A Wyndham firefighter fears someone will die in a fire in the municipality unless the state government provides more career firefighters and equipment.
The veteran firefighter, who asked not to be named, said Wyndham crews were struggling to meet community expectations and keep up with population growth because the government had slashed the CFA’s budget.
He said brigades were being denied equipment and station maintenance, with volunteers regularly working extended shifts to keep stations open.
“We are going to have another Mintaro Way [Seabrook]. A person died there 15 years ago because volunteers couldn’t respond in time,” he said.
“The system is going to crack. Our volunteers are being required to give more and serve longer because there aren’t enough career firefighters to support them.
“That means they’re spending more time away from families and employment.’’
He said firefighters in Hoppers Crossing were working 24-hour shifts to keep the station staffed.
‘‘At other stations, guys are working split shifts,” he said.
‘‘We have had numerous incidents recently when stations such as Point Cook have been understaffed for long periods.”
The United Firefighters Union supported the firefighter’s claims, saying the government had cut $66 million from the CFA and MFB budgets since 2010.
Secretary Peter Marshall said the government had also reneged on an agreement to hire 342 more firefighters.
A spokeswoman for Emergency Services Minister Kim Wells said it was an operational issue and referred the Weekly to the CFA.
A CFA spokesman said the organisation’s budget was the highest it had ever been: $446 million this year.
He said the organisation remained committed to introducing additional career firefighters to support volunteers, adding that almost half the 342 firefighters promised had been delivered.
He said five extra firefighters had been deployed to Wyndham since 2010.
“All CFA brigades are well resourced to protect their communities,” he said.
