Volume 114 May 2006 - South Australian Country …...Commission (SAFECOM), State Emergency Service...
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Volume 114 May 2006 Print Post Approved - 535347/00018
Transcript of Volume 114 May 2006 - South Australian Country …...Commission (SAFECOM), State Emergency Service...
Volume 114 May 2006
Print Post Approved - 535347/00018
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] CONTENTS [
[ WELCOMES ] - 4With messages from the Chief Officer,Minister for Emergency Services, VFBAPresident and Public Affairs.
[ NEWS & UPDATES ] - 8Catch up on what’s happening across theCFS with news on projects from AFAC andthe Bushfire CRC.
[ STATEWIDE ] - 36Major fires, road crashes, lightning strikesand other incidents kept volunteers busyover the last few months. Catch up onwhat’s been going on in the region.
[ TRAINING TALK ] - 50With more aircraft in the sky, a newtraining course has been developed toassist volunteers.
[ EQUIPMENT NEWS ] - 51New PPC, GRN and a report from the PublicSafety Communications Conference.
[ THANK YOU ] - 54Letters of thanks and praise for the goodwork of CFS volunteers.
[ FACES IN THE CROWD ] - 56Get to know a few more CFS volunteersfrom around the state.
[ PHAMOUS PHOTOS ] - 60
Front cover image taken by Emmanuel Cusack, Littlehampton CFS during a fire at Willunga.
Managing Editor: Lisa Lalic Tel 08 8463 4214 Editor: Krista St John Tel 08 8463 4289 Assisted by: Brenton Ragless. If you would like to contribute to Volunteer... Send your photosand stories to: The Editor, Volunteer Magazine, GPO Box 2468, Adelaide SA 5001 or email: [email protected] Don’t forget to include your name, address or brigade and acontact phone number. Photographs can be supplied digitally (min 1024x768 @ >300dpi) or as original prints, negatives or slides. Text can be supplied as hard copy orelectronically as a Microsoft Word or Notepad document. Deadline for next issue: 3 July 2006. Volunteer is published by Boylen Publishing.Comments and opinions expressed in Volunteer do not necessarily represent the views of the CFS.Volunteer is free to all CFS volunteers. To subscribe email your name and address to [email protected] make every effort to credit the photographers or the authors of articles published in Volunteer.
16 : AIR OPERATIONS ACTIVITIES
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[ CHIEF OFFICEREUAN FERGUSON ]
Welcomes
Mid-December saw many of usexpecting and lookingforward to a fairly ‘average’
fire danger season. However theperiod from mid-December throughtil late January turned out to be oneof the busiest in CFS history.
A series of lightning storms acrossmuch of the state caused a numberof fires with a total of 36 significantbushfires in a little over five weeks.The intensity of on-going activitieswas exhausting for staff andvolunteers. Efforts in battling thesefires were exceptional given theextreme conditions.
It should be noted that, despitedealing with such a number of largeand going fires on days of upperextreme fire danger, losses andinjuries have been kept to an absoluteminimum. This is a credit to you andyour professionalism and dedication.
Many of you - along with volunteersand personnel from Department ForEnvironment and Heritage (DEH),ForestrySA, SA Metropolitan FireService (MFS), SA Police (SAPOL), SA Fire and Emergency ServicesCommission (SAFECOM), StateEmergency Service (SES), St John,Red Cross and Salvation Army -sacrificed precious time with yourfamilies over Christmas, New Yearand school holidays to protect their communities.
After about three weeks of almostcontinuous firefighting, in a ‘first’for South Australia, we sought andreceived assistance from interstatefire services in fighting our fires.
Aircraft and crews came from theNSW Rural Fire Service and aircrewcame from Queensland Fire andRescue Service.
The response by all those services,working and fighting alongsideSouth Australian CFS, DEH,ForestrySA and MFS firefighters was magnificent.
Tragically, this fire season sawthree fellow firefighters, Trevor Dayand Rebecca Helwig from CFA, andBrad Pead from NSW pass away inthe line of duty during the spate of
vicious bushfires experienced inNSW and VIC. Our thoughts are with the families and friends ofthese firefighters.
These tragedies provide a starkreminder of the risks we face everytime we go out to fight a fire orrespond to any incident. There areinherent risks in responding toemergencies and it is important thatas a team we do our best to manageand minimise those risks so we canall ‘come home safe’.
I’d like to take this opportunity towelcome the Hon Carmel Zollo backas Minister For Emergency Services.Carmel was re-elected to Parliamentduring the state election on 18 Marchand has retained her EmergencyServices portfolio. I know she hasenjoyed meeting many of you as shehas attended various functions andevents in the past 12 months.
I’d also like to congratulate theCFS volunteers and staff whoparticipated in the SAPES Games. Itwas a fabulous week with somegreat wins for CFS competitors anda great atmosphere at many events.
The founder of the Ford MotorCompany, Henry Ford was oncequoted as saying, “If we have atradition it is this: Everything canalways be done better than it isbeing done”. This is also a firmbelief of mine, and in past Volunteermagazines and in many forums youhave heard me speak on the need tolook forward to the future and ofstriving to find a better way.
One of the ways that I see the CFSmoving forward is through increasedengagement with you as volunteersand the community. CFS is avolunteer based organisation andwants your input into projects andyour views on the future of the CFS.
The changing role and increasinginput of the State VolunteerManagement Committee into CFSactivities is one of the changes weare implementing. This will ensurevolunteers have an increasedopportunity to be heard on issuesconcerning them.
A number of research projectsfocused on fatigue and volunteerworkloads are also underway or intheir final stages of planning, andwe are looking forward to receivingthe final reports.
Additionally, CFS is holding a major‘Volunteer Summit’ in July to identifyvolunteer recruitment and retentionissues and options for movingforward in the future.
Representatives at this two-daysummit will come from a verticalslice through the organisation, withinput from Women of the CFS, youth,group officers, brigade captains etc.More information about the Summitis available on page 26.
We’re hoping that these initiativeswill assist CFS in moving into thefuture as a strong and resilientemergency service that we can beproud of.
CFS is also increasing our focus oncommunity engagement withadditional community fire safemeetings being held in the earlyparts of fire season. This increasedengagement is also flowing throughto include community meetings,which were held in conjunction withDEH after the fires at Ngarkat.
These meetings were well attendedand gave the community theopportunity to work through theirthoughts on the fire and develop a
greater understanding of CFS andour fire management. Meetings suchas these can only help to bring thecommunity and the CFS closer togetherto help in developing strategies andunderstandings for the future.
Another element of communityengagement which CFS is keenlystudying is the use of publicmeetings which are held duringmajor fires, such as the case inVictoria over Christmas. This ‘realtime’ community engagement is theway of the future.
These projects and developments willall tie in with the report that we arelooking forward to receiving from theCoroner when he delivers his findings.As most of you would be aware, theCoronial Inquiry into the fires on theLower Eyre Peninsula is moving toAdelaide in May and at this stage it isexpected to finish in a few months.
It has been a difficult time formany volunteers, however as alwayswe have an important job to do. It isa job that you, we do very well. Intimes such as this, when the goinggets tough, you need to haveconfidence in yourself. You need tobe assured by the good and theworth of what you do.
I wish you a safe and quiet fewmonths.
The Chief Officer at Burra under the watchfuleye of the Operations Support Officer.
>>
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] MINISTER FOREMERGENCY SERVICESHon. Carmel Zollo
What an extraordinarily busyfew months since I lastwrote to you.
An election is an important eventand I am delighted to be returningas Minister for Emergency Servicesand to continue the RannGovernment’s commitment to theState’s many dedicated volunteers.
This past summer was a testingtime for you, our volunteers, with anextreme fire danger season.
As 2005 ended and the New Yearrolled in, most South Australiansenjoyed Christmas barbecues andlong lunches.
Unbeknownst to them, SouthAustralia was experiencing extremeweather conditions that ignited aseries of devastating fires.
With unpredictable belts oflightning, heat waves and thedisappointing ignorance of thosewho have not maintained theirproperties, the fires could have haddisastrous effects.
Your efforts averted the tragedy.You have my and my Government’s-heartfelt thanks.
I have nothing but praise for ourState’s volunteers. Working 24 hours,in all sorts of terrain in the stiflingheat in life threatening conditions,yours is heroism at its most selfless.
Most recently, firefightingoperations were undertaken onKangaroo Island. Working intenselyfor five days, more than 70 firefighters battled blazes that scorched3,200 hectares of scrub.
So intense were the fires, Adelaidewas shrouded in a blanket of greysmoke. For many ‘city folk’ it was abrief insight into the widespreadeffect bushfires have.
Victoria also recently experienceddevastating blazes where, tragically,three lives were lost.
Fortunately, instead of letting eachState battle it out on its own, thenations’ resources were shared.
The sharing of crews andequipment was successfullydemonstrated by New South Wales’s
Rural Fire Service’s arrival in theState’s Southern Mallee District inmid-January.
The strike team, made up of fivesmall tankers and 20 fire fighters,helped local volunteers fight twolarge fires in the NgarkatConservation Park.
Working together worked wondersand the fire was controlled.
Once again, I would like to thankall volunteers, from SA andinterstate, who took part.
I am pleased to announce volunteersin this State now have a strongerplatform to voice their concerns,offer advice and share ideas.
As part of the enactment of theEmergency Services legislation lastOctober, the SAFECOM (SouthAustralian Fire and EmergencyServices Commission) AdvisoryBoard was established.
The Advisory Board is comprised ofa prominent senior legal expert andrepresentatives from SA’s StateEmergency Service VolunteerAssociation, the SA Volunteer FireBrigade Association, the UnitedFirefighters Union of Australia andthe Local Government Association.
The board is an innovative methodof involving volunteers in thedecision making process for theemergency services sector. It is ableto give advice to the SAFECOM Boardand potentially to myself as Minister.
This year, all of South Australia’sCountry Fire Service volunteers willbe outfitted with the latest PersonalProtective Equipment, at a cost ofalmost $2 million dollars.
More than 1,500 CFS volunteerswill receive new protective clothing.It is imperative that the StateGovernment provides the resourcesto make your jobs easier and safer.
In December, I officially opened the$200,000 Mount Crawford Airstrip.Constructed as a base for firebombing activities, the 1.6km by40m airstrip is another force in thefire fighting battle.
The airstrip, located directly behindthe Mount Crawford Ranger Stationand Depot on the Williamstown to MtPleasant Rd, is a safer alternative tothe privately owned airstrip that waspreviously used.
From improved airbasemanagement, greater safety toaircraft operators and groundsupport crews, and support forground based firefighting crews,there will be many significantadvancements as a result of the airstrip.
I attended the launch of the airstrip and witnessed first hand theability of the State’s new firefighting fleet, the $3.5 millionAgusta A119 heli tankers.
Also known as ‘Koalas’, the multi-functional heli tankers are fittedwith a 1,200 litre belly tank‘Simplex’ fire bombing system, canself-fill as well as fill from any openwater source and are safe to operatenear houses due to their slowerspeed and accuracy.
Each aircraft cost $293,000 andthe State and Federal Government’shave equally split the cost. The RannGovernment is meeting theadditional operating expenses of $1,000 an hour.
This is just part of the StateGovernment’s $2.4 million dollarcommitment to boost aerial firefighting resources.
Finally, I would like to acknowledgethe stress and anguish that manywould be feeling following the EyrePeninsula bushfire tragedy lastJanuary in which nine people losttheir lives. I attended the memorialservice in Wangary on 11 January. Itwas an emotional experience andone not easily forgotten.
As you all know, the coronialinquest is currently being held andis expected to finish mid year.
In light of the tragedy, I amcommitted to ensuring that fires inSouth Australia are fought using thebest equipment combined with themost up-to-date techniques.
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] SAVFBA PRESIDENTKen Schutz AFSM
In February I received a letterfrom Allan Holmes, ChiefExecutive of the Department for
Environment and Heritage (DEH)wishing to express his thanks to youthrough the SAVFBA.
He wanted to say thank you to youas CFS volunteers for providingwilling support and assistance inthe fire suppression activitiesduring the fires in the Ngarkat andDanggali Conservation Parks.
Allan also acknowledged in hisletter the cooperative way that CFSvolunteers worked with DEH staffand the wide range oforganisations assisting with thefire suppression activities.
As the President of the SAVFBA andas a member of the Ngarkat IncidentManagement Team (IMT), I wouldalso like to thank all CFS volunteersand staff, DEH staff, personnel fromthe other Emergency Services (SAPolice, State Emergency Service, SAAmbulance, St John, Salvation Armyetc.), local businesses, localfarmers, the council and othermembers of the community for ajoint effort in fire suppression andcommunity safety.
I would also like to thank the crewsfrom New South Wales (NSW) andVictoria (VIC) as their help was greatlyappreciated by CFS volunteers.
Despite significant fencing andpasture losses, there was no loss oflife, stock or built assets such assheds and houses etc. I, togetherwith Allan Holmes, believe this to bea credible outcome considering theextreme weather and fire dangerlevels during this period.
From mid-December 2005 throughto the end of January 2006 was anextremely busy time for CFSvolunteers with an unusually largenumber of incidents.
Nearly twice as many volunteerhours were spent attendingincidents during this period of time
as compared to the same period lastyear, and two and a half times asmany hours as the year before that.
This put brigades, groups, regionsand headquarters under extremepressure, especially when the statehad two simultaneous campaignfires, with one on Kangaroo Islandand the other in the NgarkatConservation Park, in addition toother smaller fires in most regionsaround the state.
By this stage of the fire seasonmany volunteers could not spend anymore time away from work, werephysically worn out, had alreadybeen involved in strike teams andwere worried that their own area wasstill at high risk.
This made it challenging for IMT’sto find adequate numbers ofvolunteers to fill strike teams andalso volunteers who were capable ofrunning strike teams and divisions.
This is a scenario that I probablythought South Australia would neverface as most of our campaign firestend to be in areas with limitedassets that require protection andalso as most of our fires tend to behighly damaging and intense short-term impact fires.
The January 2006 period hashighlighted two new issues to theCFS. With a decreasing number ofactive volunteer firefighters and anincreasing workload on volunteers,volunteers are now saying NO whenasked to attend strike teams fordeployment within the state.
This therefore brings the necessityfor interstate strike teams to bebrought in from VIC and NSW.
Strike teams from both theseregions were brought in to assistwith the Ngarkat fire and while theythought we looked after them verywell, more local resources were needto support the interstate crews thanare needed for strike teams fromwithin our own state.
Although this took away thepressure of finding firefightingcrews, it added to the pressure ofcrew support for the IMT.
We need to embrace the idea ofcrews from interstate, however Iwould suggest that many logisticplans around the state might needto be upgraded and expanded tosupport interstate crews.
When you consider the large fuelload that was around the state andthe extremely severe weatherconditions we have endured duringthe summer, it is great that we havegot through this year without amajor disaster.
The SAVFBA would like to againthank all CFS volunteers for theirtireless efforts throughout the firedanger season.
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WELCOMES
[FROM PUBLIC AFFAIRS]
Like many of you, CFS PublicAffairs has been extremely busyof the last few months, dealing
with an extraordinary number ofmedia enquiries and balancing otherprojects and everyday work.
One of the projects we mentionedin the last magazine was theredevelopment of the CFS website.This project is well underway. Thankyou to those of you who haveprovided feedback. The site will becompleted over the coming monthsand launched prior to the next firedanger season.
We have also had a significantresponse to the ‘Plan to Survive’
campaign, which features JamesBlundell. The CFS website is heavilypromoted in the campaign and in thefirst month of the campaign received629,612 hits and 26,237 visitors, thatfigure has increased by more than504,000 hits and 20,000 visitors ascompared to December 2004. The CFShotline has also been busy fieldingenquiries from the campaign.
Public Affairs is also looking atnew ways in which we cancommunicate to the community andmedia and looking at varioustechnology to include sms, emailand landline.
Many of you have been asking
whether CFS will be participating inthe Main Arena of the Royal AdelaideShow this year. The event last yeargenerated a significant amount ofexposure and there’s been talkamongst many of you aboutcatching up again this year.
The answer is yes, however theformat and the exact details are yetto be established.
Enclosed in this magazine is areadership survey. The last edition ofVolunteer magazine had a new lookand feel, and the style has changedin the past few years and we’d liketo know what you think. Don’t forgetto get the survey into us before 19
June to go into the draw to win a$250 SA Shorts travel voucher.
Speaking of travel it’s time for thePublic Affairs team to have a break.Krista St John has just spent 10days relaxing in Perth and Lisa Lalicis set to embark on a 6 weekEuropean adventure. Let’s just hopeher husband doesn’t drive like ChevyChase for those of you familiar withthe National Lampoon Movies.Brenton Ragless has also had sometime off using it to settle into hisnew home.
Until our next edition take care.
] LISA LALIC] KRISTA ST JOHN] BRENTON RAGLESS
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Q: How did you feel when you foundout you’d been successful ingetting the job?
A: I was honoured to find out that I’d been appointed CFS Deputy Chief Officer.
To be honest, I’m a little dauntedby the challenges and tasks whichlay ahead but at the same timethere are so many good people, bothstaff and volunteers within the CFS,that there’s not a doubt in my mindthat we have a bright future.
I’m pleased I can be involved inthis capacity.
Q: How long have you been involvedwith the CFS?
A: I originally joined Bordertown CFSas a firefighter in 1979 andeventually became Brigade Captainin 1981 - a role I held for six yearsthen I moved to Naracoorte to joinCFS as a staff member.
Q: It seems as though your timewith the CFS has taken you to different parts of the state and beyond.
A: That’s right, I’ve been fortunate towork in a few different parts of thestate including the Murray Bridgearea, Riverland, Murraylands andthe South East in a variety of roles.
I’ve also been involved in theplanning and infield command ofinternational and interstate supportforces including the 1997Indonesian bushfire crisis, the 1994and both 2003 Sydney deploymentsand the 2003 Victorian bushfire.
Q: What are your responsibilitiesnow as Deputy Chief?
A: As Deputy Chief I take on the roleof Director of Operations. In essencethis means that I’m directlyresponsible for the strategic andday-to-day operations of the CFSand for the management andcoordination of CFS operations withthe assistance of all regional andstate headquarters staff.
I also represent CFS on a number ofcommittees including, theAustralasian Fire Authorities Council(AFAC) Operations Services StrategyGroup, and the State EmergencyManagement Committee ResponseAdvisory Group.
Within CFS I am the Chairman forthe OHS Compliance Committee, theCentre For Lessons Learnt and theState Volunteer ManagementCommittee (SVMC).
The SVMC is one of the mostimportant committees I’m involvedin as it provides vital opportunity forvolunteers to be part of thecommunication, consultation anddecision making processes withinthe organisation.
Over our last few meetings we’vebeen discussing the future directionof the committee, with the view ofre-establishing the committee as theChief Officers Advisory Council(COAC). As a group we stronglybelieve it will ensure continuousimprovements in ongoingconsultation, communication anddecision making within the service.
Both the Chief Officer and I see there-emergence of the SVMC as the
COAC as an important shift andwill consolidate its role as one ofthe peak forums within the CFS.
With the CFS Board no longer inplace, the COAC from a volunteerperspective and the StrategicLeadership Group (SLG) from astaff perspective, will becomeequally important forums inhelping guide CFS as anorganisation into the future.
Q: When I’m not involved with CFSactivities you can find me…
A: Spending time with my wife andkids primarily, but I also really enjoyfishing and restoring old vehicles.
I’m a mechanic by trade and stillenjoy getting into the garage andworking on old vehicles.
I’ve restored a number of cars overthe years and my two favouriteprojects have been turning a beatup HG Holden and WB Ute into slickstreet machines.
My next project is likely to involverestoring a Land Rover but I’mstruggling to find one in areasonable condition.
Q: What’s your favourite aspect ofthe CFS?
A: Without a doubt it is the people.Although I have been involved withthe CFS for many years, the peoplethat make up this organisationcontinue to be our strength.
Everyone within the organisation,both volunteers and staff arededicated, professional, andalways seem willing to give thatlittle bit more.
Q: What’s your vision for the futureof the CFS?
A: By 2015, I see the CFS workingclosely with other agencies, industryand communities to reduce the risksthey face. In 2015, CFS will continueto be a true community based fireand emergency service able toquickly respond to the changingneeds of the community.
Q: Your received your AFSM in 2003– How would you describe thatmoment?
A: It was a proud moment, a genuinesurprise and I’d still like to knowwho nominated me for it.
It was marvellous to be recognisedfor the work that I did with themapping project but there is no waythat a project of that magnitudecould have taken place without theassistance and support of manyother people.
Q: Yes, we hear you’re big on‘maps’. Why so?
A: I believe maps are essential toolsfor firefighters. Maps provideinformation to firefighters that helpdo the job. If you’ve got a good map,it certainly makes life easier!
Q: Finish this sentence, I ampassionate about…
A: Safety. I really believe that if wehave a strong focus on the safetyand well being of our volunteerfirefighters, then everything else willnaturally fall into place. Our firstand foremost objective is to ensureour volunteers come home safe,
After more than 25 years of involvement with the CFS,
Andrew Lawson (AFSM) was appointed to the role of
CFS Deputy Chief Officer in January 2006.
[ MEET THE ]NEWS & UPDATES
DEPUTY CHIEF!To help our readers gain an insight into our
new Deputy Chief, Krista St John spent a few
minutes chatting to him.
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hence the introduction of the phrase‘Safety First – come home safe’ into our mode of operation for thisfire season.
Q: My ideal Saturday night isspent…
A: Cooking a Coorong Mullet on aBBQ whilst chatting and enjoying adrink with my mates and family.
Q: If someone offered to buy me adrink I’d order a…
A: West End Light.
Q: We hear you and the Chiefdonned the yellows and helpedout on the fireground at Burraon Christmas Eve.
A: That’s right, getting out on thefireground gave me an opportunity tospend time with the people whoreally do the work. It was a valuablechance to reconnect with how thingsare done, including reacquaintingmyself with the rakehoe.
Q: So how’d you pull up the nextmorning?
A: Surprisingly okay. But I did feel forthose who’d been out doing the hardyards on the fireground for the bestpart of the day and night. There werequite a few volunteers and cockiesdoing it tough out there.
Q: Everyone has an embarrassingstory to tell – what’s yours?
A: When I was working as a RegionalOfficer in the old Region 7, I went toa houseboat fire at Lyrup. The houseboat was burnt out on thesouthern side of the river but asthere was no infrastructure, nothingthere but dirt, the houseboat wasmoved to the northern side of theriver after it was extinguished.
All the CFS brigades and otheremergency services that wereinvolved knew about the move,except for me. As Regional Officer, Iarrived at the scene on the southernside and promptly had to turnaround and drive around 25km backto Berri to cross over the river.
As I turned the car around, Isomehow managed to get it boggedup to the axles in soft sand.
Amidst jibes and the hysterics fromthe volunteers on the other side ofthe river, Monash CFS kindly turnedout their land cruiser to help me withmy ‘situation’ and promptly boggedthat in a similar state.
The brigade responded their larger34 style appliance to assist us out ofour ‘predicament’ and had justcommenced towing us out when theChannel 9 helicopter flew over, and
1978 Joined Bordertown SES as Transport Officer
1979 – 1985 Diesel Mechanic with Tatiara District Council
1979 Joined Bordertown CFS Firefighter, Lieutenant and Captain
1980 – 1985 Member Tatiara Fire Fighting Association, Equipment Committee
1985 Assistant Regional Officer (Naracoorte)
1986 Regional Officer in charge of Riverland based at Murray Bridge
1986 – 1991 Regional Officer in charge of former regions 7 & 8 (5 years in Murray Bridge,
Riverland & Murraylands Regions)
1991 – 2000 Regional Commander (Naracoorte)
2000 Project Officer Mapping working on the State Enhanced Mapping Project
2002 Manager Operations Planning
2003 Joined Littlehampton CFS
2004 Manager Strategic Services
2005 Appointed CFS Deputy Chief Officer
BRIEF HISTORY
filmed the whole debacle. It was aninteresting wait to see if it made thenews that night. Luckily it didn’t.
Q: What’s the most important thingto you in the world?
A: Without question, my wife, Julieand my daughters Sarah and Kate.
Q: What is the best thing you’vedone within the CFS?
A: It would have to be working on theMapping project and developing thecurrent range of map books.
Q: What are the biggest changesyou’ve seen in the CFS sincejoining?
A: The significant advances infirefighter safety and the move frompetrol driven appliances.
Q: We hear you’re a prettyapproachable chap?
A: Well I’d like to think so! I’m here to listen and my door
is always open for both staff and volunteers.
I’m happy to hear about thechallenges people are facing andassist where I can, but at the sametime, it’d be great to have a balanceand be able to hear and share people’sjoys, successes and achievements.
Q: As Deputy Chief, do you have amessage for volunteers and staff?
A: I do and it’s a pretty simple one –be kind to each other. We’re all part
of the one organisation and we can’tafford to beat each other up.
Whether you work or volunteer forCFS you’re contribution is valuedand we’re all focused on makingthis the best volunteer basedfirefighting organisation possible.
It is important that we support and enjoy each other’s company and respect the contributions thatare made.
Let’s work together to make this aneven stronger organisation movinginto the future.
Andrew Lawson has been appointed the new CFS Deputy Chief.>>
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response is required and to warn thecommunity of potential danger.
With the shift to GRN paging andother alerting systems, the use ofthe CFS siren has decreased.
Contributing to this decrease havebeen alterations to our business andmethods of operation and changesin community opinions.
The increase in residential housingadjacent to fire stations, changingdemographics and a greaterawareness of noise effects on theenvironment has also impacted onthe use of the CFS siren.
It has become apparent that manycommunities now wish to re-establish the use of the CFS siren towarn them of a potential danger.
