Change
Your Clock, Change Your
Battery
This
month's community fire safety campaign is Change Your Clock, Change
Your Battery, where all NSW residents are reminded to change the
batteries in their smoke alarms when they turn their clocks back at
the end of Daylight Saving. I encourage all firefighters to spread
this important message in their local communities using the campaign
materials available on the intranet.
Health
and Safety Strategic Planning Workshop
As
Commissioner, improving and safeguarding your health and safety is my
highest priority. Today, senior operational and non operational
managers, the Occupational Health and Safety Steering Committee and a
number officers and firefighters have been participating in a Health
and Safety Strategic Planning Workshop with the aim of developing and
agreeing upon strategic goals, strategies and initiatives for
inclusion in a Safety Strategic Plan. The plan will represent a
significant change in the way the NSWFB goes about its business which
is necessary for a number of reasons including changes to legislation,
good practice standards, limitations of the existing system and our
moral obligation to ensure the safety of all NSWFB staff. There is
much work to be done, and today's workshop is a positive step forward
to a better and safer workforce.
International
Women's
Day breakfast
This
morning I attended the International Women's Day (IWD) breakfast at
Darling
Harbour
along with nine female
employees from across the organisation. IWD was first celebrated in
1908 and is observed on 8 March each year. The breakfast was hosted by
UNIFEM Australia, which organises the largest celebrations for IWD in
Australia
, attracting thousands of
women and men to events around the country. In 2008 we celebrate 100
years of women in paid and unpaid work and recognise the contribution
women in NSW have made towards improving workplaces and working
conditions. It is also 23 years since the first female firefighters
joined the NSWFB.
2008
Royal Easter Show
The
2008 Royal Easter Show (20 March - 2 April) is set to be an exciting
event for the NSWFB. With a new display stand, the NSWFB will focus on
educating show-goers about the importance of smoke alarms, home fire
safety and escape plans. The Community Safety Division (CSD) has
established partnerships with AAMI, Duracell and Brooks Australia for
this year's show, and Channel Nine will also have a presence at the
stand to promote the upcoming TV series, Fire
000. CSD will also launch two new fire safety brochures - one on
smoke alarms and the other on fire safety in the home - which reflect
a new look and feel for NSWFB educational material.
Round
one of the 2008 NSWFB Firefighter Championships
On
1-2 March, I was in Uralla for the first round of this year's
Championships series. Sixteen teams took part in the weekend of
competition, with the teams from 302 Glen Innes, 424 Port
Macquarie
and 279 Dorrigo
neck and neck for the whole weekend. Congratulations to the
firefighters from 302 Glen Innes who were named as the Regional North
Champions, and were the winners of the newly developed rescue event.
Well done to all of the competitors ! I look forward to seeing you at
the Regional West Firefighters' Championship in Mudgee in April. For a
full list of results, see the NSWFB
website.
Blacktown
storms -
response and recovery operation questionnaire
The
hailstorms that hit the
Blacktown
area in December 2007 caused considerable damage and resulted in a
major NSWFB commitment for the following 11 days. A survey
has been prepared to capture the experience and views of the firefighters
and support staff who responded to the
Blacktown
storm operation. I encourage everyone who was involved to complete the survey to
help the NSWFB improve its capability for assisting with storm
recovery operations. For more information read the intranet
story.
Boat
fire near Manly wharf
On
Monday 25 February, firefighters from 24 Manly and 69 Dee Why together
with the crew from Marine 1,
responded to a boat on fire that was moored near
Manly
Wharf
.
Crews arrived to find a 5.7 metre fibreglass power boat
engulfed in flames. The
first arriving crews borrowed a nearby boat and used a portable pump
to commence attack on the fire until Marine
1 arrived and quickly extinguished the fire.
Firefighters checked for leaking fuel and searched nearby
shorelines to ensure no debris or fuels had contaminated the waterway
before the boat, which was burnt to the water line, was towed to
shore. No one was aboard the boat at the time of the fire.
Crop
duster mid air crash
On
Tuesday 26 February, firefighters from 506 Wee Waa and 399 Narrabri
were called to the scene of a plane crash seven kilometres from Wee
Waa after two crop
dusters were involved in a mid-air collision. Both planes crashed with
one plane bursting into flames on impact, while the other plane
sustained extensive damage. One pilot was killed and the other pilot
was taken to hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter with severe
injuries. Hazmat firefighters from 399 Narrabri attended the
scene to monitor the impact of crop-dusting chemicals released as a
result of the collision and a subsequent fuel leak. Due to the
contained irrigation systems, the chemicals and fuel were isolated on
the property.
