COMMISH’S CORNER

GENERAL

Vale: SF Dave Turner

I start this Commissioner's Corner with the sad news of the death on duty of 8653 Senior Firefighter David Turner, 29 Station Arncliffe 'C' Platoon.
SF Turner was engaged in an exercise program when he suddenly became ill and collapsed. Despite his crewmates immediately applying first aid and the rapid attendance of Paramedics, attempts to revive David were unsuccessful.
David was a "Shire boy" from Caringbah with a loving wife, 2 sons, and a wide circle of family and friends within and outside the service. He was a former lifeguard, competitive swimmer, free diver, and as his wife Kerrie described him, a "free spirit" with a quirky and infectious sense of humour. Everybody, particularly his family and crewmates at 29 "C" Platoon are of course devastated by his untimely and unexpected passing. He was a highly respected and proficient firefighter, and on behalf of all members of the service I extend my deepest condolences.
David's funeral will be held this Friday 19 July at 1130hrs at the Sutherland Entertainment Centre. A private cremation ceremony will follow. Members wishing to attend are asked to wear full dress uniform including galateas and ribbons, and to participate in a guard of honour on the day. Further details can be obtained by contacting the Office of the Commissioner or Metropolitan South Area Command.

New Events & Training Calendar now live

Last week we launched a new FRNSW Events and Training Calendar which is now live and available on the intranet. The new calendar replaces all other previous training calendars and will serve as the one single point of contact for 'What's on' in the organisation. Well done to teams across IT and Education and Training Directorates who developed the new one-stop shop calendar, making it easy to access up-to-date information quickly and easily. Also, the Training navigation tab on the intranet is now live, providing information about training across FRNSW in one easy-to-access point.

Warning against using accelerants to start fires

Last week we received considerable media coverage after jointly issuing a media release with the Ambulance Service of NSW to warn people of the dangers of using accelerants to start fires – citing an alarming increase in the number of injuries sustained by people doing just that. Since 1 April, paramedics have been called to at least 13 people who had suffered injuries after fires, including camp fires and bonfires, which were lit using accelerants.
The messaging is part of our Winter Fire Safety Campaign and its timely and important for us all to remind the public of the dangers associated with using accelerants. For more information read the media release.

IPP Pre-entry test is underway

After months of consultation I am pleased to announce that the IPP pre-entry test has been advertised. As I have mentioned in previous weeks, the feedback from Station Officers, Inspectors, Superintendents and Chief Superintendents has been overwhelmingly positive. I have received overwhelmingly positive feedback via email and in person from Station Officers who believe that the new process will be much fairer, comprehensive, and relevant to the role of an Inspector. The procedure for applying as well as the call for applications can be found in Commissioners Order 2013/15.  If you have any questions, please email IPPfeedback@fire.nsw.gov.au.

NAIDOC Week

Last week the nation celebrated NAIDOC Week and I want to thank all those FRNSW staff who also took part in activities that celebrated and acknowledged the rich culture, history and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I announced last week that as part of our continuing commitment to recognising the contribution of indigenous people, FRNSW will be rolling out a program of cultural awareness training over the next 18 months and I encourage you all to take full advantage of this training. I'll be providing more details as they evolve.

New air horns on fire appliances

As many of you will already be aware we have been rolling out new air horns as new fire appliances come on line in order to improve response times by encouraging drivers and pedestrians to move out of the way quickly and safely. The first of its kind was trialled on City of Sydney Flyer.
If you've been to the USA and seen a fire appliance responding, or watched a movie like "Backdraft" or "Ladder 49", then you've heard the horns. They have a very distinctive sound which, although no louder than normal truck air horns, immediately draws attention. This in turn means that traffic is more likely to move aside, and pedestrians are more likely to stay out of harms way – ultimately meaning faster response times. The horns are restricted items and can only be used on fire appliances, meaning that they will always be a distinctive sound. There will soon be a public awareness campaign to reduce the number of collisions due to motorists not moving out of the way or panicking when they hear sirens. Last year we had 45 such collisions.

Cheque presentation to Bear Cottage

A great effort from firefighters across the Northern Beaches and upper North Shore who raised $3,000 during Open Day this year for Bear Cottage. Firefighters officially presented the cheque to representatives from Bear Cottage at a special event held at Mosman Fire Station last Thursday. A great community initiative from FRNSW which helps Bear Cottage to continue their wonderful work in helping families cope with the impossible - to care for a child who has a life-limiting illness.

