CURRENT
NATIONAL SECURITY ALERT LEVEL: MEDIUM
USAR
deployment to Japan
Following
the devastating earthquake and tsunami in
Japan
last Friday afternoon that caused massive destruction and thousands of
deaths, FRNSW’s Heavy USAR Task Force was immediately placed on
standby at the request of the Australian Government. At the same
time, we still had 15 members deployed as part of the multi-State and
Territory USAR Task Force, led by FRNSW, in
New Zealand
, as well as 10 personnel on an international USAR exercise in
Indonesia
(which had been organised by our Japanese USAR colleagues).
Our
76 person USAR Task Force (TF1) left Richmond RAAF Base in a huge C17
transport aircraft on Sunday, picked up 2 search dog teams at Amberley
RAAF Base near
Brisbane
, then went directly to Yokota US Air Force Base near
Tokyo
on Monday morning. TF1 travelled in 5 buses, 2 trucks and 2 cars to the
devastated area of Minamisanriku, to work in conjunction with the Kyoto
Fire Department. This is the area where 10,000 people are reported as
missing, and is the closest point on the coast to the epicentre of
Friday’s earthquake.
A
Base of Operations has been established in an area safe from tsunami
threat, and the Task Force is working very hard together with Swiss and
NZ Task Forces, and Japanese firefighters. They are 139 km from the
Fukushima
nuclear plants, well outside the 30km hazard zone. An emergency
evacuation plan is in place if needed, and Hazmat Technicians are
constantly monitoring the area, while individuals all have personal
dosimeters. We are in 6 hourly contact with experts from the Australian
Radiation Protection and Nuclear Science Agency (ARPANSA) and Australian
Nuclear Science Technology Organisation (ANSTO), who in turn are in
constant contact with their Japanese counterparts.
USAR
deployment to New Zealand
New
Zealand
’s
national state of emergency has been extended to 21 March. Our
members of the second USAR Task Force returned this morning, tired, but
proud that they were able to help our ANZAC colleagues in their time of
need. The second deployment focused less on rescue tasks and more on
community support and carrying out damage and risk assessments. This
included smoke alarm installation, shoring of garden walls, repairs to
homes, removal of furniture, assisting the elderly and general community
welfare. To date, the Task Force has completed 215 tasks allocated
by USAR Command, 74 tasks allocated by NZ Police, and targeted 11
suburbs in the community recovery and engagement project. For more
information, see the intranet articles. Article Mar 03, 2011. Article
Mar 16, 2011.
On
Monday and Tuesday, together with Queensland Fire & Rescue Service
Commissioner Lee Johnson, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Owens and
Police Assistant Commissioner Alan Clarke, I visited the Task Force and
was shown the damaged areas. I met with the National Commander of the NZ
Fire Service, Mike Hall, and he thanked Lee and I for the assistance
provided by our Australian Task Forces. The community has constantly
expressed their thanks to our USAR personnel and it was very moving to
be stopped in the street by locals who wanted to thank their Aussie
helpers.
In
commemoration of the efforts of the Australian firefighters and
emergency services personnel who assisted in the earthquake response,
Australian USAR Taskforce 3 members obtained permission from the
Anglican Dean of
Christchurch
, the Very Reverend Peter Beck, to use materials from the Cathedral
to make a gift for the people of
Christchurch
. The Cathedral has significant iconic value to
Christchurch
and sits in the middle of the CBD. During their down time, Task
Force members constructed a park bench and a cross using consecrated
timbers from the Cathedral. Along with the Task Force, members of
the NZFS, Commissioner Johnson, Deputy Commissioner Owens, the Mayor of
Christchurch, the Very Reverend Dean Beck, and representatives of the
Australian High Commission I attended a presentation ceremony yesterday
in
Latimer Square
, the area that has been home to the international USAR Task Forces
since the earthquake. Chief Superintendent John Denny, the
Australian Task Force Leader, spoke eloquently about the ANZAC tradition
and bonds between all firefighters worldwide.
Culture
and values online staff questionnaire
Over
the past year you have often heard me refer to the need to build an even
better organisational culture. With this goal in mind, there have been a
number of workshops across the service to seek input from all levels of
staff in developing a shared understanding of the future direction of
our organisation, describing the culture that will move us in this
direction, and identifying the specific behaviours that all management
and staff must demonstrate to build this culture.
To
maximise the opportunity for input from as many staff as possible, there
will be an online questionnaire available from Tuesday 22 to Monday 28
March inclusive. All staff will be able to access this questionnaire via
the intranet, and your feedback and comments are encouraged.
Please watch for further messages regarding this questionnaire and I
urge you to make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to have
your say.
