CURRENT
NATIONAL SECURITY ALERT LEVEL: MEDIUM
Have
a safe and happy festive season and new year
In
this, the final edition of Commish’s Corner for 2010, I look back
over the past twelve months and realise just how far we’ve come as
an organisation. 2010 presented us all with a number of challenges and
the first thing I want to do is congratulate everybody on how we
worked as a team to overcome and learn from these challenges. I am
proud of our ability to rally together, refocus, and begin the task of
rejuvenating our systems and processes and I hope that you will all
join with me in embracing any future opportunities that lie ahead of
us as we move to the new year. We have emerged much stronger.
In
2010 we saw the commencement of our ‘Building a Better Brigade’
program - a program aimed at improving our systems, structures,
organisational culture and corporate governance processes. We rolled
out training programs across the state on subjects including
respectful workplaces, health and safety, and prevention of fraud and
corruption and we are working to develop the capabilities in our
Education and Training and Human Resources directorates to better
support our frontline staff.
From
an operational perspective, we started and ended the year with storms
and flash flooding, with firefighters actively deployed across the
State in support of the SES. Throughout the year we displayed our
skills, expertise and professionalism at a diverse range of
operational incidents such as the LPG cylinder refilling station fire
at St Marys, a silo fire at a piggery in Young, and a B-double
livestock truck crash near Grafton. We faced challenges like the F3
closure and its effect on the community. We also continued our
extensive community engagement with the launch of the new Home Fire
Safety Audit and recovery kits, and extended our USAR capability and
hazmat and rescue activities.
While
above average rainfalls in spring have meant less prominent bushfire
activity, we are busy with gearing up for New Year’s Eve
preparedness activities, providing support at the Oprah Winfrey visit
to the Sydney Opera House, and playing a key role in helping Santa to
make it to this year’s Carols in the Domain on time.
I
take this opportunity to thank all of you for your continued efforts
and commitment over the past year, and I wish you and your families a
safe and happy festive season, as we look forward to 2011 and some
exciting new opportunities that it will bring.
Festive
season fire safety campaign
Materials,
including a template media release and fact sheet, have been posted to
the intranet to help you spread the festive season fire safety message
within the local community. You can contact your local newspaper or
radio station with the media release and help prevent home fires
during the holidays.
Vale
Senior Firefighter Greg Rochester
I
was shocked on Friday night to learn of the untimely death of Senior
Firefighter Greg Rochester from 68 Narrabeen. I immediately went to 68
Stn and was told how they had received a call to a ‘medical
assist’ incident, arrived before the Ambulance, and worked hard to
save their friend and colleague using oxygen, CPR and their AED.
Another off-duty firefighter was with Greg when he collapsed, so he
was given the best possible assistance and chance of survival. My
thoughts and heartfelt condolences go to Greg’s family, friends, and
work colleagues. Greg started with the NSWFB in February 1984 and came
to 36 Crows Nest ‘D’ Platoon where I was a Senior Firefighter at
the time. He had been stationed at 68 since 1997. He will be sadly
missed by all who knew him.
Be
prepared for bushfires
The
2010/2011 bushfire season is officially underway, but thankfully the
La Nina conditions are resulting in significant rainfall. However the
heavy rains are providing ideal conditions for prolific growth, with
significant concerns about the western divisions of the state when
things finally dry out. While we are expecting wetter than average
conditions for much of NSW until early next year, there is a high
chance that dangerous grass and bush fires could be sparked if there
are only a few consecutive days of hot, dry weather this summer.
Drought conditions in previous years have meant we have not seen such
high grassland fuel levels for decades. NSW is now drought-free for
the first time in years, although landscape conditions can change
dramatically if we experience a week or so of hot, dry and windy
conditions. It is therefore vitally important that everyone ensures
that they are ready for a possible sudden onset of the bushfire season
should things dry out. See the intranet article for more information
on preparing for the possibility of bush and grass fires.
Building
leadership capabilities
Congratulations
to Tammy Ingold, A/Manager, Executive and Ministerial Services,
Station Officer Graeme Watson, Community Safety Coordinator, and
retired Chief Supt Mick Hurley AFSM for graduating from the NSW Public
Sector Management program. The program is an intensive tertiary-level
course for current and future middle managers in local, state and
commonwealth government which focuses on developing management and
leadership skills to improve public policy, service delivery, people
management and stakeholder engagement. This year 88 participants
across all levels of government completed the program, and it is
pleasing to note that Tammy was among the top 11 students, achieving a
Distinction average.
