Prison officers hospitalised after rescuing inmates from fire at Long Bay
Eight prison officers are recovering in hospital today after rescuing inmates from a deliberately lit fire at Long Bay Correctional Complex this morning.
The fire was lit by an inmate in a cell in the segregation unit at 9.30am, said Matt Bindley, Chair of the Prison Officer鈥檚 Branch of the PSA.
鈥淭he fire spread quickly and a number of officers were required to rescue inmates from their cells.鈥
Eight prison officers were taken to hospital with smoke inhalation, where they are still recovering.
鈥淧rison officers dropped what they were doing and put their lives on the line to rescue trapped inmates,鈥 said Mr Bindley.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tribute to them that no lives were lost in today鈥檚 fire.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 incident is a reminder of the difficult and dangerous circumstances prison officers face during the course of their work, their dedication to the job, and the importance of adequate staffing levels to ensure officers are able to deal with the full range of contingencies.
鈥淲e wish the prison officers involved a full and speedy recovery.鈥