This community desire is supportedby recommendations from theProject Phoenix report whichrecommends, “CFS investigate thedevelopment of a plan to usemultiple channels (eg radio, TV, web,SMS, sirens etc.) to provide thepublic with bushfire information.”
With this in mind the Siren Policy,endorsed by the CFS Board in 1998,was reviewed in mid-2005 and theupdated policy released in midNovember 2005 followingconsultation across a number ofstakeholder groups.
Not every CFS brigade has a sirenat their station, and it is notenvisaged that every brigade willhave one, nor will each brigade andcommunity establish exactly thesame guidelines for use.
Local conditions and situationsneed to be applied to establish the most effective way of using the siren for each brigade and their community.
To establish guidelines for usingsirens, brigades need to engage withtheir local community in a
partnership approach. CFS supportsthe use of sirens for communitywarning and alerting where required.
It is also important to recognisethat the use of a siren should not berestricted where a genuine threat tolife exists.
The following parameters need tobe applied when developing yourbrigade siren guidelines.
TIME OF DAY:As a general rule, the siren shall
only be used between 8am and 8pmon any day. However, if both thebrigade and local community agree,there is scope for this time frame tobe extended.
DURATION:The length of time the siren is
sounded for shall be kept to aminimum, and under normalcircumstances it should sound for nolonger than one minute. If the siren islocated close to homes this durationcan again be further reduced.
If the siren is located in a sparselypopulated area, a longer run timecan be negotiated with theagreement of the community.
The control system may include atimer which will restart the siren (foranother run time) after a further fourminutes, unless it is manually resetby the first arriving member.
PATTERN: The pattern (ie: wail or steady tone)
used by the siren needs to be agreedbetween the brigade and thecommunity and should take intoconsideration the local geographyand conditions.
DELAY INOPERATION:Where operation is restricted
because of local conditions orrequirements of this policy, andwhere an alternate primary alertsystem (eg pagers) is used, then asiren delay device may be fitted.This device will allow the siren tooperate after a four minute delay, ifnot reset by the first arriving member.
This assumes that the siren is notthe primary or only turnout systemfor that Brigade.
TESTING:The siren should be tested on a
monthly basis as a minimum, withthe siren sounding at full speed forup to five seconds.
Should a complaint be lodged, the minimum test duration shall be applied.
SOUNDING ‘ALL CLEAR’: Sounding ‘all clear’ is not an
endorsed practice.Not withstanding the above
parameters, the use of a brigadesiren is permitted shouldcircumstances determine its need.Such circumstances include theneed for additional response ofmembers, or as a communitywarning mechanism.
If your brigade does not have asiren, and would like to establishone, funding for it will need to beconsidered in partnership with thecommunity and CFS.
No specific or additional funding isavailable for the provision ofcommunity warning sirens.
For further information, contactyour regional office.
By: Rob Sandford, Manager Operations Planning
The CFS siren may sound again in many communities.
SOUNDING THE
– A COMMUNITY DECISIONSIREN
NEWS & UPDATES ][>
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11To assist in obtaining accuratecurrent as well as forecastweather during an emergency
incident, the SA Country Fire Service(CFS) has purchased four PortableAutomatic Weather Stations (PAWS)for use across South Australia.
These PAWS are designed tocomplement the network of fixedAutomatic Weather Stations (AWS)operated by the Bureau of Meteorology(BOM) that are used by CFS on a dailybasis to provide data during bushfiresand other emergencies.
Whilst the BOM has for some timehad a PAWS that is maintained anddeployed by their staff, the unit hashad a long history of modificationsand development. With only one unitavailable to service the entire state,it was decided to investigate thepurchase of some additional units.
In April 2005, CFS approached theCountry Fire Authority (CFA) andDepartment of Sustainability andEnvironment (DSE) via the BOM andrequested the deployment of a newstyle of PAWS these organisationshad developed to support firesburning on Kangaroo Island.
Following the success of thisdeployment, CFS and the BOMobtained information on theVictorian PAWS model to considerhow this may be utilised in SA.
Working with the GovernmentAgencies Fire Liaison Committee(GAFLC) it was determined that theunits must: • Be lightweight and portable;• Be self-contained and only occupy
a minimum of space (compact ); • Be capable of being deployed via
standard passenger vehicles or by aircraft;
• Be easy to set up and be operatedby non-technical personnel;
• Be rugged enough to withstandcountry roads and remote tracksyet provide precision instruments
normally associated withtraditional fixed AWS sites:
• Operate autonomously without anexternal power source;
• Utilise hardware andcommunications to operate at allpossible locations, with minimalsite-specific considerations orfixed telephone lines.
Agreement was reached betweenthe GAFLC members on theserequirements with CFS and BOMtaking the lead in purchasing fourPAWS which were delivered in late 2005.
Since the purchase of the units,they have been deployed to fires inalmost all regions.
Why do we need PAWS?Both current and forecast weather
conditions are of paramountimportance to all emergency managers.
While the existing BOM network offixed location AWS provide a goodindication of weather conditions inthe vicinity of the stations, weatherconditions at an incident can besignificantly different. PAWS providea valuable tool in obtaining criticalreal-time weather information at orvery near the incident.
Localised weather conditions canaffect fire behaviour quitedramatically. Dry, windy, hot conditionsare favorable for fire spread andunstable meteorological conditionsencourage dangerous fire behaviour.
Local weather effects such askatabatic and anabatic winds, sea breezes and inversions can becritical in determining the threatpresented by a bushfire.
The same is true for a wide range of other emergenciesincluding chemical incidents (ie: CBR) and animal healthincidents (ie: exotic diseases).
As such CFS and other agenciessaw a need to invest in the purchaseof these initial units.
How do PAWS work?
The PAWS units provide informationabout air temperature, relativehumidity, mean wind speed,gustiness, wind direction,barometric pressure and rain.
These units are portable, and whilethey are housed in trailers for easeof storage, they can be deployed inthe boot of a vehicle, in an aircraftor in the trailer.
They use satellite telephonetechnology to provide live data to theBOM, where it is uploadedautomatically every 10 minutes tothe BOM website.
The units are powered through acombination of battery and solarpanels and can be set up near anincident to provide increased level of accuracy for planning andincident management.
Using the PAWS units
Standard operating procedure 9.2has been developed for thedeployment and use of the PAWS.
With the units currently stored atRegion 1 Headquarters and at DEHHouse at Keswick, this proceduredetails the process for deployment.
In most instances requests fordeployments are to be made througheither the relevant CFS regionalheadquarters or Department forEnvironment and Heritage (DEH)district office.
To support this initiative CFS andDEH sought interested people to betrained in the deployment of the PAWSwhen required for incidents. An initialgroup of people have undertaken thistraining, with additional trainingplanned later in 2006.
Designated as Field WeatherIntelligence Officers, people trainedin PAWS also receive additionaltraining in fire weather and becomepart of the incident managementteam (IMT) once the PAWS has been deployed.
They will provide support to the IMTfor provision of information on whatthe weather is doing and act in aliaison role on behalf of the IMT withforecasters in BOM.
CFS PURCHASES
By: Rob Sandford, ManagerOperations Planning.
PAWS in use at the Pinkawillinie fire on Eyre Peninsula in December 2005.Photo: Mark MacDonald
NEWS & UPDATES
PORTABLE AUTOMATIC
WEATHER STATIONS[ ]>
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12 Research undertaken by theBushfire Cooperative ResearchCentre (CRC) has confirmed
that different types of fencing canplay an important part in defendinghomes against the threat of bushfires.
Based on the theory that steelfencing offers greater protection toresidential housing against bushfirethan alternative materials becauseof its non-combustibility, theexperiments investigated the effectsof typical Australian bushfireexposures on everyday fencing.
As part of the experiment,scientists tested 1.3km of fencematerials to observe theperformance of house fences duringsimulated bushfire attacks.
The treated pine, hardwood andsteel fences were tested in 23different fire experiments includingember attack, flame attack, radiantheat attack and leaf litter attack.
The results
The results from this six-monthstudy confirmed that a solid steel orhardwood fence provides betterprotection against bushfire attackthan that of treated pine or openslatted fences.
CSIRO’s lead bushfire researcher,Justin Leonard said the studyshowed that solid fences made fromsteel or hardwood timber were seento be effective at stopping thetransfer of both fire and radiantheat, offering increased protectionfor homes.
“This is critical because our post-bushfire survey results show thatthe majority of houses actuallysurvive the first fire front, but burndown during the following few hoursfrom ignition caused by burningdebris or ember attack which maycome from vegetation orcombustible items within the urbanenvironment,” Mr Leonard said.
By: Bushfire CRC
NEWS & UPDATES
FENCING RESEARCH
“In our study solid steel fences didincredibly well at repelling fire andradiation attacks. The protectionmay be enough to preventcombustible items near the fencefrom igniting, thus reducing thechance of fire spreading into theinside of the property boundary.”
The steel fence survived allexperiments with its structure intact, despite the buckling andseparating of joints of panels andposts and scorching of the fence’ssurface coating.
“Closed slatted hard wood fencesalso provided a solid barrier to fireradiation, and survived the majorityof tests with only minor charringwithout becoming significantlyinvolved in flames,” Mr Leonard said.
“The proviso for hardwood fences isthat people need to ensure there areno combustible materials near thehardwood fence – such ascombustible ground cover, playequipment, sheds or cars.
“If these elements burn, the fencemay act not as a barrier but as aflame source, becoming far lesseffective and part of the problem.
“Hardwood fences also struggledduring the structural fire exposureexperiments. When the fence wasexposed to direct 2.5m high flamesfor 30 minutes the hardwood palingsstarted to burn through after onlyfive and a half minutes.
“This suggests that these types offences may not be effective in limitinghouse-to-house fire spread in largefires, supporting our observationsfrom the Canberra bushfires.”
It was also found that hardwoodtimber fencing systems with openslats did not perform as well as solidfencing systems, with the slatsleaving houses exposed to windblown embers and radiant heat,offering little resistance to thepassage of flame.
Treated pine’s performance as aheat barrier was good until ignitionof the fence occurred.
“Treated pine ignited and burnt tocompletion in all experiments,including the experiment where leaflitter - which readily accumulates at
the base of fences - was ignited,” Mr Leonard said.
“This would mean a higher risk ofhouse loss through thermalexposure, wind blown embers andthe mechanical impact of the fence falling.”
HEATS UP][
Hardwood and solid steel fencing providebetter protection against bushfire attack.
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Fencing can play an important part in defendinghomes against the threat of bushfire.
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Photo: Busfire CRC
Photo: Busfire CRC
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The CSIRO, Bushfire CooperativeResearch Centre (CRC) andAustralian Bureau of Meteorology
have released new research whichconfirms what many have suspectedfor some time – that the severity andtiming of the bushfire seasons ischanging and will continue to changein coming years.
Using historical data from andresearch supported by the BushfireCRC, the CSIRO was able to modelpotential changes in fire weatherover southeast Australia underclimate change scenarios.
The study looked at fire weatherrisk in South Australia, New SouthWales, Victoria and Tasmania andfound that the number of very high
and extreme fire weather days could increase by between 4-25 percent by 2020 and 15-70 per cent by 2050 across parts of SouthEastern Australia.
The changes would be greatestinland and relatively less along thecoast and in Tasmania.
The report indicates that climatechange may see bushfires become aneven more regular feature on theAustralian landscape.
The study also found that the windowavailable for prescribed burning mayshift and narrow with higher fireweather risk in spring, summer andautumn shifting the periods suitablefor prescribed burning more towardsthe winter months.
[WEATHER HISTORY POINTS TOCHANGING BUSHFIRE SEASONS]
NEWS & UPDATES
We could see the number days of extreme firedanger rise by up to 25 per cent by 2020.
www.bushfirecrc.com./news/relseas/index.html for the full report.
GO TO
1. Litter IgnitedLeaf litter was placed typicallyon fence rails and aroundfence posts and ignited toinvestigate and observe theinfluence of this ignition, asimulated ember attack.
LEVEL OF EXPOSURE STEEL HARDWOOD TREATED SOFTWOOD(PINE)
No structural failure of fencing system.
No structural failure of fencing system.
Burnt to completion in 1 to 2hours during testing.
No structural failure of fencing system.
Structural failure of fencingsystem in sections.
Burnt to completion in 1 to 2hours during testing.
3. Simulation of Structural FireFull continuous flame immersionfor a period of 30 minutes.Designed to simulate a worstcase structural fire where thefencing system may increase ordecrease the risk of adjacenthouse ignition.
No structural failure of fencing system.
Structural failure of fencingsystem in sections.
Not tested because exposurelevels:1. Litter ignited;2. Litter ignited + pre-radiation;and 3. Simulation of bushfirepassage; burnt down thefencing system to completion.
SUMMARY Of the different materialstested, the prepainted andmetallic coated sheet steelfencing (in this case made fromCOLORBOND® steel) performedbest under all exposureconditions. In particularly whenfaced with a 30-minute flameimmersion test used to simulatepotential effects of an adjacenthouse fire, a common eventduring bushfires.
Treated pine timber fencingsystems burnt to completionwhen subjected to the level oneexposure (ember attack), andcollapsed in sections duringthese exposures.
This resulted in the breakageof window glass on thesimulated house placed at theminimum allowable separationdistance from a fence boundaryin accordance with the BuildingCode of Australia.
The hardwood timber fencingsystems performed better thanthe treated pine timber,supporting flame spread duringthe radiant heat and flamecontact phases in exposurelevels two and three.
However, when faced with the30-minute flame exposure testof level four, the hardwoodtimber fencing systemsresulting in fence collapsewithin some minutes.
2. Litter Ignited + Pre-RadiationTypical of an advancing bushfireoccurring on a day with a firedanger index of 40, but withsufficient clearing to avoid directflame contact with the fence.
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14 The Australasian Fire AuthoritiesCouncil (AFAC) has releasedbest-practice guidelines to give
the general public a greaterunderstanding of how they canincrease their level of safety if they arecaught in a vehicle during a bushfire.
Whilst the emphasis is stillstrongly focused on making an earlydecision to either stay and defend orleave early on days of high firedanger, members of the communitymay find themselves on the roadduring a bushfire.
Research conducted by AFAC, itsmember fire agencies and the CSIROhas found that in this situation, thechances of survival are increased ifthey shelter inside their vehiclerather than flee on foot.
The study looked at a number offires where fatalities occurred whenmembers of the public attempted toflee during a bushfire. These includethe 2005 Eyre Peninsula bushfireand the 1969 Lara bushfire inVictoria where a significant numberof people perished, whilst otherswho sheltered in cars survived.
The following generalguidelines should be followedto minimise the risk:• When travelling, dress in suitable
non-synthetic clothing and shoesand always carry woollen blanketsand a supply of water;
• Know the local bushfire warningsystem (such as your local ABCradio station) and tune inaccordingly when travelling;
• If you see a bushfire in thedistance, carefully pull over to theside of the road to assess thesituation. If it is safe to do so,turn around and drive to safety;
• If you have been trapped by thefire it will be necessary to find asuitable place to situate the carand shelter from the intense
radiant heat. Find a clearing awayfrom dense bush and high groundfuel loads. If possible, park behinda natural barrier such as a rockyoutcrop. Position your vehiclefacing towards oncoming firefront. Park your vehicle off theroadway to avoid collisions in poorvisibility. Don’t park too close toother vehicles;
• Stay inside your vehicle – itoffers the best level of protectionfrom the radiant heat as the firefront passes;
• Turn headlights and hazardwarning lights on to make thevehicle as visible as possible;
• Tightly close all windows and doors;• Shut all air vents and turn the air
conditioning off;• The engine may be left running to
enable the headlights to continue tooperate and not flatten the battery;
• Get down below the window leveland shelter under woollen blankets;
• Drink water to minimise the risk of dehydration;
• Stay in the vehicle until the firefront has passed and thetemperature has dropped outside;
• Fuel tanks are very unlikely to explode;
• As the fire front approaches, theintensity of the heat will increasealong with smoke and embers;
• Smoke gradually gets inside thevehicle and fumes will be releasedfrom the interior of the car. Stayas close to the floor as possible tominimise inhalation and coveryour mouth with a moist cloth;
• Tyres and external plastic bodyparts may catch alight. In moreextreme cases the vehicle interiormay catch on fire;
• Once the fire front has passed and the temperature has dropped,cautiously exit the vehicle. (Becareful - internal parts will beextremely hot.)
• Move to a safe area, eg a strip ofland that has already burnt;
• Stay covered in woollen blankets,continue to drink water and await assistance.
GUIDELINES RELEASED FOR
Research has found that thechance of survival in bushfire isincreased by sheltering in a car,when compared to fleeing on foot.
NEWS & UPDATES
A complete version ofthe AFAC BestPractice Guidelinesfor People in VehiclesDuring Bushfires isavailable from theAFAC websitewww.afac.com.au
[PEOPLE IN VEHICLES
DURING BUSHFIRES]By: Australasian Fire
Authorities Council
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15
The Australasian Fire AuthoritiesCouncil (AFAC) in collaborationwith the Australian State and
Territory fire agencies, has releaseda paper on the ‘Stay & Defend Or GoEarly’ position.
This paper is based on availableevidence and experience at this timeand confirms a national position andpromotes good practice guidelinesfor creating and maintainingbushfire-safe communitiesthroughout Australia.
Designed to ensure consistentmessages are given to communitiesacross Australia, the paper providesa guide for the community onwhether, in the event of a bushfire,they should stay and defend theirhomes or go early.
The paper is consistent with anumber of the bushfire safetyprinciples the SA Country Fire Servicehas been advocating for some years.
The paper supports the followingstatements:
• Bushfires are a common andnormal occurrence;
• Bushfires can cause death andinjury to people and animals and damage to property, thenatural environment and othercommunity assets;
• Losses can be reduced, not all willbe saved;
• Managing risk and reducing loss is a shared responsibility betweengovernment, householders and land managers;
[AFAC RELEASES POSITION
PAPER ON STAY ANDDEFEND OR GO EARLY]
NEWS & UPDATES
• The decision whether to orderevacuations should be made bythe lead fire control agency;
• Road access must be carefullymanaged during fire events;
• It is essential for people inthreatened communities to haveready access to accurate informationto assist in decision making;
• Fire emergency plans should bedeveloped for all areas with abushfire risk;
• Land use planning should be usedto enhance community resilienceto bushfire;
• Fire agencies should supportcommunity recovery.
The paper provides the followingguidelines for the community:• Prepare your properties well before
a bushfire arrives; • Appropriately prepared and
constructed buildings offerprotection to people duringbushfires, reducing the likelihood ofbushfire-related injury and fatality;
• Firefighting resources cannotalways protect every property;therefore people planning todefend their properties must beprepared to be self-sufficient;
• People need to prepare, then stay and defend their property, or leave early;
• If planning to leave early, peoplemust decide where they will go,how they will get there, and whattrigger they will use to initiatetheir plan;
• People who cannot cope withbushfire should relocate well beforethe fire impacts their location;
• Evacuation at the last minuteahead of a bushfire is dangerous;
• Large scale, mass evacuations ofentire suburbs or communitiesrequires significant lead timesand are unlikely to be conducted.Staying with an adequatelyprepared property or leaving earlybefore the fire approaches aresafer options than waiting forauthorities to conduct evacuations.
The full paper is available from the AFAC website www.afac.com.auunder position papers.
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16
The CFS air operations and airsupport crews were extremelybusy over December and
January, assisting at 17 of the 36major incidents during that time.
All up, the fire bombing aircraftalone spent in excess of 250 hours offlight operations, assisted bynumerous air support crews andsurveillance aircraft across the state.
Although activity for fire bombingwithin the Primary Response Zonesof the Mt Lofty Ranges, Lower EyrePeninsula and Lower South East wasrelatively quiet, fire bombing aircraftwere used extensively outside theseZones in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6.
Fire bombing was undertaken atfires near Murray Bridge, Burra,Robertstown, Clare Valley, Halidonnortheast of Karoonda, HorrocksPass near Wilmington, Hawker,Coomandook, Ngarkat ConservationPark, the Dudley Peninsula onKangaroo Island, and theMiddlecamp Hills area betweenCowell and Cleve.
Bushfire CRC Research
While up in the air, undertakingfirebombing supervision, the CFS AirAttack Supervisors (AAS) have beencollecting data to help the BushfireCRC with their Aerial FirefightingSuppression project.
The study aims to provideinformation to firefighting agencies,which covers:• the key factors that contribute to
the effectiveness of aerial andground suppression;
• verification of the effectiveness ofaerial suppression drops toincrease fire fighter safety;
• assessment of the overall efficiencyof fire fighting operations;
• The development of methodologyfor the evaluation of newgeneration suppression resourcessuch as new aircraft platformsand ground equipment.
The study will also allow for theproduction of guides for aerialfirefighting operations, and thedevelopment of best practicestandards for the use of aircraft in
firefighting operations. While the study is still in its
infancy, the data and photoscollected will help give researchersperspectives on the use of aerialfirefighting, which they cansupplement with interviews, surveysand experimental evaluations thatalso form part of the project.
SA hosts QLD Air Attack Supervisors
With the expanded fire bombingcapacity CFS has across SouthAustralia and the establishment of anew Primary Response Zone for firebombing on the Lower EyrePeninsula, the number of accreditedAir Attack Supervisors the CFS hadat its disposal to cover all of SouthAustralia was limited.
In late 2005, CFS through the newlyformed AFAC Wildfire AviationTechnical Group, requested supportfor the provision of additional AirAttack Supervisors for the firedanger season. This complementsthe activities of the National AerialFirefighting Centre where cooperativestrategies between Australianbushfire agencies are encouraged.
Air Attack Supervisors (AAS)undertake a complex and demandingrole during bushfires where theycontrol and guide the effective useof fire bombing aircraft and ensuretactical integration of these aircraftwith the overall incident action planfor a fire.
The Queensland Fire and RescueService (QFRS), through theirManager Aviation John Gresty, cameto the assistance of CFS, by deployingfive AAS from Queensland on arotational basis operating out of PortLincoln. Mr Gresty seized thisopportunity of diversifying theexperience of the QFRS AAS in fixed-wing fire bombing operations, wherethey principally use helicopters withfixed belly-tanks, around south-eastern Queensland.
The first QFRS AAS arrived in lateDecember and although the terrainand types of vegetation in South
By: David Cant, Manager Aviation Services
Photo: The Advertiser
[AIR OPERATIONS ACTIVITIES]NEWS & UPDATES
QFRS Air Attack Supervisors withtheir certificates of appreciation.
Australia are vastly different to thatin Queensland, the AAS haveprovided invaluable support duringthe Middlecamp Hills fire, regionalactivities and at other fires.
Newly trained volunteer AirObservers, Vaughan Habner and NeilAcland, support the QFRS AAS withthe provision of local areaknowledge and ground fire fightingand fire behaviour experience in thelocal vegetation types.
CFS plans to further develop itsstaff and volunteer personnel tobecome self-sufficient insupervising fire bombing operationsin all Primary Response Zones.
A special thank you to Region 6 fortheir support of these operations,and particularly to Stephanie Collins
for organising accommodation andlooking after our QFRS friends.
Aircraft Familiarisation
With aircraft playing an increasingrole in firefighting operations,particularly outside of the MountLofty Ranges and South Eastprimary response zones, a trainingprogram has been developed by theCFS Training Department to assistvolunteers to become familiar withaircraft operations.
More details on the course areavailable on page 50.
The Lower Eyre Peninsula andTumby Bay group have been the firstto see the course, with delivery on21 February 2006.
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The Adelaide Bank RescueHelicopter has been a familiarsight to CFS volunteers for
many years. This often life saving service has
been expanded to include fourhelicopters over the summer months,including one water-bombing aircraft.
The new and improved servicecommenced on Monday, 12December 2005 with a spectacularlaunch at Adelaide Oval.
Each year the service performs over700 missions, including gettingmedical teams to crash sites,transporting seriously ill countrypatients to city hospitals, trackingdown cars in high speed chases,
searching for people, boats and drugcrops and spotting, mapping andwater bombing fires.
The new contract has a seven-yearspan and is operated by anAustralian-owned company,Australian Helicopters, withsponsorship from Adelaide Bank.
The new service will be operate outof a purpose-built facility at theAdelaide Airport, which will alsoserve as a base for the crew of 17,made up of pilots, crew, engineersand administrators.
With the services expansion, theCFS has a greater access to aircraftfor water bombing and airobservation purposes.
[Adelaide Bank RescueHelicopter Service]
NEWS & UPDATES
The Minister for EmergencyServices, Carmel Zollo,officially opened the $200,000
Mount Crawford Airstrip on 19December 2005.
The 1.6km by 40m airstrip islocated directly behind the MountCrawford Ranger Station and Depoton the Williamstown to Mt PleasantRoad, and has been constructed as a base for fire bombing activitieswithin the Mount Lofty Ranges.
With the opening of this airstrip,CFS air operations at the Kersbrookairstrip will cease.
Although the Kersbrook airstrip hasserved CFS well for many years, inthe past it has been at times unsafefor larger aircraft to operate from.
The airstrip is an initiative of theGovernment Agencies Fire LiaisonCommittee, and developed byForestrySA with funding from SAWater, Department for Environmentand Heritage, Country Fire Serviceand ForestrySA.
Supported by volunteers fromKersbrook CFS, it has been used on a regular basis over the summer.
[MOUNT CRAWFORD AIRSTRIP LAUNCHED]NEWS & UPDATES
The Adelaide Bank Rescue Helicopter Service now has an increased involvement with the CFS.
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18 KEEPING A LOG?
One of the most valuable things you can do during anincident is to keep a record
of your activities. This can be as simple as making a
few notes in your CFS field notebookon the location of a hot spot,suspicious bystanders or recordinginstructions at a briefing.
