Police
& Emergency Services ‘super agency’ dissolved
As
noted earlier this week, the Minister for Emergency Services Steve
Whan announced the
dissolution of the overarching ‘super agency’, Police and
Emergency Services NSW (PES). This
decision was made following consultation with the frontline staff and
volunteers of the agencies involved and their representative bodies,
and reflects the diversity of service delivery requirements of the
agencies.
The
NSW Police Force, NSW Fire Brigades, Rural Fire Service and State
Emergency Service will continue to work closely together in
operational situations. Further,
we will continue to collaborate closely with the RFS and SES on shared
corporate services and systems where there may be mutual benefits and
efficiencies.
New
Deputy Commissioner Corporate Services and Governance
Last
week I welcomed Ms Rosemary Milkins, the newly appointed Deputy
Commissioner Corporate Services and Governance, to the NSWFB. This new position has been agreed
between the Director General of the NSW Department of Premier and
Cabinet (DPC) and myself. Ms
Milkins brings extensive experience and knowledge to the NSWFB, and
was formerly Assistant Director General Public Sector Workforce with
DPC. Prior to this Ms Milkins served as Director Corporate
Governance with DPC, as Director Executive and Corporate Support with
the Department of Health for a decade, and before that worked in the
Department of Education and Training in the areas of policy, school
administration, and curriculum development.
The NSWFB faces significant challenges including a
large budget deficit, the current reforms and initiatives surrounding
workplace conduct, and the possibility of further corruption being
found within the Brigade. These significant issues require a
coordinated, planned approach to ensure that we continue to provide
the best possible services to the community, that we provide value for
money to the NSW Government, and that all employees have a safe, happy
and rewarding workplace. Deputy Commissioner Milkins’ appointment is
a key step in building a better Brigade.
Emergency
Services Minister tours Greenacre site
Last
week I accompanied the Minister for Emergency Services on a visit to
the Greenacre site to meet our staff and view some of the specialist
areas. Minister Whan was
given a tour of the fleet workshops and electrical and communications
areas where he met many of the support personnel.
After this we were given a demonstration by one of the
accelerant detection canines from the Fire Investigation &
Research Unit and finished with a display of the AreaRae monitor
system (rapid deployment kit) from Hazmat.
The Minister was impressed with the services provided and the
high level of commitment shown by the staff he met.
2009/10
bushfire season officially ended
The
2009/10 bushfire season officially ended on 31 March.
This was an eventful season with 50 Section 44 emergencies
declared, mostly between September and December. Welcome rainfall
reduced the overall bushfire risk in the new year.
During the season, over 4,700 grass, vegetation and bushfires
burnt 129,610 hectares of land across NSW.
Some
parts of the State experienced extreme fire weather conditions peaking
with Catastrophic Fire Danger Ratings (100+).
Due to the hard work of NSW firefighters from the NSWFB, RFS,
National Parks and Forests NSW, many major bushfires were averted in
the State. My thanks to
all firefighters and support staff for their efforts during what was
potentially a very bad fire season.
Four
officers promoted to Inspector
Congratulations to Tony McPherson, Bob Mey, Jeff Roche and Gary
Williams who were promoted to the rank of Inspector recently. I wish them all the best for the
future. For more details
see the intranet story.
Prepare
now for NSWFB Open Day
The NSWFB annual Open Day is on Saturday 8 May, 10.00am – 2.00pm.
This is a wonderful opportunity to give local communities an
insight into what we do and you’ll be able to offer important fire
prevention advice. We'd
like as many Stations involved as possible, and even more visitors
than we had last year. For
more information, including the media release template, show bags and
promotional material, see the intranet story.
AIRS
website – new and improved
An
important part of every incident we attend is the accurate recording
of the response in AIRS. The data is used by many groups, both within
and external to the NSWFB, to help us understand and prevent the
impact of fires and other emergencies on the community.
This
week, the Strategic Information Unit launched a new improved AIRS
website http://home:81/Intranet2/airs/ . The site is a one-stop shop
for information about AIRS to help reporting officers complete their
reports. It includes frequently asked questions and tips, a collection
of recently issued bulletins on changes to AIRS, and the NSWFB policy.
The site will be updated as changes occur and is available by clicking
on the AIRS manual on the Station Portal.
Forbes
Firefighter Championships
I
attended another successful round of Firefighter Championships at
Forbes over the weekend of 27-28 March.
Congratulations to all teams for their commitment and
competitive spirit. Special
mention goes to Kelso in first place (with a score of 942), closely
followed by Kootingal RFS (939), Mudgee in third place (752), and Glen
Innes in fourth (716). Two
teams from Echuca, Victoria along with 20 other NSWFB teams provided
stiff competition for all. Another special mention: the Forbes crew,
who did an excellent job in organising and preparing for the
Championship, were responded to a house well alight in the early hours
of Sunday 28 March. After refilling BA cylinders (courtesy of the
Hazmat / BA semi-trailer) and re-stowing the appliance, they were back
at the oval competing in events. Well done!
