'Worst station in Newcastle': Claims of unsafe conditions at Charlestown Fire Station

In a Facebook post, 225 Charlestown Fire Station said they would no longer host the Fire Brigade Open Day this year or in the foreseeable future due to "unsafe conditions and lack of suitable amenities".

Fire Brigade Employees Union Newcastle sub-branch representative Jason Morgan worked at the Charlestown station ten years ago. He said not much has been done since then.

"The station is very old, and has a lot of hazards that need to be rectified," he said.

"It would be the worst station in Newcastle."

Now working in Mayfield, Mr Morgan said he remembered Charlestown being at the top of the list for updates when he worked there in 2015.

"They've put a new coat of paint on it to make it look tidier, and put up a bit of timber to cover a massive crack in the wall," he said.

Mr Morgan said there were a slew of issues at the station that needed to be addressed including a lack of adequate changing facilities, leaks in the roof, and contaminants from fire trucks.

Roughly 34 years old, the station has one large locker room with showers and toilets. It does not have separate facilities for men and women.

Mr Morgan said he had heard that this could be a potential deterrent to female firefighters working at the station.

He said while there have been numerous attempts to fix the cracks in the roof, as soon as it rains heavily it leaks again.

"There was a bloke that hurt himself and slipped over when the roof leaked, maybe a year ago," he said.

Mr Morgan said he was concerned about keeping clean and dirty areas of the station separate as this could bring in potential contaminants.

Charlestown station, similar to other older stations, does not have separate storage areas for fire trucks and uniforms, which he said could cause diesel particulate matter contamination.

"There are not adequate facilities before going into the station, to get to the showers, you have to walk through the station," he said.

There had been plans by management to put demountables outside the station to rectify contamination risk but Mr Morgan said that is yet to happen.

He said some newer stations have been fitted with clean and dirty transition areas.

"It [the station] needs to be rebuilt or they need to find another block of land and build a new station," he said.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) said they encouraged all stations to participate in annual open days but it was not unusual for two stations to jointly hold an event.

They said this year Tingira Heights and Charlestown stations would jointly host an open day at Tingira Heights with a mix of firefighters and trucks from both stations.

"It is an efficient use of resources and ensures community safety is maintained should an incident occur," FRNSW said.

Mayfield West will also jointly hold their open day at Carrington Fire Station.

FRNSW said that a temporary solution for female staff toilets was under consideration, but female firefighters are welcome at the station.

It said Charlestown has an on-call female firefighter and would consider female applicants in recruitment.

"FRNSW undertakes regular and ongoing assessments of all its fire stations to determine current and future priorities for capital works and enhancements to firefighter facilities," they said.

Member for Charlestown and Minister for Women, Jodie Harrison said she had visited Charlestown station on a number of occasions, including past open days.

"I have written to, and had conversations with, the Minister in relation to the current state of the station and will continue to do so," Minister Harrison said.

"The most recent advice I have received is that Charlestown Station is currently considered a priority for major upgrade works and, in the first instance, FRNSW will be carrying out Personal Protective Clothing storage and Locker Change upgrades in the coming months under its Repairs and Maintenance program."