Tragedy
hits firefighting family
More
tragedy has hit our firefighting family with the recent death on
duty of National Parks and Wildlife Service firefighter John
Garland, who was killed by a falling tree while working at a
bushfire in the
Hunter
Valley
. I represented FRNSW at John’s funeral at Muswellbrook last week.
Recently, 21 year old Retained Firefighter Samuel Bateman was
tragically killed in an off-duty helicopter incident at Cessnock.
A funeral service will be held at Mudgee on Friday 18 February
for Sam who had served at 387 Mudgee and also at 312 Gulgong.
Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the families, friends and
colleagues of both
firefighters.
Fire
& Rescue News
The
reinvigorated Fire
& Rescue News has recently been published
and distributed to all FRNSW workplaces. The new-look magazine
(pdf) is also available on the internet
and intranet. We’ve been receiving feedback on the January
2011 issue, and one reader asked why it has been produced in print.
The main reason for this is that we found the readership dropped
when we previously produced interactive electronic issues and that
people kept asking for a paper copy so that they could read it when
away from their computer. We’ve listened to your requests,
and have produced a limited run of paper copies, as well as the pdf
copy available online.
Feedback
is encouraged - email the editor at FireRescueNews@fire.nsw.gov.au
Ambulance
Chief Executive takes to the sky
This
week the head of the Ambulance Service of NSW, Greg Rochford PSM,
announced his resignation so that he can take up a new appointment
as Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Flying Doctor Service,
starting in March. I have enjoyed a close working relationship
and personal friendship with Greg over the 12 years he has led the
Ambulance Service, and wish to acknowledge the many improvements he
has made. These include introduction of Special Casualty Access Team
Paramedics, Extended Care Paramedics, Special Operations Teams,
embedding of Paramedics in FRNSW USAR Task Forces, and provision of
first aid advice to Triple Zero (000) callers pending arrival of
Ambulance crews by Registered Nurses. There are many more. Greg
takes with him more than 30 years of experience in the public health
system, including a range of clinical and managerial roles, and will
continue to assist remote communities in his new role overseeing and
developing medical air retrieval. I wish Greg all the best in his
new role and thank him for his contribution to emergency management
in NSW.
Station
visits
In
recent weeks I have been visiting stations talking about my vision
for the future of Fire and Rescue NSW, and receiving feedback from
officers, firefighters (permanent and retained) and non-uniformed
staff about issues of concern to them, and matters that they think I
should focus on as Commissioner. This has been very helpful to me
and the Executive Leadership Team as we chart a new direction.
Visits have involved staff from 362 Lismore, 316 Goonellabah, 260
Newcastle
, 320
Hamilton
, Newcastle Hazmat, Newcastle Zone and Area Office, 464
Toronto
, 498 Holmesville, 251
Cardiff
, 488 Shellharbour, Shellharbour Hazmat, 277 Dapto, 422 Warrawong,
503
Wollongong
, and 241 Bulli.
Culture
change – what is it about?
During
my station visits I have concentrated on explaining why I believe we
need to look at our organisational values and culture, identify what
is good and should stay, what is not and should go, and on that
basis build the service of tomorrow that we all wish to be a part
of. As communicated in a joint Brigade/Union statement signed
by the FBEU Secretary Jim Casey and I, the KPMG Employee Survey made
14 recommendations that were accepted as the roadmap for change.
There
are some fundamental issues in the recommendations about bullying
and harassment, respect for others, management and leadership styles
and behaviours, selection processes, and employee engagement.
Together with the Executive Leadership Team I am deeply committed to
implementing the recommendations and to implementing and seeing
through a program of positive culture change. The FBEU Secretary has
pointed out to me that insufficient consultation took place
regarding the terms of reference for engagement of external
consultants to assist in this process, and I have offered to engage
fully on this and other issues of concern to the FBEU.
Feedback
on uniform logos, ‘Hazmat’ to stay
My
thanks to the many people who emailed me with suggestions following
my request for feedback in the last issue of CC on uniforms. The
overwhelming response was that we should keep the word ‘Hazmat’
on the rear of duty wear uniforms and possibly a redesigned version
on the new fire tunics, and that the front pocket of shirts should
have ‘FIRE & RESCUE’. Thank you for the feedback. This will
now form the basis of directions to our designers.
New
Bushfire Urban Interface Safety and Operations tools
As
part of our holistic approach to bushfire risk mitigation, new tools
have been developed to raise awareness, provide guidance and
increase operational safety and knowledge regarding interface
firefighting and the Community Fire Unit program. The tools include:
‘Interface
Operations and Safety’ and ‘Know
your role in the Community Fire Unit Program’
DVDs. A revision has been undertaken to the Major Incident
Management Plan (MIMP) that provides guidance for key officers
involved in planning and preparing for, responding to and recovering
from major or potentially major bushfire situations.
The
DVDs are available through FireTube
and will be posted to all zone offices and fire stations in coming
weeks. It is important for your safety and the safety of your
colleagues that you understand the risks, strategies and support
tools available when firefighting on the Bushland Urban Interface.
