Cast your mind back to the middle of last year, June 26th to be precise. With the Victorian Parliament in full swing, the Legislative Assembly was getting comfortably into the day's question time. This was on the same day a parliamentary committee tabled a damning report following its investigation of a number of recent, severe bushfires in Victoria. It made 20 recommendations for the state government to act on.

Despite the serious nature of the report, it seems that on this occasion, firefighter and community safety - and training to ensure it - was far from the mind of the Premier , John Brumby.

Q and A
An opposition mp got to his feet to ask Premier Brumby how things were going down at the MFB's new firefighter training centre in Burnley. The member, one Mr McIntosh, who represents the citizens of Kew, also reminded the Premier of the facility's record to date. The project was late, over budget, a clean up  to deal with carcinogens had cost a extra $12 million, fire hydrants were not working, and with the facility being too small for adequate firefighting training, MFB trainees were being sent to CFA training grounds.

The Premier, a man known for his razor sharp mind and formidable powers of recall, must have been having a very bad day indeed. For despite the opportunity, and seven points of order to help him focus on the question in front of him, the Premier could not manage one mention of Burnley or the MFB in his reply.

"This response by the leader of the state shows just how embarrassed the government is about the performance of MFB management," says United Firefighters Union Victoria Branch Secretary, Peter Marshall. "The Premier could not come up with one word in their defence. That confirms our view that the debacle at Burnley, with the project's shameful mismanagement that has left firefighters and Melbournians vulnerable, requires a thorough investigation at the highest level to sort it out."

Praise in every direction but one
In his reply to the question, Mr Brumby spoke about Melbourne's new children's hospital, new convention centre, new rectangular stadium, EastLink, the National Gallery of Victoria, the recital hall, new police stations, new fire stations, new roads and new public transport. However, each time he was reminded about the specifics of the question, the words Burnley and MFB failed to trigger the desired response.

"I don't think the Premier's brain freeze on the day reflects any general antipathy towards the safety of Melbourne's firefighters and residents," says Peter Marshall. "I am confident that with some prompting from his ministers and backbenchers, the synapses will realign and he will get the message about the grim reality of the Melbourne fire crisis."

Send a message
Melbournians can help firefighters in their campaign for an inquiry into MFB management by logging on to the firecrisis.com letter page and sending their local mp a letter demanding a state government inquiry into the MFB management crisis.

The campaign is taking off and many people have already contacted their member of parliament, asking for government action. "If we can get a state inquiry into MFB management, the outcome will not only benefit firefighters, but will make life safer for residents as well," says Peter Marshall.