Burnley Spray                                                                                       December 18, 2008.           

Melbourne's water storages are still under 35% full and residents have to suffer Stage 3A water restrictions. Nevertheless, Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) Management let fly with the hoses at the non-functioning Burnley training complex last week, for no other reason than to impress the media. Some 66,000 litres of water were used in the demonstration.

No recycling
This is the one and only time firefighters have used hoses at Burnley. Because it has been built on a contaminated site, any water used there can't be recycled. The training complex remains closed to firefighter training for a number of other reasons as well. These include:
- engine bays that can't house fire appliances,
- training tower windows that can't accommodate ladders,
- dangers to traffic on a nearby freeway from stray hose blasts, and
- office windows that can't withstand high pressure hose water and leak when it rains.

Trainee tours
$70 million dollars down the drain! That's the story of the new MFB training complex. Meanwhile, additional money has to be spent to send firefighters and trainees to CFA facilities at Longford, Fiskville and Bangholme in regional Victoria.

To build Burnley, the MFB closed down and sold off a world class training facility in nearby  Abbotsford. There was asbestos found in the administration building there, but this could have been fixed for a mere one million dollars.

What a waste! Help Melbourne's firefighters and the Union in their campaign to make MFB management accountable. Send your local MP a message asking for a full inquiry into MFB management procedures and waste.

View the television news coverage of the MFB water waste day.