On 21 January, the Victorian Premier announced the release of the Fiskville Firefighters’ Health Study by Monash University. You can download it from the Fiskville Investigation page of the CFA website www.cfa.vic.gov.au
The study was commissioned by CFA in November 2012 and led by Monash Universities Associate Professor Deborah Glass. It adds to the already well established evidence showing connections between firefighting and cancer that led to VFBV’s continuing campaign for presumptive cancer compensation legislation to cover all Victorian firefighters, in line with federal legislation.
It is important to note in relation to the Fiskville training facility in particular, that in announcing the details of the study, the Premier Mr Andrews said that for those who work and train there now, there are very low risks associated with the site today because remediation work has been done.
Whilst acknowledging that issues relating to Fiskville are largely historical, the Premier went on to say that there is ongoing oversight and monitoring of those risks – and that vigilance is critically important.
VFBV has worked with CFA since questions were raised about the safety of training practices at the site, supervising onsite inspections alongside the EPA and successfully pressing for greater monitoring and easier access to information for members, including the posting of regular water testing results on the CFA website for the information of all members. VFBV has also been advocating and supporting changes to new training foams to be used at all training grounds.
VFBV continues to closely monitor the situation and advocate on behalf of our members. If you have concerns or questions, or would like to provide us with feedback, talk to your VFBV State Councillor or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
