Executive summary

This is the Inspector-General for Emergency Management's fifth progress report on the Victorian Government's implementation of commitments in response to the 2016 Inquiry into the CFA Training College at Fiskville

Located between Ballarat and Melbourne, Fiskville was the principal Country Fire Authority (CFA) training centre from 1972 until its closure in 2015 due to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination

Media reports from 2011 onwards drew attention to the health risks posed to firefighters and other people exposed to PFAS in the foam and water used for firefighter training at Fiskville.

The inquiry, conducted by the Victorian Parliament’s Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Committee, made 31 recommendations on topics including:

• occupational health and safety

• environmental regulation

• research and monitoring of PFAS health effects

• redress for people affected by Fiskville's contamination.

The Victorian Government supported all 31 recommendations. In December 2016 the then Minister for Emergency Services requested that IGEM monitor and report on the implementation of all 33 commitments made by the government in response to the inquiry

About this report

This report details activity by lead departments and agencies to implement the five commitments that remained in progress as of August 2021 It focuses on the period August 2021 to July 2022 and provides information on key developments since then.

IGEM finds that two of the five commitments in progress as of August 2021 are now complete and that the other three remain in progress (see Table 1) Government commitments in progress as of August 2021 and current implementation status

Appendix A provides details of all 31 inquiry recommendations and 33 government commitments, including their current implementation status.

IGEM will continue to monitor the three commitments that remain in progress, led by CFA, Emergency Management Victoria (EMV), and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). Implementation highlights for the two completed commitments

Commitment 28 – CFA

The 2016–17 Victorian State Budget allocated CFA $34.8 million (m) for a new Central Highlands training centre and upgrades to the existing Huntly training centre.

CFA completed civil, building and infrastructure works at the Central Highlands training centre in February 2021 and officially opened it in November 2021.

The new training centre meets current standards for environmental impact, emission control and water management. It features three practical areas for drills and an off-road driver training area, enabling personnel to practise in a safe environment based on a range of real-life scenarios.

CFA completed upgrades to the specialist fire investigation unit at Huntly in February 2022, including a thermal oxidiser that breaks down toxic emissions produced during fire investigation burns so that only carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere.

Commitment 31 – DJCS

On 26 August 2022 the Minister for Emergency Services announced funding of $57m to deliver the Fiskville Redress Scheme.

The redress scheme provides financial and non-financial support to people affected by Fiskville, including those exposed to harm while working and training there, as well as those who lived at the site or in its vicinity.

The minister's announcement was supported by a joint apology on behalf of CFA’s Board and Management from the CFA Board Chair, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Officer.

The redress scheme is independent of CFA and administered by the Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS). Scheme applications opened on 5 September 2022.

DJCS and EMV provided IGEM with information on the design and policy parameters of the redress scheme over the course of its development.

Implementation highlights for the three commitments that remain in progress

Commitment 6 – CFA

CFA has progressed the installation of new water management systems (WMS) at its Victorian Emergency Management Training Centres (VEMTCs). The WMS include new treatment processes designed to ensure the safety of firefighting training water.

A total of five WMS have now been installed following the completion of systems at Sunraysia in March 2022, Longerenong in August 2022, as well as at the new Central Highlands training centre.

The project was due for completion in April 2022 however a range of factors have delayed progress, including COVID-19 pandemic impacts and the ongoing resolution of technical issues. The remaining WMS (Bangholme, Huntly and West Sale) are now scheduled for completion in late 2022.

CFA has also completed related upgrade works at its existing training centres, with works at the final training centre (West Sale) completed in February 2022.

Commitment 21 – DELWP

Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) is a type of PFAS used in the manufacture of firefighting foams. In 2009 PFOS was added to Annex B of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants due to health and environmental concerns CFA and Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) have both phased out the use of firefighting foams containing PFOS.

Australia’s new Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS) regulatory framework will ensure nationally consistent management of harmful chemicals – including persistent organic pollutants – and enable ratification of the PFOS listing (and other PFAS listings) on the Stockholm Convention.

The Victorian Government has committed to working with other states and territories and the Australian Government to implement scheduling decisions made under IChEMS through any necessary amendments to relevant Victorian legislation. PFOS – along with PFOA and PFHxS – are due to be scheduled in 2023

Commitment 27 – EMV

In March 2022 EMV secured $2.367m in funding for the Emergency Responders Health Program, resolving previous funding issues in relation to this program of work

To deliver the program and ensure the efficient and effective use of the funding, EMV plans to explore opportunities with existing sector partners to build on and support mental health programs already underway.

IGEM notes that this represents a change in implementation approach, though in keeping with the commitment's intent that the program should complement existing mental and physical health and wellbeing programs.

Fiskville implementation highlights since 2018

Departments and agencies have now completed a varied program of work in response to the inquiry. Some highlights are listed below.

The Inquiry into the CFA Training College at Fiskville (the inquiry) was established by the Victorian Parliament in 2015 and produced its final report in 2016. The inquiry investigated health and safety practices and environmental impacts at Fiskville – the state’s main firefighter training centre between 1972 and its closure in 2015 – and made 31 wide-ranging recommendations to government.

The Victorian Government made 33 commitments in response to the inquiry, five of which remained in progress as of July 2021.

The Inspector-General for Emergency Management (IGEM) was established in 2014 to provide assurance to government and the community regarding emergency management arrangements in Victoria and to foster their continuous improvement. As an independent monitor, IGEM is responsible for reporting to the Minister for Emergency Services on the implementation progress of the inquiry commitments.

This is IGEM’s fifth Fiskville progress report, which covers the period August 2021 to July 2022 and key developments since then.

In preparing this report, IGEM received a high level of cooperation and support from the lead departments and agencies charged with implementing commitments: the Country Fire Authority (CFA), the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), the Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS), and Emergency Management Victoria (EMV).

IGEM received progress updates from all lead departments and agencies in August 2022, including supporting documentation such as policies, procedures, correspondence, reports, briefings and meeting records. IGEM also referred to publicly available information in preparing this report.

IGEM manages all documents in accordance with its statutory obligations, including the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 and the confidentiality requirements of section 72 of the Emergency Management Act 2013 (EM Act 2013)

The lead departments and agencies provided feedback on a draft version of this report.