Acetylene
emergency -
Tumut
On
Wednesday 27 February, firefighters from 313 Gundagai, 467 Tumut and
480 Wagga Wagga responded to
a fire involving an acetylene cylinder at an industrial complex in
Adelong Road
, Tumut. The fire was
quickly extinguished and firefighters established a 200 metre
exclusion zone requiring the evacuation of approximately 20
people from residential and industrial premises and the closure of the
Snowy Mountain Highway
. Crews cooled the cylinder and used the thermal imaging camera to
monitor the temperature of the acetylene cylinder. Once
the temperature of the cylinder had dropped and stabilised the
cylinder was submerged in a drum of water and handed over to gas
company representatives for disposal.
Lights
to go out for Earth Hour
For a
second year, the NSWFB will be supporting Earth Hour, a global
conservation initiative aimed at cutting carbon emissions. For 60
minutes, from 8pm to 9pm,
on Saturday 29 March fire stations are requested to turn off all
lights and electrical equipment where possible (except that required
for emergency response and safety), and I encourage off duty
firefighters and staff to do so at home as well. To find out more
about the NSWFB's involvement in Earth Hour and how you can make a
difference, read the full story on the intranet.
Promoting
healthy habits
I
recently joined staff from Head Office on walks through
Hyde
Park
and the Domain. The 45-minute walks, which have become a regular event
on Wednesdays, are a great team building exercise and are just one of
a range of initiatives developed by the Health and Safety Branch to
promote the health and wellbeing of the organisation's office staff. I
encourage all Head Office staff to take advantage of the opportunity
to get away from their desks and meet colleagues from across the
organisation, and to take care of themselves by following other
healthy living tips from the Health and Safety Branch including
drinking lots of water, eating plenty of fruit and being active every
day. And if you work at Greenacre, why not join the weekly walk to
Homebush
Bay
and back? For further information on health and safety initiatives,
contact the Health and Safety Branch on 9265 2999.
SEMC
Annual Report
The
2006/07 Annual
Report.of the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) is
now available online and I would encourage all employees to read it to
gain a bigger picture of emergency management in NSW. I am the Deputy
Chair of the SEMC, and several senior staff serve
on key SEMC subcommittees and working groups.
Relief
and Welfare Fund holiday accommodation
The
Relief and Welfare Fund has two holiday
units at Forster on the NSW mid north coast which can be let to
members of the fund. The units are fully-furnished three bedroom units
that comfortably sleep six people and are available for only $250 per
week year-round. The units are extremely popular so, to ensure
fairness, those who were successful in previous ballots are not
eligible to apply for any further ballots for a period of two years ie
if you were successful in the 2006/2007 or 2007/2008 ballot, you will
not be eligible to apply in the 2008/2009 ballot.
Members
wishing to enter the ballot to stay at the unit must complete the form
on the intranet. For more information please contact Tamryn Russell on
(02) 9265 2632. Please
note that applications close on
14 March 2008
.
RUMOUR
MILL
Rumour:
Is it true
that 270 Cowra is now acting in an upgraded rescue support role to
assist the NSW Ambulance Service who are having trouble at times
maintaining crew numbers to operate their rescue truck? Also, will a
similar arrangement be happening soon in Bathurst with the NSWFB
helping out local police and SES rescue crews due to daytime
availability?
Response:
It has been agreed by the Cowra Local Rescue Committee that 270 Cowra
will temporarily assume the primary rescue role during the next
six to eight weeks due to some
staff shortages being experienced by the NSW Ambulance Service.
Cowra's rescue gear has been upgraded and additional training has been
provided by the NSWFB Rescue section to ensure that the firefighters
there are able to confidently carry out this role.
There has been no discussion between the various emergency
services regarding any similar arrangements occurring at Bathurst in
the future. The SES did temporarily take on the primary rescue role
during the October Bathurst races, as a result of Police being fully
committed to handling any civil disturbances. At no time has
there been any approach to the NSWFB to take on this role.
INCIDENTS
Bankstown
Airport crash
Smoke
alarms save lives
Ladder
platform to the rescue
EVENTS
Launch
of the Lessons Learned Centre
Regional
Operations Newsletter - February
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