Four fire stations were either closed or had firefighting appliances unstaffed today due to budget cuts, despite a total fire ban in place and a severe bushfire risk as hot, gusty winds hit the Hunter.

The Fire Brigade Employees’ Union said Minmi Fire Station was closed from 7am until 6pm, while firefighting appliances and tankers from Morisset, Charlestown and Belmont were each left unstaffed for periods of at least five hours.

FBEU State Secretary Jim Casey said the budget-saving practice, introduced in 2012 by Fire and Rescue NSW management, was the result of budget cuts by the NSW Liberal Government.

“The temporary closure of fire stations, or the decision to take a firefighting appliance ‘temporarily offline’, means fewer fire trucks are available to respond to incidents, delaying firefighting efforts and adding to the pressure on remaining crews,” Mr Casey said.

“The practice of temporarily closing fire stations is dangerous at the best of times, with house fires, car accidents and other major incidents able to occur regardless of weather, but to close stations on a day with a severe fire risk and a total fire ban is just madness.

“It is almost 12 months to the day since similar hot, windy spring weather saw bushfires destroy more than 200 homes, yet it seems nothing has been learnt.”

Mr Casey said that prior to 2012, additional firefighters would have been brought in to the four fire stations to ensure they remained open, and appliances and tankers were available to respond to incidents.

“According to the Baird Government, firefighting is not a frontline service, meaning budget cuts and the ‘efficiency dividend’ are reducing the fire protection the public receive,” he said.

“It is the community that is hit by these temporary closures, leaving them exposed to greater risk due to a reduction in the number of firefighters available to immediately deploy to incidents.

“Budget cuts have become so severe that numerous fire stations are now closed across NSW each day, with some stations being shut more than 100 times since the policy was introduced.

“Closing fire stations is a game of Russian Roulette, where the lives and property of communities are put at greater risk for the sake of a small budget saving.”