Open Day
Open Day is a significant event on the NSWFB calendar. Congratulations to all fire crews who opened their station doors to increase the community’s awareness about fire safety and preparedness. Participating in Open Day is a rewarding part of the job, and I thank everyone for their participation and continued efforts in working towards helping the community be better prepared. You can see Open Day articles and photos on the intranet.
Firefighter fatality - Coroner’s finding indicates seatbelts weren’t being worn
An on-duty Victorian firefighter was killed in 2006 when involved in an accident where a tanker rolled twice down a hill, injuring three and killing one volunteer member. A recently released Coroner’s report indicates that a Victorian Captain and his firefighting crew, none of whom were wearing seatbelts, were thrown around the inside of the cabin, and two firefighters were flung out the windows on consecutive rolls of the tanker. The Captain and the driver were thrust forward out the windshield and the Captain died at the scene. I urge all firefighters to remember that safety is our utmost priority. We are all vulnerable and we all need to take responsibility for the safety of ourselves and each other. Seatbelts must be worn at all times when responding to an alarm as outlined in the NSW Road Regulations and NSWFB Policy, Procedures and Safety Bulletins. See the Lessons Learned FireTube about the danger of not wearing a seatbelt.
ANZAC Day
On Sunday 25 April, flags at every NSWFB fire station flew at half-mast until 12 noon as a mark of respect to our fallen ANZACs. City of Sydney Fire Station again hosted an ANZAC Day ceremony attended by Commissioner Mullins, senior officers, the Chaplains, NSWFB personnel, and their families and friends.
Recognition was given to all Australian and New Zealand service men and women, past and present, for their commitment and sacrifice in maintaining our freedom. A contingent of around 150 NSWFB personnel who are, or were members of the Australian Armed Forces, marched from the station to Bligh Street, accompanied by the NSWFB Band.
Winter fire safety campaign – a lot can happen in three minutes
At the end of this month we launch this year’s winter fire safety campaign in partnership with the NSW Rural Fire Service. This year’s theme is ‘a lot can happen in three minutes’. The purpose of the campaign is to inform households that a home fire can take hold in just minutes, but taking simple fire prevention steps takes seconds. For example, turning off the stove when you leave the kitchen or checking that power points aren’t overloaded. Campaign information, including a media release template, will be published on the intranet in due course. Firefighters did a fantastic job promoting Fire Prevention Week and I’m sure they will work just as hard to get home fire safety messages to the community for this campaign.
Tumut celebrated 100 years of community fire protection
Assistant Commissioner Jim Hamilton, Director Regional Operations, joined members of the NSWFB, including current and retired Tumut firefighters, at a celebration ball last Saturday. Tumut celebrated a century of service to the community as part of the NSWFB, and the formal ball wrapped up a month-long program of celebratory activities.
Illawarra Ball
Both Commissioner Mullins and I, along with Assistant Commissioner Mark Brown, Chief Superintendent Terry Farley, and Superintendent Steve Baker will be attending the inaugural Illawarra Ball at the City Beach Function Centre in Wollongong on Friday 25 June. Captain Shane Beckett of Corrimal Brigade has worked tirelessly to create an event for the Illawarra and South Coast firefighters and their partners, to show thanks for the great work they do in serving the community. RSVP closes on 30 May, so be sure to get your tickets before then!
Telarah Firefighter Championships
I will be attending the sixth round of the 2009-10 NSWFB Firefighter Championship series this weekend at the Royal Newcastle (Rutherford) Aero Club in Telarah. Seventeen NSWFB teams are expected, with some possible latecomers, along with 2 well-drilled RFS teams and 1 Victorian team to spur on the friendly competition. A social function will be held on Saturday evening at the Maitland City Bowling Club, and I wish all teams the very best of luck.
INCIDENTS
Six residential fires in one day put six people in hospital
Over the past two weeks we have once again been reminded of the dangers associated with the approaching winter fire season. On Tuesday 11 May, in one day alone, we attended another six residential fires across NSW which resulted in six people being hospitalised for injuries received. We responded to a house fire in Wattanobbi at 0118hrs, a bedroom fire in Smithfield at 1239hrs, a kitchen fire in St Clair at 1738hrs, a kitchen fire in Blacksmith at 1823hrs, a unit fire in Tweed Heads at 1852hrs and a bedroom fire in Panania at 2254hrs. All firefighters are encouraged to look for opportunities to present our key winter fire safety messages through local schools, clubs and other community groups.
Horse rescue from dam at Riverstone
In one of our more unusual callouts, firefighters were called on Thursday 13 May to assist with the rescue of a horse which had slipped into a dam at Riverstone. The dam had steep sides and the horse was unable to escape on its own. RSPCA officials attended the scene and quickly called for the NSWFB to assist. The Heavy Rescue crew from 101 Bonnyrigg and the crew from 63 Blacktown attended, and they called for further assistance from 97 Huntingwood Aerial Appliance. After placing a harness around the horse, the boom was used to lift the horse from the dam and lower it on to firm ground where it safely recovered. The rescue took about two hours to complete and the crews helped to achieve a good outcome under difficult circumstances.