Earth
Hour - Fire and Rescue NSW helping to deliver a sustainable future
I
encourage everybody to take part in this year’s Earth Hour on Saturday
26 March from 8.30- 9.30pm, by turning off any non-essential electrical
equipment (of course, please ensure that any equipment and lighting for
emergency response and safety remains on), such as computers, monitors,
photocopiers, TVs and all non-essential lighting in stations and
offices as well as taking part in Earth Hour at home.
The
Earth Hour concept, originally conceived in
Sydney
and launched in December 2006, has now gained global attention. This
year, millions of people in many of the world's major capital cities
will unite and switch off for Earth Hour. The idea is to create
awareness that electricity consumption is the largest contributor to our
global emissions and that small actions by every individual can make a
big difference.
While
energy efficiency is something that is encouraged year round, Earth Hour
is important to raise awareness of energy efficiency,
greenhouse gas emissions and the importance of taking action on climate
change. More information is available at www.earthhour.org.au
Need
to change a shift?
A
new site for finding someone who is happy to swap an occasional shift
has been set up on our intranet. If you need to change shifts, you
can advertise on the forum, before submitting a shift change form
through your Commander.
Metropolitan
North 1 Firefighter Championships - Morisset
The first
round of the 2010-2011 FRNSW Firefighter Championship series will
be held at Morisset on the weekend of 19-20 March. Teams from 22 brigades,
as well as one from the RFS will pit their wits, skill and strength
against each other as they battle it out for the number one spot. I
look forward to seeing the competitors and their supporters at
Morisset and wish all teams the very best of luck.
Tour
of Duty – 9/11 remembered
When
in the
US
this week, Prime Minister Julia Gillard addressed the US Congress.
Included in her speech, as an example of the strong bonds between
Australia
and the
US
, and to mark the 60th anniversary of the ANZUS Security
Treaty, was mention of the Tour of Duty story that unfolded recently.
QFRS
Tour of Duty member Rob Frey was given a Fire Department New York helmet
by an Australian soldier on his return to
Australia
following the original April 2010 trip to the
US
. It turns out that the helmet was signed by FDNY Lt Kevin Dowdell, 911
victim and father of Tour of Duty runner James Dowdell. The helmet was
returned to the Dowdell family at an Australian Government function at
LA Consul General Chris DeCure's home prior to the Run start and
attracted a great deal of media.
Rob
Frey met up with James Dowdell and Prime Minister Gillard in
Washington
to recall the story behind the helmet, and the journey of friendship and
support behind its return to the Dowdell family. This was recounted to
the US Congress and evoked an emotional response from many.
Waste
the Waist 2 - a success!
Congratulations
to everyone who participated in the second roll-out of the Waste the
Waist program. Over 250 employees lost a total of more than 463
kilograms and 482 centimetres from their waist circumference.
That’s an average initial body weight loss of 1.9%, and a 1.85cm
decrease in waist circumference. It is fantastic to see so many people
improving their health by performing regular physical activity and
choosing healthy food options.
Following
the success of the program, we’ve opened up the Waste the Waist
website so that staff can access it and make use of the helpful
features, including a kilojoule calculator to keep track of the energy
you are eating and using. For more information, visit the WebPages.
Mardi
Gras
The
Sydney 2011 Mardi Gras is an event that attracts numerous visitors from
across the globe, with around 10,000 colourful participants. As I
mentioned in the last Commish’s Corner, on Saturday 5 March FRNSW
staff showed their support for diversity and tolerance in the workforce
and community by participating in the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
Together with Deputy Commissioner Rosemary Milkins, Assistant
Commissioner Mark Whybro, permanent and retained firefighters,
administration and support staff and CFU volunteers, I joined in the
celebration of diversity and showed my support for those of our staff
who are members of the gay and lesbian community.
INCIDENTS
9th
Alarm factory fire at
Warwick
Farm
At
the end of another busy week numerous Triple Zero (000) calls started to
flood in to Sydney Comms at 1525 hours on Friday 4 March reporting a
building alight at Warwick Farm. Crews from 49 Cabramatta and 8
Liverpool
were quickly on the scene and discovered a fire in a large stack of
pallets which was spreading into a neighbouring factory. Station Officer
Cheryl Steer immediately sent a Red Message requesting a 3rd Alarm, and
set up defensive positions that proved to be crucial in preventing a
huge loss.
Crews
were faced with a factory of tilt slab construction 100m x 40m
containing 14 units. The blaze quickly spread through a common roof
void, involving many of the units with crews working desperately to
prevent further spread. Of the 14 factory units in the complex, 6 were
totally destroyed by fire and 1 suffered minor damage. Three
semi-trailers were also totally destroyed by fire. Crews did a fantastic
job in saving the remaining units with the initial strategies employed
by 49 and 8 stations resulting in the neighbouring Visy Board factory
being saved.
