunction with other NSW emergency services have put a number of contingencies into place in order to ensure that members of the community are still protected, and can get help via ‘000’ if they experience a fire or other emergency.

Who do I call if there is a fire emergency?

Continue to call ‘000’ for all genuine emergencies, including fire.

Telstra has transferred all fire-related ‘000’ calls to NSW Police. NSW Police will pass these details on to the FRNSW Coordination Centre. Calls will be prioritised and available fire engines will be deployed to life-threatening situations in the first instance.

Other calls, such as automatic fire alarms, may be initially responded to and investigated by NSW Police.

How long is this strike expected to last?

The firefighters union have advised FRNSW that the action imposed by them should not extend past 6pm tonight (21 June).