Member for Orange Phil Donato launched the petition at Orange Fire Station on Friday.

Standing with him was Lucknow Rural Fire Brigade captain Mick Bloomfield.

Mr Bloomfield said the brigade’s volunteers had attended 22 accidents in the past year and motorists did not slow down.

“Just about every incident we go to we have near misses,” he said. 

“Not long back, the NSW brigade blokes told us they’d rather fight a structure fire than be on the road with us.”

He said a volunteer was lucky not to be injured three months ago when he was clipped by a car after a motorist ignored traffic diversions at Carcoar.

“[Following the crash at Lucknow on Thursday night] we put up 40km/h signs up even though it’s not legal really – we were on the road for four hours and there was not one incident where our people were in danger,” he said.

Mr Donato said the decision to lodge the petition followed attempts to write to NSW Roads Minister Melinda Pavey and Police Minister Troy Grant, and an incident last week where a police officer needed his leg amputated. 

“It shouldn’t come to this really,” he said.

“[There] is an obligation by the government to protect its workers and if they’re not, they’re negligent or worse still even reckless.

“The government could get this legislation through very quickly if they wanted to.”

Mr Donato said 10,000 signatures would allow the issue to be debated in parliament. 

The NSW Fire Brigade Employees Union has been lobbying for the change for at least three years. 

Country representative Tim Anderson said slowing traffic was particularly important for regional emergencies. 

“People tend to travel at quicker speeds and the road signage is not as good and the roads tend to be not as good,” he said. 

The petition can be signed at Mr Donato’s office.