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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-05-16 Daily Xml
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International Firefighters' Day

Ms HABIB (Elder) (12:20): On behalf of Hon. C.L. Wingard, I move:

That this house—

(a) recognises International Firefighters' Day is held on 4 May 2018;

(b) acknowledges that firefighters dedicate their lives to the protection of others and their property, risking the ultimate sacrifice of their lives;

(c) remembers the past firefighters who have died while serving our community or dedicated their lives to protecting the safety of others; and

(d) shows its support and appreciation for firefighters who work hard every day to protect their community.

It is my honour to move this motion on behalf of the Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services.

The Hon. A. Piccolo: Perhaps you can tell us why the minister is not here himself.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Continue, member for Elder.

Ms HABIB: It is my honour to move this motion on behalf of the Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services. International Firefighters' Day falls on 4 May each year, coinciding with St Florian's Day. St Florian is the patron saint of all firefighters and was linked to firefighting in the Roman Empire. International Firefighters' Day provides the community with an opportunity to honour the service and sacrifice of all firefighters, past and present. Firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty are also remembered.

Firefighting is inherently dangerous, with firefighters routinely venturing into emergency scenes to prevent and minimise injury, life and property loss. Firefighters protect homes, businesses, assets, critical infrastructure, the environment, the economy and, most importantly, lives. International Firefighters' Day highlights the values firefighters uphold in the community, including service, perseverance, empathy, selflessness and an unwavering commitment to help others less fortunate.

While St Florian's Day has been marked in Europe for many years, the development of International Firefighters' Day was prompted by the tragic loss of firefighters in the Lynton bushfire in Victoria in 1998. In South Australia, 10 metropolitan firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty between 1862 and 1977, while 15 country firefighters have lost their lives. International Firefighters' Day provides an opportunity for the community to pause, reflect and say thank you.

Mr DULUK (Waite) (12:23): I also wish to say a few words to mark International Firefighters' Day and commend the minister for moving this motion and acknowledge his hard work in this area and the government's support of firefighters, both MFS and CFS. One thing that I love about the support of those on this side of the house is how we do appreciate that the MFS and the CFS are quite different but really important organisations. I hope it is a lesson learnt, especially since, when the member for Light was the minister for emergency services, he tried to merge those two organisations, much to the disappointment and chagrin of, especially, Country Fire Service operators and volunteers.

As we have seen out of Victoria recently as well, the socialist Andrews government has tried to enforce a merger on hardworking volunteers. That is probably what we expect from the Labor Party and is no doubt what a future Labor party wants to do if the member for Light is ever the minister again. It is really important to acknowledge the hard work of firefighters, and those on this side of the house appreciate their dedication, as do those on the other side of the house as well. We also acknowledge the important role that volunteers play, especially within the CFS, in general and within my community.

As the member for Elder touched upon in her contribution, International Firefighters' Day began after the tragic death in 1998 of five Country Fire Association (CFA) volunteers in Linton, Victoria. Here as well, we have seen firefighters really put their lives on the line to look after South Australians, through Ash Wednesday, Black Tuesday and the Pinery Fire in particular. Of course, all firefighters do this on a daily basis as they go about their work looking after us, whether it be a fire that they put themselves in front of, chemical fires, which are particularly hazardous, or the general impact that firefighting has on life and limb.

As I said earlier, we also acknowledge all of our CFS volunteers because they put their body voluntarily on the line. That is something which is so important. It should never be taken for granted by the community and, indeed, the community does not take it for granted. Each day our personnel put their lives on the line to save lives and protect property, preventing and minimising physical and economic loss to a community.

In my electorate of Waite, and throughout the Mitcham Hills, we are truly blessed to have a CFS that is so dedicated to an area which is actually quite bushfire prone due to the Belair National Park and many of the open reserves and spaces as we head up into Heysen as well, with the groups up through the member for Heysen's electorate. My electorate, which falls into CFS Region 1, includes more than 3,000 firefighters and 83 brigades throughout the Mount Lofty area. In my community, as I said before, we have the Sturt CFS group. Dale Thompson is the magnificent group captain and leads a most fantastic group of volunteers and the brigades that make up the Belair, Blackwood, Coromandel Valley, Cherry Gardens and Eden Hills brigades.

