Anyone found responsible for allowing diesel and lead contamination to build up at the Gungahlin emergency services centre should face prosecution for failing to keep workers safe, the union representing firefighters says.
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United Firefighters Union ACT branch secretary Greg McConville said the union had written to WorkSafe ACT and called for an investigation with a view to prosecution.
"This extended exposure may have severely, permanently, and potentially fatally impacted the health of emergency services personnel who've worked at the JESC over several years," Mr McConville said.
Mr McConville said it was probable the duty to monitor conditions at other fire and emergency facilities had also been neglected.
"The concerning events of the last 24 hours are another example of how firefighters have been failed by the Justice Directorate with respect to facilities management. This failure includes the unacceptable delays in building new fire stations at Acton and Molonglo. Ultimately, funding should be provided to the fire service to build and manage these facilities itself," he said.
Meanwhile, the head of the ACT's emergency services remains confident ambulance and firefighter response times will not be affected in Gungahlin after staff were forced out of their building.
Emergency Services Agency Commissioner Wayne Phillips said staff had been moved to West Belconnen and Dickson after contamination was found in the Gungahlin Joint Emergency Services Centre.
Mr Phillips said his staff were removed from the Gungahlin building, which opened in 1998, by 2pm on Wednesday and WorkSafe ACT had been notified.
"The build up of diesel particulates is a very dangerous situation for workers inside a building. We're looking at the cleaning of that. ... I have a passion about reducing emergency service personnel exposure to carcinogens," Mr Phillips said.
Mr Phillips said he was a big supporter of health monitoring for firefighters, which the firefighters' union renewed calls for on Wednesday. The scheme was agreed in 2020 during enterprise bargaining but has not been implemented.
Further testing would take a week and an investigation was needed to identify the source of the lead contamination. The diesel particulates are thought to have come from the engine bays.
Lead and diesel particulates were identified in two separate parts of the building's ceiling cavity. The Justice and Community Safety Directorate had earlier said the diesel contamination was found across the building, but this has not yet been confirmed. The government said there was no risk to nearby residents.
The Canberra Times revealed on Wednesday night emergency services and police would be pulled out of the contaminated building.
Mr Phillips said his staff could continue working outside of the building for a longer period if that was required.
ACT Policing said it would relocate officers to the former traffic operations centre in Belconnen and its Gungahlin front office would be shut from Thursday.
"Gungahlin residents who attend the station to satisfy bail conditions should make alternative arrangements," police said.
"Gungahlin patrols will continue to attend incidents in the Gungahlin district with an aim to ensure response times are kept to a minimum."
The Australian Federal Police Association has warned poor working conditions at the Woden station could force it to close.
Officers were pulled out of City Police Station earlier this month, with Belconnen now the only fully functional police station in Canberra's north.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
