2 Years After Vaccine Mandate Scrapped, Firefighters Still Not Reinstated Despite Bushfires

‘They’ve lost families, they’ve lost partners, they’ve lost their houses,’ Australian Firefighters Alliance spokesperson.

A Victorian firefighter takes a rest at the Halls Gap fire base in the Grampians mountain range in Victoria, Australia on Jan. 27, 2006. Lucas Dawson/Getty Images

Over 40 Victorian firefighters remain locked out of their jobs two and a half years after COVID-19 vaccination requirements were scrapped in the state, this is despite authorities calling in personnel from interstate to deal with raging bushfires.

According to a spokesperson from the Australian Firefighters Alliance (AFA), the families of the “firies” have struggled with the fallout of losing their jobs, some losing their partners and homes.