Bingara Fire Station decision pending as Fire Brigade Employees Union pushes to cease taking stations offline

The change in state government means members of the Fire Brigade Employees Union and country sub-branch representative Tim Anderson can have conversations about doing things differently.

That is, as long as NSW Labor follows through with the commitments it made to firefighters before the election.

The Minns government promised to beef up the fire fighting force by hiring 600 personnel in the next three years, and the force will benefit from the removal of the public sector wage cap.

"We very much see our role as ensuring that Labor keeps its word and reinstalls our budget, so we can get back to doing what we do, which is looking after communities," Mr Anderson said.

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The union is pushing for the practice of temporarily taking stations offline to cease, and proposing that small stations have a pool of people to rely on when running short.

In late-2022 Gwydir Shire Council was given notice that Bingara station faced the threat of closure.

Mr Anderson was concerned that the coalition would close small fire stations, such as Bingara, following the election.

"We believe that they were probably waiting to see what was going to happen with the state election," he said.

No decision about the fire station has been made, according to Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) deputy commissioner of field operations Jeremy Fewtrell.

Discussions and planning activities are underway about the 600 professional firefighter positions, he said, and FRNSW is reviewing stations that don't meet the facility requirements of a modern service and will determine a prioritisation order for works.

The stations in the region most in need of an upgrade are Walcha, Guyra, Manilla, Wee Waa and Werris Creek, as identified by the union.

A $1.6 million upgrade of the Uralla station was slated for April.

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