GENERAL
Retained Firefighters Award:
2.5% increases approved
The Crown
Employees (Fire and Rescue NSW Retained Firefighting Staff) Award
2011 expired on 21 February 2013, and through no fault of either party
negotiations between FRNSW and the FBEU have not yet progressed to the
point of agreement. To enable negotiation for a new retained award to
continue without any distraction about when salary increases are due,
and to ensure that retained firefighters are not disadvantaged by any
delay in negotiations, approval was recently sought from the
Government to pay a 2.5% increase to retained firefighters by
"administrative action".
I am very pleased to advise that the request was supported by our
Minister and approved by the Government, and that as a result a 2.5%
increase with effect from 22 February 2013 will be processed in the
pay of 21 March 2013, along with back pay for one pay period.
Negotiations will continue with the FBEU and this will include
exploring changes to the retained system to address matters identified
at the Retained Summit held at Parliament House in November 2011.
2013
Permanent Firefighter Recruitment Campaign
Applications opened yesterday, Tuesday 12 March, for the
2013 Permanent Firefighter Recruitment Campaign,and close on 28 March.
The job advertisement will be appearing on www.jobs.nsw.gov.au
This week I spoke at recruitment information sessions for potential
applicants. Targeted information sessions for women and indigenous
candidates were held on Monday and Tuesday, and today a further two
general information sessions are being held at the Parramatta Leagues
Club.
If you are a retained firefighter, or if you know anyone who has the
right attributes to join us in making our communities safer, please
encourage them to find out more about FRNSW and the recruitment
process at www.fire.nsw.gov.au/recruitment
Rollout
of new FRNSW Physical Aptitude Test
As part of a staged rollout, permanent and retained
firefighter applicants for 2013 will undergo the new version of the
Physical Aptitude Test (PAT) which was developed for FRNSW by the
University
of
Wollongong Centre
for Human and Applied Physiology. The revised PAT is the result of
combining firefighter expertise, response profiling and scientific
research to develop one of the most valid physical employment
standards in the world. The new PAT reflects the physical demands of
firefighting today far more accurately and effectively than former
testing regimes. My thanks to our Health & Safety team, the
researchers at
Wollongong
University
and the many firefighters who participated in the development of this
world-leading package. For more information, see the video and Intranet
story.
Emergency
service workers thanked at Parliament House reception
On 28 February,I attended a function at Parliament House in
Sydney
where a small group of FRNSW staff, along with other emergency
services personnel, were thanked by the Premier for their outstanding
efforts during the recent period of high bushfire and flood activity.
This was a great opportunity for the Premier, Ministers and Opposition
Members to recognise the outstanding work of all firefighters and
support staff who contributed to the major efforts over a number of
weeks. Those attending the function included Strike Team members from
the
State
Training
College
who were deployed to Nowra, retained firefighters from Bowral, as well
as staff from Logistics Support and the joint co-ordination team at
the BICC at Homebush.
FRNSW
participates in Mardi Gras Parade
On Saturday 2 March, more than 50 FRNSW staff and CFU
volunteers took part in the 35th Sydney Mardi Gras Parade, once again
proving popular with the crowds. The FRNSW contingent shared important
fire safety messages while celebrating our stance on workplace
equality and diversity with tens of thousands of street revellers and
other Parade participants. Broadcasts of the Parade were also beamed
into the homes of millions of people around the world. FRNSW members
marched with contingents from the SES, RFS and Police, and for the
first time members of the Australian Defence Forces marched in
uniform.
Firefighters
awarded for their service and achievements
In a previous issue of CC I congratulated Chief
Superintendent Gary Picken, Assistant Director Operational Logistics,
who received the Achiever of the Year Award from Wollondilly Shire
Council in recognition of his leadership of the first Australian USAR
Task Force deployment to Christchurch after the February 2011
earthquake, and also to Deputy Captain Bob Treseder from Narromine who
was recognized as Narromine's Citizen of the Year on Australia Day.
I also congratulate Captain Vince Slattery, from Mulwala Fire Station,
who was presented with a Citizen of the Year Award on Australia Day
for his dedicated service to his local community.
Finally, congratulations also to FIRU Fire Investigator SO Steve Apps
who received the Prince of Wales Award from the Navy. Steve has been a
diver in the Navy Reserve for many years. The Award is a scholarship
granted to active Reservists to support study related to their
civilian employment. Late last year Steve used the scholarship to
travel to the
USA
to visit various fire investigation agencies, the US Fire Research
Laboratory, and to attend the International Symposium of Fire
Investigation.
