By NOEL MURPHY
GEELONG lives and property were being endangered by a deceptive political cover-up by the CFA of its response times at Lara and Bacchus Marsh, firefighters have told the Independent .
Premier Denis Napthine and Emergency Services Minister Kim Wells had thrown a cloak of secrecy over information that should be freely available to the public, especially to people living in fire-prone areas, the United Firefighters Union said.
“This information is public and people paying the fire service levy have a right to know if they’re protected and covered in their time of need,” UFU secretary Peter Marshall said.
“Response times are critical in terms of maximum potential to save lives and minimise property damage, the standard is eight minutes for urban area.”
The UFU’s Freedom of Information request for response times at 14 volunteer fire stations – including Lara and Bacchus Marsh – was rejected on the grounds it was likely to cause a “loss of confidence” in CFA services.
Mr Marshall said Mr Well could readily direct the CFA to release the response times but refused to do so for reasons of political self-interest.
“Geelong and the Surf Coast are fire-prone and they have response times for a reason – it’s not just an arbitrary thing, it’s to save lives and minimise property damage,” he said.
“Their excuses are not valid. They’re deceptive and misleading, and reek of a political cover-up. It’s an abrogation of their responsibility to safeguard the community.”
The CFA’s refusal was predicated on the claim it was “an agency engaged in trade or commerce” but Mr Wells did not answer queries by the Independent about the CFA’s status as an emergency service/utility.
He accused Mr Marshall of deliberately misleading Victorians with “outrageous scaremongering and blatant lies” as he pushed “his own agenda” and “political self-interest”
“The reality is any FoI requests for the CFA are dealt with independently and directly by the agency itself,” Mr wells said.
“These processes and decisions are made independently of government, and that is a process we’ve put in place, reinforced and strongly support.
“Any issues in relation to an unsuccessful request are matters for the CFA and the independent FoI commissioner.
“Residents in Lara and Bacchus Marsh can be assured that CFA firefighters continue to provide a vital service responding to emergencies and keeping the local community safe.”