About 180 volunteers give up their time and respond to so many emergencies. It is not just firefighting that they respond to; it is car accidents, it is rollovers, it is road clearing. They get calls at 2 o'clock in the morning and 2 o'clock in the afternoon and they make themselves available on behalf of the community. So I would like to really acknowledge my community volunteers who go above and beyond. Sturt group and those volunteer firefighters donate over 1,000 hours of their time to the CFS annually. They go all over the state, and were also recently involved in the Victorian fires.

One thing that is so important about the CFS in my area is how it is much loved by the community. Most businesses in my electorate have a CFS donation box on their front counter. My electorate office also has a CFS donation box on the front counter, and almost every time someone comes into my electorate office and gets a JP service or uses the resources they put $1 or $5 into the tin because they know how important it is for the CFS to be well funded in South Australia and particularly in my area. While it is a primarily urban area, it does rely on CFS volunteers.

The Sturt CFS group has 12 fire appliances, including the air support craft at Cherry Gardens and the CAFS tanker as well, which was a huge fundraising effort that the community got behind. In fact, it was only because—and the member for Light will correct me if I am wrong—the minister and the government at the time did not want to give any money. The then Labor government did not want to give any money for the CAFS tanker at Cherry Gardens.

It took a $200,000 commitment from the local community plus a by-election pledge in 2015 that a future Liberal government would provide the rest of the funding for a CAFS tanker for the government to finally—and there is the member for Light shaking his head, but it is true. For so long, they did not want to provide funding to my CFS group but that is the attitude of the Labor Party. It is absolutely disgraceful and the then shadow minister, the member for Schubert, certainly knows it all too well.

As I mentioned in my maiden speech, it is incumbent on all of us to ensure that the CFS and SES are always well funded, respected and supported. That is why I look forward to working with the new Minister for Emergency Services and this Liberal government and ensuring that our CFS, as well as the MFS and all our volunteer groups, fire stations and communities, are well supported and maintained. That is why at the election—and I was with the then shadow minister at the Belair CFS station—we announced our $5 million commitment to upgrading fire stations, because we on this side of the house know it is important that our firefighting stations, whether they be in Belair, Balaklava or Booleroo Centre, are well resourced and well funded. I am proud to say that this side of the house will always look after the CFS and our volunteers.

Mr BOYER (Wright) (12:30): I rise to speak on this motion and support it as well. In the north-east, we are very well serviced by two MFS stations—one on the boundary of the seat of Wright, just into Surrey Downs, and the other one a very new Salisbury command station on the corner of The Grove Way and Main North Road in Salisbury Heights. The Salisbury command station is a very impressive structure. It was co-located with the Salisbury SES, of which I am a member. In fact, tonight is training and I was hoping the house might rise in time for me to get out there but, alas, I will be here instead.

The Hon. A. Piccolo: Have you got permission?

Mr BOYER: I do not. I should seek permission, though. I am sure it would be granted. As long as I do not take doughnuts, I am sure I could go along and attend training. I was pleased to join the member for Cheltenham in December 2016 to open that new facility, where the SES is co-located with the Salisbury MFS. Both these stations were delivered by the previous Labor government, largely thanks to the efforts of the previous member for Wright, who commissioned the Salisbury station as minister for emergency services and selected the site of the Golden Grove station. In total, the Labor government opened seven new metropolitan fire stations and a new aerial firefighting base in Brukunga.

As a previous chief of staff to the minister for emergency services, I was also fortunate to visit many MFS stations around the state and meet the brave firefighters who work in those stations. I would like to add that it was during this period that the previous Labor agreement introduced the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation (Firefighters) Amendment Act, which enshrined in legislation a presumption that a range of cancers suffered by MFS and CFS firefighters were sustained through that role, therefore qualifying them for workers compensation. Of course, this is an opportunity not only to thank our current fireys but also to remember those who did not make it home.