City
of Sydney welcomes back former Chief Officer Roy Ahern
Twenty seven years after he hung up his helmet, former Chief
Officer Roy Ahern was welcomed back to No.1 Station which he once
called home. Last Friday I joined members of the Executive and senior
officers along with City of
Sydney B Platoon
firefighters for a special tour and morning tea to celebrate 87 year
old
Roy
's homecoming. To commemorate his visit to the City of
Sydney Fire Station
, I presented
Roy
with a FRNSW cap and tie and an engraved tankard.
Roy
's visit was enjoyed by all present, and he clapped to show his
appreciation when he saw our firefighters lined up to receive him. He
also entertained us with tales of 'the old days' including how Wagga
Wagga got its first Fire Station and his years heading up the Bushfire
Section. The former Chief, who joined the NSW Fire Brigades in 1945 at
the age of 19, served as the operational head of the NSWFB from
1984-86. To read more about the former Chief, read
the Intranet story.
Promoting
sustainability through Earth Hour
I encourage all staff to take part in this year's Earth Hour
on Saturday 23 March from 8.30-9.30pm. You can participate by turning
off any non-essential electrical equipment such as computers,
monitors, photocopiers and TVs and all non-essential lighting in
stations and offices as well as taking part in Earth Hour at home. (Of
course, please ensure that any equipment and lighting for emergency
response and safety remains switched on.)
The Earth Hour concept, originally conceived in
Sydney
and launched in December 2006, continues to gain 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 carbon emissions and that small actions by every individual
can make a big difference. The NSWFB was one of the original Earth
Hour partners when it was conceived. More information is available at www.earthhour.org.au
INCIDENTS
Fatal
townhouse fire at Claymore
Shortly before 1430 hours on Tuesday 5 March 2013, FRNSW
received the first of several 000 calls reporting a townhouse fire at
Duterreau Way
, Claymore. Station Officer Newcomb from 92 St Andrews D Platoon sent
an informative message en route that large volumes of smoke could be
seen in the distance and called for a 3rd station to be responded.
Police also advised that they had information from a Highway Patrol
officer on scene that a young child was trapped in an upstairs room
and despite his efforts, the child could not be reached. The crew from
92 arrived on scene within 8 minutes of the initial call with the crew
from 88 Campbelltown less than a minute behind them and 87 Rosemeadow
shortly after.
The crews were confronted with a difficult scene. The top floor of a
two-level townhouse was fully involved in fire and the distraught
mother was pleading with firefighters to try and save her
four-year-old daughter trapped on the top floor. Earlier, the mother,
who was downstairs at the time of the fire, smelt smoke from upstairs
and was able to rescue one of her daughters from an upstairs bedroom.
However she was unable to reach her second daughter in an adjacent
room due to the dense smoke and ferocity of the fire which had already
taken hold of the roof void. Several other neighbours had also
unsuccessfully attempted to enter and rescue the girl by way of the
back door.
Two firefighters from 92 with SCBA attempted second floor entry but
were beaten back by the collapsing roof and intense heat and flames.
Sadly the young girl perished in the blaze.
Surrounding townhouses were quickly evacuated and the mother and
surviving daughter, together with a Highway Patrol officer who had
attempted entry prior to Brigade arrival, were transported to hospital
suffering smoke inhalation.
92's Ladder Platform and 88 Campbelltown's Tanker also responded to
the incident. My thanks to all responding crews who worked extremely
well in harrowing conditions. They were able to contain the blaze in
about 30 minutes to the one townhouse which was part of a four
townhouse complex. Our Fire Investigators, together with the Police,
are currently preparing a report for the Coroner as to the cause of
the tragic fire.
Eagle
Vale
High School
2nd
Alarm
Well done to crews who saved a high school from major fire
damage in the early hours of Saturday 9 March. The first 000 call came
in at 0212 hrs reporting a fire at
Eagle
Vale
High School
in Hillview Parade. C Platoon from 92
St Andrews
was first on scene at the school complex and called for a 2nd Alarm.
They were confronted with a 20m x 10m two storey school building with
the ground floor totally involved.
Crews from 92, 88 Campbelltown, 93 Narellan, 79 Ingleburn, 84
Macquarie Fields and 248
Camden
attended the fire which severely damaged the administration section of
the school. Relay pumping was required and an offensive firefighting
attack was successful in containing the fire to the ground floor and
preventing extension throughout a large block of classrooms. The cause
of the fire is yet to be determined. Well done to all involved.
