DEPARTMENT OF FIRE AND
EMERGENCY SERVICES — VOLUNTEERS
908. Mr D.T. REDMAN to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I have a supplementary question. Can
the minister explain why volunteers are approaching members of Parliament and
saying that they are being prevented from using these life-saving
defibrillators on the general public and can use them only on firefighters or
bush fire brigade volunteers?
Mr F.M.
LOGAN replied:
That is the very first I have ever
heard of that. If the volunteers that the member is referring to are bush fire
volunteers—he can tell me by way of interjection —
Mr D.T. Redman: They are
saying they can use them on them but not on the general public.
Mr F.M. LOGAN: Are they bush
fire volunteers?
Mr D.T. Redman: They can be
used only on other firefighters or bush fire volunteers, yes. That's
what I said.
Mr F.M. LOGAN: I asked for an answer on that by way of
interjection because, as I have said in this house numerous times, bush fire
volunteers are effectively local government employees. If local governments
make those determinations, and I hope they would not, there is not much we can
do about it. Remember, they are their own government. I would hope that they
would not be doing this. It is the first that I am aware of it —
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER: Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr F.M. LOGAN: It is the
first I have been made aware of this as these defibrillators have been rolled
out. I will follow up on the member's behalf now that he has raised the
issue, but I presume—not that the member knows the answer to the
question I put to him—it is from bush fire brigade volunteers.