![Almost $1 million has been allocated to auditing CFS facilities across the state in the government's latest budget. File pictures Almost $1 million has been allocated to auditing CFS facilities across the state in the government's latest budget. File pictures](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/166850433/8c6c5eef-4d86-40da-9052-a6c632120832.jpg/r0_3_1200_678_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The state government has announced an audit into Country Fire Service facilities as part of this year's budget, after a push from the Greens, the opposition and CFS volunteers.
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A total of $817,000 will be allocated to auditing the facilities throughout the state across two years, with the news met with mixed responses.
Opposition spokesperson for emergency service Adrian Pederick said he was glad the issue was addressed, but it should have been more simple with a rolling audit process in place.
"You shouldn't have to spend nearly a million dollars of taxpayers money to find out something that should already be known," he said.
"CFS should have its own register of all its facilities and assets that is regularly upgraded.
"It's a way to move forward and I'm glad to see progress, but it's astounding something isn't already in place."
Mr Pederick estimated repair costs for CFS stations across the state could reach $100 million following the audit, which he believed would need to be funded through the emergency services levy.
He highlighted issues like some brigades not having sheds for their equipment, while others were without bathrooms, as high priority problems within the service.
"There's a lot of real lot of work to do and I don't think it can just get buried in the two-year audit," he said.
"I think as soon as some of these real serious issues are identified as the audit unfolds, they need to be addressed."
Late last year, Mr Pederick lobbied for a parliamentary select committee to investigate the CFS, but this was postponed until this year.
Since then, a select committee for the issue has not been established, but instead rolled into the standing committee on occupational safety, rehabilitation and compensation.
"That committee sadly has been meeting for almost three months, and only today (Friday) have emails and letters gone out asking brigades and members of the public to put in submissions," Mr Pederick said.
"We're told the reference to the facilities register has been pulled out of the title line, but people can still talk about their facilities and I urge them to because there is a line at the end of it about any other relevant matter.
"They've only had one meeting a month for an hour that I'm aware of and that concerns me because this needs to crank right up.
"It's not just about facilities, it's about volunteer management, about staff management.
"It's important to support the 13,000-plus volunteers and the paid staff."
State Emergency Services Minister Dan Cregan said the government had committed to examining the state of CFS facilities across SA.
"Our volunteers and staff work tirelessly to serve their communities and ongoing investment to meet their needs is required," he said.
"This audit will help ensure works carried out support current and future personnel."
SA Greens MLC Tammy Franks said she was pleased to see $817,000 has been allocated for a CFS facilities audit.
"The SA Greens called upon the Malinauskas government last September to conduct this audit as a matter of urgency, following claims that workplace safety concerns across CFS stations were going unaddressed due to insufficient funding," she said.
"(There are) far too many volunteering and putting themselves on the front line of firefighting without even a tap, a toilet or an appropriate place to change with privacy before or after a shift.
"Sometimes dangerous electrical wiring or asbestos also needing attention.
"This audit is an important first step in identifying where facilities are inadequate.
"The next step must be providing adequate funding to ensure our volunteers, who risk their lives to protect us and our communities, are afforded safety and dignity."
![Cootra CFS captain Xavier Beinke says the audit process is a step in the right direction but has concerns about how it will be operated and funded once issues are highlighted. Cootra CFS captain Xavier Beinke says the audit process is a step in the right direction but has concerns about how it will be operated and funded once issues are highlighted.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/166850433/ddf256c5-9330-47e0-b51e-2b515d1ed31e.JPG/r0_219_4288_2630_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Cootra CFS captain Xavier Beinke, who last year raised his concerns about the state of CFS facilities, welcomed the budget announcement but warned it was a long road ahead to meet the service's needs.
"This is a step in the right direction, which is great, but when is this going to happen and who's going to do it?" he said.
"Will brigade captains be present at all at the audits? Will the brigades or the region be given the results? How long will it be before the faults are rectified? And, importantly, who's going to fund the repairs and replacement as a result of this audit?
"You'd be looking at a minimum of three years from the first audit to get something rectified."
A CFS spokesperson said CFS maintained 425 stations of varying ages across the state.
"The CFS welcomes this audit and any support it brings to our facilities program, which is committed to maintaining and improving our brigade stations and sheds," they said.
Mr Cregan did not address specific questions from Stock Journal including how long the audit was expected to take, what the next step would be and if there was an expected spend to rectify existing issues.