This
edition of CC is from Acting Commissioner John Benson
Thanks for extra efforts during dust storm
On Tuesday, a giant dust storm swept across NSW, blanketing many parts
of the State before reaching Sydney and other metropolitan areas in the
early hours of Wednesday. As a result, the NSWFB experienced a huge increase in activations of automatic fire alarms (AFAs) triggered by the
dust particles in the air. We also had a large spike in triple zero calls when people woke up on Wednesday morning, saw the red sky, and
thought there must be major fire activity. From midnight on Tuesday night to mid-afternoon on Wednesday, around 600 AFA calls and 400 triple
zero calls were received, making this one of the busiest days for the NSWFB in recent times. The strong winds which blew in the dust also
damaged roofs and brought down trees and powerlines, further increasing
the number of incidents responded to by the NSWFB in our role of assisting the SES. I want to say thank you to all our firefighters for
their hard work and efforts in coping with the challenges of this extremely heavy volume of calls in difficult conditions.
Twenty recruits join the ranks and Commissioner's Commendations awarded
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a recruit graduation, and presenting 20 recruits with their graduation certificates. These new
firefighters will be starting their roles at stations around Sydney over
the next few days and I wish them well in their careers. As part of the
ceremony I also presented Commissioner's Commendations to four members
of the public for their actions at a house fire in June this year. The
four recipients went to the aid of a Woodford resident and her 21-month-old granddaughter during a house fire.
Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)
In 2008 we signed a joint Statement of Commitment to Aboriginal Reconciliation with the Fire Brigade Employees' Union. The NSWFB has
now finalised its Reconciliation Action Plan 2009-10, which aims to
progress the relationships and connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. The principles for forging these
relationships are based on mutual respect, recognition and understanding. This will enable us to work together to enhance community
safety through increasing preparedness for and resilience to hazards, emergencies and disasters within Aboriginal communities, as well as
protecting sites of cultural significance. It should also improve the NSWFB's status as a career option for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
islander people. For further information, see
http://home:81/aboriginal/gallery/reconciliation_plan.pdf
Home fire warning following spate of house fires
On Monday 21 September, I joined the Minister for Fair Trading Virginia
Judge to issue an urgent warning to all households about the risk of thermal ceiling insulation being located too close to downlights. FIRU
has been analysing a growing number of fires involving downlights with
roofing insulation as the ignition factor, and has also been working closely with the Office of Fair Trading to raise awareness about
insulation fire risks. Any public enquiries on this issue should be referred to the Office of Fair Trading where homeowners can find the
acknowledgement form for download for contractors to sign before installation. For more information visit www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
More Community Fire Unit policies approved by Commissioner
The Community Fire Unit policy development project is nearing completion, and a number of new policies have now been approved by the
Commissioner. The policies apply to all CFU members and cover issues relating to conduct, misconduct and grievances, bullying and harassment,
drug and alcohol use, CFU equipment management and area of operation, donations and grants to CFUs, and the wearing of CFU uniform and use of
NSWFB insignia and logos. Station personnel and other NSWFB staff who interact with CFU teams and members should ensure they are familiar with
the content of these polices. Details of new policies can be found at:
(http://home:81/intranet1/state%20operations/bushfireweb/pages/cfu/cfuPolicy
.html)
Cessnock centenary and firefighters honoured for long service
On 18 September, five firefighters were recognised for many years of exemplary service protecting communities in Cessnock and across the
State. The firefighters were presented with awards at a special dinner
to commemorate Cessnock Fire Station's 100 years of operation. Minister for Emergency Services Steve Whan and senior representatives
from the NSWFB joined local residents to congratulate firefighters, past
and present, on reaching the historic milestone as part of a public centenary event the following day.
Photomontage presented on '400 in 4' Charity Bike Ride
Firefighters who participated earlier this year in the '400 in 4' Charity Bike Ride have presented the NSWFB with a framed photomontage
providing a spectacular pictorial record of the ride. The NSWFB supported this event in various ways, including allowing use of the
NSWFB coach as a vehicle for support and gear, and providing educational
resources and the kitchen fat fire simulator for safety presentations.
The 2009 ride raised $33,000, a very pleasing result considering the current global economic situation. Over the past 4 years, a total of
$90,000 has been raised and donated to the Burns Unit at The Children's Hospital at Westmead, and plans are underway for the
2010 ride.
Fatal house fire at Hamilton South
At 0333 hours on Monday 20 September, firefighters from 320 Hamilton and 260 Newcastle responded to a house alight in Kemp St, Hamilton
South. Firefighters arrived within six minutes to find a house well alight and immediately upgraded the response. Firefighters from 376
Merewether and Duty Commander Newcastle were called to assist. The fire
was so intense that the firefighters had a battle to stop the fire from
spreading to neighbouring houses. Tragically the bodies of two people were located in the burnt-out house.
Narwee service station fire
At 1015 hours on Sunday 13 September, firefighters from 34 Riverwood, 48 Mortdale and 64 Lakemba responded to a petrol bowser alight at a
service station on Broad Arrow Rd, Narwee. On arrival firefighters
identified a petrol bowser and car well alight that threatened to spread
to the service station shop. The call was immediately upgraded and firefighters from 20 Hurstville, 47 Revesby, 21 Kogarah, 52 Campsie, 13
Alexandria and a Hazmat unit from 9 Greenacre responded. The emergency
fuel and gas shutoffs were confirmed activated as firefighters commenced
extinguishment with the use of foam attack lines. Swift action by the firefighters quickly brought the fire under control and minimised its
spread. It is believed that the fire started from a static electricity
spark when a patron was filling a fuel can.
Oberon silo fire
At 1138 hours on Tuesday 15 September, firefighters from 411 Oberon and
105 Kelso responded to smoke issuing from a silo at Albion St, Oberon.
On arrival the firefighters liaised with site management and identified
a small amount of smoke issuing from a 100 cubic metre wood flake silo.
Duty Commander and Zone Commander Central West and firefighters from 216
Bathurst were called in to assist. Surrounding buildings were evacuated
and an Incident Action Plan was formulated in conjunction with site management. This included the removal of the contents of the silo. Once
removed the contents were wet down with hoselines to ensure
extinguishment. As this was a very protracted incident, relief crews were brought in from 412 Orange and 423 Portland. The stop message was
sent by ZC Central West some 28 hours after the start of the incident.
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