FIRE station staffing shortages has reached chronic levels according to new figures recently released in state Parliament.

Kalamunda volunteer fire and rescue captain Tony Moiler said although his brigade was currently well staffed he could sympathise with the career firefighters who were doing it tough.

He said he was aware of their staffing issues and that some of them were not doing overtime because of current staffing claims.

“I have also talked to some of the volunteers who have gone on to become career firefighters and they have told me the morale among career firefighters is at rock bottom,” he said.

Mr Moiler said the importance of having efficient and well-staffed firefighting units could not be overstated.

“Firefighting is an essential service where we are ‘here and now’ reactive. You can’t put things on hold and in many cases it can be a life and death situation.”

The Parliament figures revealed more than 100 fire trucks around the metropolitan area are out of action due to chronic staffing shortages.

Opposition emergency services minister Rob Horstman MLC said these trucks weren’t offline due to mechanical faults but were lying idle simply because there were not enough firefighters to crew them.

“Every day, more appliances are being placed on restricted duty because there is no one available to man them,” Mr Horstman said.

“That is a direct result of an ongoing staffing crisis across the firefighting workforce.

“This is a clear red flag. When fire trucks can’t be deployed, communities are left exposed and the risk to public safety increases.”

He said that instead of ignoring the warnings the government should listen to frontline experts and urgently address workforce shortages before this becomes a full-blown emergency.

A Department of Fire and Emergency (DFES) spokesperson said there were currently no vacancies at the Midland career fire and rescue service station.

“In 2024 the state government provided $23 million to fund an additional 60 career firefighters over the following three years,” they said.

“Half of that cohort have already gone through trainee firefighter school. Last year 84 firefighters graduated from the trainee school - the biggest number of recruits in 55 years.”

When questioned in Parliament, the government said that between January 1 and March 17, 2026 a total of 104 appliances were designated as ‘appliances on restricted duty’ (AORD) across 74 shifts, with one appliance sidelined for as many as 47 shifts.

While DFES describes AORD as a method to ‘adjust response options and manage resources’, Mr Horstman has said it effectively means fire trucks are offline and unable to respond.

“Communities across the state are being unknowingly left in a precarious position when local fire resources are reduced or unable to respond due to unsafe staffing levels,” he said.

United Professional Firefighters Union of WA secretary John Marsh said the reality facing firefighters was far more severe than suggested.

“Firstly, the situation is significantly worse than the reported figures indicate,” Mr Marsh said.

“These figures require further scrutiny and members report the consequences are much, much worse.”