Broken dunny door note sparks firefighter union fury

A rural NSW fire station has been without running water for nearly two months, with a note on the toilet door telling them to go outside.

A note on the toilet door of a rural fire station in the New South Wales Central West has exposed the plight of firefighters who’ve been without running water for nearly two months.

A leak at the Mudgee Fire Station, about 261km northwest of Sydney, left their indoor showers and toilets useless.

The problem was brought to light by the Fire Brigade Employees Union (FBEU) on social media.

A photo of a note taped to the Mudgee station’s toilet door reads “toilet u/s no water use toilets in backyard.”

A leak rendered the station's indoor showers and toilets out of order.

But nearly two months on and even the temporary outdoor facilities have been rendered out of order due to water freezing in the hose used to supply them, with early morning temperatures dropping below zero.

It’s a major concern for the station’s firefighters, who are told to shower within an hour of fire incidents due to the possibility of exposure to carcinogenic chemicals.

“Mudgee‘s firefighters can’t decontaminate after a fire,” says the Fire Brigade Employees Union (FBEU) in their Facebook post, “you can't make this up. Honestly, we wish we were.”

The Mudgee Fire Station, in the NSW Central West, hasn't had running water in nearly two months. Picture: Google Maps

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) regional operations assistant commissioner Cheryl Steer told Nine News an external contractor fixed the leak with copper piping.

But FBEU says they’re worried the new pipes could freeze over.

“During that period temporary facilities were installed,” Ms Steer told Nine.

“That leak is in the process of being fixed with a view towards having the main shower facilities back in working order as soon as possible.

“Fire and Rescue NSW view the working conditions of our firefighters as a major priority.”

The firefighters have had to use temporary outdoor facilities, but even these can be rendered useless by freezing temperatures.

“There’s a temporary shower, which is outside,” says FBEU in a social media post, “and it’s around -5C most mornings.

“And the temporary shower doesn't have enough room for firies [sic] to get changed.”

The union is also concerned over the size of change rooms, and the fact there aren’t separate facilities for men and women.

In July, the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer declared firefighting as a cancer-causing profession.

Originally published as Broken dunny door note sparks firefighter union fury