For further information see the intranet article, and access the
MIMP.
Recovery
Kit
Last
year, FRNSW launched the Recovery Kit, a joint initiative with GIO,
one of our major community partners. The Kit is an A4 size folder
that contains an ‘After
the fire’ brochure designed to provide
information for the victims of fires to assist with their recovery.
It also includes a separate tear-off ‘How
to prevent fires’ information sheet to be
distributed to neighbours and other onlookers in order to provide
them with fire safety information.
According
to AIRS data, the brochure has only been distributed at 503 of the
2224 residential structure fires we have attended in the last six
months. I encourage you to use this valuable resource that
helps provide commonsense information to assist people to recover at
a time when they most need support. The ‘After
the Fire’ brochure includes information
that may be of assistance and should be distributed at every
residential fire, even a minor incident. It is also important
to correctly complete the AIRS report tab and indicating that the
brochure has been distributed, as well as the fire safety
information sheet for the neighbours and bystanders. Contact
CEDU for further information on 9742 7179.
Clean
Up
Australia
Day - Sunday 6 March 2011
We
have previously been widely involved with the Clean Up Australia Day
campaign and this remains a great opportunity to demonstrate
FRNSW’s commitment to the community while assisting environmental
sustainability and showcasing some of our specialist skills and
equipment.
Why
not take the opportunity to get involved in local Clean Up Australia
Day activities on Sunday 6 March? On-duty crews are encouraged
to get involved locally, provided that response times are not
affected. Visit www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au
to find out about activities in your area. A media release
template will be available, and information and guidelines for
participation are on the intranet.
National
Harmony Day launch at City of
Sydney
fire station
Tomorrow,
Thursday 17 February, we will welcome visitors to City of
Sydney Fire Station
for the launch of National Harmony Day by the Minister for
Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen. Thousands of
Australians participate in Harmony Day, celebrated annually on 21
March, with schools, community groups, and workplaces organising
events that celebrate
Australia
’s cultural diversity. Through the efforts of our energetic
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Coordinator David Weir,
fire services nationally now play a key part in promoting Harmony
Day.
The
launch will also highlight important fire safety messages to many
people from different cultural backgrounds. Cultural
performances will be featured during the launch, including a Chinese
lion dance, African drumming and Indonesian dancers with about 150
students from multicultural backgrounds taking part.
Captain’s
Conference at South Durras, 12-13 February
Region
South annual Captain’s Conference was held last weekend at South
Durras, south of
Batemans
Bay
. This was an opportunity for Captains from across the region
to come together to share their experiences, hear of the latest
developments, and further develop their skills as managers and
leaders in FRNSW. This in turn helps to ensure that we
maintain the skills and knowledge needed to continue to provide
outstanding fire and rescue services to our communities.
Two
$400,000 Class 1 Rescue Tankers for
Snowy
Mountains
fire stations
Two
new Class1, 4 x 4 rescue tankers were handed over at Thredbo and
Perisher
Valley
yesterday, to enhance our response capability to fires, rescues and
other emergencies across the
Snowy
Mountains
district. Last year, 451 Thredbo responded to over 211
incidents including structure and bushfires, rescues and
medical assistance calls, as well as assisting Police, RFS and SES
at numerous community events. 426 Perisher Valley
responded to 366 incidents and took part in more than one hundred
community events.
30
Lidcombe reopening
The
Minister for Emergency Services Steve Whan and I officially welcomed
firefighters back to 30 Lidcombe today after an $890,000 renovation
was completed. The original station was built in 1899 and the
single-storey extension was designed to be sympathetic to the
station’s original look. The improvements include a new
kitchen, gym, training room, airconditioning and ventilation, and a
rainwater storage tank.
Casella
Wines training day
ComSafe
Training Services recently provided confined space training at
Casella Wines in
Griffith
. Casella Wines is the largest exporter of Australian wine to
the
USA
. While ComSafe has delivered this course many times, this was
the single largest training event conducted - with 80 participants,
and 10 trainers conducting 6 streams concurrently over 3 days.
Participants, many in their early 20s, were from various backgrounds
and nationalities. The training involved theory and practical
in BA, confined space entry and rescue, emergency care and the
proper use of extinguishers. The participants found the
course extremely beneficial. Assistant Commissioner Jim Smith
and Chief Supt Rob McNeil took the opportunity to review the
training while visiting the region, and were extremely impressed
with the coordination and high standard of training delivered.
INCIDENTS
Plane
crash landing at Smithfield
On
Wednesday 9 February, crews responded to a light aircraft that had
crash-landed in
Brenan St
Smithfield
. The plane brought down power lines and flipped before landing on
its roof. 41
Smithfield
was originally hampered by the fallen power lines, but were able to
get close enough to properly investigate. 55 Guildford set up fire
protection lines, while 41
Smithfield
applied foam to cover the sheared off wing and leaking Avgas. Other
stations attending included 73
Fairfield
, 85
Chester
Hill, 31 Busby and DC Parramatta. Fortunately the two occupants of
the plane (and their dog) were able to walk away from the incident.
