Acting Commissioner
I will be on annual leave from Monday 24 September to Monday 15 October.
During my absence Deputy Commissioner John Benson will be Acting Commissioner.
RFS Commissioner
On Tuesday 18 September, the Minister for Emergency Services, Nathan
Rees, officially appointed Assistant Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons
AFSM as the new Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service. I have
had a long working relationship with Shane and he brings a wealth
of experience and knowledge to the position. I look forward to working
with him in the future and wish him all the best in his new position.
A bit of trivia ' both Shane and I commenced firefighting as teenage
volunteers with Duffys Forest bushfire brigade in Sydney's north.
AFAC
Since Wednesday, together with 16 NSWFB delegates, I have been in
Hobart for the 2007 AFAC conference. I have found the conference to
be both informative and interesting. I'd like to thank the four NSWFB
presenters: Superintendent Chris Lewis (House fires: are modern contents
and construction making them more dangerous), Kathryn Heiler (Organisational
implications of the discovery of asbestos at the NSWFB USAR training
site, Holsworthy), Janine Bailey (Developing and implementing operational
safety and training in the NSWFB) and CSupt Mick Ryan (The Cootamundra
silo fire and lessons learnt), whose contributions and expertise have
been well-received by the other conference delegates.
Ken Thompson to spread climate change message
Deputy Commissioner Ken Thompson, who is responsible for the NSWFB's
environmental sustainability initiatives, is taking part in a three-day
training presentation in Melbourne conducted by leading US climate
change campaigner Al Gore. Mr Gore, the former US Vice President,
has been travelling the world with his climate change message made
famous in the documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Deputy Commissioner
Thompson will be delivering the presentation at various forums over
the next 12 months to raise awareness within the fire industry and
among stakeholder groups about the potential effects of climate change
and the measures that need to be taken to reduce our 'carbon footprint'.
SO Graduation
Nineteen firefighters joined the officer ranks today following their
graduation yesterday. The training they have received will enable
them to lead their colleagues and protect the community in any emergency
situation. Eighteen of the newly appointed Station Officers will take
up positions at fire stations and specialist units across Sydney,
with one posted to Broken Hill. Congratulations to the new SOs and
all the very best in your careers.
The Magnificent Seven!
I would like to congratulate the seven NSWFB staff who were presented
with awards this week by the Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir,
at ceremonies held at Government House in Sydney. SO Carlos Henry
received the Bravery Medal, Senior Industrial Officer Stuart Henderson
received the Public Service Medal and SO Bill Clifford, Central Coast
Zone Commander Supt Keith King, Illawarra Zone Commander Supt Gary
Meers, Capt Vincent Oliver and SO Alan (Sam) Walker all received the
Australian Fire Service Medal. It is great to see the efforts of our
staff being recognised at a national level.
NSWFB appoints first indigenous Captain
On Wednesday 26 September, RetF Rodney Thorne will be officially
appointed to the position of Captain of 482 Walgett. Rodney is the
first indigenous firefighter to be appointed to the position of Captain.
At the same time, RetF Adam Robinson will be appointed to the position
of Deputy Captain. My congratulations to both Rodney and Adam on their
appointments. I look forward to working with them in the future.
2007 NSWFB Ball
On Friday 14 September, over 500 people attended the annual NSWFB
Ball at Le Montage in Leichhardt. With entertainment provided by the
NSWFB Band and Precision Drill Team and the Enormous Horns, a great
night was had by all. I'd like to thank everyone that worked so hard
organising this wonderful event, particularly Maria James, Julia Simonides,
Cora Sarmiento and Peter Stathis.
NSWFB Firefighter Championships 'Finley
Last weekend, the final round of the 2007 NSWFB Firefighter Championships
was held in Finley. Congratulations to the team from 105 Kelso who
took out first place, securing their third Championship for the year.
The team from 405 Nowra came in second with 224 Berry taking out third
place. The National Firefighters Championship will be held in Lakes
Entrance, Victoria from 19-21 October with teams from 105 Kelso, 253
Casino, 307 South Grafton, 302 Glen Innes and 405 Nowra preparing
to represent the NSWFB over the weekend of competition. The team from
105 Kelso will be aiming to defend their title as the current National
Champion. For further information about the Regional South Firefighters
Championship see the intranet story.
