A volunteer firefighter the CFA has stripped of firefighting duties because of her type 1 diabetes says her brigade will now struggle to get the truck out the door.
Anne Hassell, a key member of a central Victorian fire brigade, has been told she is medically unfit to attend fires after informing the CFA of her diabetes diagnosis.
The ruling comes despite other volunteers having balanced type 1 diabetes with firefighting for decades.
Ms Hassell, until recently the captain and main truck driver for the Wedderburn Fire Brigade, said she was stripped of her firefighting duties despite being cleared by VicRoads to retain her truck licence.
"Thirteen years ago, I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic and in August last year I was re-diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic," she said.
"That meant I had to have a medical assessment of my truck licence with VicRoads, and I passed that.
"I let CFA know and they decided they better do a medical assessment as well and I ended up getting a letter back this week saying I am now permanently declared unfit for all firefighting roles due to my diabetes."
CFA retracts support for type 1 diabetics
Last week, the CFA website carried a media release from 2020, promoting its support of National Diabetes Week and profiling a CFA volunteer with type 1 diabetes.
Since the ABC contacted the CFA about Anne Hassell's situation last week, that media release appears to have been removed.
The CFA has been contacted for comment about the missing media release.
In an earlier statement, it said it "could not comment on individual members' health and medical records".
The CFA said it had adhered to the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council's (AFAC) medical guidelines, which it said precluded "people with certain medical conditions from operational duty".
But AFAC has told the ABC those guidelines were part of a 2006 document that has since been rescinded and that it was the responsibility of the CFA to determine its own entry requirements for volunteers.
Despite that, in a letter to Ms Hassell, CFA medical officer Ahmed Saafan, referenced the AFAC guidelines and said that "the presence of insulin-treated diabetes precludes a person from firefighting", and "treatment with insulin represents an unacceptably high risk in the firefighting context".
In the letter, Dr Saafan declared Ms Hassell "permanently unfit for all firefighting roles".
'It's not a problem'
Ms Hassell said she was capable of managing her diabetes on the fireground and used a glucose monitor linked to her phone to check her blood sugar levels.
"I actually get an alarm on my phone if my blood sugar goes low, so it's not a problem," she said.
When she turns out to fires, she also takes her "grab bag", containing everything she needs to manage her blood sugar level.
Ms Hassell said she expected the CFA to be more inclusive of those with type 1 diabetes, particularly given other sectors of society were doing so.
"I've since found out that ... you couldn't get a commercial pilot's licence if you had type1 diabetes but that changed in 2020, so people with type 1 diabetes can now become commercial pilots," she said.
Others continue to serve
Damian Liston, a member of the Cardigan Fire Brigade near Ballarat, has been a CFA volunteer since 1988 and has managed type 1 diabetes for all that time.
"Obviously you've got to be prepared and have all your provisions with you so you can handle a situation if it develops," he said.
"And as long as you can prove that you can realise when you are going to run low, and correct that quickly, there should be no issue."
Mr Liston said he believed Ms Hassell should be reinstated immediately.
"I think she should be allowed to contribute, especially as she has the latest in flash glucose monitoring, which alerts your phone if your levels are running low," he said.
"People with diabetes, if they manage it well, they're just as physically fit as anyone."
'Between a rock and a hard place'
Ms Hassell said the Wedderburn Fire Brigade, like many brigades, was struggling for members and could not afford to lose its captain and main truck driver.
"It leaves the brigade with a truck possibly not turning out and there's a risk if that truck doesn't turn out that someone's house burns down or someone doesn't get medical attention fast enough," she said.
"I think we need every member we can get, and I think if you have type 1 diabetes and you know how to manage it, there should be no problem being on the fire ground."
While Ms Hassell can still help with administration, she is not permitted to be in the station alone, making that role impractical.
"We've had a declining membership for a number of years, and this just leaves us between a rock and a hard place," she said.
