CURRENT
NATIONAL SECURITY ALERT LEVEL: MEDIUM
Successful
launch of winter fire safety campaign
On Monday,
Steve Whan, Minister for Emergency Services and Virginia Judge,
Minister for Fair Trading, joined me, the RFS Commissioner and
firefighters from both services at City of
Sydney Fire Station
to launch this year’s winter fire safety campaign. Soon after the
launch there was a fatal house fire at Ulladulla and a fire in a
multi-storey house at Mosman.
The launch
attracted a lot of media, which will help us to get our vital fire
prevention messages out to NSW communities. Campaign information,
including a media release template, is on the intranet for you to
use to generate local media coverage. A new campaign site has been
developed to promote the winter fire safety message of ‘A fire can
take hold in 3 minutes but it only takes seconds to prevent one’, www.3minutes.com.au
Thank you to CEDU, PACSU and CoS for their work on the campaign and
launch event.
Respectful
workplace training
Our new
Respectful Workplace training program officially began on 24 May,
with administrative and trades staff along with senior managers
progressively being trained. Training for all firefighters will
begin in July. Everybody, including me, is required to attend the
training over the coming weeks and months, because establishing and
maintaining a safe, positive workplace culture is everyone’s
responsibility and something that benefits us all. Due to logistical
requirements, flexibility in regards to attendance dates and times
can only apply in special circumstances.
If you need
any further information, contact Helen Lambourne 9265 2879 or respectfulworkplacestraining.NSWFB@fire.nsw.gov.au
Deputy
Commissioner Ken Thompson AFSM retires
As notified
to all staff in my recent email, I am saddened by the retirement of
Dep Comm Ken Thompson AFSM who served the NSWFB for nearly 38 years.
Ken’s achievements include: development of the aerial appliance
strategy and introduction of ladder platforms; introduction of the
Hazmat role and legislative framework; introduction of GIS mapping,
business planning and risk management planning; development of
initiatives around greenhouse gas reduction and climate change;
along with various roles held by Ken and exemplary service
throughout his time with the NSWFB.
Ken is
travelling through
Europe
, searching for his son Andrew who was abducted 2 years ago. As he
has not indicated a return date, a retirement function cannot be
arranged at present. I wish Ken the very best in his endeavours and
thank him on everybody’s behalf for his huge contribution to the
NSWFB.
Departure
of Julie Duncan and welcome to Darren Husdell
I would
like to thank Julie Duncan, our hard working and dedicated Assistant
Director Employee Relations, for her efforts over a period of nearly
9 years. Julie has decided to leave the NSWFB to pursue
opportunities in the private sector, and she will be greatly missed.
I am
pleased however, to announce the temporary appointment of Mr Darren
Husdell to fill the position of Director Employee Relations with
effect from Monday 31 May 2010.
Darren has
an extensive background in industrial relations in both the public
and private sectors and across a number of industries. Darren has
been seconded from the Department of Education & Training where
he is the Director of Industrial Relations.
Darren can
be contacted on 9265 2677 or by email on darren.husdell@fire.nsw.gov.au.
Please join with me in welcoming Darren to the NSW Fire Brigades.
Commish
to ‘sleep rough’ at CEO’s Sleepout
No, I
haven’t been thrown out of home just yet. On Thursday 17 June,
together with other CEOs, I will be participating in the annual St
Vincent De Paul ‘CEO Sleepout’ to raise money and draw attention
to the plight of the tens of thousands of Australians who do not
have a home to go to each night. Homeless people are some of the
most vulnerable in our society and firefighters often assist them
while on and off duty both in a professional and private capacity.
Knowing the great work that many firefighters do at soup kitchens
and other charities, I thought it was the least I could do to sleep
on a piece of cardboard, rain, hail or shine, for one night to
signify NSWFB support for this appeal. If you would like to donate,
go to: http://www.ceosleepout.org.au/sydney/index.html
Click on
Sydney
, then CEOs, find me, and fill in the form. Thank you in advance for
your support.
Spicer
jacket round up
My thanks
and congratulations to Firefighters Sam Wall and Courtney Ellis from
53 Neutral Bay for coming up with the idea, and coordinating the
great spicer jacket round up. On Wednesday 26 May, I attended 53
Station, together with our Chaplains Lyndsay and Dawn Smith and
senior Salvation Army Officers, so that the last of around 300
spicer jackets could be handed over for distribution to homeless
men. Due to Sam and Courtney’s idea and the generosity of
firefighters, about 300 homeless men will be much warmer and drier
this winter.
Fire
safety mural – art competition
The crew at
10 Redfern are looking forward to a fresh look exterior station wall
when winners of a local art competition are announced. The art
competition is a NSWFB initiative for the 14th National
Reconciliation Week which ran from 27 May to 3 June. This is a great
way for firefighters to engage with the local community and bring
Indigenous members of the community on board with the critical
importance of fire safety and fire prevention.
