ONE Nation MLC Rod Roberts has blasted the NSW government over the state of Singleton Fire Station, asking his fellow parliamentarians to "imagine the uproar in this building if males and females were forced to change in front of each other and to share bathroom facilities".
The Newcastle Herald has learned that Singleton has had women firefighters for more than 20 years, with staff saying calls to provide dedicated change rooms have fallen on deaf ears on numerous occasions.
It is not the only Hunter fire station with less than ideal conditions to cater for the growing numbers of women firefighters; the Herald reported in September 2019 that five of Dungog's firefighters - about a third of the total number - had resigned their "retained" (part-time) roles over a range of issues including clothes-changing areas.
The Herald was told that Singleton, like most rural and regional stations, relies on retained firefighters, who usually have other jobs and who work on a roster to provide theoretical 24/7 cover in their particular area.
Mr Roberts told parliament last Tuesday that fire crews - including women - were expected to change next to their fire truck in view of the public who could see in through the front roller door of the station.
"We have firefighters stripping down to their underwear in full view of the public, in extremely close proximity to two dance schools and across the road from a public car park that is used to service those two dance schools, amongst other premises," Mr Roberts told the Legislative Council.
"The firefighters I have met at Singleton are extremely decent and dedicated officers, but they are fearful that some member[s] of the public will take offence to them in their underwear.
"That leaves both them and their employer open to criminal or civil prosecution for some form of obscene exposure."
Asked by the Herald to respond to the speech, deputy NSW fire commissioner Megan Siffler said the June state budget allocated $50 million over 10 years to upgrade female amenities in the state's fire stations.
RELATED READING: Megan Worth at Singleton fire station
The deputy commissioner said Fire and Rescue NSW was assessing the task based on "the condition of the facilities and the current distribution of female firefighters", with work on priority projects to start as early as November, once the cost and extent of the work was determined.
Mr Roberts told the Herald he learned of the situation at Singleton while campaigning for One Nation in the May federal election, and said National Party MP Dave Layzell and his predecessor Michael Johnsen had "done nothing to help".
He said it should not take a 10-year program to provide something as basic as change rooms, and said there was no guarantee Singleton would be one of the government's "prioritised" stations.
Singleton firefighter and Fire Brigade Employees Union delegate Andrew Porters said the station had two fire trucks and 14 "retained" (or part-time) firefighters - two short of the usual 16 needed to provide four people on-call around the clock.
He said a reorganisation a decade ago shifted Singleton into a cluster of stations managed from Bathurst and Dubbo rather than Maitland and Newcastle.
Mr Layzell, who was elected in May 2021, acknowledged his critics and said "we accept responsibility" for the situation. After meeting Singleton's station captain he was trying to get Singleton "moved up the priority list" for public works on the state's fire stations.
"As a result, I have spoken to the minister about the issue and we were going to inspect the facilities together last month but unfortunately the floods occurred and she had to cancel," Mr Layzell said. "I believe there are a number of stations in the state that have a similar issue. So Singleton is not a unique problem but is still a problem nonetheless."
Mr Roberts said he had been through the station and seen the set-up where officers changed out of their civilian clothes into their firefighters' uniforms "in full view of anybody walking down Pitt Street" Singleton.
Officers were were "not asking for a new station", just a demountable with segregated toilets, showers and change facilities.
Mr Porters said Murrurundi and Merriwa had new stations and Muswellbrook was getting one, but Aberdeen, Denman and Scone also had change room problems. He said a new "Rural Fire Service style metal shed" was the answer for Singleton, the busiest station in the Upper Hunter.
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