Fire union criticises department's 'flawed' $6.2m helmet rollout

The then-Palaszczuk government announced the rollout of the jet-style helmets in 2023 to "improve frontline communication". (Supplied: Parabellum International) In an email to members, the Queensland Professional Firefighters Union has accused the fire department of "poor decision making" over the rollout of new jet-style helmets. General secretary John Oliver has claimed the fire department had ignored the union's "serious concerns" about the rollout, which it had held from the outset. The union said Minister for Fire Ann Leahy agreed to allow station officers and firefighters to continue wearing the current Pacfire F3 helmet for the next three years. Link copiedShareShare articleQueensland's fire minister has intervened following tensions between the firefighter union and department over what the union called a "fundamentally flawed" $6.2 million rollout of new jet-style helmets. In an email to members on Monday, the general secretary of the Queensland Professional Firefighters Union, John Oliver, accused the fire department (QFD) of "poor decision making" over the jet-style helmet, which he said had "failed to meet operational expectations". The equipment, known as the Rosenbauer HEROS-titan AS structural firefighting helmet, is paired with an audio device that allows hands-free communication and has noise-cancelling capability. In the email, seen by ABC News, Mr Oliver claimed the fire department had ignored the union's "serious concerns" about the rollout, which it had held from the outset. "Introducing a new communications platform on top of the already problematic (Government Wireless Network communication) system should only have occurred after very extensive and careful consideration and caution," Mr Oliver wrote. "Instead, the project proceeded at pace, resulting in an expenditure of approximately $6.2 million on a system that has ultimately failed to meet operational expectations." The Rosenbauer HEROS-titan AS structural firefighting helmet is paired with an audio device that allows hands-free communication. (Supplied: Parabellum International) Mr Oliver said there was "significant frustration, push back and concern amongst members" regarding the mandatory use of the helmets and communication package, which resulted in QFD partially stepping back from its position. He claimed to "alleviate tensions", the QFD then spent more than $1m rolling out multipurpose style helmets. Regardless of the merits of the multipurpose style device, he said this represented a "tipping point", prompting the union to raise concerns with the minister, Ann Leahy. "I outlined the QPFU's position that the management of this issue by QFD had been fundamentally flawed and that the ongoing financial burden associated with poor decision-making was unacceptable," Mr Oliver wrote. The QFD did not respond to a question from the ABC regarding how much the rollout of the jet style and multipurpose helmets had cost. John Oliver accused the fire department of "poor decision making" in a letter to members. (ABC News: Jemima Burt) Following a meeting with the union, the minister agreed to allow station officers and firefighters to continue wearing the current Pacfire F3 helmet for the next three years, according to Mr Oliver. At the end of the three years, a joint QPFU and QFD review will be conducted to confirm whether the F3 is fit for purpose. Queensland firefighters previously wore F3 helmets. (Supplied: QFES) The then-Palaszczuk government announced the rollout of the jet-style helmets in 2023 to "improve frontline communication". The then-Palaszczuk government promoted the roll out of the “jet” style helmets on social media in 2023. (Supplied: Facebook) A Queensland firefighter told the ABC that one of the issues identified following the death of firefighter Izzy Nash was the need for hands-free communications. As early as 2016, the QPFU raised concerns about the radio network used by state government agencies — the Government Wireless Network. The firefighter said the jet-style helmet has hands-free communication integrated into it, but is hotter, with less airflow and less peripheral vision. "We wear helmets in all incidents, (including) car accidents, rescues (and) bushfires. The F3 is better for all uses," he said. "The fact that the minister had to intervene (and the) waste of money, it's [a] QFD mess. "No matter what helmet you have, or comms pieces you have in your helmet, it doesn't fix the network issues." Do you know more? Contact Eden Gillespie on encrypted email. Please note end-to-end encryption is only possible with your own encrypted email system like Protonmail. Another Queensland firefighter said the jet-style helmet was like "carrying a bowling ball around". "They keep giving us more stuff, but we just don't have room on the truck," they told the ABC. "The (QFD) didn't do enough consultation with staff before making the decision. It's not a surprise." The firefighter said commu

Fire union criticises department's 'flawed' $6.2m helmet rollout

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