The
competition will be judged by a panel consisting of representatives
from the Redfern Waterloo Authority, Aboriginal Housing Co-Op,
Aboriginal Medical Service, Redfern Community Centre, Metropolitan
Local Aboriginal Land Council, City of
Sydney Council
, Department of Education and Training, TAFE Eora Centre and local
Gadigal elder Charles (Chicka) Madden. The four winning entries will
adorn the 13m wall outside Redfern Fire Station. Both the City of
Sydney Council
and Department of Education and Training have contributed funding
towards the art competition.
Congratulations
to Station Officer Steve Russell for his persistence and commitment
to developing and implementing such an innovative strategy which
reaches out to the local community. The art competition concludes on
10 June. Entry forms and further information is available on our
website.
Traffic
management protocols for priority roads
Together
with the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) and other emergency
services the NSWFB has helped to develop a multi-agency major
traffic disruption plan, and this has been complemented by our own
internal Major Incident Management Plan – Major Transport
Disruption Sub-Plan. This plan will provide the framework for a
coordinated response of NSWFB resources when working at multi-agency
incidents on priority roads. Guidelines will outline timely messages
from incident controllers to assist in helping commuters make better
decisions regarding transport options and ultimately assist in
reducing the impact of such incidents.
This plan
applies to situations that may have a significant impact on
transport movements on roadways in NSW, particularly priority roads
such as the F3, M2, M4, F5/M5, M5 East, F6, M7, Eastern
Distributor/Southern Cross Drive, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney
Harbour Tunnel, Lane Cove Tunnel/Gore Hill Freeway, Cross City
Tunnel, Anzac Bridge/Western Distributor and the Domain Tunnel.
Particular attention will be paid to incidents that will impact
during peak hour travel times and may have major economic or
community consequences. It may be the case at some incidents that
non-critical operations can be delayed until after peak traffic
times. As a responsible emergency service we need to assess all the
impacts of an incident, not just the immediately obvious problem.
National
Cyber Security Awareness Week
To improve
online security and user confidence the Australian Government will
launch the National Cyber Security Awareness Week on 6 June. With
more people accessing the internet for even more complex
transactions and interactions, the need to be ever vigilant is
increasingly important.
Staff need
to be aware of e-security risks and the simple steps that can be
taken to protect themselves and the NSWFB when online. Things like
automatic software updates, stronger password configurations and
regularly changing your password, along with being careful about
personal or financial information you share online, all need to be
considered. Keep an eye on the intranet for more information about
cyber security.
Telarah
Firefighter Championships
I attended
the sixth round of the 2009-10 NSWFB Firefighter Championship series
over the weekend of 22-23 May at the Royal Newcastle (Rutherford)
Aero Club near Telarah. Special mention to Glen Innes (with a score
of 943). In second place – Kootingal RFS (840), followed by Kelso
(806) in third place, and Dorrigo (718) in fourth. Again, all teams
are to be congratulated for their commitment, competitive spirit and
camaraderie. Well done by all, and a big thank you to the serving
and retired firefighters, including retired Captains Ron Jenkins and
Neil Morriss from 455 Telarah who worked so hard to make the weekend
a success. While rain looked imminent at the opening ceremony, we
had no less than 5 Chaplains present, so of course it stayed dry!
St
John
Ambulance
first aid campaign
Recently I
attended the launch by our Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce AC, of
St John Ambulance’s latest campaign aimed at encouraging all
members of the community to participate in basic first aid training.
Together with the Chief Executive of the Ambulance Service of NSW,
Greg Rochford PSM, and other notable Australians such as Dr Fiona
Wood, I am an official Ambassador for the campaign. Video clips of
the new TV advertisement and messages from Ambassadors can be seen
on the
St John’s
website. www.stjohnfirstaid.com.au
Changes
at Head Office
Staff and
visitors to Head Office will have seen a number of new faces and
physical changes to work station and office layouts in recent weeks.
This is all part of our improvement program to build a better
Brigade. The NSWFB faces significant challenges at present,
including budget pressures, workplace conduct matters, matters that
have been before the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and
media scrutiny focussing on how we are dealing with these issues.
As
previously advised, our Minister and the NSW Government have been
extremely supportive of the changes that I have proposed, including
the formation of a new, expanded Workplace Conduct Unit;
Brigade-wide Respectful Workplace Training; a restructure of
Education and Training; and a range of other comprehensive measures
to ensure that the NSWFB eliminates any negative aspects of our
culture. The appointment of Deputy Commissioner Milkins to lead the
non-operational side of the NSWFB has been a key component in the
reform agenda, and she is doing a fantastic job. Due to the heavy
existing workload in many areas, the 2 Deputy Commissioners and I
decided to bring in a number of additional people to temporarily
assist with project management, specialist functions such as writing
new Position Descriptions, and setting up the new Workplace Conduct
Unit while allowing PSCO to concentrate on the heavy workload. When
next in Head Office, if you see somebody you don’t know, say
hello, welcome them, and ask them what their role is.