Gifts,
hospitality, and season festivities
As
we prepare for the festive season, it is timely to remind staff of the
correct way to deal with offers of hospitality, gifts and season
festivities. The NSWFB Code of Conduct outlines obligations and
requirements, and it is important to remember that offers of
hospitality and gifts should be reported to your manager using the
disclosure form. This time of year also brings various functions and
staff are reminded of the requirement not to come to work under the
influence of alcohol or any other drug. Staff must not under any
circumstances consume alcohol while on duty, when in uniform, or when
wearing any part of a uniform easily recognisable as being from the
NSWFB.
Offers
of gifts and hospitality from suppliers or other client groups should
be declined. In circumstances where you are unable to decline a gift,
this should be reported to your manager to enable an appropriate
course of action. If you have any concerns regarding gifts or other
benefits, contact the Manager Corporate Risk. Other issues or concerns
regarding these requirements should be referred to the Workplace
Standards Branch on (02) 9265 2826 or workplacestandards@fire.nsw.gov.au
Premier’s
Christmas Gala Concert for seniors
The
2010 Premier's Christmas Gala Concerts for seniors were held at the
Sydney Entertainment Centre last week. The NSW Government funds the
concerts, organised by the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home
Care, as a gesture from the NSW Government to thank our seniors for
their hard work and service to the community. The 2-day event is
another great opportunity for the NSWFB to interact with our seniors
and to share information and fire safety messages. Thanks to Senior
Firefighter Todd Lucock, A/Program and Events Coordinator, and 10
Redfern, 38 Pyrmont, and 1 City of
Sydney
for assisting the concert attendees with fire safety information,
demonstrating the correct use of fire blankets and smoke alarms, and
generally increasing fire safety awareness of seniors.
Electronic
Christmas Card
The
NSWFB is again using an e-card for sharing its Christmas greetings,
reducing costs and environmental impacts. The card features a
selection of changing photographs that illustrate the variety of
people and roles in the NSWFB, with a strong Christmas flavour. It can
be sent to all of your community contacts, emergency service
colleagues and others. Simply paste this link http://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/card
into an email and send it off.
Salvation
Army Christmas Appeal
We
have been running an annual Salvation Army Christmas appeal for 13
years. As in past years, there has been a very generous response by
staff to the call for donations of toys and non-perishable goods for
people in difficult circumstances. I am proud of the way that NSWFB
staff step up and give their support. Tomorrow I will be presenting
your donations to representatives of the Salvation Army, and I know
that the Salvo’s will ensure that they reach some very grateful
families who otherwise would not have had any Christmas cheer.
INCIDENTS
Fire
destroys fish processing plant in Eden
The
township
of
Eden
suffered a major blow when fire quickly took hold of a large storage
facility at the Pelagic fish processing plant at around 0630 hours on
Friday 3 December. The company is one of the major employers in the
area. The crew from 286
Eden
were on scene within eight minutes and were confronted with a well
developed fire involving insulation panelling in a large insulated
cold store. A large pall of thick black smoke was visible for
kilometres and a major ammonia gas leak threatened surrounding areas.
Over 400 workers and residents were evacuated from a 500m radius
exclusion zone and the
Princes Highway
was closed to all traffic. The entire structure measuring 40m x 30m
and 12m in height became fully involved. The facility contained
numerous LPG cylinders, oxyacetylene cylinders, forklifts, wooden
pallets, diesel bowsers and 8,000 litres of ammonia, all of which came
under direct flame attack. The roof of the structure collapsed and at
one stage there were major fears that a cooling tower would collapse
onto forklifts and a pallet storage area. An incident management
support team was flown from
Sydney
by FireAir1, but by the time they arrived local resources had the
situation well in hand. Under very difficult circumstances
firefighters took about two and a half hours to bring the situation
under control. Despite a large toxic gas cloud, no injuries were
reported. Crews from 286
Eden
, 395 Merimbula, 219 Bega, 217 Batemans Bay, 338 Jindabyne, 263 Cooma
and several Rural Fire Service crews attended the incident.
Mascot
hazmat
On
Monday 6 December, firefighters from 26 Mascot and 13 Alexandria
Hazmat spent several hours at a large building in Kent Rd, Mascot
after receiving reports of a strong odour throughout the structure.
The Airport Fire Rescue Service also responded a crew to assist. A
floor treatment chemical had been used on level five of the building
and vapours were spread by air conditioning throughout levels four and
three. Four hundred people were evacuated and fifteen people suffering
from the effects of the fumes were treated by ambulance crews and
conveyed to hospital for further assessment. The building was
ventilated and declared safe approximately four hours later.
