Staff member forced to pay for fuel out of pocket
At least one member of the Victoria fire service was forced to use his own funds to refuel his emergency vehicle after his government-issued cards were rejected.
Fire Brigade Victoria confirmed it was investigating the cause of the embarrassing issue but did not answer questions about how widespread the problem was.
The incident comes amid skyrocketing fuel prices caused by the war in the Middle East, and the card was reported to have dropped earlier this week.
Age Fire Rescue Victoria saw an email from the business manager asking stations to check the expiration dates of their device fuel cards to see which ones were active.
A Fire Rescue Victoria spokesman said the emergency service was aware of “recent issues” with some fuel cards.
The spokesman said Fire Rescue Victoria was investigating why the issue occurred and was taking steps to ensure it did not occur again.
“Our people have the right to be reimbursed for expenses incurred on behalf of FRV,” they said.
The fuel card problem arises with the increase in fuel prices across the country. The price of diesel in Melbourne exceeded $3 per liter at some stations on Friday. Unleaded prices were as high as $2.60 per liter in the most expensive cases.
Average daily retail diesel prices in Melbourne increased by 59 cents between February 20 and March 11 this year, from 178.9 cents to 237.9 cents.
Opposition Fire Rescue Victoria spokesman Nick McGowan said the opposition was united in ensuring both volunteer and professional firefighters had the best equipment available.
An Ocean Grove firefighter was forced to foot the bill to fill up a vehicle after his government-issued payment card was declined, the official confirmed.
“Our firefighters should not be left with the bill and affected by financial support for their families, it is that simple,” he said. “Firefighters should never be held back by administrative errors. When an emergency arises, every system that supports them must work without question.”
United Firemen’s Association secretary Peter Marshall said the incident pointed to a wider failure in leadership and priorities.
“Firefighters should never be in the position of paying out of their own pockets to keep trucks on the road,” he said. “In emergency response, you cannot cut corners and hope for the best.”
The state government has been contacted for comment.
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Benjamin Preiss is regional editor of The Age. He was previously a state tour correspondent and also covered education for The Age.Connect with: X or email.