It is recommended that every personat an incident carry a CFS fieldnotebook and pen (these notebooksare available from your Region).
If you are in the role of a SectorCommander, Radio Operator, StrikeTeam Leader, Incident Controller orany other position in theAustralasian Interservice IncidentManagement System (AIIMS)structure it is crucial that you keepa log that includes records of time,date, method of communication,conversations, instructions,observations, contact details andyour actions.
This will help you manage theincident by providing you with areference of important informationsuch as helping you recallinstructions given to or by you, thenumber of resources you haveavailable, safety requirements or howlong since you asked for some food!
You should record your logs on theUnit/Incident Logs, which areavailable in A4 and A5 size pads, orin an Occurrence Book.
Some guidelines for keeping logs are:• Ensure the logs identify who has
written them (your name andposition);
• Always use pen (not pencil);• Include the date on every page;• Include the time on each entry;• Include information such as;
- Actions taken.- Faxes sent (time, date, who
to & topic).
NEWS & UPDATES
One of the level three teams holding a planning meeting.
By: Leanne Adams, Incident
Management Project Officer[INCIDENTMANAGEMENT] Incident logs such as this
are available to use.
CFS STATE LEVEL 3 INCIDENTMANAGEMENT TEAMS
The Level 3 Incident ManagementTeams (IMTs) that were establishedbefore the most recent fire seasonhave seen quite a lot of activity,with responses by team members toincidents at Middle Camp on theEyre Peninsula, Burra, Horrocks Passand Mouth Flat on Kangaroo Island.
Local incident managementpersonnel have also been extensivelyinvolved for all of these incidents,and their expertise, local knowledgeand inclusiveness have been fantastic.
The composition of the Level 3 IMTsis approximately 47 per cent CFSvolunteers (and increasing), 25 percent CFS staff, 20 per centDepartment of Environment andHeritage, 4 per cent SAFECOM, 1 percent ForestrySA, 1 per cent SES and1 per cent SAMFS.
If you are interested in beinginvolved in the State Level 3 IMTs inthe future, please contact LeanneAdams by [email protected] 8463 4236 to discuss how youcould become involved.
- Sitreps provided - with briefof content.
- Decisions made.- Requests made.- Red Flag Warnings.- Any changes.- Problems being experienced.
• Ensure all entries are clearlylegible, accurate and complete;
• Keep entries in sequence andensure pages are numbered;
• Do not erase entries so that theoriginal is illegible. If a mistake ismade draw a single line throughthe entry;
• Initial and date corrections oradditions to notes;
• Don’t leave gaps/blanks in yourlogs. If you intend to leave a pageincomplete, strike the remainder ofthe page out (eg use a zig-zag or diagonal line so the page is unusable);
• Empty spaces at the end of eachline should be ruled off so nothingcan be added later;
• Do not remove/rewrite notes at alater date;
• If the log is a unit log (eg SectorCommander, Staging AreaManager or Operations Officer)ensure the log is handed over tothe next person at changeover;
• If the log is a personal log eg in apersonal occurrence book, ensurethe log is copied and handed overto the next person at changeover;
• All logs taken at an incident needto form part of the finaldocumentation for an incident.
Some helpful abbreviations are:tx transmitwx weatherrcvd for receivedfwd for indicatingforwarding
on infoGRN ### to indicate the TalkgroupTo outgoing messageFrm incoming message.The Glossary of the Chief Officer’s
Standing Orders and StandardOperating Procedures contains otherhelpful acronyms.
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This year’s FirefightingCompetitions will be held atGoolwa, on the South Coast,
and will be proudly hosted byMundoo Group.
The date for your diaries is Sunday,15 October, at Goolwa Oval.
Nomination forms will be circulatednearer to the event and will also beavailable for downloading from theCFS website.
This year the CompetitionsCommittee is considering theintroduction of several new events,
together with the reinstatement of amodified One Person event, andmore Cadet activities. Stay tunedfor further details in the next issueof Volunteer.
There is a wonderful variety ofaccommodation options all alongthe South Coast from Victor Harborto Goolwa, and plenty of things tosee and do, so why not make aweekend of it – enjoy the hospitalityof the South Coast with all itsattractions on Saturday and thecompetitions on Sunday.
By: Augie Gray, SAFECOM Competitions Coordinator
[2006 FIREFIGHTINGCOMPETITIONS]
NEWS & UPDATES
Twelve months on from thedevastating Eyre Peninsulabushfires, around fifteen
hundred people gathered at aceremony to remember those who died.
The communities on the EyrePeninsula along with many peoplefrom across the state, gathered at Wangary Oval on Wednesday 11 January 2006 to reflect on the events that occurred one year earlier.
Premier Mike Rann spokesolemnly about the events, with
many friends and family of thoseaffected by the bushfiresgathering and speaking of theneed to move forward.
CFS Chief Officer, EuanFerguson, joined other emergencyservices leaders in attending theceremony and reflecting on theevents that affected so manySouth Australians, including CFS volunteers and emergencyservice personnel.
[BLACK TUESDAYANNIVERSARY]
NEWS & UPDATES
McDonald’s and fire servicesthroughout Australia haveestablished a partnership
through the Australasian FireAuthorities Council (AFAC) to conducta national program to reduce deathsin house fires. The program is called“Fire Escape Plan Day”.
What is Fire Escape Plan Day?Fire Escape Plan Day will be a
national event occurring on thesame day across the country. Itsobjective is to encourage allAustralians, particularly children, todevelop and practice an escape planwhich could save their lives in theevent of a house fire.
With most house fire tragediesoccurring in winter, Fire Escape PlanDay has been scheduled forSaturday 3 June - the first Saturdayof winter - to remind people of the
need to be prepared.Why have fire services teamed up
with McDonald’s?Research undertaken by both
organisations indicates a similartarget audience. By sharingcredibility and resources, the AFACbelieves it can reach that targetaudience in a very cost-effective wayand increase the opportunity toinfluence behavioural change.
Why must something be done?More than 11,000 house fires occur
in Australia each year, which onaverage result in the deaths ofapproximately 120 people, oftenchildren. Even if no one is hurt, theemotional cost of losing a home,with cherished possessions andmemories, is traumatic.
When asleep, our sense of smell islargely diminished and we’re
unlikely to smell smoke. The smokealso puts occupants into a deepersleep. It is important that when thesmoke alarm wakes occupants,people are well prepared - evenwhen disorientated by smoke and/orfire - with a well-rehearsed escapeplan, which can reduce confusionand help to save lives.
What does the event involve?The event will be held on one day a
year with fire crews volunteeringtheir time on the day to assist withpromotion of the event at their localMcDonald’s outlet. They will helpcustomers fill out their escapeplans, which will be mass producedby McDonald’s as tray mats.
Relevant brigades will be contactedby the Manager of each McDonald’sto arrange attendance for up to twohours from 12pm–2pm. If the
location lends itself, fire appliancesmay be on display.
The advertising and publicitycampaign to promote the event runsover a two-week period, from 21 May2006 to the end of the event onSaturday 3 June 2006.
There are 47 McDonald’srestaurants in SA and a number ofthem are located within CFS areas.
Attendance at McDonald’s outletswill be at the discretion of the localbrigade, but let’s take thisopportunity to educate our childrenso they can survive house fires.
[MCDONALD’S FIRE ESCAPE PLAN DAY]By: Leigh Miller, Manager Prevention Services
NEWS & UPDATES
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TAKING UP
By: David Goodwin, Community Education Officer
NEWS & UPDATES
How can community education be relevant, local and interesting?
How might we encourage residentsin high fire risk areas to keep up todate with bushfire safetyinformation and motivated toprepare their household against the threat of bushfire?
Such is the challenge forCommunity Education Officers andCFS brigade members involved inthe Community Fire Safe program.
For residents of high bushfirethreat areas, the challenge is todevelop strategies that will protecttheir household against bushfire.Realistically, this needs to beundertaken within a timeframe,reasonable budget and in tandemwith lifestyle choices.
One idea is the ‘Challenge’ that hasbeen developed and used in parts ofthe Mount Lofty Ranges this year.
The Challenge is an appropriatename for this event that bringstogether the community, their localCFS brigades and the CommunityFire Safe program.
The first of the challenges were heldin early February and were known asthe Stirling Challenge, BradburyChallenge, and Upper Sturt Challenge.
The challenge involved a two-hourweeknight mini-workshop, withresidents divided into groups, spendingtime at four different workstations.
At each station, CommunityEducation Officers and local brigademembers were ready to lend a hand,however the challenge was for thegroups to use their knowledge, the props and - if needed - theexpertise of the attendants to fill in the worksheets.
This in turn generated considerablediscussion and sharing of ideasamongst the community.
The workstations reflected somebasic ideals of the Community FireSafe program:
Using ‘steps to survival’, this workstation focused participants onidentifying what they can do to raise their household levels ofpreparedness to match the annual cycles of property improvement, fireseason readiness and preparation on days of high fire danger.
It encouraged them to link these elements into an action plan, takinginto consideration response and recovery.
Feedback from the community wasvery positive, with many of theparticipants commenting how theywere now motivated to get a plantogether and organise their equipment.
Those who already had beenexposed to the Community Fire Safeprogram enjoyed the opportunity tomix with other like-minded people intheir community.
The challenge also provided avaluable opportunity for thecommunity to meet members of theirlocal brigade and see who and whatis behind the roller doors.
Putting a face to the CFS will alsoassist community members indeveloping a local linkage, givingthe opportunity for greaterinteraction between brigade and thecommunity in the future.
If you would like assistance to runa similar event at your brigadeplease contact the Community FireSafe program at State Headquarterson (08) 8463 4200.
Many thanks to the volunteers whoagain cheerfully and capablyserved and supported theircommunity and made this thesuccessful event it was.
PLANNING AND PREPARATION THATMATCH THE LEVEL OF THREAT.
Participants discussed what different information they required, howand when they could obtain it, and how it fits into their action plan.
The brigade radio rooms provided a useful example, with many ways ofsending and receiving information.
MAKING APPROPRIATE SURVIVAL DECISIONS.
CFS volunteers particularly provided their expertise at this workstation,and it was greatly appreciated by all.
This workstation was extremely valuable for those who plan to ‘stayand defend’ on days of high fire danger. It provided them withequipment-related information, and highlighted how critical havingpumps and an independent water supply are in property protection.
This session focused on pre-season maintenance of all componentsand periodic testing and troubleshooting throughout the fire danger season.
It also reinforced the risks associated with the failure of these systems,and the dangers of making poor survival decisions, including the fataldecision to leave late.
PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE OF WATERSUPPLY AND PUMPS.
With a backdrop of brigade protective equipment and first aid kits theparticipants were prompted to identify the types of injuries they mightsustain preparing and protecting their family and property.
Trained CFS first aiders led discussions about minor burns, sprains,eye irritation, dehydration, heat exhaustion and stroke, and shock.
The focus was on developing a survival kit and taking preventativemeasures to avert what can become a medical emergency.
PERSONAL SURVIVAL – LOOKING AFTER YOURSELF AND OTHERS.
Attendees were given specificinformation about equipment andother fire safety tips.
The forum was an excellentopportunity for discussionabout bushfire safety.
THE CHALLENGE
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The issues of how to successfullyengage the community, whatworks and what doesn't were
the focus of a workshop facilitatedby the CFS on Friday, 24 February.
The aim of the day was to providenetworking opportunities and aforum where community facilitatorscould explore and discuss models ofcommunity engagement, with afocus on community safety.
The workshop provided theopportunity for those involved in
community safety positions toobserve and discuss existingprograms from various communitysafety groups.
Funded by the State EmergencyManagement Office, the CFS, andthe Commonwealth DisasterMitigation Fund, the forumspecifically targeted communitysafety facilitators.
The workshop featured a number ofguest speakers, including;
Jeff Tryens, Executive Director of the
By: Fiona Dunstan, CFS Community Education Officer
[ENGAGEMENTFOR SAFER SACOMMUNITIES]
A mix of speakers and workshops kept attendees focused.
SA Strategic Plan - CommunityConnection, who set the challengefor participants to develop acommunity safety engagementstrategy, which connected to theState Plan.
Nicole Hunter, Project Manager -Community Engagement in Fire withthe Department of Sustainabilityand Environment, Victoria. Nicolegave an informative presentationentitled ‘Where There Is Fire ThereAre People’ which was particularly
relevant for the CFS personnel in attendance.
The more than 50 people whoattended left with a soundunderstanding of communityengagement models and concepts,and some new ideas andapproaches to communityengagement and strategic planning.
The presentations and outcomes of the workshop are available atwww.essacworkshop.orgfor viewing.
NEWS & UPDATES
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Several SA Country Fire Servicevolunteers were honored to havebeen chosen to carry the baton
for the Melbourne 2006 CommonwealthGames Queen’s Baton Relay.
South Australia’s leg of the relaystarted in Adelaide on Sunday, 12February and spent four days in theState, visiting towns in the MountLofty Ranges, Mid North, Riverland,and Fleurieu Peninsula, beforetravelling into Victoria.
All participants in the relay werenominated for the valuablecontribution they’ve made to theirlocal communities.
CFS Acting Deputy Chief Officer,Rob Sandford, said it came as nosurprise that CFS volunteers werenominated and that it did the
service proud to see membersparticipate.
“CFS volunteers are dedicated toprotecting the life and property ofSouth Australians. They deserve tobe honoured for their efforts andthis relay offers an exciting platformfor specific individuals to berecognised,” he said.
One of the participants wasRiverton CFS Brigade Captain, PeterShearer, who had his share of therelay as the baton passed throughthe main street of Clare in theState’s lower north.
“It was a privilege to benominated,” said Peter, who hasbeen a member of the Riverton CFSBrigade since 1972.
“You don’t ever expect opportunities
like that to come about and I wouldhave said that there are lots of otherpeople who deserved it more than Ido. But I’m most grateful and it wasa once in a lifetime opportunity that Iwon’t forget in a hurry,” he said.
Peter was one of several CFSmembers known to have run in therelay, which also included SteveChilton of Littlehampton, DavidHamilton of Goolwa, Nicole Lambert ofPalmer, Linda Green of Mount Torrens,Brian Menadue of Salisbury andRoderick Cunningham of Mintaro.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is theworld’s longest, most inclusive relay,travelling more than 180,000kilometres and visiting all 71nations of the Commonwealth in oneyear and a day.
The relay symbolises thegathering of people from across theCommonwealth and traditionallybegins with a commencementceremony at Buckingham Palace,London. There Her Majesty QueenElizabeth II entrusts the batoncontaining Her ‘message to theathletes’ to the first honorary relay runner.
The relay concluded at the OpeningCeremony of the 2006Commonwealth Games inside theMelbourne Cricket Ground on 15March. As the final relay runnerhanded the baton back to HerMajesty, the message was readaloud to officially open the Games.
[BATON CARRIED BY CFS VOLUNTEERS]NEWS & UPDATES
By: Brenton Ragless
SA Country Fire Service volunteerswere on hand to help launch thesummer campaign for Dulux
and Bunnings at the BunningsWarehouse, Noarlunga on 3 January.
Both Dulux and Bunnings haveestablished a strong relationshipwith the Australasian FireAuthorities Council (AFAC) over thelast few years, with funds from thepurchase of certain items puttowards the cost of training andequipment for emergency serviceworkers across Australia.
As part of the launch, volunteersfrom Morphett Vale and Seaforddemonstrated their skills in roadcrash rescue. The Metropolitan FireService (MFS), and representativesfrom Dulux, Bunnings, AFAC and CFSwere also in attendance.
Salisbury Captain, Rob Styling, andBasket Range Captain, PipMcGowan, are two CFS leadersrecently sponsored by Dulux andBunnings to participate in the AFACVolunteer Leaders Program.
Both captains attended the launch and were invited to speak on their experience.
Ron said the Volunteer LeadersProgram highlighted the importantdifferences between managementand leadership.
“Management is about systems,controls, policies, procedures andstructure, whereas leadership isabout trust and interacting yourpeople into the managementprocesses. Management is aboutefficiencies and leadership is about
effectiveness,” he said. Pip agreed that the program
was very worthwhile, not only forself-development but also as a life experience.
“I feel the program has not onlyequipped me for CFS management
and leadership but has also had apositive influence eon my attitude toothers areas of my life,” she said.
Thank you to Bunnings and Duluxfor their support of CFS through this initiative.
[BUNNINGS AND DULUX SUPPORT EMERGENCY SERVICES]
CFS Volunteers demonstrate their skills in Road Crash Rescue.>>
NEWS & UPDATES
The South Australian Police andEmergency Services (SAPES)Games were held in early
March, with 37 CFS volunteers andstaff competing in a range of eventsincluding dragon boating, indoorrowing, athletics and shooting.
Held every two years, the Gamesare designed to promote a healthylifestyle, encourage teamwork andfoster partnerships betweenemergency service organisations.
Despite only making up a smallportion of the entrants over theweek-long competition, CFS won atotal of 19 medals in dragon boatracing, indoor rowing, shotgun (trapand skeet), swimming, table tennis,tennis, track and field and triathlon.
Competing in the SAPES Games forthe first time was Paul Reeves fromParacombe CFS.
“I saw a write-up on the Games inthe last Volunteer magazine andthought I’d give it a go,” said Paul.
“I’d been training for football andenjoy running so I entered in a few ofthe athletics events. It was great funcompeting against people from otheragencies - I was the only CFS personthere competing, but everyone waspretty friendly, relaxed and welcoming.
“I ended up being able to join a SAPolice relay team for the 4 x 200 relayand we finished second. At the end ofthe competitions I had collected sixmedals. Although I hoped I’d do okay,I didn’t expect that.”
Congratulations to CFS medalwinners Leanne Adams, Leslie Butler,Lisa Coles, Yvette Dowling, EuanFerguson, Heidi Geytenbeek, IanHopton, Natasha Huber, MarilynHughes, Lisa Lalic, LachlanMacmillan, Sonia Post, NarelleRawnsley, Paul Reeves, WendyShirley and Krista St John.
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The CFS ‘Fire Dragons’. Photo: Ross Jones
CFS COMPETES IN
SAPES GAMES[ ]NEWS & UPDATES
The CFS getting in some practice before the tug of war at the opening of the SAPES Games.Photo: SAPES Office
[CFS MEDAL TALLY]
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An additional three members ofthe Stress Prevention andManagement (SPAM) team have
completed their Certificate Three inCommunity Studies/Critical IncidentStress Management/Peer Support.
John Forster (Echunga CFS),Rebecca Klitscher (Mt PleasantCFS) and Linsday Hincks(SAFECOM) were presented withtheir certificates by CFS ChiefOfficer, Euan Ferguson, at a
graduation dinner on Saturday, 11 February.
As part of their involvement in theSPAM program, peer supporters arerequired to complete Certificate 3, toequip them to provide support andassistance to their peers.
This support and assistance maybe at a critical incident stressdebriefing, providing pre-incidenttraining or simply being a ‘listeningear’ to their fellow volunteers who, in
the course of their CFS duties havebeen involved in difficult rescues orincidents which may have had anadverse affect on their wellbeing.
Certificate 3 is a nationallyrecognised course with a mix ofwritten assignments and on-the-jobtraining, which takes around twoyears to complete.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to the new graduates.
[PEER SUPPORT GRADUATION]By: Trudy Whelan,
SPAM Team Coordinator
NEWS & UPDATES
The SPAM Team has maintained apresence in Region 6 since theWangary fire, supporting the CFS
volunteer community during thesedifficult times.
Led by CFS Consultant Psychologist, JillScott, the team of professional and peer
supports officers will continue to providethis support during the entirety of thecoronial enquiry.
All volunteers and their immediatefamilies will continue to have access tothe SPAM team throughout the enquiry,and beyond on a 24-hour basis.
STRESS PREVENTION & MANAGEMENT (SPAM)By: Trudy Whelan, SPAM Team Coordinator
The Stress Prevention andManagement (SPAM) Team hasintroduced a new follow-up
process to supplement the servicesprovided to CFS volunteers.
Annually, the team responds to over50 requests to conduct debriefingsessions for CFS volunteers whohave attended potentially traumaticoperational incidents.
Follow-up phone calls are typicallymade around two to four weeks afterthe event, and are an essentialcomponent of the support processfollowing a debriefing session.
The SPAM Team is always workingtowards continuous improvement and,as a result, an additional strategyhas been developed to supplement
the existing follow-up procedure. This strategy has been successfully
trialled over the last few months andwill now be introduced permanently.
The new follow-up process involvesthe use of a short checklist calledthe ‘Impact of Events Scale’.
The checklist will be introduced andexplained during the final stages ofall group debriefing sessions.
Volunteers will take a copy of thechecklist home with them tocomplete it in 10-14 days after thegroup session and fax it to Jill Scott,consultant psychologist for the CFS.
If no group process has beeninitiated after a critical incident,individuals may be asked tocomplete the checklist.
Volunteers can be assured that theinformation they provide is alwaystreated confidentially.
CFS volunteers may bepsychologically affected by the workthey do, particularly after fatalvehicle accidents and fires.
The ‘Impact of Events Scale’ is areliable way of assessing how anoperational incident may beaffecting CFS volunteers.
By reviewing responses, the SPAMteam will be able to make betterdecisions about the stressprevention and managementservices they offer, and ensure thatvolunteers continue to receivesupport until they have recovered.
The SPAM Team continues to
provide a comprehensive range ofservices for CFS volunteers and theirimmediate families, includingindividual and family counsellingand training to recognise andmanage the symptoms of stress,trauma, and grief.
The SPAM Team may be contactedvia the Coordinator, Trudy Whelan on8463 4141 during business hours, orvia the State Operations Centre on8463 4222.
[NEW FOLLOW UP PROCESSAFTER CRITICAL INCIDENTS] By: Dr Michelle Tuckey,
Peer Supporter and volunteer with Happy Valley Brigade
[ ]The SPAM team can be accessed through the;• State Operations Centre – 8463 4222.• SPAM Team Coordinator, Trudy Whelan -
pager 8273 2411 or mobile 0409155181.• Consultant Psychologist, Jill Scott -
pager 8273 2399.• Regional Offices.
NEWS & UPDATES
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CFS CREW BAG
We also manufacture ute seatcovers, swags and camperunits for tray top utes.
Sick of looking for your CFS overalls?Carry them with you in an approvedCFS bag. Made from durable 11ozcanvas with yellow handles andpockets each end and one side.
Large Crew Bag: $45Extra Large Crew Bag: $50
CANDY’S OF TINTINARAPh (08) 8757 2285 Fax (08) 8757 2286
www.candycanvas.com.au
The SA Country Fire Service iscommitted to providing anenvironment free from
discrimination, harassment,bullying, sexual offences and otherunacceptable behaviour.
All volunteers have a basic right towork in an environment free fromharassment and discrimination, andhave an individual responsibility totreat others fairly.
If a volunteer is told their behaviouris offensive or discriminatory toanother person or persons, then thebehaviour must stop immediately.
To support this, the CFS hasdeveloped policies and procedures todeal with discrimination,harassment and bullying.
Workplace Dignity Training isavailable to all brigades to informvolunteer members about safe workpractices and how the policies andprocedures work.
Volunteer Harassment ContactOfficers (HCOs) have also beenestablished within the service.These people have been trained andare available to support volunteersexperiencing discrimination,harassment or bullying.
HCOs are usually the first point ofcontact should you want support inthese areas.
HCOs will focus on resolving theissues, providing support to thevolunteer in determining the mostappropriate course of action and canalso assist in referring the volunteer toother services, such as the SPAM team.
HCOs are to act as role models andchampions of the principles of safework practices. They must remainimpartial (not taking sides) andmaintain confidentiality, exceptwhen the issue affects the safety ofthe public and/or other members ofthe emergency service organisations.
What is discrimination?Discrimination is any practice
which makes a distinction between
individuals or groups so as toadvantage some and disadvantageothers, as outlined in the EqualOpportunity Act 1984.
What is harassment?In general, harassment is
behaviour that is uninvited andunwelcome, and is likely to cause ahostile or uncomfortable workplaceby making a person feel:• Humiliated (put down) and/or• Seriously embarrassed and/or• Offended and/or• Intimidated.
What is bullying?Workplace bullying is the unwelcome,
persistent ill-treatment of anindividual by one or more members ofan organisation. This treatment has anegative effect on the individual’shealth, productivity or relationshipsinside or outside the workplace.
Bullying occurs when someoneinappropriately uses threat orphysical force and can include;• Isolating someone• Intimidation• Spreading false rumors• Verbally abusing team mates or
subordinates.HCO’s can provide information in
relation to discrimination,harassment and bullying.
So are you interested in becoming a HCO?
The Volunteer Management Branchis currently calling for applicationsfor a HCO within each CFS region.
To become a HCO you will need tomake an application and go throughan interview process beforeappointment. Training will beprovided over an initial two-dayweekend in August, and will befollowed up with networking andtraining day every quarter.
You will also receive full supportfrom the Volunteer Management
Branch including, payment for travel,accommodation and trainingexpenses, and a central phone numberfor confidential referrals managed bythe Volunteer Management Branch toprotect your privacy.
Volunteer Support Officers will alsobe available for ongoing supportfollowing training, includingWorkplace Dignity Training inbrigades which supports your role,as well as posters, brochures and
business cards for each brigade and volunteer.
For a Role Statement andApplication Form, please contactyour Volunteer Support Officerthrough your Regional Office orAdaire Palmer of the VolunteerManagement Branch on 8463 4101 /0408 792 762 or by [email protected] close Friday, May 19 2006.
By: Adaire Palmer, SAFECOM Volunteer Management Branch
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A VOLUNTEER
Harassment and Bullying -
NEWS & UPDATES
not in my brigade![HARASSMENT CONTACT OFFICER?]
