The office move a union leader says would fix a 'powerful disconnect' in the ACT Greg McConville reflects after more than a decade leading the firefighters' union. The Canberra Times · Sep 8
Union warns 'self-licking ice cream' obscures emergency accountability Chaos reigns with confusing laws, plans muddying direction. The Canberra Times · Sep 21, 2024
Officers' 'critical' trip to Italy needed before firefighting appliance can return The return date of the $2.2m lift remains up in the air. The Canberra Times · Aug 7, 2024
Prosecute those found responsible for contamination: firies' union The Gungahlin emergency services centre is shut after lead, diesel found. The Canberra Times · Feb 29, 2024
Gungahlin emergency services centre cleared out, and warning Woden station could be next Lead and diesel particulates were found at the 25-year-old building. The Canberra Times · Feb 28, 2024
'Treated with contempt': Firefighters sue ACT govt over leave entitlement denials Older generation of 'white rhinos' were targeted in fire service, court told. The Canberra Times · Oct 21, 2023
'Human mistake' broke ACT's 42-metre aerial firefighting lift The ESA says no safety impact, but union warns of capability gap. The Canberra Times · Sep 30, 2023
Time to reset, rebuild trust between staff and ESA bosses: unions Georgeina Whelan's departure offers a chance for reset, staff representatives say. The Canberra Times · Jul 20, 2023
Buck passed on ESA as Gentleman defers to public service to fix agency The minister would not say whether he remained confident in the ESA commissioner. The Canberra Times · Jul 12, 2023
'ESA staff are hurting': Barr should step in to drive change, union says The opposition said another minister should be appointed to oversee change at the ESA. The Canberra Times · Jul 12, 2023
ACT considering ESA review findings as unions call for public release An 'action plan' would be released 'shortly', staff have been told. The Canberra Times · Jul 4, 2023
ACT's long-planned $6.6m triple-0 call centre change reversed A 'one ESA ComCen' project has been abandoned after seven years. The Canberra Times · Jul 1, 2023
Budget's multimillion-dollar focus on Canberra's most toxic sites Three ACT sites exceed the national threshold for PFAS contamination. The Canberra Times · Jul 1, 2023
ESA 'incompetent', 'mismanages' fire service, union says Union calls for ESA to be removed from overseeing ACT Fire and Rescue. The Canberra Times · Jun 6, 2023
The Canberra Times · May 20, 2023 ESA picks 'bright, shiny and new' things over firefighters: union The union is angry at the decision to buy a driving simulator with no consultation.
ABC News · Mar 31, 2023 Cancer win for firefighters as Tasmanian legislation leads the way for compensation claims Neil Brooksbank is certain that fighting thousands of fires over the years has caused his bladder cancer — and thanks to a change in Tasmanian law, he does not have to fight to prove the cause.
ABC News · Mar 11, 2023 United Firefighters Union Australia warns governments to address lithium-ion battery fire risks during electric vehicle crashes The main firefighters' union says the public needs to be aware of the risks of lithium-battery fires, which are hard to put out and can release toxic gases.
The Canberra Times · Jan 18, 2023 Firies union slams ESA on bushfire anniversary, saying it 'failed' to learn lessons Instead of promised new fire stations years ago, there are just two vacant lots, one at Acton and another in the Molonglo Valley, which bore the brunt of the 2003 firestorm.
ABC News · Aug 23, 2022 ACT police investigating death of 13-year-old Canberra boy The ACT coroner's office says the boy died at the Sydney Children's Hospital on August 12 after paramedics and a support crew of firefighters were called to his home on August 5.
The Canberra Times · Aug 15, 2022 Union boss confident firefighters will be exonerated after crew didn't enter home due to COVID fears A review is underway into the response from emergency services.
The Canberra Times · Jul 1, 2022 Calls for more support as profession declared cancer causing The World Health Organisation has officially declared firefighting a cancer causing profession.
ABC News · Jun 6, 2022 ACT firefighters rostered to respond to ambulance emergencies on Saturday due to staff shortage The ACT Emergency Services Agency confirms it deployed a firefighting unit to "round out" its ambulance crews due to a staffing shortage on Saturday night.
The Canberra Times · Apr 22, 2022 Bring in health monitoring for firefighters in wake of PFAS research: union The ACT United Firefighters Union said the ACT government had fallen behind in introducing the monitoring, which it had agreed to in 2020.
ABC News · Apr 6, 2022 ACT government loan scheme to remove combustible cladding too late for some apartment owners Some Canberra apartment owners have spent thousands of dollars to remove highly combustible cladding from their buildings while waiting for government support.