Black Summer firefighter Robert Riordan launches legal action against CFA over cancer claim

A volunteer firefighter who battled the Black Summer bushfires is taking the Country Fire Authority to court over a cancer compensation amount he claims was too low.

Robert Riordan was a volunteer firefighter at the Fiskville site and at Spring Hill Fire Brigade between 1989 and 2001.

A volunteer firefighter who battled the Black Summer bushfires has launched legal action against the Country Fire Authority to seek damages over his exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.

Robert Riordan, 71, alleges he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia as a result of being exposed to carcinogens at the CFA’s Fiskville training centre.

He claims that the CFA failed to protect him from exposure to carcinogens, substances that cause cancer, leaving him with impaired breathing and sleep, chronic pain, mental health issues and a dependency on medication.

Mr Riordan claims the exposure also left him suffering from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, prolonged extreme pain that can flare up in various parts of the body.

The CFA training college in Fiskville was closed in 2015. Picture: Ian Currie

Mr Riordan trained at the Fiskville site and volunteered at Spring Hill Fire Brigade between 1989 and 2001, where he alleges the CFA put him at unnecessary risk of being exposed to cancer-causing chemicals at the training centre or on the job, and deliberately lit carcinogenic substances near him during training.

He also claims that the CFA should have known the substances used at the site were carcinogenic and that volunteers should have been equipped with appropriate protective gear such as masks or breathing apparatus.

Mr Riordan, who has received a number of awards for his service, reportedly continued to volunteer despite showing symptoms of the chronic bone marrow cancer.

His lawyer, Arnold Thomas and Becker’s Marita Snipe, said her client had suffered as a result of the CFA’s alleged negligence.

The CFA training headquarters at Fiskville.

“His illness was diagnosed around the time of his retirement, which should have been a time to wind down and enjoy life, but instead he has been confronted with the impacts of his illness and treatment,” she said.

“He was still turning out during the Black Summer bushfires, battling his symptoms to do his part.

It’s incredibly disheartening that the CFA has decided that his case is worth little compensation and that our client must now go through the ordeal of a trial to try and get just compensation”.

In its defence, the CFA admitted its negligence exposed Mr Riordan to carcinogens that caused his cancer and did not deny having to provide him compensation for medical expenses.

The CFA rejected Rob Gibbs’ cancer compensation claim after he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in May 2015. Picture: Aaron Francis

A number of former volunteers have sued the body over alleged exposure to dangerous chemicals at Fiskville.

In 2018, Rob Gibbs launched a legal bid for compensation after he was also diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia following his work in the 2014’s Hazelwood mine fire.

Paul Beattie, 46, became the first firey to sue the CFA before he died of cancer in 2013.

The CFA said it was unable to comment on the matter as it was before the courts.

The Fiskville scandal has been linked to more than 20 cancer-related deaths of people who worked and trained at the site between 1971 and 1999.

The Andrews government established the Fiskville Redress Scheme in 2022 to support people impacted by the training facility.

Firefighters can also make compensation claims through WorkSafe.