All workers and volunteers who leave home for a shift should expect to return home safely. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and International Firefighters' Day is about pausing to remember those who fell in the line of duty. It should be remembered, too, that our fireys do much more than just attend fires. They also attend motor vehicle accidents and witness the horrifying carnage on our roads, often using the jaws of life to cut people from the wreckage, sometimes being the ones holding the hands of victims as they pass away.

The toll this takes on MFS officers is very difficult to quantify, and many of the fireys I have spoken to comment that the effects are still felt many years after the incident. They also conduct some fantastic awareness programs like RAP (Road Awareness Program), and recently the Golden Grove station attended my daughter's childcare facility to teach the kids there the basics of fire safety and let them have a play on the truck.

Having a stand-alone day of thanks for our firefighters, both CFS and MFS, also allows everyone in our community to take the opportunity to thank them for everything they do on a daily basis to keep us all safe. That is exactly what I set out to do on 4 May recently. On that day, now forever known as the birthplace of 'doughnutgate', I rang my local station, spoke to the crew rostered on and asked if I could drop by and personally thank them by delivering a tray of doughnuts. I was advised that they would greatly appreciate it, but if they did not answer the doorbell it meant they would be out on a job and I should simply come back later. And that is precisely what took place.

The crew were in Wynn Vale putting out a bin fire when I first went there, so I went back a couple of hours later, just as the crew had returned, and I sat down with a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. We shared the doughnuts, discussed the importance of International Firefighters' Day and the great safety record that we have in South Australia and I thanked the crew members for all their work. They were very appreciative of the gesture. That is why it was so disappointing to receive a stern rebuke from the minister's office more than a week later for my attendance there.

I cannot for the life of me understand how those opposite could think that a local member of parliament, dropping by to personally thank firefighters on a day that is set aside to do exactly that, is somehow inappropriate and disrespectful to both the MFS and the minister.

It is important that we remember that the real motivation for International Firefighters' Day is to remember those who died in the line of duty. Most of us take for granted that we will return home from work safely. Our MFS and CFS firefighters do not have this luxury. Let us spare a thought, too, for their families who wait anxiously at home for their safe return.

I strongly encourage members of parliament to take the time to visit their MFS and CFS stations, and to thank them for their service to our community. I can assure you that doughnuts are just fine by our fireys.

Mr BROCK (Frome) (12:35): I rise to support this motion put forward by the minister. Our communities, particularly in the regional areas of South Australia, benefit from the services of full-time and volunteer firefighters. Permanent firefighters who are members of the South Australian fire service, along with many other members, provide their services across all regional South Australia through the CFS organisations. These people are always there whenever there is a need for their services. They risk their lives to protect the lives of others; and they protect their properties and the properties of others. These services are not only offered during normal working hours but at any time of the day and throughout the year, 365 days a year.

International Firefighters' Day is a small way to pay tribute to those who may have lost their lives or suffered some form of injury, and to pay tribute to the great sacrifice they make during the course of their actions. However, the beginning of International Firefighters' Day was born from a tragic event that took place in the Linton community, Victoria, in 1998, when crews were called to fight a large wildfire, which brought numerous units across, including volunteer firefighters from the Geelong West Fire Brigade.

During the fire, five water tankers required refilling. It was during one of these occasions that there was a very sudden and violent wind change. As the change eventuated, it cut off the tanker that was refilling with water, tragically resulting in the truck being engulfed in flames and killing all five firefighters in that vehicle. After that dreadful incident, a volunteer lieutenant and firefighter, J.J. Edmondson, started the journey to what is now known as International Firefighters' Day.

