Firefighters threaten strikes over staffing at Holmesville station – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

Firefighters threaten strike over cuts

THE union representing Hunter region firefighters is threatening industrial action over staffing changes that will see the Holmesville fire station lose its 24-hour status. 

Fire and Rescue New South Wales yesterday announced it was enhancing local firefighting with plans to build new stations at Rutherford, Lambton and Maryland, along with renovations to Cardiff station.

But the fire brigade employees union says staffing changes also announced means the brand new Holmesville station will no longer be manned at night.

Cessnock MP Clayton Barr says Holmesville firefighters are being redeployed to plug holes at other stations and describes the announcement as a disgrace.

“It’s all just about money,” he said.

“I feel really sorry for fire and rescue NSW – they can only do what they can do with the money they’ve been told they’ve got available to them.

“Clearly it’s a decision by the NSW Government and it’s just more cuts to the Hunter.”

Mr Barr says it goes against everything that demographers are telling the government about population pressures.

“Every demographer, every analyst in NSW and Australia, realises the Hunter is a growth area, you need more ability to respond to fire, not less, we need to keep stations like Holmesville open – brand new, state of the art facility, built just three years ago.”