Alan "duck" Downey, 58, firefighter Qld, 29 ½ years of continuous service from 29th March 1985 to a few months ago when Alan was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer. Since then Alan has had three brain surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation. The radiation in particular his wife Linda has observed has caused more harm than good. To date the operations and treatment have cost $82,000 and the medical costs are ongoing and coming out of the family’s life savings. Alan a Kombi van fan has had to sell his treasured collection of old Kombi’s as he can no longer maintain them or keep them registered and insured. 

If Alan lived in South Australia, Western Australia or Tasmania he would automatically be covered by presumptive workers compensation legislation.

Brain cancer is so common amongst fire fighters and there is so much evidence that it is caused by the job that in South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia it is automatically recognised as a work related injury after 5 years of service.  

Alan after 29 ½  years of service in the QLD fire service and at a time when he is fighting for his life (instead of protecting yours which is what he'd prefer to be doing) has had to resort to engaging a no win no fee lawyer to start the legal fight for workers compensation. 

At a time when he is exhausted and needs every bit of energy to focus on his own wellbeing for a change, he's forced to try and focus on seeing lawyers, gathering evidence and paying out huge amounts of money in medical bills with no light at the end of the tunnel.   

This saddens me deeply, this level of neglect, this lack of care and compassion for Alan and men like him who spend their lives risking their lives for my and your safety. It’s horrific that in QLD there is no help, no support and no compassion for them and their families in their hour of need. 

You can change this. We can change this. Together we can make the QLD government change this and bring their workers compensation law for fireman in line with the other Australian states and other countries. Let's do this for Alan and for all fire fighters in Qld, NSW and anywhere that the hazards of their job are not valued. 

It's fair. It's time. 

Please sign the petition and then share it with as many people as possible. 

Thank you. 

Michelle de Vries ( lan's sister-in-law). 

On behalf of Alan “duck” Downey, his wife Linda and their four children, Matt, Tess, Scott and Hannah.