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Chemical risk shuts CFA site

AAP

AAP

The Victorian Country Fire Authority’s (CFA) training facility at Fiskville, north-west of Melbourne, has been closed permanently after chemical residue was found in its water supply.

The Andrews government announced the decision on Thursday afternoon, after the CFA board unanimously recommended the closure of the site following the results of about 550 tests at the location.

The facility was closed indefinitely in early March.

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During this time it was also reported that the chairman and chief executive of WorkSafe Victoria resigned after concerns about the agency’s handling of complaints made about the site.

The facility, located near the town of Ballan, was already the subject of a state parliamentary inquiry into concerns firefighters were exposed to toxic chemicals dating back to the 1970s.

CFA firefighters

CFA firefighters battling a blaze. Photo: AAP

Now, a chemical residue, known as PFOS, from a banned firefighting foam has been found in mains water stored in two large tanks on the site.

The Victorian Emergency Services Minister, Jane Garrett, says in a statement released on Thursday that the results showed that while the drinking water and showers were clear of contamination, high levels of the toxic chemical PFOS were found around the fire training area, and a completely new zone at the site where the chemical had not been previously detected.

Ms Garrett says the exhaustive tests shows PFOS levels ranged from less than 1 microgram per litre to as high as 50 micrograms per litre.

International guidelines for safe levels of PFOS in drinking water is 0.2 micrograms and for non-drinking water is 4 micrograms per litre.

The source of the latest contamination has not yet been determined but the pumping system and old pipes are considered the most likely, she says.

“Despite previous clean ups, Fiskville remains a dangerous site which can no longer operate safely,” Ms Garrett says.

“The training previously done at the site will be taken over in the short term by other CFA facilities.

CFA fiskville site shuts permanently due to toxic water supply

CFA cheif executive Michael Wooten and Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley. Photo: AAP

“The Parliamentary Inquiry continues to examine the history of the site, the lessons to be learned and consider compensation.”

Ms Garrett says today ends a “dark chapter” in Victoria’s firefighting services.

“While we are relieved that the drinking water is safe, the ongoing discovery of contamination at Fiskville means it can no longer operate as a training ground,” Ms Garret says.

“Our immediate concern is for the people at Fiskville, and we are working closely with the CFA and the affected staff to assist them through this difficult change.

“Another major issue is to ensure proper consultation about the much loved memorial at Fiskville for fallen firefighters who perished protecting our community.

“We will learn the lessons of Fiskville as the Parliamentary Inquiry does its work.”

WorkSafe Victoria chairman chief David Krasnostein and chief executive Denise Cosgrove had quit at the request of the State Government, the ABC reports.

The safety watchdog had previously declared the site to be safe, despite the ongoing concerns raised by firefighters and staff.

Long history of concerns at Fiskville

More than a dozen people linked to the Fiskville site have died of cancer, including whistleblower Brian Potter, a former fire chief who suffered a series of cancers over a period of 15 years.

United Firefighters Union spokesman Mick Tisbury.

United Firefighters Union spokesman Mick Tisbury. Photo: AAP

A report in 2012 confirmed firefighters had been exposed to chemicals through water used in hot fire training exercises.

But the report also declared the facility was safe and said the risk of getting cancer was low.

However the CFA admitted is did not act quickly enough to respond to the cancer concerns.

Mick Tisbury, a senior station office with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), started investigating the water quality at Fiskville in 2012.

Training recruits reported the water had an odd smell and colour.

“The more we dig, the scarier it became,” he said.

“For years there was report after report, after report from external environmental and health organisations all saying the water is category A industrial waste. It’s a matter of urgency, stop using it and clean it out.

“It was so heavily contaminated that it was actually illegal to remove it from the site, yet the CFA and MFB senior management knew about this.”

The firefighters’ union banned its members from the site, however, the site kept operating. Some officers simply refused to go there.

The New Daily has contacted the CFA who is preparing a statement.

with ABC

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