Slacks Creek death and serious injury – QFD admitting guilt
Today, Friday 28 August 2026, the Commissioner advised firefighters that he and the Queensland Fire Department (QFD) will plead guilty to a Work Health and Safety prosecution arising from the tragic Slacks Creek fire in May 2023.
The Commissioner has stated that the guilty plea relates specifically to fireground communications.
This is an extremely serious development.
The QPFU has not been a party to the prosecution conducted by Work Health and Safety Queensland and has no legal role in those proceedings. However, your Union provided information where it could during the investigation, including evidence relating to radios, communications and associated safety concerns.
The QPFU and the membership has repeatedly raised concerns about fireground communications.
Despite those concerns, QFD continued developing and implementing operational plans, equipment and systems around a communications platform that firefighters were repeatedly reporting was not working reliably in the environments where they needed it most.
They ignored the warnings.
Where are we today?
After years of reports, testing, changes and new equipment, serious concerns remain. Firefighters continue to report problems with the GWN in operational environments.
The introduction of the new helmet and communications configuration has created further operational and safety concerns rather than resolving the underlying communication problems.
These are not minor inconveniences.
QFD is now pleading guilty over fireground communications
Against that history, today’s announcement demands serious reflection.
Hazard reports were submitted. Problems were reported. Members provided feedback. Your Union repeatedly advocated for change. At times, those concerns were dismissed or disputed. On occasions, the QPFU was even accused of conducting testing to achieve a predetermined outcome and questioned the integrity of those Officer’s doing the testing.
When firefighters repeatedly identify a safety problem, the response cannot be to dismiss the evidence, defend the equipment or wait until something goes catastrophically wrong.
This is a management problem and it must be fixed by the Commissioner.
What is QFD doing to protect you today?
The QPFU has already called on QFD to immediately establish a working group focused on practical measures that can protect firefighters now.
QPFU will continue to push for immediate action
The QPFU will continue urgently pursuing these issues with QFD.
We will continue demanding immediate measures to protect members while permanent solutions are developed, and we will continue holding QFD accountable for ensuring firefighters have safe, reliable and fit-for-purpose equipment.
Today’s announcement cannot simply become another review, another working group that goes nowhere, or another promise of a solution years into the future.
The QPFU acknowledges those members and representatives who have fought tirelessly on these issues for years, often under significant pressure and at considerable personal cost.
To these members and representatives who refused to let this issue disappear: your work mattered, your concerns were legitimate, and your persistence helped ensure these issues could not simply be ignored.
Finally
Who within QFD management is going to be held accountable for these catastrophic failures? And, most importantly, what is the Commissioner going to do about those that did know, and pushed ahead?
We will keep members updated as this urgent work progresses.
Authorised by Richard McCluskey Interim State Secretary Queensland Professional Firefighters’ Union, Industrial Union of Employees