Bangalow
shop fire
Firefighters
at Byron and Bangalow had a busy morning on Wednesday 8 December, when
fire took hold of a well-known heritage building which housed the
Urban Café at the corner of Byron and Kitchen Streets, Bangalow. 213
Bangalow were on scene within seven minutes and reported smoke issuing
from the two level wooden building. Flames quickly spread through the
old wooden structure and additional crews from 243 Byron Bay, 316
Goonellabah, 240 Brunswick Heads and local Rural Fire Service crews
worked for an hour and a half to bring the fire under control. There
were major fears that the fire would spread to an adjoining heritage
listed timber complex of shops with a common roof void. Despite
several major structural collapses, an aggressive fire attack
prevented the fire from spreading to exposures. Four people were
evacuated from the nearby building and one firefighter was treated for
heat exhaustion but quickly recovered. The cause of the fire is under
investigation. In today’s local paper the crews have been praised by
local businesses - well done to all involved.
ASK
THE COMMISSIONER
Q.
Has
any thought been given to retrofitting reversing cameras to appliances
so that drivers can ‘see’ what is behind when reversing?
A.
All
new appliances are delivered with reversing cameras. The major
aerial fleet is having cameras retrofitted based on their life and
benefits that are achieved by the camera for other situations. There
are no current plans to retrofit cameras to other existing
appliances. It is important that a crew member always assists
drivers when backing.
Q.
When
will new type 2 appliances be installed at 363 & 364 stns, as
their current pumpers do not have turbos fitted?
A.
There
are 128 Class 2 appliances that do not have the Euro 3 turbo charged
engines fitted. However all of them have more powerful 210
horsepower engines with a 15-year life span. Replacements will be
programmed to occur commencing 2015 for the first of these. There
have been a number of newer Class 2s commissioned into stations to
enable the establishment of a larger Class 2 Service Exchange fleet.
For information on individual stations and replacement schedules,
contact your Zone Office who will speak to Fleet.
Q.
Some
time ago there was a rumour in the Commish’s Corner in relation to
the instigation of an Australian Long Service Fire Medal. After the
announcement of the National Police Service Medal in December 2008 by
the Federal Government, Commissioner Mullins responded to a question
in Commish’s Corner Number 460, that he and other fire service heads
in
Australia
had written to
Canberra
supporting establishment of a similar medal for fire services. Has
anything happened?
A.
No.
It appears that the representations made by me and my interstate
colleagues were unsuccessful; however I will follow up on the matter
through the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities
Council (AFAC) in 2011.
Q.
Are
there plans to put an extra Inspector in Country Zones and have the
Inspectors work the back to back roster? If there are plans, when are
they likely to be implemented?
A.
An
external review was commissioned on the span of control of Country
Duty Commanders. This report has made a number of recommendations
that are currently being considered. One of the recommendations was
to provide an additional Duty Commander to some Region Zone
Commands. There are no firm plans re implementation of this
recommendation or what roster any additional Duty Commanders might
work. We have no funding for additional Inspector positions at
present, and a budget submission will be required.
Q.
With
the recent resignation from the NSWFB of the Retained Recruitment
Project Officer who was on the Retained Service Delivery Working
Group, is there to be further representatives appointed to this
Working Group ?
Also,
as there have not been any newsletters or updates, what outcomes have
been achieved so far besides the change in retained attendance
percentages?
A.
The role previously performed by the Retained Recruitment Project
Officer will now be incorporated into the HR Directorate
restructure. A representative from this area will be included on the
Retained Services Working Group. As mentioned this group has
successfully implemented changes to the retained attendance
percentages and among other things, is currently finalising reviews
of the retained establishment methodology and authorised duties.
Q.
In
the Union’s last SITREP, the Auditor General’s report into sick
leave was mentioned, and the
Union
said that the Department provided incorrect figures in order to make
firefighters look worse than they are. Is this true, and if so, how
could management do such a thing?
A.
No.
The SITREP article was written without any consultation with the
Brigade, and is blatantly incorrect. I have written to the FBEU
Acting Secretary seeking immediate retraction of the article, which
essentially accused the Brigade of corrupt conduct as well as
casting aspersions on the Auditor General himself.
The next Commish’s Corner will be published on Wednesday 19
January 2011.
The
next Commish’s Corner will be published on Wednesday 19 January
2011.
COMMISH’S
CORNER