Over the last month, we have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation.
Last Saturday the 21 March the Firefighter Championship Association Executive met to discuss COVID-19 and how we best move forward. This was a difficult decision as we all are very aware of the value that Firefighter Championships bring such as comradery, teamwork and firefighting skills.
We assessed the risks our events and activities may have on the broader community, our firefighters and staff.
To minimise and control the spread of COVID-19 we have decided to postpone Kurri Kurri Championship (30 & 31 May 2020) and Merrylands Championship (8 & 9 August 2020) to 2021.
In making the decision we focused on minimising the spread of COVID-19. This will minimise the risk to our firefighters and help in maintaining our capability across the state and give our Health System a greater chance to manage the high demand we expect will be placed on it during the next 6 months.
We will be making a decision on the State Championship by the 1 September 2020, which is the latest date to allow enough time to put the State Championship together which is programmed for the 22 to 24 October 2020.
I would like to thank everyone for their help in managing this situation for the greater good of our communities and reassure everyone that Championships will be back bigger and better than ever, either later in the year or in 2021.
Rob McNeil
Director of Fire and Rescue NSW Firefighter Championships