For more information on the 2006 Volunteer Summit, please contact Mick Ayre,Manager Strategic Services, on:Tel: 8463 4120 /
0407 466 630Fax: 8463 4162E-mail: [email protected]
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We are all aware thatvolunteers play an extremelyimportant role in
maintaining the safety of ourcommunities, but are we thinkingabout the changing drivers that willshape how we deliver the services tothe community in the future?
Over the past few years, we haveseen the world’s security impactedby terrorism and several westerncountries with political systems andvalues similar to ours have sufferedsignificant unrest. Will Australiaeventually experience terroristactions? Should the CFS be preparedfor this possibility?
Avian influenza is progressivelydeveloping into a major epidemic inmany countries and may reachpandemic proportions withinmonths, potentially impacting uponup to 25 per cent of populations andresulting in illness and death on ascale greater than anything we haveever experienced. Is this an issuethat the CFS needs to plan for?
Volunteer recruitment and retentionis a critical issue for the CFS. Howdo we recruit more women, youngpeople and those willing toparticipate in the CFS in specificroles, be they operational,administrative or support roles, toensure sustainability of our servicesand the CFS?
The community now expects more
from Government, demandinggreater transparency in itsundertakings, more accountabilityfor its expenditure, and higher levelsof service. Organisations such asCFS are not immune from scrutiny ofits business operations, and mustprove that it has proper financialsystems in place. CFS volunteers aregiven responsibility for expenditureof taxpayers’ dollars. Is itunreasonable that they be requiredto manage those funds underGovernment policy and procedures andbe subject to the checks and balancesthat apply to public servants?
The Eyre Peninsula fire of 11January 2005 precipitated thecurrent Coronial Inquest. We willneed to consider how the CFS willrespond to the recommendations ofthe Inquest and make improvementsto our systems and procedures tominimise future losses. What ideascan volunteers provide to assist inimproving the CFS as a communityorganisation?
The Chief Officer has regularlypromoted the concept ofcommunities being responsible fortheir own safety from bushfire.Whether it be through takingreasonable steps to prevent fire ontheir property or to develop abushfire action plan that preparesfamilies to stay or go on a day ofextreme fire danger, these actions
work to mitigate risk and reduce thereliance of communities on the CFS.Today’s CFS volunteers undertake awide range of activities, from fire-fighting to hazardous material cleanup. How can CFS volunteers engagemore effectively with theircommunities to promote betterprevention and preparedness?
These challenges must be met ifwe are to move forward in an ever-changing world and continue toprovide appropriate and effectiveservices to our communities. CFSmanagement cannot plan for thefuture without the support andcommitment of volunteers inmeeting these challenges.
What better way to identify, discussand determine the way forward thanby bringing representatives of all keyinterest groups within the CFStogether over two days? The ChiefOfficer has requested that this bearranged over a weekend in early-July.
The 2006 Volunteer Summit will beheld at the SA Police Academyduring the weekend of 1-2 July.
Around 150 volunteers will beinvited to participate in thisimportant event, with a program ofinvited speakers presenting to theSummit at morning plenarysessions, before delegates break intoup into several workshops onspecific topics and work through
issues of concern to volunteers andsuggest potential solutions forinclusion in the CFS planningprocesses over the next four years.
Through this process, CFSvolunteers can have a direct say inthe future planning and direction ofthe CFS.
A small committee has beenestablished to organise this eventand is working with the VFBA, theState Volunteer ManagementCommittee and the SAFECOMVolunteer Management Branch toorganise this important event.
The organising committee willensure that all volunteers areadvised of progress as the programdevelops and speakers areidentified. In the interim, anyvolunteer wishing to put forwardideas for potential inclusion on theprogram, or willing to assist in theorganisation and/or conduct of theSummit would be most welcome.
The 2006 Volunteer Summit will be held at the SA Police Academy during the weekend of 1-2 July.
[VOLUNTEER SUMMIT]THE 2006NEWS & UPDATES
By: Mick Ayre, Manager Strategic Services
These issues, as well as a rangeof others, are being addressedin a research project scheduled
to commence in April 2006. Theproject is being conducted by DrMichelle Tuckey, who is a Lecturer atthe University of South Australiaand a CFS volunteer with HappyValley Brigade.
The aim of the project is to identifystrategies to better support CFS fire-fighters and Captains in theirdemanding role. To achieve this aim,volunteer support for the project isessential. A high level ofparticipation will ensure thataccurate and reliable information iscollected, so that better resource
and support mechanisms can be implemented.
As part of the project, a survey willbe sent out to a random selection ofCFS volunteers in May and June. Thefirst outcomes of the project areexpected in July, where Michelle will provide an update for theVolunteer Summit (1-2 July at the
SA Police Academy).If you receive a survey in the mail,
please take the time to fill it in. Letyour knowledge and opinions aboutthese important issues be heard!Make a difference towardsimproving support for volunteers sothat we can improve our service tothe community.
[RESEARCH INTO RESOURCES FOR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS]Ever feel tired and worn out by your CFS work? Wish you had more members to share the load, better equipment, ormore admin support? Or are you enjoying the time you spend at CFS and can’t wait for the next call?
NEWS & UPDATES
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Not long ago, Williamstown CFSwas nearing crisis point, witha declining membership, low
morale and little recognition fromthe community.
Realizing they needed to makechanges to survive, the brigadedeveloped a long-term strategy for recruitment and the building of a solid relationship with their local community.
They looked at why their numberswere down, what they could do aboutit and identified room forimprovement in a number of otherareas including management,communication, training, anddevelopment of community links
One of the big mind shifts hasbeen recognising that no one personis responsible for the brigade; thesuccess of the brigade requiresteamwork and group input.
Now, the brigade has a strongmembership with 53 members on thebooks, a good turnout to incidents andtraining and a strong family feel.
The brigade also boasts a strongauxiliary membership, with thesevolunteers never failing to providecatering and assistance when needed.
The brigade and the volunteers thatmake it up have a strong sense ofcredibility and an honest reputation.It gives the community something tobe proud of, admired in some circlesand therefore supported.
Management
The brigade identified a number ofareas within their own managementsystems that, if altered, would assistin retaining members and developinga team feeling within the brigade. • Developing brigade job
descriptions gave volunteers agreater understanding of others’workloads and goals, they alsoensured that the workload wasspread and involved more peoplein the running of the brigade;
• Giving full support to thosevolunteers who accept roles withlarge workloads such as the
Finance and Administration Officer;• Developing ‘Brigade Rules’ which
give definition and purpose,making sure that all volunteersare aware of the rules, which covertraining, behaviour, and othercritical areas;
• Regular management committeemeetings, and recognisingoperational issues need to be kept separate and addressed inanother forum;
• Recognise when people reach theirlimit and support them –encouraging them for the future;
• Be tolerant, within a brigade thereare many different personalities,‘stirrers’ and ‘fence sitters’ allhelp to create a balance;
• Recognising the importance ofteamwork, setting common goals, and progressively movingtowards them;
• Succession Planning hascontributed to the success of theWilliamstown brigade. Having asuccession planned ensured thatmembers knew that there wereopportunities in the future, andthat they may have the chance totake on different roles in thebrigade. Remember ‘same old,same old’ can breed discontent.';
• Saying thank you, and rememberingto thank everyone who put theirhand forward and not to expectthat they will do it time after time.
Don’t be too proud to ask for help –the regional Volunteer SupportOfficer is an important resource forany brigade (our's has been a majorcontributor to the brigade’s success.)
CommunicationCommunication within the brigade,
like any organisation, is critical toits ongoing success:• It is important to ensure that all
information is communicated to allmembers;
• Give compliments but alsoconstructive criticism,compliments always give pride,but constructive criticism can
The Williamstown brigade is now strong and confident in all it takes on.
also. However any criticisms needto be assessed and wordedcorrectly by more than one person,before delivery to brigade.
RecruitmentYou need to recruit right - by
recruiting the right people, you can avoid issues and problems inthe future:• Recognising that although they
may be new to the brigade, newmembers have a wealth ofexperience to offer the brigade;
• Ensure when new people join, theyreceive a proper induction so theyknow where they fit into thebrigade and the CFS;
• Allocate new people a friendly andexperienced buddy so the new-comer has a contact for futurequestions;
• With a large membership base,things become easier as theworkload can be spread givingmore people a rewardinginvolvement;
• Word of mouth is a great way torecruit new members as iswelcoming new people to the areaand giving them the opportunity toget involved and make new friends.
Training
• Ensure all brigade membersundertake Workplace DignityTraining to give them a sound
base on how to act and how toexpect others to act;
• Ensure training is up-to-date,well constructed and varied andbe conscious that the TrainingOfficer may need a hand todevelop programs and come upwith fresh ideas;
• Encourage as many people aspossible out to training, use smallgroups and mix things up a bit.This allows more experiencedmembers to put their handforward, and can change to focusfrom a stale repetitive event to afresh and purpose filled one.
Developing community links
• With the introduction of pagers and the silencing of the siren, the community forgot that we were here;
• We started to wear CFS clothingwhen we were out and about as areminder to the community and toalso give our members a feeling ofunity and pride;
• We had a fundraising BBQ in themain street;
• Train in more public places; • Holding social activities and
bringing families back to thebrigade, providing strength andbacking as the families have agreater understanding of 'what we do out there' and they bring their friends.
By: Peter Roberts, Second Lieutenant Williamstown CFS
FOCUSED FIRMLY ON THE FUTUREWILLIAMSTOWN CFS…[ ]NEWS & UPDATES
>>
The transition of CFS brigades toa centralized 000 Call Receiptand Dispatch (CRD) is on
target, with the collection of data foruse in the South Australian Call andDispatch (SACAD) system underway.
A Service Level Agreement (SLA) hasbeen established with theMetropolitan Fire Service (MFS) forthe management of CRD for CFSbrigades. This agreement will soon beavailable to volunteers for comment.
The transition plan to 000 has beenfinalized and will impact on all CFSbrigades and groups across the State.
Before any changes take place, thetransition team (involving CFS staff,a SACAD Project Officer and a GISexpert) will visit groups to establishbrigade response areas, verify streetdata and ask any questions inrelation to the transition.
The first brigades to make thetransition are from the Mount Lofty,Sturt, Heysen, Mawson and EastTorrens groups, with the change tooccur from April 2007.
Brigades who are currentlydispatched through the MFScommunications centre will also be
involved with the transition meetings. As part of the transition process
the only response number thatshould now appear on fire stations,fire trucks, newsletters, websitesand any publications is 000.
The State Operations Call Centre(formally SOC) will still operate 24hours a day, seven days a week andwill continue to communicate withbrigades as they do now, with thealters system remaining albeit in analtered configuration.
[SACAD UPDATE]NEWS & UPDATES
By: Gary Bau, CFS Communications Coordinator
The Department for CorrectionalServices has placed a ban on portable electronic
devices being taken into SouthAustralian prisons.
Portable electronic devises coveredby this ruling include:• Hand-held PC’s;• Flash Drives;• IPods;• Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)
which can typically function as amobile phone, fax sender, Webbrowser and personal organizer;
• Any device containing digital camera,video camera or scanner capabilities;
• Any digital or memo style recording device;
• Any portable device that hascomputing, telephone/fax, Internet,networking and audio recordingfeatures;
• Any other device that enables anyform of communication externally.
These technological developmentsare deemed to pose a security riskwithin the correctional environments.
Please ensure you adhere to this ban when you are visiting prisonswhether it be for operational planning or response purposes.
This ban is effective immediately.
[PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES BANNED IN PRISONS]NEWS & UPDATES
Garmin GPS & Kestrel Weather Meters
• Stockist of the Garmin range of hand heldGPS and street navigators.
• Used and recommended by fire brigadesAustralia wide.
• Simple operation.• Rugged, waterproof and floats.• Superior reception.• Plot up to 1,000 Waypoints.• Map options on some models.• Downloadable.• Mounts, antennas and cables available.• Specifications depend on models.
• Monitor the weather conditions on the fire ground.• Assists in incident management decisions.• Complies with OHS&W requirements.• Forward warnings of possible safety issues.
Displays: Temperature, Humidity, Wind Speed,Heat Stress, Dew Point, Altitude, Baro.Pressure Trend, Wind Chill, Data Logging,PC Downloadable etc.*Depending on model.
Available from: Mr Nozzle Pty Ltd515 Cross Keys RoadCAVAN SA
Ph 1800 777 297Fax (08) 8262 8199www.mrnozzle.com.au
Ask about
our package
& bulk deals
If you are heading toMonarto, take the time tovisit the “Two Rooms” art
exhibition at Reilly’s CellarDoor and Restaurant.
Artist Kay Cunningham isdonating part proceeds fromsales to the local CFS.
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MONARTO ARTEXHIBITIONSUPPORTS CFS[ ]
If you would like tohave a tour of the CFSState CoordinationCentre andIntelligence Cell,contact Yvette Dowlingon 08 8463 4218.
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CFS has redeveloped its StateCoordination Centre (SCC) to include a new Intelligence Cell.
Located at 60 Waymouth Street, the CFSSCC and Intelligence Cell will be managed ona day-to-day basis by Operations Services.
It is a fully equipped coordination centredesigned to provide greater coordinationsupport for major events, operations andemergencies that cannot be effectivelymanaged within Regional Coordination Centres.
The CFS SCC may become operational for a planned event (on a day of extreme fire danger), an unplanned event(unexpected significant fire) or in the eventof a terrorist incident.
The role of the CFS SCC is to maintain astrategic overview of emergencies orpotentially disastrous situations and on aneeds basis undertake coordinationactivities, support regions, facilitaterequests for resources and liaise with theState Emergency Coordination Centre (SECC)and other agencies.
When the CFS SCC is operational, staff andvolunteers covering the following roles arelocated within the SCC:• State Coordinator;• Deputy State Coordinator;• CFS SCC Manager;• Liaison officers from external agencies, if
appropriate;• Systems technical support.
The Intelligence Cell is home to thefollowing roles:• State Information Officer;• Personnel to support intelligence,
planning, operations, resource and media functions;
• Support team to assist with informationmanagement;
• Hotline staff to assist with enquiries fromthe general public;The SCC and Intelligence Cell primarily
focus on the:• Coordination of resources;• Provision of important information to
relevant stakeholders, groups andindividuals;
• Coordination, provision and facilitation oflogistics requests;
• Provision and coordination of fire fightingaircraft;
• Provision of information to the media andto the community;
• Liaison and collaboration with otheragencies and emergency services.That high-level state-wide focus allows for
the SCC and Intelligence Cell to undertaketheir specific functions as follows:
The SCC is designed to: • Ensure that the CFS State Coordinator
(State Controller - Bushfire) is aware ofany bushfire situation which may lead tothe declaration of a Major Incident,Identified Major Incident, Major Emergencyor a Disaster under the provisions of theState Emergency Management Plan;
• Coordinate and prioritise the allocation ofall CFS resources but especially State-controlled resources, i.e. aircraft;
• Support Regional Coordination Centres in their efforts to support IncidentManagement Teams;
• Ensure that responses to fires and otheremergencies is safe, effective and efficient,and is integrated with other agencies;
• Coordinate special activities such asaccident investigation.The specific function of the Intelligence
Cell is to:• Provide a focal point at the CFS SCC for
the collection and collation of emergency-related information and dissemination of intelligence to the SECC, PoliceOperations Centre, control agencies andsupport agencies;
• Provide accurate and timely advice to thepublic, via the media, in accordance withestablished procedures;
• Collect, process and communicateimportant information to CFS personnel sothey can prepare for and respondeffectively and efficiently;
• Transmit information to the community toempower them to make decisions abouttheir own safety;
• Provide information for media briefings.
By: Yvette Dowling, State Operations Planning Officer Analyst
[CFS STATE COORDINATION CENTRE ANDINTELLIGENCE CELL]
NEWS & UPDATES
The new CFS intelligence cell.
The new CFS State Coordination Centre.
The new CFS State Coordination Centre.>>
>>
>>
[
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Class A foam is commonlyreferred to as bushfirefighting foam and often used
by CFS in bushfire suppression. This foam is more effective than
water alone as it lowers the surfacetension of water, allowing it topenetrate fuels more easily andclings as bubbles to verticalsurfaces, reducing waste throughrun-off.
Another benefit of foam is that it isvisible when applied, allowingfirefighters to avoid under or over-
application of suppressant,enabling fire to be put out moreefficiently and maximising the heatabsorption properties of water.
Class A foam concentrate is apowerful detergent with corrosiveproperties that can have adetrimental effect on theenvironment (specificallywatercourses).
In aerial fire bombing operations,the corrosive properties can alsohave an effect on the magnesiumcomponents of tail rotors in
helicopters. It is not a critical issuefor our fixed wing operations.
CFS is a signatory on a nationallevel to a commitment to usingClass A foams scheduled on theUSDA list of approved wildlandfirefighting chemicals.
There are a number of productsavailable in south Australia that areawaiting USDA approval.
Please ensure you contact yourRegional Office for further advicebefore considering your next Class Afoam purchase.
By: Malim Watts, Manager Operations Services
FOAM VS WATER?NEWS & UPDATES
Remember your safety is critical -
SAFETY FIRST.• Do not drink water mixed with either wetting agents or foams;• Wear correct PPC when using or decanting Class A foam, or wetting agents;• Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on handling and clean-up after use;• Make sure that firefighting equipment is flushed out after using foam, as residue is likely to cause corrosion.
Foam is more effective insuppressing bushfires thanusing water alone.
>>
[ ]
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Each year hundreds of SouthAustralians are diagnosed withleukaemia or other fatal blood
disorders. Less than half thesepeople will find a donor within theirfamily; most will rely on finding amatch with a stranger.
The Australian Bone Marrow DonorRegistry (ABMDR) is a register of
people who are willing to donatetheir bone marrow (or stem cells) ifthey are found to match a patientneeding a bone marrow transplant.
The ABMDR is desperately seekingto recruit 400 young donors beforethe end of June 2006.
A particular focus is on recruitingmales under 35 and individuals
from ethnic minorities, because apatient’s greatest chance of findinga matched donor is within their ownethnic group. However, anyone ingood health and between the ages of18 and 40 is encouraged to register.
To register, you will be required tomake a donation of blood throughthe Australian Red Cross Blood
Service. To find the location of yourclosest mobile unit call 13 14 95(free call).
More information about the ABMDRand the donation process isavailable at the ABMDR websitewww.abmdr.org.au, or telephone theABMDR Coordinators on 13 14 95.
[GIVE SOMEONE A SECOND CHANCE OF LIFE]
New Hazard AssessmentGuides, commonly known asHAG forms, have been
developed and were issued to allbrigades in February 2005.
While the changes to the forms are minimal, it is important that allbrigades use this new version.
For further information, contactyour regional headquarters.
[NEW ‘HAG’ FORMS]
NEWS & UPDATES
NEWS & UPDATES
2005 was the first school yearthat CFS Cadets could use theirBFF1 course towards their
South Australian Certificate ofEducation (SACE) with the SeniorSecondary Assessment Board ofSouth Australia.
Statistical information, collected forthe 12-month period of 2005 indicatethat 47 Cadets have been grantedrecognition for two SACE units each,giving a total of 94 units granted.
Out of the 10 organisationscurrently participating in thecommunity learning project, CFS isranked with the second highestnumber of units being claimed, with
the Duke of Edinburgh's Award being granted 97 units.
Congratulations and well done toour Cadets and Cadet Leaders!
By: Julie Francis, Youth Programs Officer
[Cadets count BFF1 towards their SACE]NEWS & UPDATES
Duracell once againlaunched its national“Change your clock,
change your smoke alarmbattery” campaign, joiningforces in South Australiawith CFS and MFS.
In 2006, the campaign focused oneducating the community that “smokeis the killer’’ and used a mix of print,radio and public relations activities tocommunicate the message.
The campaign seeks to encourageevery household to routinely changesmoke alarm batteries at the end ofdaylight saving each year.
According to research, 49 per centof South Australian householderssurveyed replace the batteries intheir smoke alarms routinely. Are youone of these people?
NEWS & UPDATES
With fire services in SA responding tomore than 1,000 domestic fires in SAeach year, this is a worrying statistic.
Even though many CFS volunteershave been busy looking after theircommunity, please remember tochange your smoke alarm batteryand look after yourself and yourfamily as ‘only a working smokealarm can save your life.’
1 Quantum Market Research, Duracell HomeSafety Appliance Research, January 2005.
SMOKEALARMBATTERY?
[DID YOU CHANGE YOUR]
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in establishing organisationalefficiencies in this area.
A strong focus of the policy is theadoption of standards in the makeand model of the equipment. Thiswill lead to an increase in theconsistency of resources and allowfor maximum support.
The business need is the primarydriver for IT procurement, and if thestandard equipment does not meetthe need of the brigade, alternativeoptions can be sourced.
The policy applies to situationswhere CFS funds are being used to
purchase the equipment and coversitems such as desktop PCs, laptopPCs, tablet PCs, printers, Microsoftsoftware, screen projectors, digitalcameras and PDAs.
If brigades purchase equipmentwith non-CFS funds or against theadvice of the SAFECOM IT Helpdesk,CFS is unable to accept any ongoingliability for maintenance and repair,unless specifically authorised by aRegional Commander or the DeputyChief Officer.
If you are looking to purchase IT equipment, please ensure you seek advise from the SAFECOMIT Helpdesk and follow the following process.
Before you contacting the helpdeskyou need to identify what yourbusiness requirements for theequipment are (ie what do you wantto do with the equipment) includinguse of any particular softwareand/or connection with other IThardware or infrastructure.
The Helpdesk can provide adviceregarding options.
If the SAFECOM helpdeskdetermines that the CFS standardequipment model will meet yourneeds, they will recommend thisoption to you and provide a quote.
However, where no standard hasyet been determined, or where the
standard does not meet thespecified needs of the brigade,alternative options will be sourcedand a quote provided.
If the brigade or CFS member thendecides to purchase the equipment,they should advise the Helpdesk toproceed with the procurement andprovide an appropriate CFS budgetline and contact person. This adviceshould be by either fax or email.
From there Helpdesk will facilitatethe purchase of the item andprovide an estimated delivery dateto the contact person.
The SAFECOM IT Helpdesk can becontacted on 08 8463 4125.
EQUIPMENT]
Over the last few months a rangeof terminologies have been usedto describe the status of fires,
including the use of the word‘containment line’.
It is important to be ever vigilantthat all volunteers and staff are usingthe same terms, using the termscorrectly and have a commonunderstanding of the meanings.
When providing situation reports,please ensure the following definitionsof the status of incidents are used.
GOING:Any fire expanding in a certain
direction or directions. Any incident that is expanding orcontinuing to require an active orescalated response.
CONTAINED:A fire is contained when its spread
has been halted, but it may still beburning freely within the perimeter orfire control lines. Other incidents arecontained when the spread or growthof the incident has been halted.
The CFS fire managementterminology does not contain theterm containment line, rather theterms control line, fire line or firebreak should be used.
CONTROLLED:The time at which the complete
perimeter of a fire is secured andno breakaway is expected. For otherincidents, the time at which theincident is secured and there is nopossibility of extension or growth ofthe incident.
Using the correct terminology is particularly
important when speaking with the media.Photo: Ashley Hosking
NEWS & UPDATES
STATUS OFINCIDENTS
COMPLETE:This is for non-fire and other
incidents. It is the time at which theincident is secured and there is nofurther need for CFS involvement.Other services (eg: Police etc.) maystill be involved in response orrecovery operations.
SAFE:The stage of fire suppression,
prescribed burning or incident
response when it is considered thatno further suppression or controlaction or patrols are necessary.
For further information, pleaserefer to the AFAC Glossary of RuralFire Terminology available from theCFS website or the Respond toWildfire (Part 2) Module from BasicFirefighter 1.
NEWS & UPDATES
[ ]
[PURCHASING
IT>>
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Colette Aunger, one of the State’syoungest female CFSfirefighters, has been
recognised for the valuablecontribution she’s made to her localcommunity after receiving the GawlerYoung Achievers Award in 2005.
The 17-year-old from Kangaroo Flatwas nominated for the award byAnna White from Greet Incorporated– an organisation committed tofurthering the ambitions of youngAustralians.
Colette, a member of the GawlerRiver CFS Brigade of which her dad,John, is the Captain, is completingher final year at Gawler High Schoolwhile attending Monday nighttraining sessions and responding tolocal call outs.
“It’s become a big part of my life. Italways was with dad being involvedanyway, but now it’s something Ipersonally take a lot of pride inbeing a part of,” Colette said.
“Growing up and working on a farmI appreciate how bad it would be tohave your crops and home destroyedby fire, so it’s about pitching in tohelp each other.
“The brigade is a friendly environmentand I feel very welcomed,” she said.
[GAWLER RIVER’S
Gawler River's Young AchieverColette Aunger.Photo courtesy of the Sunday Mail.
YOUNG ACHIEVER]NEWS & UPDATES
CFS State Training Officer BobKearney was awarded theinaugural Department of
Corrections Medal of Valour at aceremony in January.
Bob received the award for his role
during the Yatala prison riot andhostage situation on May 6 1996 inwhich four staff were taken hostage.
During this incident, a small groupof prisoners, holding influence overa number of others, barricaded
themselves into the B-Top West wingof B-Division and resisted efforts toa peaceful solution until theirgrievances were aired in the media.
The incident lasted approximately11 hours, during which time the
hostages were assaulted. The citation reads that ‘Bob
Kearney demonstrated exemplaryleadership, quick thinking andbravery in a most difficult situation.’
Congratulations Bob.
[BOB KEARNEY,
MEDAL OF VALOUR RECIPIENT]NEWS & UPDATES
>>Colette also juggles her study and
firefighting with several hoursworking on a chicken farm andplaying sport.
The only time Colette’s brigadepager is not carried with her is when
she’s on the court playing tennis and netball.
