Australia
Firefighter Protection Bill receives Royal Assent: read more in the 2012_ufua_national_bulletin_no.1.
The United Firefighters Union of Australia National Office, on behalf of the National Executive and the National Committee of Management, is proud to announce that the Governor General has granted Royal Assent to the "Fair Protection for Firefighters" legislation. This means that the Act is now in force and Aviation and ACT firefighters are now able to access workers compensation entitlements through presumptive legislation for occupational cancer.
Read the full UFUA National bulletin.
ACT: Firefighters threaten strike
Canberra firefighters have warned they might strike over a long-running pay dispute with the ACT Government. ''They are more prepared to threaten firefighter jobs than they are to find the money in their budget to pay even what Fair Work Australia has found in Victoria to be a reasonable rate of pay for this kind of work.'' said UFU ACT Branch Secretary David Livingstone.
WA: DEC in the firing line
WA's environment department takes too many risks with its controversial prescribed burns program and puts homes in danger by lighting fires it doesn't have the resources to control. That explosive claim has been made by the firefighters' Union to Mick Keelty, the former federal police chief who is investigating November's Margaret River fire that destroyed more than 40 properties. UFU WA Branch Secretary Graeme Geer, said the Union's submission calls for DEC officers to ask permission from firefighters at FESA before lighting any burn-offs.
WA: Department accused of "risky" burn offs.
NSW: Firefighter sells invention to London Fire Brigade
An Australian firefighter has sold his invention, a system that deploys hoses more quickly, to the London Fire Brigade, a little over two years after he devised the idea. He also has a trial period with the NSW Fire Brigade and a Rio Tinto mine in NSW for the devices, which he is selling for $350 each,
National: NY fireman's family meets PM
The Dowdell family of New York met Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Melbourne on Tuesday, less than a year after she used their husband and father, Lieutenant Kevin Dowdell, as an example of the ties between the two nations in her address to the US Congress. Lt Dowdell was one of 343 firefighters who died during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre.
International
UK: Delaying response to automatic fire alarms will leave 290 fires a year to spread, crews warn
Merseyside fire crews say plans to delay sending fire crews to attend automatic fire alarms in business and commercial premises will leave 290 fires to spread every year. The Fire Brigades Union say the plans are a cut too far and threaten businesses and jobs.
USA: Arbitrator favors firefighters over city
A federal arbitrator has ruled that the city of Springfield must have at least 49 firefighters on duty every day.Tony Burton, President of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 37, said the Union's goal since March has been to see manning levels return to 49 firefighters. “It's a safety issue,” he said. “I believe it's a win for the public and for the and for the firefighters."
UK: Claims of bullying routinely ignored by London’s fire authority
Claims of sexist bullying and other inappropriate behaviour by senior politicians are being routinely ignored by the body responsible for upholding standards on the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), a Freedom of Information request has revealed. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has learned that in the last three years, 18 complaints were submitted to the LFEPA standards committee about the conduct of members of the Authority.
NZ: Collective Agreement Negotiations latest
The Union rejects the employer's counter-proposal.