Stronger protections needed for frontline first responders battling cancer and PTSD

From cataclysmic bushfires, record-breaking floods, cyclone impact and car crashes, our volunteers are on the scene rendering aid to those in need.

But the very nature of their duties also exposes our volunteers to unique physical and mental health risks, including an increased risk of cancers due to exposure to hazardous materials, as well as far greater incidences of post-traumatic stress disorder.

WA relies greatly on our volunteers, especially in regional communities where paid firefighters and paramedics are few and far between. In return, the State Government has a responsibility to ensure our volunteers are properly protected and supported.

In 2013, WA was a world-leader in protecting our firies.

We were among the first jurisdictions, behind only the Commonwealth and Canada, to provide presumptive cancer protections to firefighters, including volunteers.

This change reversed the burden of proof, and meant firefighters afflicted with a range of life-threatening cancers would no longer have to undergo long and costly compensation investigations to prove their disease was the result of their firefighting service, an almost impossible task.

While the science was still emerging, the decision made by WA a decade ago was validated by the World Health Organisation in 2022, who officially declared firefighting a “cancer causing profession” recognising that exposure to harmful chemicals, diesel fumes, and asbestos over a lifetime of active firefighting duty would have damaging health effects, often long after their service.

In December 2022, the Commonwealth Government responded to the WHO finding by adding eight additional cancers to the list of presumptive diseases for firefighters, with Tasmania swiftly announcing they would also adopt these new protections.

While the State Government initially dragged its heels in response to providing these protections, I am pleased to note a media statement issued earlier this month confirmed the Government will now belatedly support these much-needed cancer protections through priority regulations.

I can only wonder what prompted the change.

Perhaps the State Government simply took the time to consider the best interests of WA’s firefighters and volunteers and decided to do the right thing.

But the cynic in me wonders if — amidst recent polling, the failed implementation of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act, a dismal result at the recent Rockingham by-election, and an ongoing wages stoush with WA firefighters — the Government is finally taking stock of its downward spiral, and has looked to get a win on the board to distract from the recent chaos.

In either event, it’s a welcome outcome, but one which should have been enacted several months ago.

As debate gets under way on the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Bill 2023, the Opposition is also calling on the Government to support amendments to ensure recently introduced PTSD protections for paid firefighters are extended to cover volunteers.

Emergency service volunteers often provide the first and only response to emergencies in their communities and will witness unthinkable tragedy and trauma in the course of their duties, often with limited support.

Studies have revealed approximately 20 per cent of firefighters and first responders will meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis at some stage during their careers, compared to under 7 per cent for the wider population.

The accumulation of traumatic experiences can also result in increased risks of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicide.

As someone who has served as both a career and volunteer firefighter, I can assure you that volunteers are not immune to trauma or its effects on their mental health and wellbeing.

Expanding PTSD coverage to our frontline volunteers is not only the right thing to do, but an important acknowledgement of the sacrifices our volunteers make to keep our communities safe.

These amendments have been developed in consultation with WA’s frontline fire and emergency service personnel.

They have the support of Volunteer Associations and the United Professional Firefighters Union.

It is time for the State Government to heed the call for change, bridge the gaps in protection, and ensure our frontline first responders are given the protections they so rightfully deserve.

This will be an opportunity for the Labor Government to either get behind our emergency service volunteers as they often profess to be on their social media pages or once again hide behind their massive majority in Parliament quelling alternative views and proposals.

Martin Aldridge is the shadow emergency services minister, a Bush Fire Service Volunteer and former career firefighter.