3rd alarm building fire – Chullora
At 2136hrs on Saturday night, firefighters were called to a building fire at Chullora. The crew from 62 Bankstown were on-scene within six minutes and reported that fire had taken hold of a single level 25m x 15m building which was used as an office for a bus transport company. There were fears that someone was trapped inside and crews conducted a quick search. There were also concerns that an adjoining storage facility may become involved. A 3rd alarm response was initiated with crews attending from 62 Bankstown, 64 Lakemba, 30 Lidcombe, 47 Revesby, 85 Chester Hill, 52 Campsie, 27 Parramatta, 34 Riverwood, 16 Concord, 9 BA Hazmat and CO2. The Duty Commander controlled the incident which took around one and a half hours to extinguish, and the Hume Highway had to be shut down to enable access to fire hydrants. The building and one bus coach were destroyed by the fire, and this incident is currently under investigation.
RUMOUR MILL
Rumour: Is it true that in the permanent recruitment campaign some applicants are unsuccessful due to having lost their licence in the past? What is the time period that a person can't have lost their driver licence for, when applying for a permanent firefighter position with the NSWFB?
Response: It is essential that all recruit applicants have a sound driving record. For the 2008 Permanent Firefighter Recruitment Campaign applicants were considered against our Driver History Guidelines. This included giving consideration to applicants who may have lost their driver licence during the campaign and the previous three years. Applicants may also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Rumour: Is it true that the Brigade is using a program that determines which station responds to emergency incidents by 'the way the crow flies' and not by actual road distance and travel times? If this is the case, should we not be moving towards a new system that uses technology similar to a GPS where it uses actual documented road travel times and road distances?
Response: No, this is not true. The NSWFB computer aided dispatch system, FireCAD, uses a system of PDA (Pre Determined Attendance) tables to determine the nearest, most appropriate resources to a particular address. These PDAs are calculated using a mapping system that uses actual road travel distances and times from each fire station.
There are currently two projects underway to improve the accuracy of this response calculation, being the ESCAD Project, which is a major upgrade of the FireCAD system that will calculate all responses on a road travel basis, and EMBER, which is the mobile data/computing project. EMBER includes the use of GPS tracking of appliances to provide responses based on the appliance location and not the station location.
Rumour: The new Class 2 Isuzu FTR 900 Pumpers have a substantially larger cab inside than the previous FTR 800/900 model. Why then can't Fleet engineer at least 2 BA seats into these trucks? And if it can't be done, why doesn't the Brigade source an alternative crew cab truck? Surely something such as Iveco or Mack/Renault crew cab would come in at a negligible cost increase.
Response: The Class 2 Pumpers are primarily designed for use by retained Brigades and have a rear bench seat to allow up to 6 firefighters to be transported. The BA is carried in a locker on the body to facilitate this bench seat design. The Isuzu cab chassis was chosen from a number offered during the tender process based on the overall best functionality and value for money. As with cars, manufacturers often update models of cab chassis and in this case the NSWFB has incorporated the new chassis into the build of the Class 2 vehicles. The NSWFB requirement for the next Class 2 contract has been recently reviewed and the requirement for seating of up to 6 firefighters has remained.
Rumour: Is it true that vertical rescue is a core part of Brigade rescue functions? If so, why is it the case that only a selected few are vertically accredited? If we are not vertically accredited and have to wait for an accredited station why do we have a complete complement of vertical cordage equipment on the rescue appliance? And why are heavy rescue/primary rescue stations not trained in the use of the new twin rope system? Should they not have been trained first due to the fact that if a primary rescue unit is responded it should be able to use every piece of rescue equipment in service?
Response: Vertical rescue is a core part of our rescue role and currently we furnish two units in the GSA - Narrabeen and Blacktown - and 10 in regional areas. The accreditation of vertical rescue units is done by the State Rescue Board who have deemed that 3 units within the GSA sufficient to provide satisfactory coverage ie the above two stations and the Police Rescue Squad based at Zetland.
Vertical cordage equipment is used for reasons other than rescue eg firefighter safety when working at heights. The twin rope system is being rolled out across all GSA stations in Phase 1. Phase 2 will capture regional stations. All but 5 of non-rescue stations within the GSA are trained in the use of the new system. The roll-out of the new system has been temporarily halted and will recommence soon. Prior to the roll-out commencing, a risk assessment determined that Rescue stations with their extra equipment and training were less at risk to harm from working at heights than their non-rescue counterparts and this determined the priority of the training.
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