Colette is considering a career inchildcare after finishing year 12studies at the end of 2006.
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2005 EMERGENCY SERVICES AWARDS
AND MINISTERIAL COMMENDATIONS[ ]NEWS & UPDATES
L - R Jeffery Benham - Lieutenant Kangarilla CFS, Kenneth Best - Captain Kangarilla CFS, Euan Ferguson - CFSChief Officer, Terrence Beeston - East Torrens Group Officer,Tony Wege - Angaston Deputy Group Officer.Missing: David Lynch and Sandy Paterson.
>>
The 2005 Emergency ServicesMedal and MinisterialCommendations were
announced at a ceremony at theRadisson Hotel, Adelaide onThursday, 17 November 2005.
The Hon. Carmel Zollo providedseven volunteers and CFS/SAFECOMstaff with Medals andCommendations in recognition oftheir outstanding contribution to theCFS and, in turn, the community.
The SA Country Fire Service as anorganisation - along with SAAmbulance Service, SA StateEmergency Service and SAMetropolitan Fire Service - alsoreceived Ministerial Commendationsfor the tireless efforts of volunteersand staff during and after the fireson the Lower Eyre Peninsula.
The following CFS volunteers andstaff received awards.
Tony has a long and dedicatedcareer with the CFS.
As a Staff Officer in the TrainingDepartment he was instrumental inwriting and assisting in the writingof firefighter training manuals.
As a valued member of the Region2 Australasian Incident ReportingSystem (AIRS) team who providesboth leadership and mentoring tostaff and volunteers, he hasassisted the State Training Sectionin writing the current AIRS training
package to be utilised by emergencyservices organisations.
Tony has been instrumental in up-skilling members of the AngastonGroup in Incident Managementunder the AIRS principles, with stafffrom Region 2 using the model as abenchmark for all Region 2 Groupsto attain.
He has held senior planning rolesinterstate (VIC and NSW) and currentlyholds the volunteer position of StatePlanning Officer within the CFS.
] Emergency Services Medal [
TONY WEGEAngaston Deputy Group Officer
] Ministerial Commendations [ TERRENCE BEESTONEast Torrens Group Officer
Terry has provided leadership to theEast Torrens Group for 33 years.During this time he has guided thegroup through a number of changes,whilst maintaining stability and
harmonious personnel relations. Terry is also the head of operations
within the group and has alwaysfocussed on maintaining a highlevel of group response.
JEFFERY BENHAMLieutenant, Kangarilla CFS
A dedicated member of the CFSsince 1989, Jeff has served as aTraining Officer for 10 years.
The exceptionally high level oftraining in the Kangarilla brigade isa direct result of Jeff’s efforts.
With a belief that any firefightershould be able to step into any roleat an incident, he has developedtraining programmes atgroup/brigade/individual level,supplementing these duties with acontinuous and stimulating series ofpractical sessions.
These sessions are part of hisstrategy to protect new andexperienced firefighters by exposingthem to the realities of CFS activitiesin a safe and controlled way.
Jeff has demonstrated initiativeand exemplary leadership abilities,often under difficult conditions inaddition to maintaining hisunwavering commitment to CFS members.
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KENNETH BESTKangarilla brigade Captain
Ken has been brigade Captain for20 of his 25 active service years withthe CFS, and is held in high regardby his colleagues.
He has used his role to foster aculture of team spirit andleadership development, workingtirelessly to promote the CFS at theheart of the community.
His seven-day, 24-hour availability islegendary - when the alarm goes off,Ken drops everything and responds tothe service of the community.
An example of his extraordinary
commitment was evident when anumber of years ago when Ken,although incapacitated for fieldservice, came from his sickbed toprovide Incident Control from theradio room in response to a majorvehicle accident where adults andchildren were critically injured.
Ken was involved in providingcounselling to volunteers and thelocal community after vehiclefatalities, prior to the establishmentof the Stress Prevention andManagement Team (SPAM).
DAVID LYNCHProject Manager – SAFECOM
Since taking responsibility for CFS’scapital works building program, David’s vision has been to providefit-for-purpose, cost effectivefacilities in a timely manner.
His dedication, exceptional workethic, vision and commitment tocontinuous improvementunderpinned by broad knowledge ofthe building industry have seen thisinitial goal achieved.
An independent audit to verify theoutcomes from both a technical andend user perspective resulted incommendable financial andoperational outcomes.
David continues to build on thatinitial success and continuallystrives to seek opportunities forfurther improvements within analready sound model.
SANDY PATERSONCFS Manager, Vehicles and Equipment
Sandy is the Manager, Vehicles andEquipment for the CFS and a long-term CFS volunteer.
As the person responsible for theCFS appliance replacement program,his commitment, dedication andenthusiasm to his job - underpinnedby operational knowledge andexperience - has seen continuousimprovement in the design andoperational effectiveness of CFSappliances without a compromise intheir cost effectiveness.
A significant amount of Sandy’s
focus has been on improvingfirefighter safety and reducing thepotential for injury associated withthe manual handling of equipment.
The positive outcomes achieved bySandy have been recognised by oursister organisation the Country FireAuthority (CFA), who are impressedby CFS’s innovative approach toappliance design and cost effectiveoutcomes.
Sandy was unable to attend thepresentations.
SA COUNTRY FIRE SERVICE
Both volunteer and career staff ofCFS and the other emergencyservices receiving thiscommendation were all involved inthe response to the tragic fires thatoccurred in and around Port Lincolnon 11 January 2005.
All emergency service agencies areworthy recipients of this award dueto the severity of the disaster andthe extreme conditions they wererequired to work in.
Many of those who responded wereworking in not only their capacity asagency personnel but also asmembers of their community, withsome personally affected by thedevastation.
Those who responded to thedisaster on the day literally put theirlives on the line to help others inneed and worked extremely well inconjunction with the otheremergency services.
Rob has been a member ofthe SA Country Fire Servicefor more than 30 years,
taking on the role of Salisburybrigade Captain in 1994.
Described as a highly strategicoperator with the ability toclearly think through and analysea situation before selecting theright approach to achieve thedesired result, Rob has a non-assuming demeanour and theability to subtly mentor peoplewith his vast knowledge.
Under his leadership, thebrigade has grown in itsproficiencies and is alwayslooking to expand and take onnew challenges and opportunities.
AUSTRALIAN FIRESERVICES MEDAL
Two CFS volunteers were honoured with Australian FireServices Medals (AFSM) in the 2006 honours listannounced by the Governor-General on Australia Day.
Congratulations to Kyeema Group Officer DavidPrzibilla and Salisbury brigade Captain Rob Styling.
DAVID PRZIBILLA, Kyeema Group Officer
David has been a memberof the SA Country FireService for more than 40
years and for the past 20 hasbeen the Kyeema Group Officer.
Described as a highlyprofessional operator with anability to understand andempathise with all people withinhis span of influence, David hassignificant experience in themanagement of incidents,bringing a wealth of knowledgeto any incident managementteam he participates in.
David has given selflessly tothe community over the past 40years and continues to do so in his quiet, calm andprofessional manner.
ROBERT STYLING, Salisbury brigade Captain
CFS VOLUNTEERS WIN[NEWS & UPDATES
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The early onset of the autumnweather has been a welcomerelief following the intense
beginning to the 05/06 fire dangerseason which was the busiest we’ve experienced.
During the Christmas and New Yearperiod more than 36 major bushfiresoccurred across the state. This iscompared to four major bushfiresrecorded for the same time last year.
Lightning strikes sparked severalbushfires in Conservation Parksincluding Ngarkat, Pinkawillinie,Carrapee Hill, Middlecamp Hills,Hambidge, Cocata Hill and within theBilliatt Conservation Park in theMurraylands, while sparks from farmmachinery or power lines caused manyother bushfires across the state.
The intense activity began five daysbefore Christmas, with severalsignificant bushfires signalling thedefinite arrival of the fire season.
More than 25 fire incidents werereported on the same day across thestate on 20 December, with the sevenmost significant bushfires reported inCummins on the Lower EyrePeninsula, Curramulka on the YorkePeninsula, Freeling near Gawler,Bordertown, Murray Bridge, Yankalillaand Naracoorte.
More than 60 volunteers from localbrigades, in addition to private farmfire units, battled a blaze at Cumminsand were supported by three fixedwing bombing aircraft, a rotary waterbomber and a fixed wing operator.Volunteers undertook direct assetprotection to a structure and wereable to save the farm homestead fromflames and soon had the bushfireunder control. About 180 hectares ofgrass and stubble was burnt.
Around the same time that theCummins fire occurred, more CFSvolunteers responded to a fire to thenorth of Curramulka on the YorkePeninsula. The fire, which wasbelieved to have started by aharvester, burnt 150 hectares ofscrub and grass.
Strong winds, combined with hottemperatures, made containing thefire difficult. Activities continued
across the state with fires in MurrayBridge, Bordertown, Yankalilla andNaracoorte causing concern. The fireat Murray Bridge caused the greatestconcern as it burnt in scrublandbehind the township.
At mid-afternoon, the fire wasburning south of Maurice Roadtowards the Old Princes Hwy. The CFSissued a bushfire warning messageto residents in the area, however areduced threat bushfire informationmessage was later issued. Waterbombing aircraft worked with groundcrews to suppress the fire.
The fire at Bordertown also raisedconcerns with the blaze burning onthe south side of the Dukes Hwy.More than 20 appliances and 100volunteers attended the scene andwere assisted by Country FireAuthority crews from Victoria. The fireburnt around 615 hectares.
Manager Operations Planning RobSandford said this was the beginningof the long four-week stretch, whichseemed to take many by surprise.
“Each year we know that there willbe at least 10 extreme days whereweather conditions will be at itsworst for bushfires. Usually thesedays occur over several months,however this year was a littledifferent,” Rob said.
Rob recognised that the heightenedactivity was exhaustive and praisedthe efforts of volunteers, staff andother agencies involved.
“We have not before experiencedsuch intense activity condensed in tosuch a short amount of time. In thetime over Christmas and New Yearmore than half of our brigades wereinvolved in responding to these 36significant bushfires, with otherskept busy responding to otheremergencies.
“Nearly every area of the stateexperienced multiple, long durationfires under very exhausting andextreme conditions, including the EyrePeninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Flinders,Mid North, Murraylands, FluerieuPeninsula, Kangaroo Island, MountLofty Ranges and the South East.
“A combined effort resulting in
100,000 volunteer hours wasdedicated to these major incidentswhich is an outstanding testament tothe commitment of all ourvolunteers,” Rob said.
“Although significant bushfires werealso being experienced interstate,these events signified a significantpoint in our inter-service relationshipswith CFS calling on the assistance ofCountry Fire Authority (CFA), NSWRural Fire Service (NSWRFS) andQueensland Rural Fire Service (QRFS)to provide additional and relief crews,air attack supervisors and aircraft,”he said.
NSW RFS provided 131 personnelalong with 23 tankers, four aviationspecialists and four incidentmanagement personnel, with QFRSproviding specialised air attacksupervisors and CFA assisting withthe fire at Bordertown.
“The ongoing activities along withthe extremely dry and hot weather nodoubt had its impacts on localresources, so assistance is alwaysappreciated,” Rob said.
CFS Chief Officer Euan Ferguson saidthat CFS brigades dealt with multiple,long duration fires under veryexhausting and extreme conditions.
“Many CFS volunteers gave up theirannual leave over the Christmas andNew Year period and time with theirfamily to assist in bringing thebushfires under control,” Euan said.
“Many CFS volunteers have reportedback to me saying that had it notbeen for the support of theiremployers they would have beenunable to offer any assistance.”
The activities continued in the daysafter Christmas with CFS respondingto more than 100 emergencyincidents on 28 December, including60 grass and scrub fires, caused bylightning strikes.
According to the Bureau ofMeteorology’s website, the state hasbeen impacted by more than 14,500lightning strikes that day.
The worst hit areas included thestate’s southern and eastern MountLofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, YorkePeninsula, and Lower North.
“Once lightning strikes in many ofthe areas which primarily included inand around Conservation Parks,these fires will usually continue fordays which was the case in duringthese four weeks.
“Our crews along with otherpersonnel from various agencies andaerial support, worked day and nightto bring these campaign fires undercontrol,” Rob said.
“On one particular day there weremore than 500 CFS volunteers activeacross the state responding to firesranging in size from a few squaremeters to several hundred hectares,”he said.
“Added to this, the State’s aerialfirefighting support, includinghelicopters and fixed wing waterbombers, were exceptionally active.After putting into place the fundingsupport of the State Government anda revision of the National AerialFirefighting Centre arrangementsthere was a minimum of eightaircraft available on a daily basisthroughout the aerial primaryresponse zones in South Australia.However, the new arrangement alsoallowed CFS to release aircraftoutside of the primary response zoneand attend fires such as HorrocksPass and Middle Camp,” he said.
“Of the 36 significant bushfires,aircraft were used extensively frombeyond initial attack to help controland contain fire perimeter spread insupport of volunteer firefighters.”
Thankfully, the past few weeks wehave experienced significant rainfallin a number of areas, with theprediction from the weather bureaubeing for a mild and wet autumn.
“It’s incredible to think that last firedanger season we were experiencingbushfires right up until June.Thankfully this year things have beena little different,” Rob said.
In recognition of the commitment ofCFS volunteers especially during thistime, Euan wrote a letter of thanks,(page 37), to all CFS volunteers which was distributed to brigades in early April.
[BURST OF ACTIVITY DURING FIRE SEASON]By: Lisa Lalic, Manager Public Affairs
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...for all your hard work, commitment and selflessefforts during an extremely busy summer.
We recognise that you sacrifice time with family andfriends to ensure that South Australia is kept safefrom fire and other emergencies.
“JOB WELL DONE!”
thank youthank you
CFS VOLUNTEERSCFS VOLUNTEERS
Dear fellow member and supporter of the SA Country Fire Service (CFS),
I am writing to say “thank you!” for your ongoing support of the CFS and the
South Australian community.
The Fire Danger Season is not yet over, but it is appropriate to pass on our
appreciation of your contribution and sacrifice during what was an extremely
busy summer period for our organisation.
More than 200 of the state’s 434 CFS brigades responded to 36 major
incidents over the Christmas and New Year period. This is nine times the
number of major bushfire incidents for the same time last year.
Nearly every area of the state experienced multiple, long duration fires under
very exhausting and extreme conditions, including the Eyre Peninsula, Yorke
Peninsula, Flinders, Mid North, Murraylands, Fluerieu Peninsula, Kangaroo
Island, Mount Lofty Ranges and the South East.
It is estimated that CFS volunteers, such as yourself, dedicated over 100,000
hours in dealing with these major incidents alone during this time. In addition
to this, you also provided thousands of hours responding to other incidents such
as road crashes, hazardous chemical spills, rescues, house fires and alarms,
not to mention, “preparing for the next fire”.
You sacrificed time with family and friends during the Christmas and New
Year period to assist in bringing the many bushfires under control.
CFS volunteers are dedicated individuals who are part of a dynamic
team and strive to achieve one common goal, which is to protect life,
property and the environment.
You have earned huge respect within the community, government
and within CFS and with that respect comes a warm appreciation
of a grateful community.
It is your commitment that allows us as an organisation to
continue to deliver a vital service.
Please pass on my thanks amongst volunteers in your CFS brigade
and group.We are justifiably proud of your efforts and to help spread our
words of thanks, enclosed with this letter are flyers to be posted
at CFS stations and bumper stickers to be distributed amongst
the volunteers. Yours sincerely,
Euan FergusonChief OfficerSA Country Fire Service
The fires in Ngarkat kept firefighters from
different agencies busy for days.
Photo: Rex Hall.
>>
Firefighters battled fierce flames on Kangaroo Island.Photo: Lee Russell
Photo by Emmanuel Cusack
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1REGIONMOUNT LOFTY RANGES& KANGAROO ISLAND
Statewide >
Around 300 firefighters battled ascrub and grass fire whichburnt more than 100 hectares
at Sellicks Hill, Willunga on Monday16 January.
Reported to CFS around 1.30pm,the fire produced a large smokeplume, generating more than 50calls to CFS from concerned locals.
The fire was burning in steep and attimes inaccessible terrain off RangeRoad West, about a five-minute drivefrom the town of Willunga.
More than half-a-dozen striketeams from across regions 1, 2 and3 assisted local firefighters asfirefighting activities continued intothe night with monitoring continuingthe next day.
At the height of the blaze, around50 fire trucks were at the scene toprovide protection to more than 20homes in the area.
Seven aircraft, including threefixed-wing, two helicopter water
bombers and the Adelaide BankRescue Helicopter, supported groundcrews and the hills were paintedwith retardant in an attempt tocontain the blaze.
Fanned by northerly winds, the firemoved in a southerly direction towardsPages Flat Road. With a predictedwind change to the south due late inthe day, concerns were held for homesand property on Delabole Road andRange West Road.
A number of backburns wereattempted along Range Road West,and a 1.5km burn along DelaboleRoad was successful in assistingfirefighters to contain the blaze.
Three Bushfire InformationMessages were issued, and severalroads were closed during the sixhours it took to contain the blaze.
Volunteers worked long into thenight and a number returned to thesite to patrol the next day.
In mid-December 2005, CFS Volunteers fromSummertown were invited to
visit Ashton Kindergarten.In what is becoming an annual
event, the children are encouragedto become familiar with the trucks,lights, sirens and the firefighters toreduce the level of anxiety theyexperience if they come across themduring an emergency situation.
Over two visits, around 40 four-yearolds had the chance to listen to thefirefighters talk about what they do,and the children were able to askquestions about firefighting, andmeet Smokey.
After the talk, the children wereable to play with the hoses, climbaboard Summertown 14 and 34 andput on the firefighters clothing.
[SUMMERTOWN CFS VISITSASHTON KINDERGARTEN]By: Heidi Geytenbeek, Summertown CFS
It was a fun sessionfor all involved.Photo: Pip McGowan
The latter months of 2005 werea very trying time for theSellicks brigade with many
wondering if we were cursed, withmembers of our brigade involved inseven road accidents, and onemember having the misfortune to beinvolved in two accidents.
Fortunately none of these incidentshad involved any serious injury, untilour Captain, Richard Brookes, brokehis leg in a collision with a truck inearly December. This was quite a setback for the brigade as we preparedfor the fire danger season, but worsewas to come.
On Monday 19 December,firefighter Troy Holmes was involvedin a head-on collision with anothercar on Main South Road at Pedler’sCreek, just south of Seaford.
While the occupants of the othervehicle walked away with only minorinjuries, Troy was trapped for sometime, as rescue crews from AldingaBeach worked to release him.
He was transported to the FlindersMedical Centre in a critical conditionwith injuries to the head, left armand both legs. All we could do waswait, and hope and pray that Troywould pull through.
Troy spent 10 days in IntensiveCare, on life support and in aninduced coma. When he woke up onChristmas day his first words were ‘Iam Troy Holmes. I am a member ofthe Sellicks CFS.’
While he could remember nothingof the day of his accident, he wasable to quote his member number to
the nursing staff. Unable to speak,Troy had to communicate withwritten notes and hand gestures.
In early January 2006, Troy wasmoved to the High Dependency wardbefore being moved again to theorthopaedics ward in mid-January.He underwent further surgery,including surgery to his eyes makinghis stay even less bearable as hewas not allowed to watch TV norlisten to the radio to pass the time.All Troy could do was look around hisroom – he can now tell you exactlyhow many little squares are on theceiling tiles of room 1, ward 5E.
To continue the recovery process,Troy was moved to HampsteadRehabilitation Centre on 1 February.While he has a lot of rehabilitationwork to do he has already started inpart by having his guitar beside hisbed, playing it whenever he can. Theguitar is also a reminder of everyonewho has been to visit. No one cansee Troy without being asked ‘haveyou signed the guitar yet?’
Troy would like to send a personalthank you to the Aldinga Beach CFScrews who responded to his accidentin December, as well as everyonewho has helped in his recovery,including all those people who havecalled to speak to him and visitedhim in hospital.
The Sellicks brigade would alsolike to thank everyone whoresponded on that day, as well asthe doctors and staff at the FlindersMedical Centre. Thank you fortaking good care of our Troy.
[SELLICKS CFS
RESCUES ONE OF THEIR OWN] By: Daniel Tinker
Sellicks brigade
Aldinga Beach CFS workedto cut Troy out of the car.
>>
[REGIONAL ROUND-UP]
[CLOSE CALL AT SELLICKS HILLS]
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Firefighters from six CFSbrigades, including Hazmatcrews, responded to the
Lobethal Abattoirs after a report of amajor gas leak on Sunday 11December, as the famous LobethalChristmas Lights were well underway.
The leak, reported to CFS justbefore 10pm, resulted in a series ofroad closures and traffic diversions,forcing the evacuation of a numberhomes as volunteers attempted tocontain the leak.
Wearing breathing apparatus,volunteers used a power cone spray toassist in dispersing the gas andattempted to confirm the source of theleak, identifying at-risk areas forsurrounding residents using specialistatmospheric monitoring equipment.
The Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG)was found to be leaking from eightinterconnected gas bullets that weremaintained at near 80% capacity toservice the high demand of theabbatoir, and which after around anhour of venting were still nearmaximum capacity.
An engineer was called in to assistin identifying where the LPG neededto be isolated from, as firefighterscontinued to disperse the gas..
The gas leak was isolated afteraround 40 minutes and firefightersundertook further atmosphericmonitoring until the area wasdeclared safe, with the last brigademembers leaving the scene justafter 2am.
[LEAKING BULLETSALMOST END
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS]
A power cone spray was usedto help disperse the gas.Photo: CFS Promotions Unit
Outstanding firefighting byvolunteers prevented the lossof three homes at Callington
on the 19 January.Reported to CFS around 3.30pm, the
fire had started on a paddock nearthe Princes Highway around halfwaybetween Callington and Kanmantoo.
With an initial report back to head-quarters that the “fire wasuncontrolled and heading towards anumber of houses”, additional firetrucks responded and bomber 581
and 582 were despatched to provideaerial fire support.
More than 70 firefighters in 17appliances undertook directfirefighting strategies in hot and dryconditions and were able to containthe fire just before 4.30pm.
The fire came within 20 metres ofhomes, with volunteers required toundertake asset protection.
Fire Cause Investigators were unableto determine the cause of the blazewhich destroyed 40 hectares of scrub.
[FIRE AT CALLINGTONTHREATENS HOMES]
Fire destroyed an electronicsbusiness and causedsignificant smoke and water
damage to a printing business,operating out of the same premisesat Yankalilla on 14 January 2006.
Volunteers from four CFS brigadesresponded to the fire on Main Roadaround 3am.
When volunteers arrived at theproperty, flames could be seencoming from the front of the building.
The building contained polystyreneinsulation, and produced thicksmoke forcing firefighters to wearbreathing apparatus to fight the fire.
A person residing in building was taken to hospital sufferingsmoke inhalation.
The resident has since credited hisdog with altering him to the fire byjumping on him and barking until hewoke up and was able get to safety.
Once outside, he realized his dogwas missing, and alerted firefighterswho re-entered the building to savethe Welsh Springer Spaniel.
Damage was estimated at $200,000 and Fire CauseInvestigators were unable todetermine the cause of the fire.
[YANKALILLA BUSINESSDESTROYED BY FLAMES]
The Bridgewater CFS opportunityshop now boasts somecolourful decorations after
students from the local high schoolpainted murals.
Two murals, depicting the historyof the Bridgewater CFS brigade were
painted and given to the shop inNovember 2005.
Designed by Active8 students fromHeathfield High School, the muralswere created from pictures andhistorical newspaper clippings ofevents such as Ash Wednesday.
[SCHOOL STUDENTS DECORATE CFS SHOP]
The murals are now proudly on display. Photo: Peter DawsonUpper Sturt brigade CaptainBrendan McEvoy wasrecently awarded life
membership of the brigade alongwith his 20-year servicecertificate by Mark Thomason.
Brendan has been Captain ofthe Upper Sturt brigade for 10years and served with the CFA inVictoria before living in theAdelaide Hills.
Many CFS personnel knowBrendan and his wife Michellethough their business, FireTraining and Safety serviceswhich has supported the CFS formany years.
[LIFE MEMBERSHIP AWARDED]By: Andrew McEvoy
Mark Thomason, Regional Commanderand Brendan McEvoy, (right).
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Around 2pm on 30November, the CFS wasalerted to a grass fire at
Pinery in the State’s Lower Mid North.
With six brigades in the initialresponse, volunteers arrived tofind the fire travelling in asouth westerly direction andseveral sheds, including athree-bay implement and hayshed, were ablaze.
Additional strike teamsimmediately responded as theflames threatened a home onFord Road.
Firefighters concentrated theirefforts on saving the home and
by 4pm more than 90firefighters, including a largenumber of farm units, wereattacking the blaze.
The fire was eventuallycontained just before 5pm,however by this time a total of four sheds, farm machineryand equipment, as well as around1000 olive trees and irrigationsystems, were destroyed.
It was a great save forvolunteers who were working in34C heat battling structureand grass fires.
The last volunteers left thescene just before midnight aftermopping up was completed.
[GREAT SAVE AT PINERY]
>> Four sheds wereconsumed in the blaze.Photo: The Plains Producer
The flames had been all but tamedby the time I wound my wayalong the bush track at Pinery.
But the blackened ashes of theroadside weed growth and thecharred scrub were grim evidence ofwhat had occurred on this warmWednesday afternoon.
The CFS brigades - it would beunfair to single any out - hadperformed another of their miracles,saving a house from almost certaindestruction but losing theoutbuildings to the blaze.
There were spot fires. And thehayshed was gone, its contents stillflaring and smoking. It would takesome time and effort to get that out.The local farmers who had rushed tothe scene with their water tanks bynow were gathering in groups, stillputting out spot fires but not faraway from returning to the reaping.