INCIDENTS
Barrengarry
bus accident
At about
1830 hours on Friday 14 May, a tourist coach carrying 30 Croatian
tourists on a day trip crashed through a guardrail while descending
Barrengarry
Mountain
, west of
Kangaroo
Valley
in the
Southern Highlands
. The coach left the road and came to rest 30 metres down a steep
embankment.
A
multi-agency response of NSWFB, Police, Ambulance, RFS and SES was
mobilised. 405 Nowra responded and the crew comprised of Retained
Firefighters Chris Ison (OIC), Wayne Gerstenberg, Paul Abbott,
Warren Markham, Alan Davis and Glenn Pattie. Relieving Duty
Commander Mark McGuire from RS1 Batemans Bay responded a short time
later. Working under difficult conditions in challenging terrain the
NSWFB worked in unison with the other emergency service crews,
resulting in the safe removal of all the injured. Insp McGuire had
nothing but praise for 405’s efforts.
Pitt
Street
building
collapse
Shortly
after 1600 hours on Tuesday 25 May, firefighters were called to
numerous reports of an explosion and fire in a building under
demolition in
Pitt Street
in the centre of
Sydney
's CBD. The City of
Sydney Runner
was first on scene, with an initial message indicating internal
collapse of a 2 level building site. Crews set up a 50-metre
exclusion zone while monitoring the atmosphere with gas detectors. A
large second-floor concrete floor slab measuring 1500 square metres
and a wall had collapsed during demolition. The collapse caused a
shock wave which resulted in the further collapse of scaffolding and
hoardings onto the busy
Pitt Street
footpath.
Three
pedestrians suffered minor injuries and were transported to hospital
for further treatment. Crews from Rescue 1, Runner 1, 38 Pyrmont and
4 Darlinghurst immediately commenced search and rescue using thermal
imaging cameras to determine if anyone was trapped beneath the
rubble. Ladder Platform 1 was used for observation, including an
overhead search for potential further victims.
Duty Commander
City
, Zone Commander, Area Commander and the Operational Media
Coordinator were also in attendance. The area was handed to Police
at 1730 hours.
Pitt Street
was closed to all traffic overnight to allow clean-up operations.
5th
Alarm factory fire at Warriewood
In the
early hours of Friday 28 May, I responded to a 5th Alarm factory
fire at Warriewood. The fire was in a factory unit complex 80m x
40m, housing 6 units. A unit containing carpet and carpet products
was well alight when 6 Mona Vale arrived and called for a 3rd Alarm.
Insp Mark Maguire upgraded the response to a 5th Alarm when the
intensity of the fire started to breach fire compartments. An
excellent firefighting effort resulted in the fire being contained
to the unit of origin. All up, nearly 60 firefighters,18 appliances
including 3 Ladder Platforms, 2 Heavy Rescues, Heavy Hazmat and
support units attended the fire which was extinguished using 5
pumpers, 2 aerials, 2 monitors, 8 x 70mm and 3 x 38mm jets.
16
house fires over 29-30 May weekend
Over the
weekend of 29 and 30 May, NSWFB stations responded to 16 house fires
throughout NSW. They ranged from foodstuffs alight to houses
severely damaged by fire. Seven of the fires were in the
Sydney
area, with fires also occurring at Kurri Kurri, Wagga Wagga,
Queanbeyan, Dubbo, Lavington, Bowral,
Bathurst
, Lithgow, Cessnock, Leura, Hillston and Mt Riverview. It is a
timely reminder to continue to reinforce our Winter Fire Safety
Campaign messages to members of the public whenever possible.
RUMOUR
MILL
Rumour:
Is it true that when there is a 2nd Alarm or higher fire in
Sydney
, that is in an area next to a rescue station, that these stations
aren’t being sent? Isn’t this a downgrade of response for the
public and in breach of our mission statement? Does this not put
lives at risk and show that some areas need a greater rescue
coverage so that the community will not be at additional risk?
Response:
The nearest available appliance is always sent to an
incident, meaning that a response is never downgraded. All Rescue
Stations have a Pumper or Rescue Pumper that is a resource for
dispatch to any type of incident in its own or adjoining areas, the
same as any other first-response resource. Dispatch is according to
Pre-Determined Attendance listings in FireCAD, our computer-aided
dispatch system. In FireCAD, Rescue Pumpers have been assigned the
role of both a Pumper and a Rescue, and so can be responded as
either if they are the nearest available. If a Rescue Pumper is
committed to an incident, the Communication Centre will move-up
another Rescue appliance to maintain Rescue response coverage for
that area.