Calls to get 'piece of junk' fire trucks off the road in the Illawarra

You can't miss Wollongong's fire truck lately, firefighters are so angry about their risky, old fire truck that they've graffitied both sides and the back of this huge 16-tonne truck.

They say they're having use a "crystal ball" every day to decide what kind of calls they think they'll get, and then pack the truck based on a guess.

Will it rain causing floods and will they need their flood rescue gear? Or should they take other gear that could help during a fire, vehicle accident or industrial incident?

Left behind inside Wollongong's Fire and Rescue NSW station on the day the Mercury visited was the flood rescue gear, firefighters had hedged their bets it wasn't going to rain that day.

It's causing crews mental distress as they worry about making the wrong decision on what to pack, one firefighter says it's putting lives at risk.

For the past month Wollongong's main fire truck was getting repaired after it broke down on the side of the M4 Motorway on April 18 on its way to a drill.

That truck was 15 years old, and the 24-year-old replacement truck they were given has already driven 207,090 kilometres.

"It's out of date, it's difficult to drive and it's difficult to have the current equipment stored correctly on board," Wollongong firefighter and Fire Brigade Employees Union Illawarra Sub Branch secretary Andrew Clark said.

It's so noisy inside the old truck's cabin that firefighters say communications have been compromised. They can't hear each other talking on the way to an emergency so they can adequately plan their response, nor can they hear the radio calls telling them what they're driving towards.

The doors vibrate and rattle and don't seal and crews worry toxic smoke could get inside contaminating gear and into the lungs of firefighters.

"We want a long term strategic investment in Fire Rescue NSW fleet to ensure government are budgeting for those trucks to be phased out, the old trucks that is, in the name of firefighter and community safety," Mr Clarke said.

A FRNSW spokesman said fire trucks are "designed to have a service life of more than 15 years" and the service is committed to operating a "world class fleet".

He said during the past three years, 28 bushfire tanker trucks have been rolled out across NSW at a cost of $9 million, with some of those in the Illawarra and South Coast.

A further four are on the way and he said these trucks can also be used in urban environments.

"In 2023/24, $22.2 million was budgeted for the continued replacement of fire, support and aerial appliances [trucks]," the spokesman said.

The rollout of new trucks is simply not good enough one Wollongong firefighter said.

"Someone's going to die or get PTSD because we don't have all the gear on the truck that we're meant to have," he said.

He asked for his name not to be used as he's not the union delegate for this region, said crews "we're using crystal balls" to decide what gear to take on calls.

On May 13 Wollongong's firefighters were deployed to a suspected arson act where a man was reportedly trapped on a balcony, but as they rushed to the scene they could barely hear calls from the radio room about the emergency because of the noisy truck.

"[A fire truck] it's essentially a toolbox for firefighters," he said. "We're putting the community at risk, no doubt."

"It's also affecting mental health because if something does go wrong and these guys don't have the gear that they're normally supposed to have? We put a lot of our emotions into our pride of serving the community.

"There's a mental health issue there when we can't do that if something does go wrong and that's a concern for a lot of the guys here."

Dapto station's new truck is being fixed, with a 20-year-old truck temporarily in its place. Albion Park firefighters were recently using a 25-year-old truck while their 15-year-old one was being fixed.

Unanderra station's truck is 16 years old, while firefighters at Warrawong and Bulli are using 14-year-old trucks.

If Wollongong's specialised technical rescue truck is in for a service or repairs, which firefighters say can take weeks, the replacement vehicle isn't big enough to carry the gear that's needed.

"A significant amount of specialised rescue gear will be left off our technical rescue vehicle when it gets replaced for routine maintenance," Mr Clark said.

This truck was vital during an emergency on May 10 when two BlueScope workers were injured.

The FRNSW spokesman said the "service exchange vehicle" at Wollongong station for the month met operational standards.

"All SEVs continue to be maintained and inspected by FRNSW to meet the same standards as all other fire appliances," he said.

The spokesman said FRNSW has more than 700 trucks across NSW, including a "significant fleet servicing the Illawarra".

"We continually renew our fleet as well as maintaining existing assets to ensure the most appropriate firefighting resources are in the right place to keep communities safe," he said.

He said trucks undergo stringent maintenance and inspections to ensure they meet operating standards.

The day before this story was published Wollongong's 15-year-old fire truck was returned from repairs and the 24-year-old one taken away, but crews worry this problematic old truck will now be moved to another station.

NSW Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib did not respond to the Mercury's request for comment.