They were, to me, strangely calmabout the whole event, standing insmall groups in almost muteacceptance of what had occurred.Been there. Done that.
They knew this had been a very,very near thing. If there had beenany sort of wind, they probablywould have lost the lot and more. Sothere I was striding across a
blackened, burnt paddock to find apolice officer who might know how itall came to this. Conscious of notgetting in the way of the CFS crews,there remained a necessity to dowhat the newsman must; to recordthe event.
The camera worked overtime until Iran into Ray Bennett, the owner. Rayappeared to be coping with whatwas before him; controlling hisemotions but looking about in utterdisbelief. The despair and the shockwould come later.
Right then with the thick whitesmoke swirling about us, I couldn?tbring myself to take a picture of him.It didn’t seem the right thing to do.
Years ago, as a young reporter, Iwould have had no qualms aboutasking a mourning mother or fatherfor a photograph of their son ordaughter who had been murdered orbeen taken by some other tragedy.People are strangely co-operative inthat period before the cold, hardfacts sink in. But you wanted to knowwhat the dead person looked like,didn’t you? No, be honest, didn’t you?
Not so now. Life at a countrynewspaper is much more personal.No anonymity. And our readers(usually) are our friends.
EDITORIAL
By: Terry Williams, Editor Plains Producer
REGIONMOUNT LOFTY RANGESYORKE PENINSULA & LOWER NORTH
Statewide >
[OUT OF THE ASHES COMES THE TRUE AUSSIE SPIRIT]
I knew Ray mainly as the bloke whogives up much of his time toorganise the local basketball comp.Ray’s wife Merry runs the CHAPbranch. Nice people. We exchangeda few words; me saying somethinglike how tough this was, how itseemed so darned unfair, howpeople work to get things and howthey didn’t deserve this to happen.
Ray kept looking across at themangled and bent remains of theiron sheds. Who knows what he wasthinking. Then he said; “It’s lucky Ididn’t start rebuilding them. I hadthe iron there (he points to a pile oftin sheeting on the black earth). Itcould have been worse.”
Strange what comes out of peoplein moments of adversity.
Indeed, it could have been worse.The flames came within metres ofthe old farmhouse and but for someheroics of someone with a hose, itprobably would have gone.
We parted company as the CFScrews went about their mopping up.
One, from Woolsheds-Wasleys, wasphotographed by me only a few weeksago working feverishly sandbaggingaround a house threatened by theVirginia floodwaters.
Now here they were hard at itdousing spot fires.
Most from the various CFS units hadleapt from the header or rushed fromtheir workplace to answer thatdreaded wail of the CFS siren. Andwhen duty is done they must go backto work to catch up where they left off.
Is this what being an Aussie is allabout? Fairly close, mate. Fairlyclose. The CFS, with its rootsentrenched in local communities,probably reflects the spirit of realAustralia, of looking after your mate,more than anything else in themodern day.
So on behalf of all those who wereassisted by the CFS and farmers onthat recent Wednesday and forthose in the future, I simply say:Thanks, Mate.
Firefighters battles both grassand structure fires.Photo: The Plains Producer
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Afire at Robertsown kept CFSvolunteers busy for three daysand burnt around 600 hectares
in late January.Reported to CFS around 6.30pm, the
fire was burning near the EmuSprings and Burra Roads and movingquickly into inaccessible terrain.
With volunteers from that areaalready having been involved infighting fires in other parts of theState, this time they wereresponding to a fire closer to home.
By 8.30pm, more than 100firefighters were on the fireground,forced to wait for the fire to come outof the hills, as it burned throughinaccessible terrain approximatelyeight kilometres from the firefighters.
Helitack 533 and 534, under thesupervision of Adelaide Bank RescueHelicopter 52, supported the on-ground operations, dropping foamonto the fire as it moved into moreaccessible terrain.
Graders were brought in to
[FIRE AT ROBERSTOWN]
What started as a grass fireturned into a HAZMATincident for volunteers at
Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley on10 January 2006.
Around 40 firefighters fromNuriootpa, Kapunda, Angaston andTanunda CFS were fighting a grassfire on Schultz Road opposite theBarossa Valley Golf Club when theynoticed an old chemical drum in themiddle of a field.
The grass fire was contained toseven hectares as HAZMAT-trainedvolunteers from Nuriootpa turned theirattention to the fire-damaged drum.
A number of volunteers continuedto mop up the grass fire and the
Angaston Group established an IMT,each with its own AIIMS structure, tomanage the two incidents.
Located on a rural property and inamongst a treed area that had beenused as the "dumping or storage" areafor the property for many years thedrum was found to be very old, withimperial measurements on its side.
With no United Nations number(UN) on the drum, identifying thepowdered chemical was difficult,however it was eventually identifiedat Co-thhion, an Azirphos metalinsecticide.
After liaison between the CFS oncall HAZMAT Officer and a TechnicalAdvice Consultant (TAC), volunteers
donned splash suits and breathingapparatus and sealed the drum.
The drum was left on site for theowners to remove.
Firefighters eventually left thescene shortly after 6pm after aneventful day.
Volunteers sealed the drumand prepared it for disposal.Photo: Sonia Post
[GRASS FIRE WITH A TWIST]
Country Fire Service volunteersresponded to a house fire atPenfield to the north of
Adelaide around 11.30am on 6December 2005.
When volunteers arrived at theHeaslip Road property, they found itengulfed in flames.
Thick black smoke could be seenbillowing from the fibreboard house,with the smoke plumes visible fromseveral kilometres away.
Volunteers from Salisbury andVirginia CFS used multiple BreathingApparatus (BA) cylinders and highpressure lines as they fought the fire.
Swarms of bees upset by the smokeand fire posed a hazard for firefightersas they fought the blaze, with
several firefighters bitten by bees.A combination of structural
instability, bees and asbestos meantthat Fire Cause Investigators wereunable to determine the cause ofthe blaze.
Damage was estimated at morethan $50,000.
Firefighters from theMetropolitan Fire Service (MFS) alsoattended the incident.
[BEES CAUSE HAVOC AT HOUSE FIRE]
>>Firefighters containedthe fire in 15 minutes,however the house was gutted.Photo: Matt Bonser
[$150,000DAMAGE TOMINTAROHOME]
SA Country Fire Servicevolunteers responded to ahouse fire at Mintaro near Clare
in the early hours of 16 November. Reported by a neighbor around
1am, volunteer firefighters fromMintaro, Clare, Sevenhill/Penwortham and Watervale CFSarrived to find the Hill Street propertywell involved in flames.
The roof of the slate-constructedproperty collapsed prior to the arrivalof firefighters, forcing them to fightthe fire from outside the home.
The fire was contained within about30 minutes with damage estimatedat $150,000.
Fire Cause Investigators attendedthe scene and have listed the causeof the fire as deliberate.
Volunteers eventually left the scenearound 6:30am.
Fire destroyed the home.Photo: Tanya Wutke
>>
>>
establish control lines andbackburns were undertaken tostrengthen them, to stop the spreadof the fire as it burned in the TothillGap and Black Springs area.
Bushfire Information Messageswere issued to alert residents of thepotential risk and to ease theconcerns of residents in the Clarearea, as smoke from the fire wasdrifting over the town.
Concern was held for a number ofhomes in the area and SA Policeundertook doorknocking to warn localresidents of the potential danger.
Additional resources arrived on the
second morning with volunteersfrom the NSW Rural Fire Servicebrought in to assist volunteers.
After a solid day of firefighting, thefire was declared contained around11.30pm on 22 January.
The efforts of firefighters did notstop there, as volunteers continuedto mop up and extinguish hot spotsand trees. More than 400 firefightersput their hand up to be involved overthe three days.
Local volunteers continued to mop upand patrol the area for several days.
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3REGIONMURRAYLANDS & RIVERLAND
Statewide >
[REGIONAL ROUND-UP]
Walker Flat CFS has come a long way in the last 15 years.
Faced with the council removingthe area’s fire truck, several localsgot together and organised a public meeting to establish theirown CFS brigade.
Held at the Walker Flat Hall, alarge number of locals turned upand a resolution was passed toestablish the Walker Flat CFS.
A committee was formed andwithin two months, the firstelections for office bearers were heldand the brigade was officiallyregistered on 2 October 1990.
To get the brigade up and runningas quickly as possible, fundraising topurchase overalls, boots, helmets andother equipment had already begunand the brigade had negotiated withthe local council to purchase a kitform shed, that they would constructthemselves for their station.
To save time and money thebrigade negotiated with thecommittee for the local hall to sharetheir kitchen and toilets.
The concrete slab was finally laidin April 1991, and after manyworking bees and the brigadefunding their own electrical work thestation was ready to receive their
appliance in July 1991.The first fire truck, an International
ACCO, arrived at Walker Flat CFS on22 August 1991, and was put intouse just 18 days later. They havenow attended 222 incidents,including structure, grass, boat andcar fires, motor vehicle accidentsand are happy to put their hand upto participate when possible instrike teams.
For a small country community,Walker Flat CFS have played acommendable role in protecting andassisting their community in timeof need.
The station has recently had someextensions with members nowhaving their own toilets and a largermeeting room.
The brigade celebrated the openingof these facilities on 23 October witha tree planting ceremony attendedby local dignitaries and CFS ChiefOfficer Euan Ferguson.
The ceremony also provided EuanFerguson the opportunity to presentChris Bond, brigade Captain, andAlan Scott, brigade EquipmentOfficer with their National Medals
A barbeque was held after theopening for both current and formermembers and representatives from theRidley Group and Mid Murray Council.
[WALKER FLAT CFS]
Chief Officer Euan Ferguson congratulates Chris Bond, Walker Flat Captainon the opening of the stations’ extension.Photo: Doug Smith
CFS volunteers were called intoaction when a fire broke out onMaurice Road at Murray Bridge
just after 4pm on 20 December.Volunteers from the Swanport
group quickly responded to theincident and two fixed wing waterbombers provided aerial support, as50 firefighters attempted to stop thefire as it moved quickly towards theOld Princes Highway.
A bushfire warning message wasissued to alert residents in the area asthe firefront, fanned by strong winds,headed towards the local caravanpark and the Mobilong Prison.
With additional strike teams enroute, the head of the fire wascontained around 6pm.
Adelaide Road and the PrincesHighway were closed to traffic asfirefighters worked to contain thewestern flank using mineral earthbreaks and backburns.
The fire was considered contained
on the Adelaide Road side of the fire by 7pm, however it was stillburning freely in dense scrub on theeastern flank.
With more than 220 firefighters onthe fireground, a backburn helpedcontrol the blaze on the easternflank and just before 10pm the firewas declared contained.
Ten appliances and around 60firefighters spent the night moppingup and blacking out, and local crewsreturned to monitor the area over thesubsequent days.
The fire burnt around 472 hectaresand damaged around $30,000 ofcrops and fences.
The incident was the firstsignificantly large fire to make useof the two 1200 litre Agusta A119‘Koala’ Heli-tankers, which werelaunched the day before at the newMount Crawford Air Strip.
Fire Cause Investigators were unableto determine the cause of the blaze.
[FIRE CAUSES ALARM AT MURRAY BRIDGE]
Bright red flames fanned the evening sky.Photo: Roy Jackson
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Lightning was once again thecause of many grass fires overthe summer throughout Region 3.
On Tuesday 27 December 2005,lightning caused several fires in thespace of an hour.
The largest started shortly after3pm and burnt 732 hectares ofgrass and scrub at Charleston.Close to one hundred CFS personnelbrought the fire under control withthe support of four aerial waterbombers. Another 70 CFS volunteersbrought another fire at Billiat nearat Karoonda under control, with onlya 50 hectare (ha) area burnt.
On Friday evening, 20 January2006, a band of lightning causedseveral other outbreaks. CFSvolunteers responded to fires in theDanggali Conservation Park, northof Renmark (200ha), and atCoomandook (1750ha).
The same stretch of lightningpassed over the infamous NgarkatConservation Park, and sure enoughsmoke was sighted in the park justafter 7.30pm.
After further investigation it was
discovered that there were threeseparate fires, which would laterjoin to become one significant fire front.
Fire crews and IncidentManagement Teams from the CFS,Department for Environment andHeritage, and a special task forcefrom the NSW Rural Fire Servicespent seven exhaustive dayscreating control lines andpreventing flames from reaching thetownships of Lameroo and Keith.
Large plumes of smoke blanketedthe area. On Sunday, police closedabout 45km of the Dukes Highwaybetween Keith and Tailem Bend dueto poor visibility.
By the seventh day, the fire wasfinally declared safe having burnt 79200 hectares of grass and scrub.
Over the course of the week, morethan 300 CFS personnel, 68 trucksand five aircraft were committed tothe blaze. A number of privatefirefighting units were also deployed.
Several debriefs have followed theincident to address the ongoingthreat of bushfires within the park.
LIGHTS UP REGION 3
The fire in Ngarkat provided avivid display of colour.
Piggery Road in Ngarkat was the centreof the action on Saturday 21 January.
LIGHTNING[ ]
Sparks from a cutting tool wasthe cause of a large grass firewest of Cambrai and Sedan in
the northeastern Mount Lofty Rangeson Wednesday 11 January 2005.
Shortly after 12.30pm, sparks froman angle grinder ignited an area ofgrass off Pinehut Road sending firetowards the Angaston to Sedan Road.
At the peak of the blaze, around150 CFS volunteer firefighters, 26appliances and seven aircraftresponded to the blaze.
Many of the crews fought the fire byfoot using rake hoes and knapsacks
as steep terrain made it difficult fortrucks to access the fireground.
The fire did not pose any directthreat to property but generatedsignificant amounts of smoke tosettle in the Graetztown andKeyneton townships.
A decrease in wind andtemperature overnight allowed firecrews to safely conduct a back burnand contain the fire by early morningthe next day.
The fire covered about 1 600 hectaresof grass and scrub, which alsoincluded several kilometres of fencing.
The fire generated a significant amount ofsmoke, darkening the sky in the area.
[CUTTING IT FINE AT CAMBRAI]
>>
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4REGIONFLINDERS, MID-NORTH& PASTORAL AREAS
Statewide >
[REGIONAL ROUND-UP]
Around 9am on New Years Eve,what Wilmington residentshave feared for 17 years
became a reality when a fire wasreported in Horrocks Pass betweenWilmington and Port Augusta.
Mount Remarkable Group OfficerGeoff Slee arrived at the scene withinminutes and immediately knew thisfire was intense, with the potentialfor widespread devastation.
It was a total fire ban day; with anestimated maximum temperature of42C, a predicted wind speed of 40kphfrom the northwest, and an expectedFire Danger Index (FDI) of 81.
By 9am the winds could only bedescribed as ‘wild’, in excess of50kph, and rapidly fanning the firein a southerly direction into verysteep rough terrain covered by up toone-metre high wild oats.
Wilmington QAV and 34 were thefirst at the firefront, with Melrose 34arriving shortly after.
Fearing the worst, another eightappliances from Booleroo Centre,Appila, Wirrabara, Port Germein,Mambray Creek, Stirling North, andQuorn had also responded.
A request for water bombingaircraft was made to the region andthe Group Logistics Officer, RobbieRobinson, mobilised both MountRemarkable District Council gradersand three private dozers to startmaking firebreaks.
By 10.40am the fire was burningon a 2km front, fanned by thesearing northerly winds.
With only one track completelytraversing the ranges between thefire and the Horrocks ValeHomestead, access for firefighterswas difficult. Adding to concernswas the 5km distance to the bestpossible established firebreak, theHancocks Lookout Tourist Road.
Volunteers commenced a backburnat 1.30pm along the ‘Optic Fibre’track, however wind gusts over 100kmh saw fireballs literally jump over the 20mwide backburn.
The inferno accelerated at a ratenever seen before by localexperienced firefighters, with fourfirefighters receiving slight burns totheir face and hands as theydesperately tried to hold the fire.
All units then relocated to theHorrocks Vale Homestead and with theassistance of a grader and many localfarm units, prepared to protect thehomestead as flames approached.
With the fire racing towards themon three sides – west, north and east– a mammoth effort was put in byall present, resulting in a great savewith no asset damage despite thefire spotting into the house gardenarea and sheep and cattle yards.
All available resources then shiftedto the Hancocks Lookout Tourist Road,which had already been widened bythe council graders and dozer.
The fire took only 90 minutes totravel the 5km to this road and by8.30pm had impacted along 4km ofthat road as well as burning backinto the wind along the HorrocksPass Road.
Crews worked tirelessly to stop thefire jumping Hancocks Lookout Road,knowing that if it had, then theMount Remarkable National Parkwas only 1km away.
Recognising the severity of thesituation, additional assistancearrived from within region 4 as wellas strike teams from regions 1 and2, with these volunteers giving upNew Years Eve with their family andfriends to assist in our plight.
The new crews from Port Germein,Gladstone, Caltowie, Narridy, StirlingNorth, Wilmington, Melrose,Jamestown, Terowie, Wirrabara, Appila,Booleroo Centre, Mambray Creek, andQuorn arrived late in the day.
The region 1 and 2 strike teamswith appliances from Hahndorf,Morphett Vale, Coromandel Valley,Aldinga Beach, Basket Range,Kadina, Paskeville, Greenock, GawlerRiver and Roseworthy, along withfour command cars and four MFSunits, were not far behind.
DEVASATION AVERTED AT WILMINGTON
By: Geoff Slee, Mount Remarkable Group Officer
Their arrival was a welcome sight forthe now weary day shift volunteers whohad been working in indescribableconditions since early morning.
The planned open-air cabaret to beheld on New Years Eve at theWilmington Oval was cancelled asthe oval and sporting complexbecame the staging area and foodpreparation centre.
Community spirit was amazingwith the whole town rallyingtogether, to either be at the firefront, in the radio room, helping toorganise food or anything else thatneeded to be done.
An Incident Management Team(IMT) was set up at Region 4headquarters in Port Augusta as thenight shift crews - under thecommand of Black Rock GroupOfficer Geoff Gibb and Hallet GroupOfficer Merv Robinson - prepared tospend their busiest night ever.
A predicted wind change around11.30pm saw the winds switch tothe west, pushing the fire back ontothe eastern end of the HancocksLookout and Horrocks Pass Roads.
Had the fire jumped thesecontainment lines, the township ofWilmington would have beenthreatened, with the fire potentiallyspreading into steep rugged countrytowards Mount Brown and Quorn.
All who spent the night battling thefirefront still wonder with amazementhow they stopped the fire.
But they did stop it, and each andevery one involved in this fightdeserves a pat on the back for thehuge effort they put in.
With a mid morning temperature of38C and 40kph north-westerlywinds, the traditional New Years Dayat the beach was forgotten for theMount Remarkable District Councilarea residents.
Although the fire was nowcontained, ground crews were stillbusy with numerous hot spots andhundreds of large gum trees stillburning close to the fire edge.
Wilmington CFS units patrolled thefire edge every day for another twoweeks until the fire was finallydeclared safe on 16 January.
A total of 2,526ha of land wasburned. with a fire perimeter of 27km.
In all, 36 CFS units attended thefire; nine command cars, fivetankers, three dozers, two graders,two fixed wing aircraft, one
helicopter and 35 private units.Some 390 individual fire fighters
volunteered their time, with 103 CFSand 50 private persons on thefireground on New Years Day.
These figures do not include ourradio operators, IMT members,catering personnel and numerousother people who helped out invarious ways.
On behalf of myself as Group Officer,and the Wilmington CFS brigade, Iwould like to extend a heartfelt thankyou to everyone involved in containingthis terrible fire.
[ ]
>>
The fire tore through challengingterrain - it was a hard battle forfirefighters.Photos: Geoff Slee & Jeff Bowey
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For the third time in as manymonths, the Andamooka AreaSchool in the state's mid north
was destroyed by fire.The latest attack occurred on 26
March and caused an estimated$200,000 damage. The blaze startedjust before 10am and destroyed theonly remaining building on theschool site.
CFS volunteer firefighters from theAndamooka and Roxby Downsbrigades remained at the scene forseveral hours to fully extinguish theblaze and assist students and staffto salvage project work and equipment.
Only a few weeks prior to the latestevent, brigades from Andamooka
and Roxy Downs were called at5.30am on Wednesday 18 January, to a structure fire at the school.
Volunteers arrived to find much ofthe school which also housed thelocal kindergarten well involved in flames.
Volunteers wearing compressed airbreathing apparatus contained theblaze which started in theAdministration Block.
That fire destroyed theadministration block, the principal'soffice, computer room, classroomsand a number of storerooms.
Heat from the blaze melted severalair conditioning units, causing themto fall through the roof.
[ANDAMOOKA AREA SCHOOL DESTROYED]
CFS Hazardous Material(HASMAT) brigades fromBurra, Jamestown and Stirling
North, along with Peterborough CFS,responded to a hazardous materialspill around 25kms east ofPeterborough at 5.00pm on Sunday5 February.
The chemical was in a containeron a goods train on its way to Perth.
Access to the carriage wasdifficult for the volunteers wearingsplashsuits, as the train was 30metres above the ground.
Around 10pm a crane was usedto move the affected carriage ontoa goods link on the outskirts ofPeterborough and secured, withthe remainder of the traincontinuing to Perth.
The next morning CFS Hazmatcrews along with SAMFS Hazmatcrews removed the contents of themixed load. They were able toisolate the pesticide Mesurol fromthe remainder of the load whichwas repacked and returned toAdelaide by road.
[CHEMICAL SPILLSTOPS GOODS TRAIN]
The admin building was destroyedfor the second time in 18 months.
Captain of Andamooka CFSextinguishes a hot spot duringoverhaul operations.
CFS and MFS crews preparingto send crews into the incident.
Hazmat operators dressed insplash suits hooking chains to thecontainer for removal by the crane.
Wayne Ellard, MountRemarkable Deputy GroupOfficer commented to Euan
Ferguson, Chief Officer on the recentfire at Horrocks Pass:
“We had a lot against us indifficult terrain, it was our turn toexperience it and see it first hand,”Wayne said.
“Fire, difficult terrain and 80 km/hrwinds equals potential disaster.
“Just a thought for you related toLand Rovers, one person who
returned from the fireground theother day after driving the QAV(Wilmington's 130 dual cab) wrote inhis hand over comments,
"If you drive it like you have juststolen it, the vehicle is unstoppable"
>> Chief Officer Euan Fergusonwith the ‘unstoppable vehicle’.
[WILMINGTON QAV – VIRTUALLY UNSTOPPABLE]
Woomera CFS, SA Ambulanceand SA Police attended atruck rollover just after
11.30pm on 23 October 2005.The rollover occurred 6km west of
Woomera on the corner of the StuartHighway and Pimba to Woomera Rd,directly opposite Spuds Roadhouseat Pimba.
Upon arrival, crews were faced witha B-Double on its side, which wasblocking 95% of the road andgushing diesel.
Volunteers from Woomera CFSworked to minimise the fuel leak andafter a brief discussion created asmall road along the shoulder, justwide enough to allow road trains andbuses to pass through.
Despite the damage, bothoccupants of the B-Double escapedwith only minor scratches and bruising.
With the valued assistance of localtransport company Bannerman’sTransport and guidance from theTruckfactory’s Salvage Co-ordinator,the prime mover and A- trailer wereseparated from the B-trailer andrighted, before being towed to asecure location.
Once the prime mover was righted,CFS Volunteers undertook sweepingof the road to enable it to bereopened for normal traffic flow.
The remaining trailer was recoveredby Truckfactory in the morning, withdamage estimated at approximately$200,000.
[B DOUBLE ROLLOVER AT PIMBA]By: Matt Wasley, Woomera CFS 2nd Lieutenant
Diesel was gushing fromthe B-Double whenvolunteers arrived.
>>
>
>
>>
>>
Photo: Naomi and Nigel Campbell
Photo: Matt Wasley
Fire cause investigators fromAdelaide attended and determinedthat the fire was started as theresult of an electrical fault.
The fire caused in the vicinity of
$1.5 million dollars.A previous fire at the Andamooka
Area school destroyed theadministration block and library.
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5REGIONSOUTH EASTStatewide >
[REGIONAL ROUND-UP]
>>Arrangementsput in place bylocal crews hadensured asmooth responseto incidents.Photos: Rex Hall
<< It was a busy January for bothCFS and CFA firefighters.
By: Phil McDonough, Regional Prevention Officer
[THE BORDER HOLDS NO BARRIERS]
[CFS CREWS LENDA HAND IN VICTORIA]
>> Firefighterswaiting for the fireto come out of thedense scrub.
By: Bill Corcoran, Naracoorte CFS
Atractor sparked a fire onfarmland near Penola onWednesday 14 December 2005,
causing around $50,000 damage.The fire started in the engine
compartment of a tractor on the Robeto Penola Rd, 20km west of Penola,before moving to bailing machineryand surrounding paddocks.
The blaze destroyed close to threehectares of land and several balesof hay.
Volunteers from Maoupe, Monbulla,Mount Graham, Penola and WattleRange CFS brigades responded tothe blaze around 7pm, andcontained it within 20 minutes.
[TRACTOR SPARKS $50,000 FIRE]
<< The blazegenerated thickcolourful smoke.
Shortly after 9.30pm on 19January, the Naracoorte groupwere asked to send a strike
team over the border to help theApsley Country Fire Authority (CFA)group, where a number of fires wereburning after a lightning storm hadpassed through the region.
CFS volunteers from Kybybolite,Joanna, Hynam and Naracoorte withtheir 3-4 appliances were escorted bythe Naracoorte Command Car andresponded to a fire on Langkoop Road.
While en route to the fire just after10pm, the strike team received astop call and the crews headed forhome, when they received anothercall for help through the Region 5headquarters.
