Volunteer firefighters would be covered for post-traumatic stress disorder under proposed law changes

Volunteer firefighters would be covered for post-traumatic stress disorder and eight additional cancers would automatically attract workers compensation claims under law changes that will be proposed by the opposition on Wednesday. The additional protections would meet a longstanding request from the union representing firefighters, which remains locked in slow-moving wages negotiations with the Cook Government. Shadow Emergency Services Minister Martin Aldridge will move amendments to the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Bill in the Legislative Council this week. He said the “critical changes” would “eliminate burdensome and costly processes” for firefighters struck down with PTSD or cancer. In April, Industrial Relations Minister Bill Johnston announced career firefighters would join paramedics in receiving a PTSD presumption, meaning if they developed the debilitating condition they would not be required to prove it stemmed from their work before accessing free treatment. However, the PTSD presumption was not extended to volunteer firefighters — an approach Mr Aldridge said made no sense. “Volunteer firefighters do the same work as career firefighters,” he said. “They face the same risks day in day out... the trauma that they face is exactly the same. Yet often in regional or remote areas, the support available to them is simply less.” Late last year the Commonwealth Government added eight additional cancers to its presumptive schedule for firefighters. The Cook Government has so far committed to adding just two of those eight cancers to its own workplace compensation scheme but has indicated it was willing to consider the remaining six based on emerging research. “The Labor Government’s lack of action has created a situation where firefighters at Perth Airport, under Commonwealth law, have greater protections than those employed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) or other State Government agencies,” Mr Aldridge said. “The State Government could easily address this inequity and strengthen protections for WA’s frontline firefighters, including our 20,000 emergency service volunteers, but have refused to act.” United Professional Firefighters Union of WA boss Clem Chan said the opposition’s amendments, if adopted, would “expedite” workers’ compensation claims and provide much quicker access to treatment. He said PTSD was an “absolutely massive” issue for firefighters and agreed with Mr Alridge there was little distinction between the trauma experienced by volunteers and those paid to work for DFES. “There is an unavoidable exposure to critical incidents (and) traumatic stress can be derived from that,” he said. Mr Chan said bargaining with DFES continued but that the discussions should not hold up changes to protections extended to firefighters.