The incident was investigated by aviation authorities.
Occupant
falls from window of a unit fire
In
the early hours of Sunday 13 February, crews from 70 Maroubra and 56
Matraville responded to a unit fire in South Coogee. Due to the
volume of calls and reports of a person trapped, Sydney Comms
escalated the incident to a 2nd Alarm, responding 39
Randwick
, 35 Botany, 11 Woollahra Ladders and DC Georges River. 70 Maroubra
arrived in 5 minutes, and found the male occupant hanging outside
the bathroom window by his fingertips, with the unit well alight.
The
crew immediately deployed an extension ladder in difficult
circumstances, and while his foot did get onto the top rung, he
could not hold on any longer and fell. He was fortunate that his
fall was broken firstly by the ladder, and then by garbage bins
below. Fire crews assisted police on scene to render first aid
before handing over to ambulance personnel. The unit fire was
extinguished, with contents totally destroyed by fire. The cause was
determined as a discarded cigarette, and most concerning, was that
the smoke alarm within the unit had been disabled. The building’s
smoke alarms alerted other occupants, with crews evacuating 20
residents.
ASK
THE COMMISSIONER
Can
the Commissioner confirm that an aerial pumper will be placed at 257
Coffs Harbour? If that is the case what about other areas such
as 468 Tweed Heads and 424 Port
Macquarie
? Surely these stations would benefit more from an appliance
such as a ladder platform as these areas have larger buildings and
greater risk than
Coffs
Harbour
?
The
RN1 Zone Management Team are currently developing a
business case to locate an Aerial Pumper at 257 Coffs
Harbour, however no decision has been made as yet and the
lead time in securing funding (more than $1 million) and placing
an order for a new appliance means that this cannot happen
overnight.
Risks
in other locations including Port Macquarie and Tweed Heads are
also being reviewed, including availability of other aerial
resources such as Queensland Fire and Rescue’s ladder platform
on the Gold Coast.
Coffs
Harbour
is a major regional centre that has extensive industrial estates
within the fire district, as well significant residential and
commercial infrastructure.
Coffs
Harbour
, like Port
Macquarie, has a significant number of modern medium-rise
buildings that are constructed in accordance with strict Building
Code of Australia specifications and as such have adequate
built-in fire protection and safe egress provisions for residents.
However, tilt slab concrete as used in the construction
of modern industrial units poses a higher risk, with
Coffs
Harbour
having a number of large industrial estates where the use of
an AP to assist in the extinguishment of a fire in a tilt
slab building would be beneficial.
Is
it true that Inspectors in Region North 1 have a requirement
that Station Officers and firefighters must do two years at 61 Lane
Cove before they are able to transfer into any other
station in that region?
No,
it is not true. The transfer of Station Officers and Firefighters
to the
Central
Coast
is governed by Clause 28 of the Permanent Firefighters
Award.
Will
or has the list of TOL stations in 2008/22 ever been
reviewed? If so have any stations been removed or added since
it was made?
The
list of TOL stations in 2008/22 was an arbitrated decision from
the Industrial Relations Commission arising from the 2008 award
negotiations. The list has been operationally reviewed and some
possible amendments will be discussed with the FBEU in the first
instance.
Is
it true that FRNSW is considering the removal of all station
gymnasiums, due to an increase in gym related injuries?
No,
not at this stage, and hopefully never. FRNSW has an obligation
under the Occupational
Health and Safety Act to ensure the health,
safety and welfare of all employees while at work. Any activity
that causes injuries to employees must be investigated and
recommendations made on how the activity may be modified to reduce
injury rates. If a certain activity consistently causes avoidable
injury, approval for that activity can be withdrawn.
I
have previously outlined the very significant number of injuries
and costs associated with touch football. A review has been
requested of all injuries and costs associated with on-shift
exercise including jogging, touch football and use of gymnasiums.
The
fact is that far too many injuries are resulting from what can
only be described as carelessness during exercise. Failure to
stretch and warm up, failure to check the ground for hazards,
failure to seek guidance on proper use of equipment – many of
the injuries are avoidable, yet they continue to occur. I
personally pushed for introduction of station gyms when I was an
elected union official in the 1980s, and later as a senior
officer, and think it would be a tragedy if we had to remove them
or scale them down due to carelessness by a few.
In
an attempt to further reduce injuries occurring as a result of
on-shift exercise, the Health and Safety Branch will be
implementing various control measures and strategies to minimise
the risk of injuries relating to the performance of brigade
approved activities. Details of these control measures will
be communicated through the Commissioner’s Orders in coming
months, with projected implementation in March 2011. Once
implemented, there will be a 6-month review period of all on-shift
exercise related injuries. Following the review period, all data
will be reported to the Occupational Health and Safety Advisory
Committee who will determine if the control measures have been
effective in reducing exercise related injuries.
I
cannot force people to do the right thing when exercising at work,
but ask that everyone pay particular attention to the guidance
they are given and work together to reduce the incidence of these
injuries.
COMMISH’S
CORNER