Edenhope CFA was requestingassistance with a large scrub fire thatwas burning. Volunteers quicklytravelled to the area where they wereinvolved in asset protection andbackburning operations before arrivinghome around 5am the next morning.
Rest was short lived as around10.45 that day CFS received arequest for a strike team to return toEdenhope. Volunteers from Joanna,Kybybolite, Binnum and Naracoorte
again travelled over the border toEdenhope, where they helped mop up.
While mopping up, another fire wasreported burning in thick scrubwithin the fire area.
CFS volunteers where positioned totackle the fire once it came out ofthe scrub into grass land, withfirefighters putting all their energyinto fighting the fast moving fire.
Both CFS and CFA crews did anexcellent job in stopping spot fires,crews where returned to therestations at around 8pm that evening.
Since then the Naracoorte grouphave sent crews and appliances tohelp fight blazes at Ngarkart,Lameroo, and again to Edenhope on22 January.
While volunteers were awayNaracoorte brigade manned theirbase and attended a number ofsmall call outs around the town.
The Naracoorte group is proud oftheir sound working relationshipwith the CFA, and are often called tohelp each other out on both sides ofthe border.
Thank you to everyone and theirfamilies for their help with the striketeams and their ongoing commitment.
In 2003, the volunteer firebrigades associations fromVictoria and South Australia got
together in an effort to strengthenlocal work in streamlining workingrelationships between the CountryFire Authority (CFA) and CFS.
Some of the difficulties that localcrews had experienced in the pastincluded differences in trainingstandards, communications betweenservices and the compatibility ofwater connections.
To address these difficulties,arrangements were put in place in2003 and a spate of fires causedby lightning in January put them tothe test.
The arrangements have includedlocal adjoining CFS/CFA brigades
attending each other’s meetings,adaptors have been made and are carried on all appliances andcommunications plans have been adopted.
During January, the CFS was calledupon to assist the CFA with fires inEdenhope, Harrow, Heywood,Langkoop and Hynam - and it wasapparent that real progress hasbeen made.
The recent fires showed that thesesteps have contributed to a betterand more harmonious workingrelationships, with crews workingtogether as if they were one fire service.
The community saw an integratedfire service working hard to protectthe community.
This is just a step forward andmore progress will continue to made as long as we are all focusedon the same outcome of “protectingthe community”.
Congratulations to all those whohave been involved.
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The CFS was alerted to a firenear Bordertown at 3.50pm on20 December and five brigades
responded to the blaze.The fire was burning in crops near
the corner of the Dukes Highway andPinaroo Road, and upon arrival,firefighters requested the assistanceof strike teams from theneighbouring Coonalpyn andNaracoorte groups.
As these volunteers made their wayto the fire, firefighters in 17
appliances attempted to hold theblaze as it headed towardsCanawigarra Road.
Graders worked to establish controllines on the eastern flank and thefire was contained just after 5.30pm.
Volunteers continued to work onmopping up and extinguishing anumber of trees which were stillburning within the control lines.
The fire, believed to have beenstarted by a header, burnt a total of615 hectares and destroyed fencing.
[CANAWIGARRA FIRE]
As temperatures in the SouthEast hovered around 40C on 22January, CFS volunteers
responded to a fire at the LakeBonney Wind Farm, Tantanoola.
The fire was reported around 3pmand volunteers were able to see the fireburning 70 metres above the groundfrom a significant distance away.
The turbine was fully ablaze whenvolunteers arrived and while thefirefighters were unable to reach theturbine to extinguish it, they werekept busy putting out numerous spotfires that had started as a result offalling debris.
Eight brigades and 30 firefighterswere involved in the incident, whichis believed to have been one of thefirst such fires in Australia.
Concern was held for firefightersafety because although they werestationed 400 metres away from theburning turbine, the volunteers wereshowered with pieces of aluminium,oil and fibreglass as they battledthe grass fires.
All turbines in the wind farm wereshut down due to the risk ofelectrocution, however the firefighterswere conscious of the risk of theautomatic brake on the burningturbine failing, and the 40-metre longburning blade starting to rotate.
The turbine eventually burnt itselfout and volunteers returned homearound 9.30pm.
The fire, which left a damage bill ofaround $3m, is believed to have startedas a result of an electrical fault.
[BURNING TURBINE LEAVES $3 MILLION DOLLAR DAMAGE BILL]
V olunteers from 14 brigadeswere alerted to a fire in a pineforest just after 9pm on
27 December.Believed to have been started by
lightning, the fire burnt around 10hectares of pine trees and wascontained just after 10pm.
A bushfire information messagewas issued to warn residents in theStotts Lane area, as the fire movedin a southerly direction.
Management of the fire washanded to Forestry SA, howevervolunteers returned the next day dueto a rekindling of the blaze.
[10 HECTARES OF PINE FOREST BURNT]
Naracoorte held their annualbrigade Christmas party inlate December.
The partners of all brigademembers were presented with asmall memento to signify theirinvolvement in the brigade.
As well as a posy of flowers, allfemales at the party were presentedwith a cloth lapel badge made byone of the brigade members.
The badge featured the Australianflag as a background, with a button(to signify the ladies who holdeverything together), a safety pin (toacknowledge the very young within
the brigade’s families), two smallrings (unity between partners) and a small chain (to bindeverything together).
This small memento was receivedwith a certain amount of emotion bythose present, as Denise Francis, thewife of our First Lieutenant ShaneFrancis had been brought to theparty by ambulance. Denise hadbeen confined to hospital withterminal cancer and the Naracoorteambulance crews had offered theirservices so that she could spendsome time with brigade members.
[NARACOORTE CFS RECOGNISES FAMILY SUPPORT]
>> These badgeswere receivedwith emotion bythose present.
By: Allan Marshall, Naracoorte CFS
A20-year-old woman was luckyto escape with minor injuriesafter her vehicle collided with
a tree on 6 December.Reported to CFS around 2pm,
volunteers from Naracoorte CFSresponded to the crash on Cadgee Road.
Upon arrival, CFS volunteers foundthe driver trapped, with the carresting on its side, having sufferedsignificant damage.
The driver was trapped for around35 minutes, before volunteers usedheavy rescue equipment to removethe roof of the vehicle.
CFS volunteers worked for morethan an hour to free a persontrapped after a station wagon
rolled around 30km north ofMillicent on 26 December.
Reported to CFS around 6.30pm,volunteers from Wattle Range,Argyle and Millicent responded to
the crash on the Princes Highway.Two other people in the car suffered
minor injuries. with damageestimated at around $10,000.
A crane was brought in to removethe car, and the Princes Highway wasreopened after around 90 minutes.
[PASSENGER TRAPPED IN VEHICLE ROLLOVER]
[DRIVER HAS A LUCKY ESCAPE]
Photo: Glen Sparks/South East Times
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6REGIONWEST COAST& EYRE PENINSULA
Statewide >
[REGIONAL ROUND-UP]
By: Kevin May, Acting Regional Commander[REGIONAL REPORT]
The last few months have been abusy time for both volunteersand staff within the region with
a number of significant events. Before Christmas the Lower Eyre
Peninsula Group was kept busyresponding to a number of firescaused by lightning and wereassisted by two water bombers andan additional Air Attack Supervisorin the aircraft.
The Tumby Bay Group successfullybattled and managed operations ata fire at Cockaleechie. Waterbombing aircraft and Air AttackSupervisors again assisted with thisblaze, as did the Lower EyrePeninsula Group. The Cleve Grouphad brigades on standby in casethey were required.
Local farmers supported fireoperations with farm units and thelocal landholder completed a firehazard reduction burn on hisproperty. Local government was alsoinvolved with plant machinery.
On Tuesday 27 December, 26lightning strikes across the regionsstarted fires, with the first onereported around 4.45am.
The Elliston, Lower Eyre Peninsula,Le Hunte, Kimba, Cleve and TumbyBay groups all responded to firesover this period.
Firefighters spent the best part offive days battling some of the fires,with the assistance of private farmunits and council.
The support both within the groupsand between groups has beenexcellent, with the sharing ofresources including bulk watercarriers from council and privatecontractors. Also used were heavyplant and equipment such asgraders, front-end loaders andbulldozers as part of the firemanagement strategy.
All groups involved in the fires of 27December received tremendoussupport from farm fire units, with theirassistance proving invaluable with themanagement of the incidents.
All groups were fully committed on
that day, with farm fire unitssupporting incidents which in someinstances only had one CFS unit in attendance.
Hard work by firefighters saw onlythree fires of concern in the regionby 28 December.
Every effort was made to containthese fires as quickly as possible,with the prediction of more extremefire danger weather to come, thevery rough terrain the firefighterswere working in, the scrub type anddistances to travel to these blazes.
The Cleve group hosted fires atMiddle Camp and Carrappee, whichwere primarily on land managed bythe Department for Environment andHeritage (DEH).
DEH staff were involved in both themanagement and fighting of thesefires and water bombing aircraftalso assisted the ground efforts.These bombers were supported byAir Attack Supervisors from SA and Queensland.
The Region 6 Air Observer flew overboth of the fires and plotted each one,reporting concerns when the windpicked up and changed direction.
Recognising the long duration ofthese fires and wanting to restvolunteers and get them home to theirfamilies as quickly as possible,members of the State Level 3 OmegaIncident Management Team came intoassist, with Mark Thomason taking onthe role of Incident Controller.
This released a number of localvolunteers, allowing them to focus onfighting the fire, and leaving the Level3 Team to set up all the paperworkwhich worked well from then on.
The Lower Eyre Peninsula, TumbyBay, Elliston and Streaky Bay groupssupplied both strike teams andadditional resources until the firewas declared safe.
Volunteer strike teams fromRegions 1 and 4 worked several two-hour shifts on the fireground, withthe firefighters from Region 4returning home to fight their ownfire at Horrocks Pass.
Stirling North CFS supplied amixing crew to support the waterbombers and the region 6 mixingcrew, with the bombers operatingfrom Cleve and Cowell.
One of the big reinforcements foreveryone in the region was thereminder that water bombingaircraft and ground crews need towork together as a team, and thatwater bombing aircraft cannot dothe job alone.
Rain was a welcome sight to all,and assisted crews with containingthese fires, with everyone returninghome on 1 January 2006.
The Carrappee fire burnt 2 650hectares and the Middle Camp firedestroyed 3 015 hectares.
The fire in the PinkawillinieConservation Park was managed bythe Le Hunte and Kimba Groups, withassistance from DEH, local farmersand a strike team from Region 2.
Firefighters and local farmers useddozers to establish control lines onprivate lands to the east and southeast of the park as CFS and DEHcrews worked along the western andnorthern end of the fire using tracksalready in place.
The fire was flown each day andplotted by our regional Air Observersand the information was transferredfrom GPS to map on ground.
Rain also assisted at this fire andallowed all crews to return home onthe 1 January 2006.
The region benefited from a rollingshift of Air Attack Supervisors fromQueensland.
CFS did not have the extrapersonnel required to manage theadditional bombers placed in theRegion 6, and a request was madefor assistance, with Queenslandbeing able to supply a number of AirAttack Supervisors.
These personnel lived in Port Lincolnone at a time until the bombingcontract ended in early March.
Well done to everyone from withinthe Region and those who suppliedresources from Region 2, Region 4,Region 1, Air Operation, A.M.R.Contractors, Malcolm Catt AircraftManagement Team, Salvation Army,St Johns, SES and Port Lincoln andthe Whyalla local police.
Thank you to the staff in Region 6and to all of agencies involved atthe incidents, well done.
The fire at Pinkawilliniespotted onto private landon the Buckleboo side.
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Volunteers from six CFS brigadesimmediately responded to areport of a fire at Cockaleechie,
near Cummins on 20 December.Called into the CFS just before
midday, volunteers arrived to findfour-metre high flames, fanned bystrong winds, literally ‘flying’ acrosspaddocks.
With a number of farmhousesunder threat, a Bushfire InformationMessage was issued for residents tothe west of Cockaleechie, nearTatiara, as the fire travelled in asoutherly direction.
The number of CFS volunteers on
the fireground quickly grew to morethan 60 as they battled the blaze intemperatures in excess of 40C.
With the Lower Eyre Peninsulagroup on standby, volunteers, privatefarm units and three water bombingaircraft worked for more than anhour to control the blaze.
The blaze was declared containedat 1.15pm, having burnt around 180hectares of land, destroying onehayshed and some fencing.
A CFS appliance was involved in aburn over during the height of theblaze, which started when a pile ofpreviously burnt trees rekindled.
[FIERCE BLAZE AT COCKALEECHIE]
Fire caused significant damageto a toilet block at the FisheriesBay Campsite on 1 December.
The fire was reported to CFS justbefore 1.30am, with volunteers fromPort Lincoln CFS attending.
Around 15 firefighters arrived tofind the toilet block well ablaze, anddonned Breathing Apparatus as theyfought the fire.
Volunteers were at the scene forseveral hours, ensuring it was fullyextinguished and waiting for SAPolice attendance.
Damage to the toilet block was inexcess of $10,000
While in the area, firefightersdiscovered a small campfire stillalight and quickly extinguished it.
[FIRE AT FISHERIES BAY]By: Kieran O’Rourke, Port Lincoln CFS
Volunteers from Ceduna,Nunjikompita, andWirrulla responded to a
building fire atMudlamuckla about 35kmeast of Ceduna on 19January.
Reported to CFS shortlyafter 8.30am, the home onBranden Road wasengulfed in flames when firecrews arrived.
Thick smoke forced firefighters towear breathing apparatus at theybattled the blaze, which caused$200,000 damage to the home.
[TRAGEDY AT MUDLAMUCKLA]
On 19 January 2006, the Ceduna brigade and Group
suffered a tragedy with the loss of several family members
of a brigade volunteer.
Assistance was requested to give the brigade a break
from call outs for a five-day period.
Region 2 and State Logistics assisted, with five
volunteers from Dalkeith and Nuriootpa CFS travelling to
the region. These volunteers were qualified in Road Crash
Rescue, Breathing Apparatus, and HAZMAT and provided
support to the local brigade.
I know Region 6 personnel would have answered the call
for assistance, however as all brigades had been very
busy for quite a few days and with the specific skills, it
would have made the Region short.
Thank you to the brigade officers and staff who worked
hard to complete the task.
From Ceduna brigade Group and Region 6 brigades and
staff thank you for your help in our time of need.
Yours sincerely
Region 6
THANK YOU By: Kevin May
The Nyroca Scout Camp playedhost to the Governor, MarjorieJackson, and other dignitaries
on 11 January for the commissioningof a fire protection tank.
The tank, based at the scout camp,is one of 14 water tanks donated bythe Freemasons after the fires of 11January 2005.
The Governor made a short speechbefore unveiling the plaque on the tank.
[WATER TANK COMMISSIONED AT NYROCA SCOUT CAMP]
<< CFS Chief Officer Euan Fergusonwas amongst other dignitaries atthe tank commissioning.
Photo: Brian Treloar
The flames literally ‘flew’ across the paddocks.Photo: Corey Dunn
>>
CFS crews remained on site topreserve the scene as Fire CauseInvestigators travelled to the scene.
The fire gutted the isolated home.>>
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The start and success of manytraining courses are oftenjeopardised by volunteers who
fail to notify Course Coordinatorsthat they are unable to attend.
This is becoming an issue acrossall regions and at the StateTraining Centre.
Many courses fill quickly and most
have waiting lists. The ‘CFS TrainingCourse Information Guide’ outlinesthe specific number of participantsrequired for each program.
Courses that feature practicaltraining have specific drills oractivities, which require a setnumber of participants. Ifinsufficient numbers of people
attend, it can jeopardise thedemonstration and assessment ofsome competencies.
If you are booked into a trainingcourse, please ensure you confirmyour attendance as soon as youreceive the pre-course informationfor it. If you are unable to attend,please advise the Course
Coordinator as soon as possible, and definitely prior to the day of the course.
This will help to ensure that allscheduled training coursesmaximise the opportunity forvolunteers to attend.
By: Lee Watson, State Training Officer – Quality Systems & Professional Development
The SA Country Fire Service (CFS)Training Department will soonrelease a new training unit
focused on Working With Aircraft. The unit is primarily aimed at group
and brigade level officers andincident management personnel whomay be involved in bushfiresuppression activities involving theuse of firebombing, reconnaissance(fire spotting) and air attack aircraft.
Taking around 2.5 to 3 hours tocomplete, the unit is designed togive personnel an understanding onhow air operations work within CFS,what aircraft are available and theircapabilities and limitations, andhow best they can use aircraft toachieve suppression strategies.
The unit specifically covers:• CFS Air Operations Standard
Operating Procedures (SOP’s).• Aircraft and firebombing safety.• Aircraft types and capabilities.• Air operations limitations,
effectiveness and firebombingstrategies.
• Air operations integration into AIIMS.• Air operations communications.Delivery is by CFS Air Attack
WORKING WITHAIRCRAFTTRAINING PACKAGE
By: Corey Dunn, Senior CurriculumDevelopment Officer (Operations), Air Attack Supervisor
[
Working with aircraft has been a new experience for some CFS volunteers this summer.Photo: Kimberley Handke
Supervisors, Air Operations.Managers or the Manager AviationServices, who will use their personalexperience in both aerial and on-ground firefighting to helpattendees gain a greaterappreciation of the managementand use of aircraft to achievebushfire suppression strategies.
The unit may also provide astepping-stone for CFS personnelwho wish to participate in furthertraining for specific CFS AirOperations roles such as AirObserver, Air Attack Supervisor, AirOperations Manager, AirbaseManager and Airbase(foam/retardant mixing) Crew.
The Working With Aircraft unitincorporates the knowledge, skills
and assessment required tocomplete the Public Safety TrainingPackage unit Work safely aroundaircraft (PUAFIR209A).
Although not compulsory, thoseundertaking the training unit maychoose to complete the associatedassessment material in order toreceive a nationally accreditedcertificate for the Work safely aroundaircraft (PUAFIR209A) unit.
For those choosing not to undertakethe assessment, completion of thetraining session will be added totheir personal training record within TAS.
On 21 February 2006, a ‘pilot’Working With Aircraft trainingsession was held at Cummins, onthe West Coast.
Around 60 firefighters from a numberof groups across Region 6 within andoutside the Lower Eyre PeninsulaPrimary Response Firebombing Zoneattended the session.
Preliminary feedback from thoseattending the session has beenpositive, with attendees gaining agreater appreciation of whatfirebombing aircraft can do and howthey can incorporate air operationsinto their bushfire suppressionstrategies and plans.
It is envisaged that the final versionof the training package will becompleted by the end of March 2006.
Groups who wish to undertake thetraining should request a sessionthrough their relevant RegionalTraining Officer.
[TRAINING COURSE CONFIRMATION]
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51To ensure CFS volunteers havethe best possible protectionwhile attending emergency
incidents, Premier Mike Rann hasannounced that all CFS volunteerswill be equipped with PersonalProtective Clothing (PPC) whichmeets current recognised standards.
The upgrade, at a cost of $1.95million, will provide updated PPC toaround 1,500 CFS volunteers whoare currently using outdated or‘older style’ equipment and clothing.
The need to upgrade this essentialequipment was identified both duringthe Project Phoenix Review and afterseveral volunteers suffered burnswhilst wearing the old style clothing.
As a result a submission wasprepared for State Cabinet and tabledin December 2005, seeking additionalfunding for this vital upgrade.
CFS Chief Officer, Euan Ferguson,said up-to-date clothing andequipment will maximise thepersonal safety of volunteerfirefighters.
“Volunteers need this upgradedprotective clothing to minimise therisk of physical injury and harm
when responding to incidents,particularly as the risks they faceare continually changing,” he said.
“Over recent fire seasons we’vehad four firefighters suffer burns tothe neck, ears or face, because theywere wearing ‘old style’ protectiveclothing when caught in extremeradiant heat situations.
“One of these burns occurred on 11January where a firefighter receivedserious burns whilst wearing oldstyle overalls instead of the twopiece proban PPC.
“This update sends a messagethat the State Government, the CFSand the fire industry are seriousabout safety.”
The $1.95 million will enable 1,574firefighters to receive upgradedProban Wildland PPC and 1,230firefighters to receive the lateststructural PPC (with flash hoods).
This funding is in addition to, notin lieu of Group managed annualreplacement expenditures for PPC,with garments being replaced on aone-for-one basis.
The PPC is expected to be deliveredby the end of the financial year.
[EQUIPMENT NEWS]
Volunteers need to be aware theSAGRN Helpdesk, also knownas the Telstra NOCC, has
changed slightly with staffing.For any operational issues with GRN
voice and paging coverage and GRNnetwork issues, contact 1300 130 495 (24 hours, seven daysa week)
For GRN administrative issues suchas checking radio id’s aliases, pager
id and aliases, P03 and V03’s,please contact the SAGRN HelpdeskMonday to Friday 8am to 5pm hrs on1300 130 495.
Only technical people will staff theHelpdesk after hours.
Should you have any queriesregarding this, contact Gary BauCFS Communication Coordinator on(08) 8463 4200.
[THE SAGRN HELPDESK]By: Gary Bau, CFS Communications Coordinator
If you have a fault with CFScommunications equipment,please adhere to the following
processes:
For GRN Radios (both vehicle andstation radios)• Contact your GRN approved
service provider for achangeover radio. The Regionaloffice will have a list of serviceproviders and telephonenumbers.
• If it is a portable radio, pleasesend it direct to Motorola
Attention to Liz Phillips,Customer Services Administrator,Motorola Australia Pty Ltd, CGISS– Adelaide, No. 2 Second Avenue,Technology Park, Mawson LakesSA. Phone (08) 8168-3113.
For VHF Radios (both vehicle and portables)• Contact Tetracom P/L
(08) 8357-1500.
For Fire Station Interface Unitsand Alpha off air pagingdecoders• Contact AEC Products P/L
1800 724 464• If you need to send the Alpha
into AEC, label with brigadename and send to 10 William StNorwood 5067.
For any fixed phone problems• Call Telstra 132255.
For any CFS mobile phonesproblems• Call Optus 1300 303 724.
If you have communicationsproblems during an operation ringthe CFS SOCC (08) 8400 1966.
Volunteers from Salisbury CFS modelled thenew PPC at the press conference.Photo: Salisbury CFS
[TO UPGRADE PPC]
CONTACTS FOR FAULTS WITH CFS COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT
By: Gary Bau, CFS Communications Coordinator
$1.95MILLION
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>> A diverse range of products were available for viewing at the conference. Photo: APCO Australasia
The Association of Public SafetyCommunicans AustralasiaConference (APCOA) conference
was held in in Queensland inFebruary 2006.
South Australia was represented atthe conference by members from theJustice Department, South AustralianFire and Emergency ServicesCommission (SAFECOM), StateEmergency Service (SES), CountryFire Service (CFS), SA Police (SAPOL)and Department for AdministrativeInformation Systems (DAIS).
APCO Australasia is the premierpublic safety, communications andIT forum in the Australasian region,and is a chapter of APCOInternational.
With more than 16,000 membersaround the world, the APCO networkexists to serve the people whomange, operate, maintain and
supply communications systemsused to safeguard the lives andproperty of citizens everywhere.
This conference continues to grow in strength as it provides aspecific focus on an important area of the emergency servicesorganisation business.
It provides an excellent opportunityto network with other emergencyservices organisations with likeresponsibilities and suppliers within the public safety technologyenvironment.
Key themes mentioned in mostpresentations were "interoperability"and the rapid advances in technology.
Interoperability is the ability to talkto other agencies in real time at anincident and is an openly talkedabout but rarely actioned concept inmost states.
Many other organisations in other
states have various communicationswhich do not allow for interoperationbetween agencies.
In South Australia we are fortunate that our GovernmentRadio Network (GRN) has the abilityfor us to do this, and it occurs quiteregularly through the use of MultiAgency Talkgroups.
Given the information from variousspeakers we need to take aproactive approach and makeinteroperability genuinely workrather than continuing to put it inthe ‘Too Hard’ basket.
This will require a change of mindsetby not only CFS but also otheremergency services organisations.
Advances in technology places usin a position to be able to create avision for the future and expecttechnology to immediately deliver onour expectations.
This creates a challengingenvironment, as it is too easy to sitback and do nothing whilst waitingfor the next advance. But at thesame time it also creates achallenge to address the way weconduct our business today and how we might in the future.
We live in a mobile world and most things that we currently do infixed locations can be conductedwhilst mobile using the new andemerging technologies.
We need to make a consciousdecision to continue as we are - orembrace new technology and find newand better ways of doing our business.
It is difficult to present a briefingon all the presentations in thisarticle, however here are somepoints of interest and relevance.
By: Janine Fletcher, Manager Technology Integration
ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC SAFETYCOMMUNICANS AUSTRALASIA CONFERENCE
[EQUIPMENT NEWS]
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53HURRICANE KATRINAMr Willis Carter, Chief of Communications, Sheveport Fire Department, Sheveport LA
This was an interestingpresentation as it highlighted howwell we do things and how lucky weare in South Australia whencompared to what occurs in manyareas of the USA.
It appears that each parish, orcouncil as we know them, operatesin isolation in relation totelecommunications.
This is problematic in itself,especially as within each parisheach emergency service uses andoperates their own individual radio
system. Consequently interoperabilityis nigh on impossible.
The key information from thissession was:• The need for interoperability and
common radio systems;• Appropriate disaster planning in
advance;• Common incident command
including a pre plan as to who isin charge;
• The need for adequate funding forcommunications systems.
COMMUNITY INCIDENT WARNING SYSTEM (CIWS)Mr Tony Pearce, Director – Emergency Management and Security, Office of Emergency Services Commissioner(Victoria)
This presentation was on the SMSmessaging trial currently beingconducted in Victoria in conjunctionwith Telstra.
