FIRE and Rescue NSW has compared its recent decision to temporarily close stations with the strike action taken by the Fire Brigade Employees’ Union earlier this year.

In a letter to the Leader, Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Brown said claims made by the union that FRNSW had placed the lives of firefighters and the community at risk were “simply untrue”.

The letter follows an article published in the Leader last month that revealed Busby fire station was among 25 stations temporarily closed by FRNSW when an industrial dispute with the union escalated on October 20.

Just hours after the closure, Liverpool firefighters had to battle a Lurnea house fire. Mr Brown pointed to the 35 metropolitan stations taken offline by the union to attend the public sector wages rally this year.

The union’s state secretary, Jim Casey, said FRNSW’s decision to close understaffed stations instead of recalling off-duty firefighters on overtime wages was “very different” to its CBD stop-work meetings as during the strike action staff were still available to attend any emergency in Sydney.