Investigating the training options for local volunteers was high on the agenda when the shadow minister for emergency services and bushfire preparedness visited Collie this week.
Margaret Quirk visited Collie-Preston MLA Mick Murray's office on Tuesday afternoon.
She said she was concerned to hear reports there was a lack of training available for Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) volunteers.
After meeting with Mr Murray, Ms Quirk said she would speak with local volunteers as part of her fact-finding mission.
"The South West is one of the high risk regions, so DFES should be assuring training is available," she said.
"While I'm here, I'll visit the volunteers and have a chat about why they believe this has happened.
"When people join DFES as a volunteer they are supposedly expected to wait two years for training.
Ms Quirk also said she is not sure why this has happened.
"The volunteers say there is no district manager here but the town is only a two-and-a-bit hour drive from Perth,"she said.
"I can't believe it's not in the capacity of DFES to send some people down to Collie to do the training.
"There's also a career station at Bunbury so again they should be able to send someone out."
The same afternoon Shadow Minister for police and crime prevention Michelle Roberts met with Collie Police Senior Sergeant Mike Dean to get an update on how local officers were managing crime in the area.
Ms Roberts said the clearance rate for crime in Collie appeared to be much better than in the metropolitan area.
"So they are doing well in that regard but we will also be looking at the PCYC and the changes which are occurring there," Ms Roberts said.
"We want to make sure that they are a step into the future and not a step into the past.
"Crime prevention is the most important thing and if you can get young people engaged with PCYC positive activities then you don't have to end up with the other end of crime."
