15 SEPTEMBER 2021
ISSUE 256
REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS
News
Back to the beach
Tuggerah Rural Fire Brigade crews were called to the M1 freeway on Wednesday afternoon, September 8, after a large road crusher machine had come off the back of a truck. See page 5
Out&About
Central Coast Council has partnered with Grow It Local to get Coasties excited about growing and sourcing produce locally to reduce food waste. See page 14
Central Coast volunteer surf lifesavers raised their iconic red and yellow flags at Toowoon Bay on Monday to signify the start of the season this Saturday, September 18.
Business
See page 13
Two fire stations at risk of service cuts The Fire Brigade Employees Union (FBEU) is calling on community support to save Budgewoi and Wyong Fire and Rescue NSW stations being taken temporarily offline during periods when they are short of staff. State Secretary of FBEU, Martin Dixon, said taking any fire station offline deprived a local community of a critical emergency response, leaving any response up to fire stations from further away and reducing the number of fire trucks at any incident. He said the proposal by Fire
and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) was being fought by the Fire Brigade Employees Union in the Industrial Relations Commission. “At the moment, fire stations without sufficient safe crewing levels are supplemented by other firefighters at overtime rates, which is necessary to keep our communities safe. “Staffing shortages can be avoided by fixing the critical understaffing and underfunding of the service. “The union for professional firefighters in NSW, the FBEU, is fighting hard to stop this
proposal through every way possible, including through the courts, but we need the help of local communities to fight it. “We encourage people to write to their local State Member of Parliament, write to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, write to the Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW, and make your voices heard. “We want people to let their family and friends know that this government wants to shut down their local fire station, depriving them and their community of a critical
emergency response if anything goes wrong. “Most importantly, we need the community to support our local firefighters who are, of course, at the centre of this proposal. “They are doing their best to maintain this vital service, and their employer wants to throw them aside and allow their local community to be exposed. “We encourage people to apply for positions at their local Fire and Rescue NSW stations if they’re recruiting and be sure to thank your local firies for their exceptional work in the
community,” Dixon said. Deputy Commissioner for FRNSW, Jeremy Fewtrell, said FRNSW was committed to keeping communities safe and used a risk-based approach to manage the readiness of its emergency service delivery. “FRNSW has an established procedure of managing all of its on-call fire stations, and the practice of taking fire trucks temporarily offline is partly a result of changing demographics, improvements in technology, and a more modern understanding of fire safety and risks. Continued page 6
Students from K-6 at selected schools have been encouraged to pick up a pencil or a paintbrush to design a sold sign sticker using a template. See page 24
Sport
Kyah Simon of Tacoma has been selected for a 25-player Matildas squad in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland on September 22, a match that will herald in a three-year international cycle... See page 32
Puzzles page 19
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