FRNSW Corporate Plan, Future Outlook and Values

The FRNSW Corporate Plan 2013-2017 and the Future Outlook – Future Directions for Fire & Rescue NSW Towards 2033 have just been approved by the Minister and will be released soon, setting out the vision and strategic direction for FRNSW to meet the needs of a rapidly changing climate, economy and society.
A comprehensive and lengthy process of consultation was undertaken within FRNSW and with external partners across Government to produce both the Corporate Plan and the Future Outlook mapping our strategic future direction for the next four years and the continued commitment to providing effective emergency management services to the community.
You will also notice that our statement of core values has been simplified – significant feedback was received that the 6 core values, while logical, were difficult to remember. The new values statement is easily remembered by the acronym "RISC", which stands for: Respect, Integrity, Service and Courage. These values embody what we all stand for and demonstrate daily via our commitment to saving life, property and the environment.

INCIDENTS

3^rd Alarm Fuel leak at Port Botany

Around 1:30am on Friday morning, 12 July, firefighters were called to a fuel leak at Botany Road, Port Botany. Approx. 130,000L of fuel had leaked from a 2 million litre storage tank into a bunded area the size of a football field. Over the duration of the incident twenty crews from across the metropolitan area attended the spill. Firefighters were able to stop the leak and covered the spill with foam to eliminate the threat of ignition. Two workers were transported to hospital as a precaution after coming into contact with fuel and one firefighter was also taken to hospital. After foam application the initial exclusion zone of 1km was reduced to 500m and crews spent most of the day providing protection and atmospheric monitoring while Caltex cleaned up the spill. Also on scene were firefighters from AirServices Australia and police and ambulance officers. There were no evacuations.

Fatal house fire at Mount Colah

Shortly before 4pm on 10 July, crews were called to a house fire at Lancelot Road, Mt Colah. On arrival, firefighters from 75 Berowra found the split-level dwelling 80% involved with a person reported missing inside the house. A 2^nd Alarm response saw a number of crews engaged in defensive operations and several attempts at entry were made to try to locate the missing person. Despite their efforts, a 30-year-old woman was sadly found deceased in a rear room. Her mother and brother were transported to Hornsby Hospital for treatment. An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway. I attended the fire and thanked the responding crews from 75 Berowra, 50 Hornsby, 37 Gordon, 59 Eastwood, 42 Ryde, and an RFS crew from Mt Kuringai.
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York St gas leak

Shortly before lunchtime on Tuesday 9 July, city based crews were called to a gas leak in York St. A high pressure copper gas line had been ruptured causing a large gas leak. About 200 people from a high-rise apartment block and nearby restaurants were evacuated for 2 hours while crews from 1 City of Sydney and 3 The Rocks provided fire protection while gas company crews fixed the leak. York Street was closed until the gas was turned off.
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Fatal bus crash at Empire Bay

Shortly after 4pm on Tuesday 9 July, crews responded to a report of a bus crashing into the side of a block of units at Empire Bay near Gosford. Crews from 340 Umina, 304 Gosford and 353 Kincumber responded, quickly reporting structural damage to the building, one fatality and 11 people injured. The heavy rescue crew from Gosford worked for several hours to shore up the building and ensure it was safe to remove both the driver from the bus, who was deceased, and a man from inside the unit, who was then airlifted to Westmead hospital, where he later died the following day.

ASK THE COMMISSIONER

Q. Sir, I see budgeted items for this year include replacement structural fire helmets.
Do we have a safety reason for replacing our current structural helmet? Our existing helmet seems suitable for our work.
If we can continue to use our existing helmet FRNSW could donate the $7 million dollars to build a hospital wing in a needy NSW country town. It could be named the FRNSW Wing and be a permanent reminder of money well spent.
A: The Australian Standard for structural firefighting helmets has changed, and our current helmets will no longer comply. While Standards are not necessarily mandatory, the more stringent safety requirements relating to impact resistance are clearly based on firefighter safety. Because of this the NSW Government believed that it should be given high priority in the State Budget. The funding will also enable us to introduce new SCBA masks that rapidly clip on to the new "jet style" helmets, and a voice amplification system that will enhance radio communications. I believe that this is money well spent.
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