Volunteers firefighters are waiting for a new station to replace their asbestos-tainted one

Kambalda, Australia - Many Kambalda volunteer firefighters are concerned about their health because the fire station where they work contains a significant amount of asbestos.

John Bowler, the Member for Murchison-Eyre, an Electoral district of Western Australia, said a firefighter told him that he and his peers became especially worried after hearing news of the Queensland fire station's cancer scare.

Bowler said there have many ongoing discussions regarding the need for a new fire station in Kambalda to replace the old one, which firefighters say is too small, particularly for the new machines they will be getting. He said the State Government has promised to the building of a new station.

Like other districts, Murchison-Eyre elects a single person, called the district's Member, to hold seat at the Western Austalian Legislative Assembly.

A spokeswoman for the Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) said the agency recently received the funding for the $2.5 million construction project of the building, which is expected to be completed in 2011 or 2012. Bowler hopes the recent asbestos concerns raised by the firefighters will push officials to make it happen sooner rather than later.

An asbestos assessment of the current station conducted by the FESA and the Department of Housing and Works in late 2007 showed that the building had a low asbestos risk.

However, maintenance still is needed for the station while they wait for the new building to be completed. The FESA spokeswoman said they have been keeping the volunteer firefighters informed of the progress of the work.

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