Death
in the line of duty
The
tragic death of Retained Firefighter Andrew Turnbull from 347
Kingscliff on Friday 16 October following a grass fire at Fingal Head
on the
North
Coast
is an unwelcome reminder of the serious side of what we do. Andrew
collapsed shortly after the fire was extinguished and despite the
efforts of his mates from 347 and Ambulance Paramedics, he could not
be revived. Andrew was a well known and liked member of the NSWFB and
the local community. I extend my deepest sympathy, personally and on
behalf of the NSWFB, to Andrew’s family, friends and colleagues.
Andrew’s funeral with full Brigade Honours will be held tomorrow in
Kingscliff, and I will attend together with DC Benson, AC Hamilton, AC
Smith and many other officers and firefighters.
Super
agency update
In
June the Premier announced that 160 agencies, including the NSWFB were
being merged into 13 “super agencies”. The changes are aimed at
gaining efficiencies and cost savings in corporate services, and are
not to impact detrimentally on front line service delivery. The NSWFB
remains a separate “Schedule 2” agency, but is now part of
“Police and Emergency Services NSW” (PESN). I am a member of the
Board of PESN, together with the Commissioner of Police (who is also
filling the role of Director General PESN), Deputy Commissioner of
Police, Commissioner RFS, Commissioner SES, Commissioner NSW Crime
Commission, and Director General Emergency Management NSW.
Now
that I have returned to duty I will be ensuring that all affected
staff are regularly briefed on developments. I acknowledge that there
has been little communication on what is happening – but this is
because very little has been happening. As I advised staff at
Greenacre yesterday, rumours of a wholesale takeover of the NSWFB,
imminent relocations and staff losses are not true. There will be
changes, but there are no firm plans as yet what these will be or when
they will occur. The only changes that have been discussed by the
Board at present are extending Police legal services to the other
agencies, and looking at how NSWFB and Police Properties and Supply
Services might be integrated to gain efficiencies. Where changes are
proposed, staff will be involved in project teams to determine how
best to gain efficiencies. This detailed work has not commenced.
The
three requirements I have put forward to the Board are as follows:
- Staff
are to be treated fairly and communicated with
- Any
changes must result in the same, or better levels of service, and
- Any
changes must cost the same, or less.
At
the direction of the Board a Steering Committee, which includes the
NSWFB, is developing a detailed communication strategy. This will also
involve close consultation with the PSA and other affected
unions.
Back
on deck
Thank
you to the many people who sent their best wishes following my recent
shoulder and abdominal surgery. It was necessary for me to be on sick
leave for six weeks and DC John Benson ably acted in the position of
Commissioner. I submitted myself to examination by the BMO to get
clearance to return to duty, as I believe that it is important that
there be no “special treatment” for anybody in the organisation.
Thankfully I was deemed fit for duty!
Car
fire on Cahill Expressway
Many
of you may have seen news reports that on my way to work on Tuesday, I
came across a car alight on the Cahill Expressway. After extinguishing
the fire with a dry powder extinguisher I sent a White message for a
pumper to attend to ensure the fire was fully extinguished.
Unfortunately, on the way to the incident a bus collided with the rear
of the appliance. The bus driver and a number of passengers from the
bus were injured, along with two firefighters from 53 Neutral Bay. The
firefighters, bus driver and some of the passengers were transported
to hospital for treatment. Thankfully both firefighters were released
from hospital in the afternoon. The only good thing to emerge was that
the car was saved, and the publicity following me being “spotted”
by members of the public who rang radio stations, was that we were
able to publicly encourage people to carry a first aid kit and fire
extinguisher in their vehicles. The rumour that the BMO rang to remind
me that I was on light duties is not true.
40kmh
speed zones at emergencies
The
NSWFB, on behalf of the State Emergency Management Committee and State
Rescue Board, has been leading negotiations and discussions with the
Roads and Traffic Authority on the introduction of a
mandatory 40 kmh speed zone at emergency scenes. There were a range of
complex regulatory, enforcement and training issues that needed to be
solved; however, Chief Supt John Bedford and Supt Paul Bailey are
in final discussions with RTA so that new arrangements can
soon be introduced. Our Minister, Steve Whan, has publicly supported
the measures following media interviews with the FBEU yesterday, and I
am confident that an announcement will be imminent on how the new
arrangements can be rapidly introduced.
