Affected CFA Brigades have united in a call for industrial action to achieve demands with respect to the future of their role as firefighters, in view of the Victorian State Government proposed reckless renewables expansion.

We consider untenable the risks to lives and property, and irreparable damage imposed by proposed installations of High Voltage Transmission Lines and Renewable Energy Infrastructure.

Industrial action is proposed until:

• Genuine consideration of concerns and acknowledgement of the negative impacts to our people and communities is given.
• An immediate halt is effected of all current and proposed projects.
• Appropriate reconsideration of alternative solutions, is conducted.
• Action taken so that the safety and security of our members and communities can be assured.

It is proposed by the initiating Brigades, and Brigades signing on in support, that they commit to the following:

1. Undertaking to restrict turn out commitment to incidents at electricity generation and transmission infrastructure sites to “Property Perimeter Defense” only. Brigades will not commit to enter land or premises upon which such infrastructure is situated to complete fire management tasks, unless there are personal safety issues identified by the incident controller. Brigades will not commit to defending or protecting electricity generation or transmission assets forthwith.
2. Undertaking that, by commencing Industrial Action, the members of the brigade will not implement or continue the Industrial Action where that action would endanger the life or personal safety or welfare of our community.
3. Brigade specific concerns and proposed actions will be communicated to CFA, additional to that contained in this letter, including restrictions to turn out capacity, training and reporting of incidents.

Further action will be considered and taken as deemed necessary.

Our volunteers, and colleagues at Fire Rescue Victoria, are being committed to a future use without consent, to provide free labour and fire protection services to a greedy, investor centric renewables industry which is focused only on profit with complete disregard of the destruction of our unique, beautiful and productive regional landscapes and communities.

Wind towers the height of the Rialto, solar installations covering massive expanses of productive farm land and transmission lines the height of MCG lights, all with the propensity to ignite fires and impede safe firefighting, placed in the extreme fire risk areas of regional Australia, are simply illogical and unnecessary, given the short life span and inadequacy of wind turbines and large solar as a long term power generation solution. Genuine alternatives to these installations and the huge transmission line projects such as WRL and VNI West are available.

These installations will greatly impede our ability to control wildfire both on ground and particularly from the air. The access to these areas, as controlled by Renewable Energy Entities, will be restricted and therefore unsafe.

The State Government of Victoria controls this process and we demand of them the following:

• Acknowledge that high voltage lines are potentially lethal in wildfire scenarios.
• Acknowledge that high voltage lines in high fire risk areas jeopardise firefighter and community safety and that powering down 500kV Transmission Lines during wildfire events is not a realistic protection mechanism.
• Acknowledge that wind turbines and industrial solar facilities provide probable ignition sources in high fire risk areas and impede fire fighting actions.
• Ensure impacted residents and communities can object to proposed Renewable Energy (RE) projects on the basis of fire risk and community impact. Specifically, to reinstate rights to object to RE facility project proposals through VCAT, as removed by State Government in April.
• Acknowledge that owners of renewable energy facilities will be responsible and liable for their own fire risk and management and that volunteers are not compelled to turn out to emergency events at these locations.
• A cessation of proposed imposition of Fire Services Levy increases announced in the Victorian State Budget 2024 and a review of that system with amendments to align tax collection to location of spend and contribution by volunteers, particularly in rural and remote Victoria.
• Provide transparency and full public disclosure of budgeted consumer and government financial contribution, and detailed stakeholder interests, of each renewable infrastructure project.

The CFA is called to support its members and employees as follows:

• Clear, accurate and concise safe working distances for attending and attacking wildfire for all fireground participants near high voltage transmission lines and renewable facilities.
• Ensure SOPs must dispel any misinformation that it is in any way safe to operate near or under a 500kV line whilst managing a wildfire in the vicinity, and establish concise safe working procedures and distances for both CFA Brigades and private units attending.
• Acknowledge that high transmission lines placed across broadacre cropping and grazing land in high fire danger areas makes an unacceptable risk to firefighters and communities in the vicinity.
• Active support of Brigades to rebuke misleading information regarding Fire Safety and Procedure as it concerns RE Projects, published to the public by Government and/or RE corporate entities.
• Clear guidance as to access rights of both Brigades and private units on to Renewable Energy Company controlled property, and full guarantee of indemnity for actions taken both as Brigade volunteers and private units when attending fire incidents at such properties.
• Undertaking to prioritise provision of adequate trucks and equipment upgrades.

We do not take our decision to take industrial action lightly. Our members have decades of dedicated service to the CFA, both to our local districts and at major fire emergencies. We expect Victorian State Government and CFA management to, not only listen to our concerns, but to initiate actions to prevent the destruction of our communities and our Brigades, from proposed renewables transition.

We willingly accept the risks that nature and mishap throw up from time to time, but we refuse to be used as an unpaid resource for corporate, government and private interests to profit from an already stretched volunteer system. We are there to be utilised by our community, but not used as free labour.

Sincerely,

Peter Knights, Captain, Gre Gre Village,
Jason Barratt, Captain, Traynors Lagoon,
Simon Goode, Captain, Gooroc,
Mark Reading, 3rd Lieutenant, Wallaloo East and
Linda Taylor, Secretary, Callawadda CFA Brigades.

Contact: farov2024@gmail.com

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 21 June 2024.