NSW/South Australia Fire Service exchange
FF Scott Rouse from City of Sydney Fire Station yesterday headed
to Adelaide to commence a 12-month exchange with the South Australian
Metropolitan Fire Service (SAMFS). Exchange programs such as these
enable firefighters to undertake further training and development
and gain different perspectives, enabling us to compare our practices
with those of other services. As part of the exchange program, FF
Rouse will be undertaking a research project in conjunction with a
university in Adelaide, examining the physiological impact of Compartmental
Fire Behaviour Training (CFBT) on firefighters. FF Rouse will present
his findings to CEG in 12 months' time and the NSWFB will assess how
the findings impact on our own CFBT training practices. I wish FF
Rouse all the best for his time in South Australia and look forward
to hearing about his experiences when he returns. I'd also like to
welcome FF Nicholas Clarke from the SAMFS who will spend 12 months
with A Platoon at City of Sydney.
Flame of Hope Torch Relay
On Monday firefighters from 36 Crows Nest raised four flags above
the face of Luna Park in honour of the 2007 Special Olympics World
Games being held in Shanghai in October. The Flame of Hope Law Enforcement
Torch Run started its journey at Luna Park on Tuesday before travelling
around the harbour to a number of Sydney's iconic landmarks. Sydney
is the last leg of the torch run on its journey to the Special Olympics
World Summer Games in Shanghai on Tuesday 2 October. See the intranet
story for further details.
The midwives of 475 Uralla
On Thursday 13 September firefighters from 475 Uralla were called
upon to help deliver a baby in their capacity of Medical First Responders.
Retained firefighters Nicole Connolly, Peter Hooper, Michael Morrissey,
Justin Fox and Clinton Paton arrived at the scene to find the mother-to-be
in the advanced stages of labour with the baby's head crowning. Using
their basic life support training, firefighters were able to assist
the mother until ambulance officers arrived from Armidale ' just in
time to deliver the baby. This is a great example of the diversity
of incidents and emergencies the NSWFB attends and highlights the
depth of training our firefighters receive.
Adopt a school
Metro South 1 is taking part in a project designed to improve fire
safety in schools across the Illawarra and enhance links between local
fire stations and schools. Letters have been sent to over 100 schools
encouraging them to take part in the Adopt a School program which
will see firefighters visit schools more regularly, helping them identify
and eliminate potential fire hazards and improve evacuation procedures
as well as carrying out our existing school fire safety education
programs.
RUMOUR MILL
Rumour: Is it true that the rescue
section has a storeroom full of RIKs, and the reason they are not
being installed at stations isn't due to a lack of cars to train on,
but a lack of trainers at the rescue section itself?
Response: No, this is not the case. The Rescue Section
allocates RIKs as a priority as soon as they are received. In the
past, there was a limited number of additional RIKs at the Rescue
Section reserved as a consequence of the Class 2 Pumper program; however
this is no longer the case.
Rumour: Is it true that a large number
of SOs and firefighters attached to rescue stations in MW1 are about
to be transferred in the next few weeks?
Response: There will be a limited number of transfers
taking place. There is an identified need to balance seniority, experience,
qualifications and expertise of rescue accredited personnel across
the Metropolitan West Area command in rescue accredited stations.
Personnel to be transferred will remain in Metro West, and wherever
possible will be transferred closer to their homes.
Rumour: Can the Commissioner confirm that an
agreement has been made with NPWS for free entry for NSWB personnel,
the same situation as exists for RFS members' If so, can the Commissioner
get in touch with his National Parks counterpart to pass this information
on to the Parks' gate staff as they either don't know or require a
pass of some sort to gain entry. Can this situation be clarified?
Response: The NSWFB does not have any agreement
with the NPWS regarding free access to National Parks for NSWFB employees.
Because the bulk of fire protection services for National Parks are
provided by RFS volunteers, it has been a long-standing practice that
they receive free windscreen stickers enabling free entry to parks.
This is not the case with the NSWFB, so there is no justification
for a similar arrangement.
INCIDENTS
Macquarie Fields police bag a dirty rat
It's a girl!
A busy day for 453 Taree
Gas leak
EVENTS
APEC wrap up
Community fire safety project underway in Young
RetF Robert 'dicky lemon' Lemon retires after 40 years of service
NSWFB demonstrates USAR capabilities at inter-agency training day
COMMISH’S CORNER
Commissioner’s e-mail: Commissioner@fire.nsw.gov.au
Cora Sarmiento, Commish’s PA: 9265 2930
PACSU: fax 9265 2882
Commish’s Corner Rumour Mill: 9265 2627
To contribute a story to the intranet, please contact Public
Affairs Officers: (West) 9265 2613, (South) 9265 2802 or
(North) 9265 2631