Gippsland CFA volunteers seek compensation as cancer cluster cases grow

For decades, the Nar Nar Goon Fire Brigade in Victoria's south-east has answered the call during some of the state's biggest fires.Now, the brigade is facing a battle of its own, with growing concerns about its members' health and the future of its aging station.According to its captain, Justin Seddon, the brigade had recorded 22 cancer cases among long-serving members, including three deaths.In January this year, he sent a letter detailing the brigade's cancer cases to state ministers, including State Emergency Services Minister Vicki Ward, and Eastern Victoria MP Harriet Shing.He said since then the number of cases had grown.The letter sent by the Nar Nar Goon brigade to state ministers in January 2026. (Supplied)"This isn't new … the only new thing that comes is the list keeps getting longer," Mr Seddon said."Every single one of those people on that list is a volunteer. They've given up their own time to go and support their community."Mr Seddon said the cause of the cancer cluster remained unknown."Is it the exposure to the types of fires we're going to?" he said."Is it something local to here? We're just not sure what that is."I don't want to see another member get sick here at Nar Nar Goon."Seven of the brigade members who have experienced cancer were not covered by the state's presumptive rights legislation. (ABC News: Lily Kristanto)Compensation 'minefield'Although compensation for firefighters diagnosed with cancer exists, almost half of the brigade's 22 members fighting cancer, past and present, do not meet the eligibility requirements.State presumptive rights legislation recognises certain cancers as being linked to firefighting, relieving firefighters of having to prove their illness was caused by their work.In Victoria, presumptive protections only apply to people with specific types of cancer, who have a certain role, who meet a certain length of service, who received their cancer diagnosis on or after June 1, 2016 and apply for compensation within 10 years of stopping volunteering.Mr Seddon said "gaps" in the legislation leave some members to navigate a "minefield" of administrative work, all while dealing with the stress of cancer."[Members who aren't covered have] got to go through different avenues to try and get support, and that can be quite difficult," Mr Seddon said."Anyone who puts the uniform on should be covered."A firefighter's personal battleKevin Chisholm has been a volunteer firefighter for more than 40 years. (ABC News: Lily Kristanto)Kevin Chisholm is a volunteer at the brigade and has been with the Country Fire Authority (CFA) for more than 40 years.He was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer shortly after his 70th birthday last year.Mr Chisholm underwent surgery, but the cancer spread to other parts of his body, requiring six weeks of radiation treatment, five days a week.His daughter, Carlie Chisholm, said he was supported through the WorkCover process by the brigade, but the paperwork, appointments and administrative tasks added another layer of stress during an already difficult time.Ms Chisholm, a registered nurse and CFA volunteer firefighter of more than 20 years, said the diagnosis had taken a heavy toll on the family."His normalcy is taken away from him," she said."It's logistically a bit of a nightmare, but you get through it."Carlie Chisholm says her dad's cancer diagnosis took a toll on the family. (ABC News: Lily Kristanto)Mr Chisholm qualified for compensation under Victoria's presumptive rights legislation and said he was grateful the support existed.But Mr Chisholm said Victoria's laws should be expanded for other members.Other jurisdictions have broader protections for firefighters, and Mr Chisholm said frontline volunteers deserved consistent support."We serve in the community, the minimum thing would be, we get looked after," he said.Barriers to compensationRoss Sottile, a lawyer at Maurice Blackburn, said proving a link between firefighting exposure and cancer without presumptive coverage placed a significant legal and medical burden on sick firefighters.Lawyer Ross Sottile says many firefighters face a significant legal and medical burden if they are not covered by presumptive legislation. (Supplied)"Cancer does not observe legislative boundaries."They're receiving chemo, and they're also fighting a WorkCover claim to try and just get basic entitlements," he said."They're dealing with the financial stress of having no income coming in."Advocate calls for expansion of presumptive legislationTracie Lund, a former councillor and emergency services advocate, is pushing for the laws to be expanded."Exposure doesn't discriminate, and we shouldn't be discriminating based on roles and cancers either," she said.Ms Lund became an advocate after her husband Simon's experience navigating the system following his terminal cancer diagnosis."One of the mantras that you hear a lot through emergency services is, 'We work as one,'" Ms Lund said."But they're not covered as one, they're not seen as equal under the legislation."Ms Lund is Labor's candidate for the seat of Morwell in the upcoming state election.A Victorian government spokesperson said the government has expanded the scheme since the legislation was introduced and is "always [looking] at ways to further prioritise firefighter health and safety".Tip of the icebergFor Mr Seddon, gaps in presumptive legislation were only part of a larger issue in the lack of support for firefighters at the brigade.He pointed to an aging station with only one toilet for 35 members, no showers to wash off carcinogens, trucks that could not fit properly in the building, and a meeting room too small for the entire brigade.He said the brigade has had to spend thousands of dollars of its own funds on measures to reduce risks, but moving into a new building was key.The CFA said it had taken all necessary steps to confirm that the existing station was safe.The Nar Nar Goon CFA brigade hopes to be moved to a new facility. (ABC News: Lily Kristanto)In this year's state budget, money was allocated to acquire land for a new brigade building, but Mr Seddon said there had been no timeline on when this would happen."What we need is money to build the fire station and get us out of here," he said.The ABC understands the CFA has identified two prospective sites which are currently undergoing suitability checks.Mr Seddon said he wondered whether growing health issues in his brigade could be widespread."There's 1,200 CFA brigades out there," he said."Are we just the tip of the iceberg?"