Clarification
on last issue
The second tunnel incident mentioned in the last issue of
Commish'sCorner involved a car fire near the
Dacey Street
entrance to the Eastern Distributor in the northbound lanes on
Saturday morning 23 February. It was incorrectly reported that the
fire was extinguished by sprinklers. The facts are as follows: 13
Station
Alexandria
was initially responded alone as it was not clear from the calls that
the burning car was in the tunnel. On arrival it was established that
a car was well alight inside the tunnel, and SO 13 sent a Red message
for a 2nd Alarm. Firefighters in SCBA attacked the fire in conditions
of high heat and dense smoke. 10 Redfern, 4 Darlinghurst, 11 Woollahra
and the Duty Commander from City of
Sydney
responded as part of the 2nd Alarm. The fire was extinguished by
firefighters and the driver was treated for shock at the scene by
Ambulance paramedics. Police also attended to assist with evacuating
people from a number of vehicles in the tunnel. No injuries were
reported. The tunnel was able to be reopened to traffic before midday
largely due to the efforts of 13's crew.
ASK
THE COMMISSIONER
Q: Has
the Brigade ever looked into separating the motor driver duties into a
separate specialist role as many overseas fire departments have?
Doing so would increase the quality of the motor driver position as
well as reduce costs.
Duration spent at college would be reduced as motor drivers would only
need to learn relevant driving and pump operation techniques and fire
fighters would only need fire fighting knowledge. Brigade would not
need to pay for MR licences or training time for all recruits.
Specialist motor drivers would be selected on ability and gain more
experience over time and thus reduce the chance of accidents. Also
through specific training they would have a better understanding of
pump operations/capabilities at incidents.
Specialist motor driver roles would provide less physically intensive
roles for brigade members as they get into later years of the job.
Currently the role is given to all without any evaluation of the
ability of each fire fighter taken into account.
A: Yes,
this has been looked at in the past, however an independent evaluation
concluded that it was not practicable given that a crew of SO & 3
is predicated on a safe and effective crew of 4; the basic premise
being that if there are 2 FFs in SCBA inside a structure, there must
be 2 outside ready to rescue them if necessary. The review looked at
whether firefighters on alternate duties might be able to be used as
appliance drivers. Given the findings, and the reliance on all 4
members of a crew being able to perform all duties, this avenue was
not pursued.
Q: I
respectfully ask how is FRNSW planning to revive it's now
dysfunctional training in FIRE and RESCUE? Especially since neither of
these seem to be a core of the service training program anymore.
Training has seen a significant drop in quantity and quality since I
joined the service a mere 8 years ago, and I find it most
disheartening to think that we, as an organisation, have let ourselves
down so much in such a short time. We are at a time when training
should be increased with the reduction of actual fire occurrences, not
left to become a novelty as it is now.
A: At
the outset I want to make 2 major points: firstly, that all staff
attached to Education & Training have always, and continue, to
work extremely hard to deliver the best possible service to their
colleagues. They are all dedicated professionals and do the best that
they can with the resources that they have. Secondly, I acknowledge
the strong message that I and other senior personnel are receiving
concerning the view that there is insufficient "hands on"
training taking place. This is why it is an area of major focus in the
draft Corporate Plan that sets a road map for our future, and why the
Director of Education & Training, Gail Wykes and her team, have
developed a proposal that will see a major increase in hands-on
training in coming months.
Education & Training has been undergoing very significant change
over the last few years. This has involved restructures, a review of
all programs, rewriting of some curricula, commencement of new
initiatives such as e-learning, and building a foundation for future
capability and professional development for the future. Together with
this, there have recently been reviews of CFBT and an exploration of
safer ways to conduct live fire training, delays in provision of some
equipment, eg new hose lay bags which delayed rollout of training in
the "reverse hose lay" technique developed by 57 Station;
and the need to consult and reach agreement with the FBEU on new
initiatives, for example the now agreed trial of on-shift training for
rescue.
My advice at this stage: watch this space – E&T have a number of
exciting new initiatives that are being prepared for roll out. These
range from e-learning packages, to the outcome of the joint review of
on-shift rescue training, to the development of new standard drills
that every crew will be able to practice in their own time without
having to travel to the College. We are also planning to invest more
heavily in live-fire training in the years to come, with a mix of
gas-fired and carbonaceous fire props, together with inbuilt
"smoke scrubbing" technology to ensure that our burns are
not only safer, but also more environmentally friendly.
Lastly, FRNSW is working hard on a proposal for a new state of the art
State Training College in the Sydney Basin – while this will be some
years away, I am confident that we will gain the necessary support to
make this a reality.
Commissioner's
email: Commissioner@fire.nsw.gov.au
Sandra
Garcia, EA to Commissioner: 9265
2930
Ask the
Commissioner: OfficeOfTheCommissioner@fire.nsw.gov.au
To
contribute a story, please contact the Media, Ministerial and
Communications Unit: 9265 2907