The CFA said it would launch a 'full investigation' into the use of the camera. It is understood an argument broke out at the newsagency when staff refused to hand over the CFA stickers. When a customer defended the staff, the altercation escalated. "An argument took place and a 63-year-old man received minor injuries," a Victoria Police spokeswoman said. She said a 51-year-old man from Arthur's Creek was due to be charged on summons. A Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokeswoman said the firefighter had been suspended pending an investigation.

A CFA crew is at the site of the chemical spill. Credit:Jessica Shapiro United Firefighters Union national and state secretary Peter Marshall said he had spoken with the member concerned. "He categorically denies the allegations. Any suggestion to the contrary would be highly defamatory," Mr Marshall said. "We have no further comment while the matter is before the police." Last week, leading firefighter Alex Batty was among a group of career and volunteer staff from the Traralgon CFA station, east of Melbourne, who were rattling CFA fundraising cans at traffic lights. Some motorists questioned whether the firefighters were career or volunteers before they donated, he said, and others erupted with vile abuse.

"One particular person put a .22 shell in the donation bucket and said, 'You can give that to the career staff and the Premier'," Mr Batty recounted to Fairfax Media. "Another said, 'Why the f--- would we donate to you? Didn't you get enough money in your EBA?" In recent weeks, there have been heated protests across Victoria by furious CFA volunteers who fear the union deal will sideline them in favour of paid staff. It is understood that career firefighters elsewhere in Victoria have been booed and jeered at while responding to callouts. The disturbing revelations come as the volunteers' association scored a small win in the Supreme Court.

Having secured an injunction two weeks ago against the CFA board signing the agreement with the United Firefighters Union, Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria has won talks with the new board. The Supreme Court agreed to a consent position between the two parties on Wednesday morning that will see the volunteer association handed a copy of the EBA; talks between the volunteers and the CFA board about concerns; and an undertaking that the EBA will not be signed off before July 20. Premier Daniel Andrews' intervention in the protracted dispute threw his government into chaos, with a minister quitting, and igniting anger among volunteers who feared the deal with the union will undermine their role. The CFA's career firefighters - nearly all of whom are members of the UFU - have been repeatedly cast as bullies and "thugs" during the explosive industrial feud. Mr Batty, a career firefighter, said it was "heartbreaking" to be abused by members of the public.

"We are trying to treat all of this as noise in the background, but it saddens me immensely, it's heartbreaking," he said. "Irrespective of being volunteer or career staff, this is a job we are proud of doing - we are there at people's times of need and when we turn up we are generally very well-respected. "But now we feel uncomfortable going out in public and being in our uniforms." Emails show Liberals advising volunteers The CFA saga has been seized on by the Coalition parties at both state and federal level.

The Liberal Party has set up and registered a website, HandsOfftheCFA, which includes a petition to sign. Some people have reported that after signing the petition they have received emails from the Liberal Party trying to solicit donations. The Liberal Party has also been advising local CFA volunteer branches about how to campaign, in a bid to maximise the impact it has on the federal election. In an email seen by The Age, one CFA captain says he has been talks with the Liberal party about firefighters appearing at polling booths on election day. "[Liberal official] also advises that our best course of action is to simply win the Federal Election, as there is no hope at a State level of government in assisting us," the email to CFA brigades said. "Every effort should be focused on having representation in the form of a static rally at 56 polling booths in District 8 on Election day."

Victorian Farmers Federation president Peter Tuohey met Emergency Services Minister James Merlino on Monday where the minister promised he would not rush through the union deal and would fully consult Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria. The president told Fairfax that the Andrews' government had failed to explain to the community that most CFA brigades would not be affected. Mr Tuohey said that the government was realising that it handled the whole matter poorly,and failed to explain what the deal meant. "They should have been out there talking to volunteers about it," he said. "There are 1200 stations where the EBA doesn't make any difference to volunteers. It is only integrated stations where it have an impact. "But to go out and sack the board was probably a bad move."