Volunteer firefighter Matthew Petch facing rare, aggressive cancer without same support as paid firefighters

Former volunteer firefighter Matthew Petch has battled flames engulfing houses and tackled the Black Summer bush fires, but the biggest fight of his life is the one he is facing now. Diagnosed late last year with a rare and aggressive cancer, the 41-year-old father of three is struggling to understand why he is not being given the same protections as a career firefighter. International evidence has linked the cancer he has, cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile-duct cancer, with prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals while fighting fires. But it is not one of the 20 cancers recognised in WA as automatically qualifying for support under firefighter protection laws. Mr Petch was still encouraged by his local volunteer brigade to lodge a claim for workers’ compensation, only to discover months later he does not have the same rights as a paid firefighter. “If you ring triple-0, you would expect the same service, irrespective if that’s a career red truck that arrives or a volunteer red truck that arrives,” he said. “And when I would wear the Department of Fire and Emergency Services uniform, I expected that I’d be afforded the same rights and protections as a career firefighter, given that I’m going into the same high-risk environment — whether that be a house fire, car fire, factory fire or a car accident. “But you’re not. So that’s the part that’s really got me, and I really want to raise the issue because it’s bigger than just myself.” The Kalamunda Primary School teacher was just 17 when he joined a local bushfire brigade, where he volunteered for three years. For the past eight years he was a member of the Kalamunda Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, turning out to hundreds of blazes and car crashes. In 2019, he was deployed to Queensland to help fight the devastating Black Summer bushfires. The first inkling the previously fit and healthy 40-year-old had of the tumour invading his body was in September. “I went to bed one night and three hours later I woke up feeling ill, and that’s the only warning that I got,” he said. By December, he had extensive surgery to remove his bile duct, gall bladder, part of his pancreas, stomach and small intestine, followed by three gruelling rounds of chemotherapy. It didn’t work. Recently, he learnt the cancer had spread to his liver. When Mr Petch applied for workers compensation in January, he was told his claim was deferred until May 31. A letter from the Insurance Commission of WA stated if he did not hear back by then, that would mean liability had been accepted and he would receive compensation payments. But 10 days before the cut-off, he received an email saying ICWA could not meet that timeline and the references in the earlier letter to “provisional payments and a deemed accepted date” were not applicable to a DFES volunteer claim. After waiting months to hear if the claim had been finalised, the news left Mr Petch feeling like he’d been “hung out to dry”. Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services Association of WA executive officer Tim Sonsee said there should be no difference in ICWA time frames between paid and volunteer firefighters. “We want this process to be quicker and to have hurdles removed,” he said. “We’re asking for greater support for our volunteers that are facing these life-threatening illnesses.” An ICWA spokesperson said every personal injury claim was considered to be important. “We endeavour to progress matters as quickly as possible, noting there are different legislative requirements and a number of parties (internal and external to government) that contribute to the processing of a claim,” they said. Despite the setback, Mr Petch’s family is not giving up, rallying to help fund life-saving immunotherapy medication and to send him to the US for a new procedure called histotripsy that uses focused soundwaves to destroy liver tumours. His brother, Jonathan, said each monthly cycle of immunotherapy was estimated at between $10,000 to $15,000, while a single session of histotripsy cost more than $77,000 — and he would need several rounds. “It’s a heavy burden, but one we are determined to bear if it means giving Matt what he deserves — the opportunity to watch his children grow up, to laugh with his wife over morning coffee, to simply live the life he treasures,” he said. “We are investing in time, in possibility, and in every single bit of hope science can offer.” A crowdfunding request Jonathan posted on Monday to help with the enormous costs had raised more than $143,000 by Tuesday night. Mr Petch said his cancer battle was taking an emotional toll on his wife, Helen, and children Oliver, 13, Finlay, 11, and Amelia, 8. But they had been taken aback by the “incredible” support and generosity they had received, from people dropping off meals and firewood to donating airline points towards his US flights. “It’s a horrible situation to be in, but just having so much support from strangers and family and beyond, it’s what kind of keeps me ticking along and moving forward,” he said. “The community spirit has carried our family through this.”