After
several wall and roof collapses and an exclusion zone in Sector B, the
fire was finally brought under control 3 hours later by a ground, aerial
and monitor attack with the fire duty ceasing at 0800 hours the next
day. Crews attending were 49 Cabramatta, 8 Liverpool, 31 Busby, 7
Horningsea Park, 73 Fairfield, 85 Chester Hill, 62 Bankstown, 30
Lidcombe, 47 Revesby, 21 Kogarah, 27 Parramatta, 55 Guildford, 9 Hazmat,
41 Smithfield, 55 Guildford, 101 Bonnyrigg Heights, 13 Hazmat, 87
Rosemeadow, 64 Lakemba, 67 Northmead, 17 Drummoyne, 26 Mascot, 18 Glebe
and ICV Alpha.
5th
Alarm car wrecking yard fire Greenacre
At
1306 hours on Tuesday 8 March, Sydney Comms received the first of many
Triple Zero (000) calls to a car wrecking yard alight at Greenacre. Due
to the number of calls, the Comms Supervisor upgraded the response to a
2nd Alarm while stations were still en route. 85
Chester
Hill was first on scene together with 30 Lidcombe and confirmed that a
car wrecking yard was well alight. Crews were confronted with exploding
gas cylinders and large volumes of thick black smoke due to burning
tyres and fuel. Fortunately everyone was accounted for with Police
evacuating over 100 employees from surrounding businesses.
The
SO from 62
Bankstown
transmitted a Red Message for a 3rd Alarm, and due to the intensity of
the fire and strong winds it quickly spread into an adjoining vehicle
repair shop with neighbouring businesses in Sector C and D also under
threat. The Duty Commander increased the response to a 5th Alarm.
The
wrecking yard and car repair shop were totally destroyed by fire but due
to the tremendous efforts of firefighters, all other surrounding
businesses were protected. Crews attending were 85 Chester Hill, 62
Bankstown, 30 Lidcombe, 47 Revesby, 34 Riverwood, 21 Kogarah, 64
Lakemba, 52 Campsie, 48 Mortdale, 20 Hurstville, 15 Burwood, 27
Parramatta, 19 Silverwater, 16 Concord, 55 Guildford, 9 Hazmat and ICV
Alpha.
ASK
THE COMMISSIONER
Q.
What public holidays do Special Roster stations get and where is this
written?
A.
In short, public holidays are normal work days for special roster
stations.
The
first part of this answer lies in Clause 6 ‘Rates
of Pay and Allowances’ of the firefighter’s
award. The ‘rate of pay’ for a firefighter is a composite rate which
incorporates ‘loading’ as an amount which is compensation for
working on weekends and public holidays, among other components.
The
second part of this answer applies to special roster stations with a
crew of SO and 3 where the Commissioner has discretion to grant a
special concession on Christmas Day, New Years Day and Good Friday only
when they fall on weekdays. This concession has the following
summarised provisions:
- Station
must have minimum crewing of 4 available
- If
4 not available then concession not available
- During
the day, you can be required to attend to ensure crew of 4
The
above concession is reviewed by the Commissioner each year for
approval and is then circulated to Zone Management teams that have
stations to which the concession applies. The concession in no way
implies that permanent firefighters are not fairly compensated for
working on public holidays. Also, the concession is not extended to
other public holidays and does not apply to additional gazetted public
holidays.
Q.
We are being asked to use our new name of Fire and Rescue NSW in the
community so we can make it well known. I have noticed that whenever we
are in the media, both from a reporter’s view and from the appropriate
members of FRNSW, we are being referred to as NSW Fire and Rescue or NSW
Rescue and Fire, never Fire and Rescue NSW. Why is this?
A.
Firstly, because you can’t possibly watch every channel or read every
newspaper report – it is actually not the case in the majority of
reports, as we monitor this closely. The name change has been clearly
identified to all major and local media agencies by way of media
releases earlier this year. It can be hard to change entrenched
patterns, and it will take time for everyone to get used to the new
name. The Public Affairs and Communication Strategy Unit continually
reminds media outlets of the correct title on each occasion they make
contact. All of our media releases and media alert documents are clearly
labelled with our new title.
Firefighters
can also help in either of two ways. If you notice media using an
incorrect title, please advise PACSU staff so that we can rectify
the matter. Or secondly, if your local media use incorrect titles,
take the time to contact them, invite them around for tea or coffee
to informally meet your staff and use the opportunity to
explain our various roles in the community and the reasons for the name
change. A good resource to help in educating the media can be found
at: http://home:81/intranet1/commish/Vision_Document.pdf
COMMISH’S
CORNER