It was portrayed as a process ratherthan a product, with the intent ofdeveloping community partnershipswith the community being an activeparticipant, not a passive one.
The longer-term intent is for this tobe part of an integrated system forall hazards to the community. Thefirst challenge was gettingacceptance of the underpinningtechnology and associated issuessuch as privacy.
The results of this trial are currentlybeing tabulated and are due shortly.
If this were to become a viable optionfor all the community a change inpolitical will would be required so thataccess could be gained to theIntegrated Public Number Data Base (the telephone numbers ofindividual residences), and the cost of telephone calls would need to besignificantly reduced.
CFS has built a relationship withthe Office of Emergency ServicesCommissioner (Vic) and will beassessing the results from the trial.
Further information can be gainedat: www.justic.vic.gov.au then followlinks – Safety – EmergencyManagement – Research inEmergency Management
COMPLEMENTARY DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR RELEVANT TO EMERGENCY SERVICESVPAC
This presentation concentrated onthe use of near real-time, high-bandwidth high-availabilityintegrated solutions.
The initial part of this sessionfocused on the use of ‘SensorNetworks’ that have the ability tomonitor our surroundings.
In the case of bushfire, sensorscould be used to provide wind
speed, direction and humidity.This is a key initiative that is being
further investigated by CFS today.The other area of interest was ‘Grid
Computing’ which is about theability to share major computingresources.
Further information can be gainedat: www.Vpac.org andwww.gridcomputing.com/gridfaq.html
LONDON’S RESPONSE TO THE JULY 2005 BOMBINGSMr Janson Killens, Operations Manager, London Ambulance Service (LAS)
This was an extremely interestingpresentation, which highlighted thechallenges faced on that day and inthe following weeks.
Positive lessons learned from theincident were:• The value of tried and tested
procedures;• Established cross agency
relationships;
• Defined command structures;• Staff welfare and resilience
planning.What didn’t go well:
• Communications, both externaland internal;
• Information management;• Ability to manage expectations.
TELSTRA 3G – THE NETWORK OF THE FUTUREMr Michael Swadling – Technology Infrastructure Manager, Telstra 3G
This was another interestingpresentation that gave an overviewof where mobile networks areheading and their ability to transfersignificant amounts of data quickly.
Currently Telstra has threenetworks, which we know as CDMA,GSM and a 3G network that isshared with Hutchinson Telcoms.
This is poor use of infrastructure.
as much of it is duplicated.In moving to the next generation of
technology, 3G Telstra will roll outtheir own network on a lowerfrequency band to the network thatthey currently share.
3GSM is similar to existing CDMAand rollout will be completed by endof year 2006.
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Many thanks to all thoseinvolved in our recent propertyfire on Friday, 20 January.
With the dedicated efforts offriends, neighbours andnumerous Country Fire Serviceunits, a major disaster wasavoided.
Special thanks to those whocontacted Margaret expressingtheir concern and offeringassistance.
Contrary to some reports thelightning strike was witnessed atapproximately 11.50am on the“Wauraltee” property, from wherethe fire spread rapidly to theWeckerts, Seidels, Hansens andscrubland.
Brian and Margaret Appelbee,“Wauraltee”, Yumali.(Murray Valley Standard, 2
February 2006)
Bushfire assistance - thanks
There are not too many thingsmore stressful than breakingdown during peak hour trafficand it happened to me twice in15 minutes.
I was travelling in my privatevehicle from a course atBrukunga, and as I was comingtowards the city I noticed mygauges were not functioning. Atthe toll-gate intersection the carstalled and refused to start.
During a panicked mobile phonecall to my husband I recognisedthe face a smiling CFS volunteer(Chris Kiessling from Burnside)offering help. After getting meout of the intersection andgetting my car started again hesent me on my way to travel theshort distance home.
However, I was soon in troubleagain at another majorintersection only to be assistedby James Pinkerton (who I laterdiscovered is a CFS volunteer atBridgewater) who got me off the road again and got the carstarted (which was later towed away).
I was struck by the coincidenceof being rescued by two CFSvolunteers but not at allsurprised that the two peoplethat offered assistance were CFSvolunteers.
Thanks so much to those twospecific volunteers and tovolunteers who go out of theirway everyday to help people onand off CFS duties.
CFS volunteers to the rescue By: Leanne Adams, CFS Incident Management Project Officer
The Australia Day honors award should go to the bravest people Iknow – namely the CFS members who risk their lives daily in our fire-prone state.
Pam Waugh, Rostrevor(The Advertiser, 27 January 2006)
I pay tribute to the selflessnessof the people from the suburbs ofAdelaide, who went to Cowell tofight fires and then to the FlindersRanges, at a moment’s notice lastweek, and stayed as long as theywere needed, missing out on allthe celebrations.
Many of these volunteers wereyoung folk who had given manyhours learning to be firefighters.They give many hours to
practicing for such emergencies,just trying to make a difference inthe community.
I take my hat off to the muchmaligned CFS, and I hope thistime the people they went to helpappreciate that all their effortsare voluntary and out of concernfor their fellow men.
Eileen M ChristisonHackham(The Advertiser, 5 January 2006)
My family and I would like toextend a huge thank you to all theamazing CFS personnel whoprotected our lovely Baudin Beachon Sunday 22 January.
Your skill and dedication isgreatly appreciated.
It is unfortunate there iscriticism in the communityregarding some of the tacticsemployed during the Dudley fire.
While constructive criticism is
always valuable it is important tolook at the bigger picture.
The fire raged for over a week indifficult terrain, and withchallenging weather; and not oneproperty or life was lost.
You are definitely all AustraliaDay heroes to us.
Natasha Kearslake and familyBaudin Beach(The Islander, 2 February 2006)
CFS Protectors
CFS heroes
City firefighters
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CFS action praised
We are the owners of Lot 101Delabole Road, Willunga whichwas sadly burnt on Monday 16January 2006.
We would like to pass on oursincere thanks to each and every person involved including,all volunteer firefighters, aircraft pilots, coordinationdepartments, officials in charge,machinery operators, police andall locals that came to offer help and support.
It was a truly inspirational sightto see land and aircraft from allover Adelaide working side by side.
Having not actually witnessed abushfire before we werespeechless at the number ofvolunteers that attended theblaze. All with kind words bothduring and after the blaze was contained.
It was unfortunate that the firejumped into our property,especially on such aninaccessible piece of land. Sadlywe did lose most of our feed, butwith no stock losses we feelextremely lucky.
Our two young boys think of youall as heroes because you saved‘their boys’ (our steers)
So please take care out thereand keep up the ‘amazing’ jobyou all do – you are all heroes to us.
I know the neighbours aroundour farm feel the same way if notmore because you saved theirhomes.
It seems such a little word, butfrom our family to you all –THANK YOU
Kind Regards,Robert Minnis and Cheryl Nash
Dear Editor,I know that you have already
received letters from many peopleexpressing their thanks for theheroic and prolonged efforts ofthe CFS, both local and from themainland in dealing with thespreading fire from Mouth Flat.
Because of the fickle changesin winds over the week, the blazethreatened a number of housesand the lives of humans and oflivestock not to mention fencingand pasturing, sheds andmachinery.
However, I would on behalf of ourfamily, like to add my thanks andexpress our admiration of the CFS –at times protecting othersproperties when their own wereendangered – and for thewonderful community support forthe firefighters maintainingcommunications, providing food,and in many other ways at a veryworrying and trying time.
Dick RischbiethAmerican Beach(The Islander, 23 February)
A final thank you to CFS
A huge thank you and well doneto all those who were in any wayinvolved in fighting the recentfires on Dudley Peninsula.
It was a heroic effort underterrible conditions.
One firefighter I spoke tomodestly shrugged it off andsaid, “We were only doing whatwe’re trained to do; it’s thecommunity who deserve the
thanks for all the support theygave us.”
But, as relative newcomers to KI,we were in awe of the wayeveryone, fire crews andcommunity alike, swung intoaction and did the job. You alldeserve a medal.
Less Montanjees and Pat Goodwin Penneshaw(The Islander, 2 February 2006)
A huge thank you
Sir:- May we, through TheCourier, thank all those whofought the fire which broke out onour neighbour’s property atKanmantoo on Thursday 19 January.
Due to their combined efforts,property and stock losses wereavoided. The pinpoint work of thewater bombers and the responseof the CFS were great for morale
during the crisis, but we wouldlike to offer special thanks to thelocal farmers who arrived quietly,did a sterling job and quietlyfaded away when the work was done.
Thanks neighbours.Roz and Neil ManuelKanmantoo(The Courier, 25 Jan)
We would like to express oursincere thanks to all firefightersinvolved in battling the recentcrop fire at Reeves Plains.
Although it was unfortunate ourneighbours lost a crop, it iscertain that prompt action savedhouses and livestock nearby.
It was reassuring to us all inthe Reeves Plains district towitness such a rapid andcomprehensive response by somany CFS units and well
prepared, willing neighbours. As adjacent landowners we
were at risk of losing crops,livestock, homestead, sheds anda sanctuary of rare native plantsif the wind had changed and/orthe fire had spread.
Our grateful thanks to everyoneinvolved.
Neil Gregor Nancy & Allan BennettReeves Plains(The Bunyip, 21 December 2005)
We would like to thank all thefarmers and CFS volunteers whohelped to fight the fire started bylightning at Apoinga (viaRobertstown) on 21 and 22January.
Their prompt action and effortsin the extreme weather conditions
and their continued vigilance forseveral days after the fire hadbeen contained ensured our safetyand protected the properties ofthe people of our districts.
David and Lyn NichollsBlack Springs(Stock Journal, 16 February 2006)
Thank you to all CFS volunteers
Fire thanks
Thanks to firefighters
[ JULIE LOVETT ]
As a 15 year old, just out ofschool Julie was seekingdirection in her life and she
thought the CFS would be a bit of fun.“I used to ride my horse up and down
the street past the parade at thestation on a Thursday night,” Julie said.
“I was looking for some directionand purpose in my life at the timeand the brigade helped steer medown the right path.
“Even back in those days thisbrigade was quite progressive, mostbrigades were directing women tothe kitchen but I was able to assistin the communications room.
“I wasn’t allowed to go on theappliances until I was 18, so I
specialised in the radio room for anumber of years.”
On a changing brigadeJulie says the brigade has always
blossomed with a younger membership.“Burnside has always been different
in that regard. Most brigades tend tohave a larger proportion of oldermembers, whereas even when Ijoined, we had a large number ofyoung people,” she said.
“It is good to see some keen youngpeople around willing to keep thebrigade moving forward.
“We’ve always prided ourselves onlooking at equipment above thestandard level, the Volvo appliance
SPEAKING WITH
Julie Lovett was one of the first females to join the Burnside brigade morethan 30 years ago. She recently shared a few of her thoughts with ‘Volunteer ’.
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SPEAKING WITH
(Burnside Pumper) is a perfectexample of that.
“In 1982 it was the best moneycould buy, some people criticised usfor purchasing such a state-of-the-art appliance, however it’s stood thetest of time, it’s still going strong.”
The State HAZMAT role is one thatalso continues to change.
“HAZMAT started out as a smallstate support function but it has nowevolved to be a highly specialisedrole requiring a big commitment totraining and operations,” Julie said.
“We have a few members thatconcentrate on it whilst everyone elseprovides support.
“The increased CBR threat meansthat everyone has to be familiar withnew techniques and training toensure we are ready for any scenario.”
On 11 January
Burnside were first on the scene atthe Mount Osmond fire, and their
actions helped save a number of houses.
“The fire at Mount Osmond was ahuge save, the conditions that daywere similar to what we saw on AshWednesday, if it wasn’t for somegreat work by CFS crews who werevery quickly on the scene and theheli-tankers we could have had asignificant problem,” Julie said.
“It was a boost to brigade morale,our guys really felt like they made adifference that day, althoughresponding back to smoking stumps and trees for weeks after got a bit tiresome.”
Julie also spends many hours as aSenior Firefighter with the Region 1Operations brigade.
“In 1994 when we sent crews toNew South Wales I was asked by our Group Officer to assist in theRegional Office with organising the deployment.
“This was my first taste of incident
management and it was something Ienjoyed,” Julie said.
“I then joined the Operations brigadeand haven’t looked back since.
“The brigade has come along waysince then, initially we were justanswering telephones in the office,now we have significant incidentmanagement roles during incidents.
“During the fire season I equallyshare my time between Burnsideand the Operations brigade.”
On the VFBA / WOCFS
As a delegate for the VFBA for 15years and a member of the Womenof the CFS (WOCFS) committee, Juliesays things are looking good for thefuture of the service.
“The VFBA is looking strong, and ispushing us forward in a positivedirection - there are some goodinitiatives being developed.
“We just need to try to get everyonelooking at the bigger picture, rather
than just concentrating on their ownsmall patch.
“The Women of the CFS committeehas been instrumental in pushingforward issues affecting females,and the results are starting tobecome clear when you compare usto some of the fire servicesinterstate, we are a long way ahead
“Things have come a long wayfrom the days when womenremained in the kitchen makingsandwiches.
“These days, it’s great to see bothmen and women working equally onthe fireground and in operationalsupport roles,” Julie said.
As a self-employed mobilehairdresser, Julie has now found agood balance in her life.
“I’ve got a good balance betweenmy work, volunteering and sportinglife. I think it’s an important thing tohave to keep an even focus on thingsso that you don’t get burnt out.”
Adesire to “put something backinto the community” saw PeterSmallacombe join the
Gladstone brigade in 1978. And witha strong belief that in small townseveryone helps out in some way, heis still helping as a member of theCFS, 27 years later.
Peter grew up in the Gladstonearea, completing an apprenticeshipas a fitter and turner at the PortPirie BHP smelters in the 1970s. He
then repaired farm machinery for ashort while before moving to theLaura Hospital where he has workedfor the last 22 years as amaintenance officer. He is marriedto Heather and together they havethree children.
In 1984, Peter as a firefighterskipped the ranks to be elected asbrigade Captain. Throughout his timewith the Gladstone brigade heattended many incidents and had
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[ PETERSMALLACOMBE ]
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Bob Davis, Captain of theMount Gambier and PortMacDonnell Group Operations
and Logistics brigade, haswelcomed the arrival of thebrigade’s new Toyota CruiserOperations vehicle.
“It’s a far cry from the first vehicleI ever went on,” said Bob as herecalled the days of responding onthe back of the district fire unit.
At 59 years of age, Bob still liveson the OB Flat property that wasfirst established by his GreatGrandfather in 1858.
“Attending to bushfires with my
family was just a normal part ofgrowing up on the farm. It’s the veryculture of the rural lifestyle, andonce it’s part of who you are, itremains a part of your personalityforever,” Bob said.
“But the personality of the CFShas definitely changed,” hecontinued. “Originally we’d respondto two or three bushfires a year,have an annual meeting andthere’d be no paper work. As we allknow, the role has changeddramatically since then!”
Bob is a retired dairy farmer buthas no intention of retiring from his
[ BOBDAVIS ]
SPEAKING WITH
By: Brenton Ragless
the opportunity to participate in avariety of training courses, includingBreathing Apparatus and Hazmat.
Peter was elected Group Officer ofthe Rocky River Group in 1994, andwhen they amalgamated with theJamestown group in 1997, Peterbecame the Bundaleer Group Officer- a position he holds with pride today.
Peter says the “CFS has had many great moments, theopportunity to travel to New SouthWales in the summer of 2002 and to Victoria in 2003 was one of thebiggest highlights.”
“The CFS really showed howprofessional we are and it was anhonour to work with the crews onthose deployments.”
On receiving awards
Peter is also very proud of the twocommendations he has receivedfrom his work with the CFS.
“In 2003 I received a ministerialcommendation, and in January thisyear I was awarded the AustralianFire Service Medal (AFSM). Thatholds pride and place aboveeverything, it’s just a huge honour tohave that awarded to you,” he said.
Peter also received the GladstoneCommunity Senior Award in October2005, as a part of Gladstone's
125th birthday celebrations. “People don’t join the CFS for the
awards and accolades, but when youreceive something like the AFSM youcan’t knock it back, it makes mevery proud.”
On changes in the CFS
Peter believes the amount ofchanges and training that occurswithin the CFS does sometimesmake it difficult for volunteers.
“Most people however dounderstand that change isnecessary to increase our safety onthe fireground,“ he said.
“It can be a challenge to keep thecrews adequately trained to therequired standards, and since Ijoined in all those years ago, the CFShas undergone enormous change.
“We have transformed from a ruralfire brigade with little command andcontrol, to a professionalorganisation who continues to offergreat service to the community.
“I do think we have to be carefulnot to overload the volunteers, it’soften hard to absorb continualchange and we need to ensure thatpeople don’t burn out. There are onlyso many people in country towns.
“Every now and then we lose acouple of members due to people
moving on but then it sorts itself outas someone else moves into thetown and joins the brigade.
“All the brigades in our group workhard to meet the Standard FireEmergency Covers for membership
“Our fire fighters are committed to the job and know they have a big responsibility.
“During the fire season we alwaysrespond two brigades to an incident,we have a very high fuel load in theBundaleer forest as well and there is always the potential threat tolocal crops.
“We can’t afford to be complacentin our response. When the pressureis on everyone pulls together and performs.”
On the CFS doing well
Peter believes that the CFS has a solidethic of openness and transparency.
“I believe the CFS is up front andopen. If there is an issue that needsto be addressed they do their best toresolve it,” he said.
“That really stands out as importantto me, and it’s a philosophy that I liketo maintain in my own life.
“I am also a firm believer in praiseand accolades being handed around,it’s the guys on the frontline that areputting themselves in danger, they’re
the ones who deserve the awards.” Peter is also pleased to see new
equipment coming into the regionand the group.
“Brigades in Region Four are nowbeginning to replace their old vehicleswith refurbished appliances,” he said.
“Our group would have noproblems receiving a vehicle thathas spent time in a busier brigade,it just makes sense.”
Another area which just makes senseto Peter is a sound relationship withother emergency services in the area.
“We have a great workingrelationship with the otheremergency services in the area.
“We work very closely with theLaura SES at motor vehicleaccidents, everyone just gets on withthe job and there is never a problem.
“We’re all people often doing a verysimilar job, but just arriving indifferent trucks and wearingdifferent colour turn-out gear.
“We are in a small community andeveryone has to support each other,so there is no room for inter-servicerivalries, at the end of the day we’reall just neighbours helping eachother out,” Peter said.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 57
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CFS commitment. In 2005, hecompleted his 40th year as a CFS volunteer.
“It goes beyond just a communityservice. When the brigade getstogether for training, incidents orother meetings, it’s not out ofobligation, it’s out of friendshipand a sense of familyinvolvement,” Bob said.
“I enjoy what I do and consider it a privilege to be the Captain of a brigade.”
From the Witness StandBob recalls how he spent two days
on the witness stand during theenquiry into the Ash Wednesdaybushfires of 1983.
“We didn’t have any legalrepresentation back then so wereally didn’t know what to expect orhow to really answer the questions.But I distinctly remember lookingaround in that court room and itwas obvious that most people hadno real comprehension of what Iwas explaining to them what I saw,”Bob said.
“I’d tell them how the flames were600 to 800 feet high in the air, thatthe fire was in complete control and
there was nothing mankind could doto stop it. But their response was nodifferent to if I had told them Iwitnessed a car accident.”
“I’ve been watching with interestthe progress of the current CoronialInvestigation on the Eyre Peninsula.I can see more and more peoplewanting to be compensated afterevents like this and perhaps itssomething that we as an emergencyservice need to come to expect inthis current day and age.”
“I don’t think people will stopvolunteering their time for fear ofbeing sued. There just needs to bethe support and perhaps even thetraining and education that thepotential for litigation is very real andwe need to prepare against it withevery job we respond to,” Bob said.
Pagers - A blessing or a curse?
“While I think technology is great, Ido wonder what our volunteer calloutnumbers would be like if we didn’thave the pager messages thatprovide us with text,” said Bob.
“For most of my years as a memberof the CFS, the telephone and firestations sirens have been used to
alert volunteers to a brigade response.“It was only about a dozen or so
years ago that we were issuedpagers that just ‘beeped’ to alert usto a brigade response. That wasgood because we always had firefighters who enthusiasticallyresponded to the station,” he said.
“But with the current pagersystem, which is text based,members can read what the incidentis and therefore can choose if theywant to respond. If it’s nothing morethan a fixed alarm or a rubbish binfire, it’s harder to get peopleresponding to the station. People aremore limited with their availabilitythese days so they have to makethose choices.
“On the other hand, it obviouslyhelps us as volunteers to prepare forwhat we might encounter on thefireground not to mention obtainingcritical information such as firebans and severe weather forecasts.
“So, I don’t really know what theanswer is. However, text-alert pagermessages have certainly meant thatall members are better informed ofCFS activity than we ever havebeen,” Bob said.
Recruiting new volunteers“The CFS is one of a hundred or so
volunteer-based organisations in SAthat people could choose to join ifthey wanted to,” Bob said.
“Most of those organisations willhave you involved on the front linestraight away. In turn, thevolunteers feel like they’re makingan immediate contribution and are more enthusiastic with their involvement.
“As for the CFS, it’s six months ormore before the probationary periodis finished, the police check iscomplete, the members havecompleted their first training course,received all their personalequipment and be able to ride in thefire truck cabin.
“Everyone agrees it’s a realprivilege being a CFS member andit’s a huge responsibility. Obviouslythere are requirements that needto be met but it’s a fairly involvedprocess to become a CFS volunteerand I wonder if this process wasstreamlined whether we’d haverecruits stick around for longer,”he said.
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<< Dusk on the northernsector at the Robertstownfire, Sun.
Photo: Alan Julian,Cherry Gardens
<< After a hard fight at Willunga.
Photo: Emmanuel Cusack ofLittlehampton CFS
BELOW:Aldgate CFS crew pumping outthe flooded cellar of a localbusiness during the flooding inNovember 2005.
Photo: Tina Stoeger,Bridgewater CFS
>>
BELOW LEFT:Bomber appearing out of duststorm created by other bombertaking off at Burra Fire - Dec 05.
Photo: Stephanie Thomas,Stirling North CFS
>>W
INN
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KEEP THOSE
CAMERAS SNAPPING!
Send your photos into Volunteer
and help everyone reminisce, laugh
and show the CFS at its best.
You could win a mystery
prize to the value of $50 by entering
the Volunteer photo competition.
Air Base Ops - Burra Fire.Photo: Stephanie Thomas
Stirling North CFS
CFS involved in backburning operations atWestern Flat. Photo: Rex Hall
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:
1. The competition is open to amateurphotographers only.
2. Photographs may be of any subjectbut must either include CFSpersonnel in turnout gear or uniform,or include CFS events or incidentsattended by CFS brigades.
3. Photographs must have been takenby the entrant and the photograph orits negative must not be enhanced bycomputer or other means.
4. The size of each photograph mustnot exceed 210 x 295mm (A4 size).
5. Only one entry per person perquarterly competition.
6. All entries become the property of theCFS. The CFS may use the entry forany of its non-profit publications ordisplays with due acknowledgmentmade of the photographer.
7. Please enclose your name, address,brigade (if applicable), telephonenumber and a description of thephoto on a separate sheet of paper.
<<
<<
SA COUNTRY FIRE SERVICE
STATE HEADQUARTERS
Level 7, 60 Waymouth Street, Adelaide
GPO Box 2468, Adelaide SA 5001
T: 08 8463 4200
F: 08 8463 4234
W: www.cfs.org.au
CFS Bushfire Information Hotline: 1300 362 361
REGIONAL OFFICES
REGION 1Mount Lofty Ranges and Kangaroo Island
75 Gawler Street, Mount Barker SA 5251
T: 08 8391 1866
F: 08 8391 1877
REGION 2Mount Lofty Ranges, Yorke Peninsula
and Lower North
8 Redbanks Road, Willaston SA 5118
T: 08 8522 6088
F: 08 8522 6404
REGION 3Murraylands and Riverland
Corner of Second Street and Seventh Street
Murray Bridge SA 5253
T: 08 8532 6800
F: 08 8532 6220
REGION 4Flinders, Mid North and Pastoral areas
3 Main Street, Port Augusta SA 5700
T: 08 8642 2399
F: 08 8641 0176
REGION 5South East46 Smith Street, Naracoorte SA 5271
T: 08 8762 2311
F: 08 8762 1865
REGION 6Eyre Peninsula and West Coast
Level 1, Jobomi House
48 Liverpool Street, Port Lincoln SA 5606
T: 08 8682 4266
F: 08 8682 6569
STATE TRAINING CENTRE (BRUKUNGA)
6 Pyrites Road, Brukunga SA 5252
T: 08 8398 9900
F: 08 8388 6997
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN VOLUNTEER
FIRE BRIGADES ASSOCIATION
17 Wirriga Street, Regency Park SA 5010
T: 08 8244 6500
F: 08 8244 6400
W: www.savfba.org.au
VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT BRANCH
1300 364 587
OBITUARY
[ IRENE WILSONANDERSON ]
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In memory of firefighter Irene WilsonAnderson (formerly Semmler).Born 4 August 1935. Irene passed away
peacefully on 7 September 2005 and wasa past member of Echunga CFS and thepast Secretary and President of what wasMylor brigade.
OBITUARY
[ JOSEPH MICHAELKAVANAGH ]In memory of Joseph Michael Kavanagh. Born 1st January 1949 and passed away
on 20 February 2006. Joseph is formerlyfrom Echunga CFS and was the past FireControl officer and Lieutenant.
Emergency & Safety Systems
PO BOX 963 FLAGSTAFF HILL SA 5159PHONE: 0417 814 341 FAX: (08) 8370 6332ABN: 11918733567E-mail : [email protected]
UPGRADE YOUR APPLIANCE TO
THE LATEST LED EMERGENCY
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