Professor
Ross Bradstock lecture
On
Wednesday 24 March staff from the NSWFB, RFS and Sydney Catchment
Authority attended a lecture at the Museum of Fire at Penrith,
delivered by Professor Ross Bradstock, a leading fire scientist from
the University of Wollongong. Professor
Bradstock’s lecture on bushfires in the future, climate change and
risk management was very well received and will be available soon on
FireTube on the Brigades' intranet site.
New
OHS resources for safety representatives
Everybody
has an important role where safety is concerned and staff are
encouraged to keep up-to-date with OHS through our intranet site and
the Safety Representatives online training package.
The training package for Safety Representatives is accessible
by all staff, and provides relevant OHS and injury management
information, along with recently updated links to useful resources.
Sick
of paper payslips?
I
have had a number of requests from staff to stop the production and
distribution of paper payslips, as it is seen as wasteful and
unnecessary given that pay details are available via the intranet on
Electronic Self Service (ESS). There is now a voluntary ‘opt out’
capability on ESS when you go into your ‘Pay’ menu. If you no
longer wish to receive paper payslips, simply opt out. All of your pay
details will remain on ESS for you to access when needed.
Girl
Guides get to meet firefighters
This
weekend, Girl Guides Australia is holding an event at Mount Annan
Botanical Gardens. 2010
is the Year of the Girl Guide and five female firefighters will be
representing the NSWFB to give the 2000 Girl Guides an inspirational
insight into the career of a firefighter and essential fire safety
advice.
INCIDENTS
Picric
acid forces the evacuation of a major building at the University of
NSW
At
1500 hours on Tuesday 30 March, crews from 39 Randwick, 70 Maroubra,
13 Alexandria and Alexandria Hazmat were called to reports of a
container of 100gms of picric acid in an unstable condition within the
Wallace Worth Medical Science Building at the University of NSW in
Kensington.
Picric
acid can become highly unstable and explode if exposed to air in its
crystalline state and is usually stored under water. A laboratory
technician discovered a dried out bottle containing approximately
100gms (about half a cup) of crystalline acid and immediately alerted
emergency services. Inspector Graham Webb was the Incident Controller
as several hundred staff and students were evacuated from the
surrounding area. Police Bomb Squad technicians, under the protection
of deployed hose lines carefully removed the container from the
science laboratory on the second floor and relocated it to a waiting
Police bomb explosion chamber in the adjoining street.
It
was considered too dangerous to attempt transportation of the picric
acid to another location. Consequently, the container of picric acid
was detonated within the explosion chamber as fire crews in SCBA stood
by. After observing the size of the controlled explosion a senior
Police bomb technician confirmed that if the explosion had occurred
within the building there would likely have been substantial
structural damage and possible injuries. After checking the
surrounding area for further risks the building was declared safe and
evacuees were allowed to return. The operation took over three hours
to complete and highlighted the close working relationship that we
enjoy with the NSW Police and their Bomb Disposal Unit.
Suspicious
fire destroys Thai Restaurant at Bankstown
On
Tuesday 30 March at 0331 hours, fire crews were confronted with a
four-wheel drive vehicle that had apparently been driven through the
front of a Thai restaurant in Bankstown.
After receiving numerous 000 calls, 62 Bankstown was on-scene
in just over seven minutes. While en route they reported seeing large
volumes of smoke and immediately requested a 2nd Alarm response. Crews
from 62 Bankstown, 47 Revesby, 34 Riverwood, 64 Lakemba, 85 Chester
Hill, 27 Parramatta, 30 Lidcombe and 52 Campsie worked for over an
hour to bring the fire under control.
Two
people living above the restaurant in the two-level building were able
to safely escape and firefighters evacuated the adjoining hotel. There
were fears that internal floors would collapse so after conducting
secondary searches of all areas, an external attack with 70mm hose
lines was employed. Two people were transported to hospital suffering
from smoke inhalation and the building and contents were destroyed by
the fire. Given the suspicious nature and the use of accelerants,
attending crews did an excellent job in protecting several adjoining
structures. Police are still conducting investigations.
RUMOUR MILL
Rumour:
Is it true that when a Retained Firefighter's annual leave is
converted to forfeited leave that it is lost for ever?