Operational
readiness exercises using FireAir 1
With
the bushfire season now upon us, Area and Zone Commanders are reminded
about the benefits of using the jointly-operated aircraft FireAir
1 to conduct aerial surveys of high risk bushland urban
interface zones and for pre-incident planning at high hazard
facilities and critical infrastructure. Officers can contact the
Manager Counter Terrorism and Aviation or the on-shift Aviation
Officer to discuss operational needs. Counter
Terrorism and Aviation intranet site for further information.
Bushfire
activity
The
bushfire season is well underway with outbreaks at Middle Cove
(Sydney), Blacksmiths (
Newcastle
), Brooms Head (north coast), and at many remote locations in the
north of the state. The Middle Cove bushfire also required
the assistance of Marine 1
and NSW Police launches to deploy crews due to inaccessibility for
fire appliances, as well as Fire
Air 1 and an RFS helicopter. CFU teams activated and
maintained watch on their homes. The fire at Brooms Head was
declared a Section 44 emergency and NSWFB assistance was provided to
the RFS. The 6000 ha fire has recently been contained after operations
lasting nearly a week. The Middle Cove fire in particular, which
followed days of heavy rain, shows that just a couple of days of
moderate temperatures and dry winds will quickly return bushland fuels
to a highly flammable state. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index in many
areas of the state is at levels normally not expected until later in
the season.
Minister
shown the ropes at Safe Working on Roofs demonstration
On
Tuesday 13 October, the Minister for Emergency Services Steve Whan
visited the
State
Training
College
to view the new Safe Working on Roofs training program which is being
rolled out across the state. Under instruction from SO Charles Begley
and SO Mick Wasley, firefighters from 17 Drummoyne and 60 Avalon
demonstrated some elements of the new program including correct
rigging of equipment, a safety check and executing a top belay. It is
expected that training of permanent firefighters in the greater
Sydney
area will be completed by the end of
November. It will then be rolled out to full-time and part-time
firefighters in regional NSW and will be incorporated into the Recruit
Training Program.
McHappy
Day 2009
- Saturday
14 November
Many
firefighters have supported McHappy Day over the years to help raise
donations for Ronald McDonald House Charities. McHappy Day has
been a popular Australian event for the past 19 years, and this year
almost 800 restaurants and their communities will participate. McHappy
Day is one of the biggest charity fundraising campaigns for families
in
Australia
with funds raised support programs including Ronald McDonald Houses,
Family Rooms, Family Retreats, the National Learning Program, Cord
Blood Banks and Grants for Medical Research. McDonald's is now a
Major Community Partner of the NSWFB and supports a number of fire
safety initiatives. We encourage firefighters to participate in their
local McDonald's McHappy Day by registering through the McHappy Day
Hotline on 9555 1771.
Southern
Cross Retained Firefighter
research launched
Two
Southern Cross University students have assisted NSWFB to learn more
about how to best attract and retain Northern Rivers retained
firefighters of the future. As part of a 16-week internship project,
Bachelor of Business students Ashlea Priestley and Jessica Bryant
investigated recruitment and retention of retained firefighters by
surveying 70 retained firefighters and 236 community members in the
Byron Shire and Richmond Valley Local Government Areas. The
motivations to join NSWFB as retained firefighter were: community
involvement (32%); saving and protecting lives (24%); team involvement
(14%); followed closely by gaining knowledge, skills and training
(13%) and family tradition (9%). Ashlea and Jessica delivered an
excellent presentation to the Corporate Executive Group this week, and
their high quality research will help us to design and target future
recruitment activities.
Special
thanks to all who participated in this project. Further results are
available from Assistant Commissioner Jim Hamilton and Chief
Superintendent Gary McKinnon.
Australasian
Firefighter Championships
Congratulations
to all the teams representing the NSWFB at the Australasian Firefighter
Championships held in
Rotorua
,
New Zealand
, on the weekend of 17-18 October. Our teams all had podium
finishes over the two days of the competition, with Nowra coming in at
2nd place, Dorrigo 11th, Glen Innes 14th,
Kelso 16th and
Coffs
Harbour
20th at the conclusion of the 10 events. The final first
three placings were - Carterton (NZ), Nowra and Melbourne.
New
affiliation with Green Cross Australia
NSWFB
has a new affiliation with Green Cross Australia to work towards
promoting bushfire preparedness and the CFU Program to a youth market.
Green Cross Australia (GSA) is the Australian branch of Green Cross
International which is a not-for-profit organisation whose aim is to
increase awareness about climate change and its effect on extreme
weather conditions such as bushfire, floods and cyclones. One of their
main priorities is to publish information about extreme weather and
facilitate interaction between extreme weather youth volunteers and
their peers through www.extremeweatherheroes.org.