This event, along with letters of support and the fellowship that flowed from the tragedy spurred J.J. to set a new year's resolution for 1999, namely, to organise an internationally recognised symbol of support and respect for all firefighters and a date on which this could be coordinated worldwide. For many weeks, J.J. coordinated email discussions with national and international communities, seeking comments and suggestions for an appropriate date and symbol. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with great support for the chosen date and the symbol of ribbons.

As mentioned earlier, firefighters in most European countries celebrate their day on 4 May as a day of fire service, as well as St Florian's Day. St Florian's Day is known worldwide and has been traditionally celebrated for 150 years in Europe. Often communities remember human sacrifice through observing a minute's silence. For International Firefighters' Day in 2002, an inaugural sound-off was conducted to reflect on the commitment and sacrifices of firefighters worldwide in a truly poignant manner for emergency service workers. Due to the amazing support of the sound-off in 2002, there is now an annual sound-off on the first Sunday of every May.

One of the most significant symbols of International Firefighters' Day is the red and blue ribbon. This ribbon is cut precisely five centimetres long and one centimetre wide, with the two separate colours co-joined at the top. J.J. Edmondson chose red and blue because red represents the element of fire and blue represents the element of water. Coincidentally, red and blue are also the colours recognised worldwide to signify emergency services. Therefore, red and blue was the best choice of colour to recognise the international holiday. The ribbon is traditionally worn on the lapel (otherwise known as the fold of fabric on a shirt), but is not limited to that spot. The red and blue ribbon is a simple yet effective way to show support for International Firefighters' Day.

While there have been many incidents across the nation that can be mentioned, I would like to mention a couple that recently occurred in close proximity to me, namely, the Bangor and Pinery fires, and not forgetting Black Wednesday and other incidents across the whole of the state. During these incidents, the volunteers not only risked their own lives but, on many occasions, helped to protect their own properties and those of their friends. As was mentioned earlier, firefighters have to contend not only with naturally caused fires but also with those fires that are deliberately lit. This is a tragedy. Whoever sets these fires may think it is a joke or that they are being funny, but I can assure people that that is far from being the case.

This loss by many people causes not only financial loss but, very importantly, on many occasions the loss of great memorabilia that may be the only remembrance of a loved one. Again, I have had personal experience where a fire has gone through and people have lost the only photos they may have had of a deceased family member or friend.

Firefighters also have to attend issues unrelated to fires. They also attend road accidents with CFS volunteers and other emergency services. I can speak personally about an incident in which my late wife was killed, just 10 days before Christmas some years ago. People ran out to the accident and, even to this day, 25 years later, those people still vividly remember that day. Even after 25 years, people still talk about it and have vivid and tragic memories of that particular day. That incident affected not only my own family but also the volunteers from the SES, the ambos, St John's, the fireys and others. We have to remember that the volunteers and firefighters not only attend fires and accidents but also have these tragic memories for many years, and it can really affect their mental health. As I said, there have been many occasions where a firefighter has gone to a motor vehicle accident only to find out that it involves a close friend or, even worse, a family member.

Another sector of the community that needs to be greatly acknowledged is the numerous small business operators who have volunteers working for them. When the bells and the sirens sound, there is a requirement that these people attend an accident or a fire, and they go out there immediately. They do not hesitate. They do not say, 'I'm still working.' They do not consider that. They get into their vehicles, they get onto the fire units and they go out there immediately. This can often be a great disruption to the operation of a business, especially when the volunteer may continue to get paid by that business. I think this is something the general public does not understand in metropolitan areas where we have full-time firefighters. However, in the country, volunteers may suffer a financial loss. Alternatively, businesses may continue to pay them even though it is a financial loss for them.

We need to remember and congratulate those who have served previously and show gratitude to all those who have given their time and risked their lives to protect the rest of us and our communities. Again, I commend all the CFS volunteers across the electorate of Frome, the MFS full-time people stationed at Port Pirie and all the other volunteers who serve. I offer my heartfelt thanks to them for volunteering their services. I congratulate them and give them my 100 per cent support throughout the year. I commend this motion to the house.

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