COMMISH’S CORNER

Friday 18 February, 2005 Number 335 NSWFB The Rumour Mill No (02) 9265 2627
CURRENT NATIONAL SECURITY ALERT LEVEL : MEDIUM

COMMISSIONER’S BUSINESS
Professional standards # 2
Last week, I wrote about our shared responsibility to deliver top quality services to the community, and also about the fragility of our good name and high standing. The NSWFB and its staff enjoy high levels of community admiration because we constantly deliver what the community expects and deserves. Recent events have highlighted to all of us how precarious our good name can be. The spotlight was shone upon us due to a recent incident, and this resulted in significant criticism, together with other complaints about a variety of issues.

The message I wished to convey was that all of us, by our actions or inactions, can potentially affect the public perception of the NSWFB. Seemingly minor matters like rudeness, untidiness, dirty appliances, disobeying road and parking rules when on non-emergency duties, are all examples of things that can detract from our well earned professional image. On a Station basis, it only takes one Platoon to “drop the ball”, for example shirking responsibilities to do station or community safety work, to damage inter-Platoon relationships and even tarnish the reputation of the entire station. We need to nurture and protect our good standing and image so that the community remains confident in our ability to help them during emergencies. This includes treating each other with respect and dignity, and doing our fair share of work.

I am deeply disappointed that the incident that attracted the media attention occurred. However I am also disappointed that the media attention resulted from an anonymous letter from a firefighter, who has been described by the media as a “whistle-blower”. For the record, disciplinary action was instigated on the night the incident occurred. There was no cover-up as the term whistle-blower suggests. Ultimately the anonymous letter, which was also quite inaccurate in the claims made, served no purpose other than to attract negative media attention. There is absolutely no point in trying to find out who sent the letter, however I am left wondering what I can do as Commissioner to ensure that staff are comfortable in the knowledge that they CAN raise matters of concern and that they WILL be dealt with.

I wish to reassure each and every employee of the NSWFB that if they ever become aware of misconduct, corruption, harassment, or other wrongdoing, they should have no hesitation in immediately reporting such matters via formal channels. The matters WILL be dealt with. If an employee does not feel comfortable doing this for whatever reason, they have the option of making a protected disclosure, and maintaining anonymity. If somebody feels more comfortable approaching me personally, then do so.

We have a duty to the public and government to be transparent in everything we do, however anonymous letters can be counter-productive. They can hinder investigations, and as we saw recently, result in unfair criticism of the entire organisation.

Nambucca Heads Fire Station opening
Tomorrow I will be attending the official opening of the new Nambucca Heads Fire Station. The new station is the second environmentally-friendly NSWFB station to be opened. Captain Gary McCudden and his crew have been in the station for the last few months and report that they are very satisfied with the new facility.

Coffs Harbour medal presentations
While in Zone North 5, I will be presenting National Medals to nine firefighters at a ceremony at the Coffs Harbour Catholic Club. Also attending will be the local Member of Parliament, Luke Hartsuyker, Assistant Commissioner Bob Dobson, Chief Superintendent Roger Bucholtz and Superintendent David Gray. Congratulations to all the recipients.

New equipment
As new equipment arrives at your fire station, you naturally want to let your community know about it. However, be aware that under the NSWFB’s Media Policy you are not permitted to publicise new equipment. Any media announcement concerning equipment needs to be arranged through the NSWFB’s Public Affairs and Communications Strategy Unit (PACSU). For further information on the NSWFB’s Media Policy, go to the intranet or contact your regional Public Affairs Officer.

OPERATIONAL ROUNDUP
If you haven’t had a chance to catch up on the details of the recent vehicle accident at Wauchope visit the intranet. If the story is not on the home page, you will find it in Past Articles. Keep sending in stories on incidents in your area so other firefighters can read them. Contact your regional Public Affairs Officer to submit a story.

RUMOUR MILL
Rumour: Is it true that retained stations in N6 are going to become permanent?
Response: There are no immediate proposals to position permanent staff in any N6 stations. Region and zone management are continually monitoring development and needs in all areas. However, decisions are subject to the whole-of-state priorities and the allocation of funding among all government departments.

NEWS IN BRIEF
Tsunami relief workers recognised

At a special ceremony at Government House on Thursday, Her Excellency the Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir AC, and Premier Bob Carr presented plaques to emergency services personnel in recognition of their work in South East Asia after the tsunami.

SOs Bruce Cameron and Chris Sykes and SF Greg Watson received their plaques for providing logistical support to the medical teams in Banda Aceh and the Maldives. Station Officer Tim Fox, who was deployed to Sri Lanka, was unable to attend, but will be presented with his plaque at a later date.

Assistant Commissioner John Anderson attended on my behalf while I chaired a meeting of fire authorities in Melbourne. The Premier spoke highly of the NSWFB to Her Excellency, explaining how we were able to ensure the medical teams were totally self-sufficient.

Retained firefighter turnout
The NSWFB has used paging and Telstra services (called ERS7 and DTO bells) for turning out retained firefighters for many years. Telstra is no longer providing ERS7 and DTO services and is not replacing them with an equivalent. The NSWFB and other emergency services throughout Australia have had to look at alternatives.

After an exhaustive evaluation, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology, similar to phone banking and other such services, has been selected. IVR will not only perform the turnout role, but also support additional capability. Note that IVR is a secondary alerting system, and that paging will continue to be the primary method of alerting. The IVR has been integrated into FireCAD. Considerable design work has been undertaken to minimise the changes required to our call-taking and dispatch processes.

A number of stations have been selected to pilot the new system and the evaluation is now underway. The roll-out to all fire stations with retained staff is anticipated to start early March 2005 and finish by the end of April 2005. Training will be delivered to all retained firefighters and ComCen staff over this period.

UPCOMING EVENTS
NSW Fire Brigades v NSW Police

The Fastball Firies from 216 Bathurst and Zone West 3 will rise to the challenge to take on the Backyard Blues from Blayney Police Station in a 40 overs-a-side one-day cricket game at Redman Oval, Millthorpe on Sunday 20 February. The Fastball Firies consist of an Inspector, a couple of grey-haired Station Officers and some highly-trained firefighters. They also have a large consortium of 12th men and catering staff. All the players need now is a crowd.

NSWFB Ball
Keep Friday 23 September free in your diaries for the NSWFB Ball. This year the event will be held at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf at Pyrmont Point. Tickets cost $95 and include a three-course meal, drinks, music and entertainment from the NSWFB Band and Marching Drill Team. For those interested in saving for Ball tickets, now is the best time to act. Contact the Fire Brigades Credit Union on how you can arrange a direct debit from your pay and guarantee your tickets. Keep an eye out for the flyer which will be sent out soon.

Police Games
This year’s Police Games are to be held from 5 to 13 March. The games are open to all members of NSWFB and their families. There will be a total of 31 sports held over the nine days. You can choose from sports ranging from Angling and Archery to Track & Field or Triathlon. Get a team together or compete individually. Closing date for entries is 26 February, and don’t forget to let the Sports Association know that you are competing by emailing sports@fire.nsw.gov.au.More information and a full list of sports to be played can be found at www.nswpolicesport.com

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, please contact Public Affairs Officers: Stephen Norris (West) 9265 2613 or John Suter Linton/Tippy Kavalee (South/North) 9265 2802