Opinion Piece
Ayr firefighters will be left to put up with a substandard fire station at the epicentre of a town’s toxic chemical contamination under Labor, Member for Burdekin Dale Last has revealed this week.
Mr Last said the commissioner’s response to questions during Estimates proceedings around replacing the Ayr Fire and Rescue Station was a slap in the face to firefighters who have been left exposed to carcinogenic compounds and unable to undertake essential training for years.
“The PFAS contamination in this township has been an ongoing issue for years and for at least four years this government has sat on a report into its origins” he said.
“Now we have not only seen a half-baked solution by this state government, we have now heard the commissioner state that there is no funding or intent to replace the Ayr Fire and Rescue Station,” Mr Last said.
“The extent of the PFAS contamination at the fire station could mean that not only are our firefighters left to operate from an excavation site while remediation works occur but infrastructure at the current site may well still need to be replaced following the completion of those works.”
“To add to this, we then have no certainty that once contractors have finished remediation works our firefighters will be able to conduct full training activities on the site.”
Mr Last said the disgust at the idea of leaving Ayr’s firefighters to operate from a construction zone was only compounded by the fact Labor had cut the ribbon on a $6m fire station in the south-east with full knowledge it would need to bulldozed within ten years to allow for roadway upgrades.
“People who sign up to put their lives at risk in front line services deserve to have a facility that actually allows them to operate at full capacity, not a 65-year-old station that is not only deemed an environmental risk but is no longer fit for purpose.”
“Make no mistake that as this mess continues to unfold, it’s becoming clearer to this community that our firefighters and residents can’t rely on Labor to ensure that our frontline services have the support and resources they need to respond to emergencies.”
Contributed by Member for Burdekin Dale Last.
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