FIREFIGHTERS who live in the Hunter but work in the Greater Sydney "bubble" should not be forced to report for duty in red zones if they haven't already, the Fire Brigade Employees' Union says.
Acting president Matt Graves said firefighters who had already been travelling to work in the red zones from the regions would continue to do so and "do the right thing" and isolate for 14 days when they returned home.
"What we are saying is that anyone who hasn't been exposed to these areas yet are not to go into those areas now, and vice versa.
"For any firefighters that live in the Greater Sydney area but are stationed outside - like in Newcastle or Maitland - we have said to them not to work outside of the bubble, because they are running he risk of exposing the greater community... We don't want to see Fire & Rescue be the ones that spread it to the Hunter or potentially anywhere else in the state where there are currently no cases."
Mr Graves said forcing firefighters who live in the regions to report to stations in the heart of Sydney was putting them "directly" in the middle of an unfolding health crisis.
He said they could work at different stations every shift and have contact with multiple other firefighters from other crews at any incident, so the risk of community transmission was high.
"Firefighters should be able to report for duty in a safe working environment," he said.
"It is important for their employer to protect them... Firefighters must not be punished for their compassion and dedication to protecting their community in every way."