Response:
No,
Retained Firefighter forfeited leave is not lost. Retained forfeited
leave is annual leave not taken in the 12-months annual leave and is
due to be taken pursuant to sub-clause 10.3 of the Crown Employees
(NSW Fire Brigades Retained Firefighting Staff) Award 2008. Both
Retained Firefighter payslips and ESS show forfeited leave balances. A
Retained Firefighter can access forfeited leave by filling out the
Retained Leave Form from the Station Portal. The NSWFB will approach
the FBEU in the appropriate forum in order to change the name from
forfeited leave to one which more suitably reflects the status of the
leave.
Rumour:
Is it true that the new Powerlite generators are rated at 3.8 amps yet
the NSWFB kettles are rated at 10 amps thus not allowing fire crews on
the fire ground to make a cup of tea for refreshments?
Response:
The
generators stowed on appliances have been designed to safely provide
power for lighting equipment during operations and includes an
increased IP (ingress protection) rating for additional safety in wet
conditions. They are not designed for the operation of a kettle and
the NSWFB does not recommend using the generators for the purpose of
boiling water.
Rumour:
Is it true that the 2010 permanent firefighter recruitment campaign
was scheduled for 14 February but was pushed back due to the Sunday
Telegraph's reports on misconduct in the Brigade?
If so, has a new date been selected yet, or is the Brigade
waiting for the Telegraph reports to end?
Response:
The method of recruitment for permanent firefighters is to change from
long biannual campaigns to a more effective quarterly rolling campaign
style. This is based on feedback from both within the NSWFB, from
applicants and recruits.
As
part of designing the new campaign, we commenced work on how we
attract and recruit a more diverse workforce, and I am pleased to
report that the FBEU is assisting in this respect. Further work is
needed to finalise the diversity aspect of the campaign and
advertising program. As a result we have delayed the commencement of
the new rolling recruitment campaign until this work is complete.
There is no pressing need to commence the rolling campaign at this
time as we have sufficient frontline staff to cover the expected
turnover of staff for some time; ie, we are over strength. We will
advise when the new rolling campaign is to commence.
Rumour:
A previous Commish’s Corner said that a number of Operational
Support positions
understandably require senior operational management experience which
is more readily found within the Inspector ranks.
While not planned at the moment, what is to occur if the OS3
positions revert back to rank based? Do the holders of these positions revert back to payment at
their substantive rank?
Response:
As previously stated, there are no plans at this time to vary the
Award provisions applying to Operational Support positions.
Rumour:
Is it true that the Standard Inventory configuration for a Scania 93M
does not allow for a retained configuration of 6 x BA sets (the Scania
only utilises 4)? If this is the case, why are retained crews expected
to use a 93M as a spare?
Response:
The Scania 93M appliances currently used as SEVs may not be configured
for 6 SCBA.The use of the Scania 93M as an SEV for a retained Station
would not be a normal practice as a Class 2 SEVs usually replaces a
Class 2 appliance. In Sydney, Firepacs or a Class 2
are usually used as SEVs for retained Stations.
Rumour:
Is it true that the position description relating to Senior Rescue
Instructors no longer contains a requirement for the applicant to be a
Rescue Operator or have any rescue experience?
Response:
No, this is not true.
Rumour:
Is it true that the Country Primary Rescue training program has been
downgraded due to the unavailability of suitably qualified
Instructors?
Response:
No, this is not true. A
Regional Cluster Training program has been organised for 2010 and all
participants have been notified.
Rumour:
Is it true that 405 Nowra will be used as a 'hub station' and as such
will be upgraded from back-to-back to the standard roster?
Response:
Not at this stage. If there is a change to the staffing configuration
at Nowra in the future, then the hub station concept could be
considered.
Rumour:
Is it true that for the ACDC concert, 16 Concord, 19 Silverwater, and
30 Lidcombe missed out on a large event at Sydney Olympic Park? Is it
true that the Building Compliance Unit officers also missed out,
despite what was in Commish's Corner #482?
Is it true that 15 Burwood were there for Rescue only and for
at least one night of the three, only 2 members of 66 Rhodes were
there, in an inadequate and ill equipped vehicle?
Response:
In developing the Operation Plan for the ACDC
concerts held at ANZ Stadium Homebush, a full operational risk
assessment was conducted into possible hazards. The risk assessment
identified only two risks being: removal of medical emergency patients
from level 6 of the grandstand which requires rescue capability; and
the possibility of grass fires in the surrounding area due to the
pyrotechnics display and for which a Category Seven water tanker was
required. Burwood Rescue pump was detailed for the Rescue capability
and two Retained Firefighters from Rhodes who are qualified on the
water tanker were detailed for each of the concerts performed. The EOC
was staffed by the Duty/Zone Commanders for Metro East 3.
The Building Compliance Unit (BCU) conducted a
pre-event inspection 2 days before the concert for the cabling and
fireworks in response to request from Zone Management which was
consistent with the Operational Plan. No BCU staff attended the event
as after the pre-inspection review, it was determined this was not
required.
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