Miller
Technology
High School
fire
At
1905 hours on Thursday 15 October, firefighters from 31 Busby, 101
Bonnyrigg
Heights
, 7 Horningsea Park, 8 Liverpool, 49 Cabramatta and 92 St Andrews were
responded to a school fire at
Miller
Technology
High School
,
Cabramatta Ave
, Miller. This school had previously been identified as ‘at
risk’ by the Community Safety Division and as a result the crew from
31 Busby (C Platoon) had conducted a PIP three weeks before the fire
occurred. As it turned out, it was this crew that was first on
scene. Firefighters were confronted with a well‑developed fire
on the upper level of a two‑storey building of brick and iron
construction and dimensions 50m x 50m. The block contained 12
classrooms plus teachers offices. There was one classroom
already totally involved in fire and the whole upper level was at risk
of being destroyed as the fire was spreading through the false
ceiling. Due to the knowledge gained from the PIP, they were
able to quickly locate and access the brigade booster system to
enhance water supply. The fire was extinguished before it could
spread to other sections of the school. This quick decisive
action demonstrates the value of a PIP in the event of a fire.
The containment of the fire was a fantastic result and all crews
deserve to be congratulated for their fire fighting and pre-incident
planning efforts.
School
Fire at
South Grafton
At
0114 hours on Sunday 18 October, firefighters from 306 Grafton were
responded to a rubbish fire at
Gilwinga
Public School
. Upon arrival, the crews discovered flames issuing from the
rear of the auditorium building, which was of brick and tile
construction and dimensions of 20m x 20m. The firefighters
forced entry into the building and located the fire in a sporting
equipment storage room, located within the building. They were
able to contain the fire to the storage room and save the rest of the
building. Normally, 307 South Grafton would have attended this
call and been the first arriving station. However, they were
involved with a Strike Team on standby at Yamba for the Brooms Head
bushfire.
Child
stuck on roof at Penrith
At
1619 hours on Friday 16 October, firefighters from 102 Regentville
were responded to a medical access emergency at the Chifley Hotel,
Mulgoa Rd
, Jamisontown. When they arrived, the crews discovered a
three-year-old child had slid from a balcony onto a landing. His
father had then climbed down to his son to ensure he didn’t fall any
further. The crews gained access to the father and son with the
portable ladder and called for assistance from the aerial pumper at 86
Penrith. After putting a harness on the father and attaching the
son to a firefighter by a sling, the crew successfully brought the
pair to the ground.
Car
upside down on roof at Parklea
At
0210 hours on Sunday 18 October, firefighters from 94 Kellyville, 63
Blacktown
and 96 Schofields were responded to an MVA at
Sunnyholt Rd
, Parklea. Upon arrival, the crews were astounded to see a car
upside down on the roof of a house. One of the car’s occupants
was sitting on the roof and the driver was trapped in the vehicle.
This marked the start of quite an unusual rescue incident in which the
house had to be shored up with Acro props from 63
Blacktown
’s Heavy Rescue before the crew could free the driver. 97
Huntingwood’s Aerial pumper was also called to assist. The
driver was successfully extricated and both driver and passenger were
lowered to the ground using a ladder slide. There was considerable
media coverage of the rescue that highlighted the competence and
professionalism of the NSWFB.
Rumour: Is
there any truth to the rumour about a 37m Bronto being placed on the
Central
Coast
? 351 station was said to be the pick, however due to the angle of the
driveway into the bays, it cannot fit. It is said that 292 station
would be a better option due to the fact it is halfway between Hornsby
and
Newcastle
brontos.
Response:
A working group known as the Major Aerial Appliance Working Group is
currently reviewing the role and future needs of the NSWFB's major
aerial appliance fleet in the Greater Metropolitan Area (Sydney,
Newcastle
,
Wollongong
and the
Central
Coast
).
One
of the Working Group's primary terms of reference is to make
recommendations in respect to the make up of the major aerial fleet in
terms of aerial ladder platforms (“Bronto”), turntable ladders or
any other new developments in aerial technology which may be
available.
Although the
Working Group is also conducting a preliminary survey on which
existing Fire Station engine bays in the Greater Metropolitan Area could
accommodate a major aerial appliance and a standard Class 3 pumper, the
Working Group will not be making any decision on the exact locations
of major aerial appliances. These decisions will be made following a
more detailed analysis of the needs of particular Zones and will
include amongst other considerations detailed surveys on the most
suitable locations for major aerial appliances and the ability of a
station to satisfy all of the aspects necessary to
house a major aerial such as staffing amenities, garaging and
area demographics. At present the
Central
Coast
is well served by two Aerial Pumpers.
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