Canberra's emergency services agency has hit back at union allegations it misled the public by withholding performance data that showed a growing demand for firefighting services in the lead-up to last year's election.
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The agency has also defended its actions in hiring spin doctors to counter the United Firefighters Union ACT's strident claims the territory was under-resourced and under-prepared in the event of major bushfires, terrorist attacks and climate change.
Union branch secretary Greg McConville on Tuesday called for an probe into the ACT Emergency Services Agency's public relations spend, which he said was a waste of taxpayer's money, as he alleged it ignored data showing boosted need for services.
"The ESA campaign misleadingly claimed that while the ACT's population was steadily growing, data also indicated that the demand for fire and rescue services is not," Mr McConville said.
Mr McConville said recent Productivity Commission figures showed demand for ACT Fire and Rescue for flood and storm incidents had jumped by 21.4 per cent, with other fires - such as rubbish or bin fires - up by 15.9 per cent, in 2015-16.
Rescues had risen 11 per cent while there had been a 5.9 per cent increase in landscape fires.
"Instead of demand dropping for fire and rescue services as claimed by the ESA, it had in fact significantly increased," Mr McConville said.
He claimed ACT firefighters' workload had jumped 8.2 per cent compared to an increase of less than one per cent in firefighters on the ground, and a 7.6 rise in non-operational staff, in the same period.
ESA Commissioner Dominic Lane said he stood by the performance data figures the agency tabled publicly last year.
"There has been an increase in activity, and we acknowledge that.
"Once again, ACT Fire and Rescue is performing better than ever."
Mr Lane said the ESA would continue to work with the government and on its strategic reform agenda, a major structural overhaul of the agency, to replace retiring staff and put more firefighters on the ground.
He said annual data refuted the union's claims the ESA was "under-staffed, under-resourced and under-prepared" and he would make any fresh figures public as the agency had "nothing to hide".
Mr Lane said the agency spent $14,700 split between two public relations firms for a publicity campaign to highlight its performance levels and future plans, saying the decision had been well-received by volunteers, firefighters and paramedics.
"Once the UFU made the claims they did, as ESA Commissioner, I did see the need to bust those myths and put some context around it all," he said.
Mr McConville said the union had lodged a complaint over the expenditure with the ACT Electoral Commission, which found the ESA had not breached any electoral laws as, given it was a government entity, it wasn't required to lodge a third-party campaigner election return.
He signalled the union would take up the matter with the ombudsman.
"The ESA said demand hasn't increased. It had at its disposal data that said the opposite.
"It spent public money putting across this spin and the political parties saw through it.
"But the fact they did it requires investigation because they wasted public money."
