5833 RFS- Bulletin #3 · 2013. 10. 24. · bushfire bulletin vol24#03 mt warning – incident report in this issue 03 sydney convoy for kids 10 incident management 13 fire investigation

BUSHFIREBULLETIN

VOL24#03

MT WARNING –INCIDENT REPORT

IN THIS ISSUE

03SYDNEY CONVOYFOR KIDS

10INCIDENTMANAGEMENT

13FIREINVESTIGATION

25VOLUNTEERRELATIONS

27

T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E N S W R U R A L F I R E S E R V I C E

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BUSHFIREBULLETINVOL24#03

CONTENTS COMMISSIONER’S FOREWORD1 GENERAL NEWS

03 Mt Warning – Incident Report04 Service in the Prime with new

partnership04 The Rocks Bushfire Appeal thankyou05 Medowie Brigade ‘signs on’06 Fence sitting pays dividends06 Kenthurst Volunteer Bushfire Brigade07 Planning legislation amendments07 Christmas 2001 Bushfire Appeal Funds08 RFS Library10 Sydney Convoy for Kids10 Business Continuity Management11 Health and Safety12 Critical Incident Support Service12 Premier’s Emergency Service AwardIBC Rate card

2 OPERATIONS

13 Incident management14 Organisational structure17 Fire permits18 US deployment19 Abnormal winter weather kick starts

bushfire danger period

3 COMMUNITY SAFETY

20 Barbeques Galore – New partnershipwith NSW RFS

21 Media on the fireground21 Crime stoppers

4 CHAPLAINS MESSAGE

22 Christmas message 2002

5 RFSA

24 Newsletter

6 FIRE INVESTIGATION

25 Investigation checklist

7 VOLUNTEER RELATIONS

27 Meet the Manager

The current Bushfire season will be recorded as one of the busiest. Ourvolunteers have had to deal with more than eight thousand incidentssince July.

The drought conditions that prevail over so much of New South Waleshave given rise to a number of large and extended firefighting campaigns.Notable amongst them the Northern Tablelands, the North Coast, theHunter, the Mid-North Coast, the Blue Mountains and the HawkesburyRegion, just to name a few.

These fires have necessitated crews from many parts of the Statehaving to travel long distances, be away from home and work, and sufferno small degree of discomfort and inconvenience. I suspect strongly thatmuch of the New South Wales community does not fully appreciate thescale of sacrifice made by our Rural Fire Service volunteers and it behovesus all to work to the highest degree of public awareness as is possible.

Our volunteers have done remarkably well this fire season but at nosmall cost. Tragically, John Overton of the Kanimbla brigade lost his lifeduring an operation on September 21st. We all share the grief felt by hisfamily and friends to whom we again send our heartfelt sympathy andcondolences. John’s passing, as with those who went before him, are starkreminders of just how dangerous is the job our firefighters do. We must always strive to ensure optimum safety on the fireground andthat is a responsibility that we all share.

Whilst more than 35 residential properties have been lost so far thisseason, countless others owe their survival to the dedication, commitmentand professionalism of our volunteers and if things haven’t been hardenough thus far, there is little prospect of improvement in the monthsto come.

If, as has been suggested, this dreadful drought extends into the NewYear, I suspect we will face some daunting challenges.

I want to extend my personal thanks to all Rural Fire Servicevolunteers, staff and those who support them for some truly magnificentresults in a very, very difficult fire management environment. I am veryconscious of the stresses and strains encountered by our members inmeeting the demands of a fire season such as we are experiencing.I assure you that we will continue to do our best to provide as good abalance as we can achieve between the competing demands on ourmembers.

It is timely also to thank our interstate colleagues for coming to ouraid during the recent campaigns and to assure them that in the event thatwe may be able to reciprocate their generosity, we will do so withouthesitation.

My wish for you is that Christmas dawns wet and misty and that you allspend time with your loved ones, recognising that you have had littleopportunity to do so in recent months.

Thank you all for your outstanding efforts, your commitment tocommunity safety and may I extend to you my wishes for a safe and joyousChristmas… you most certainly deserve one.

Regards

PPhhiill KKooppeerrbbeerrgg

Cover photo by Meeka Bailey

The views expressed in articles in the BushfireBulletin do not necessarily reflect the views orthe policies of the NSW Rural Fire Service.

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1 GENERAL NEWS

Photo by Sean Davey

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Mt Warning, where the dawn sun first touchesmainland Australia, was one of the first areasin the State to be affected by this year’s earlybush fire season.

The fire started on a Eungella privateproperty on the slope of Three Tops Mountainand entered the world heritage listed MtWarning National Park on Thursday,5 September.

Although relatively small, the blaze stirredinterest as it threatened pristine rainforest andhomes, destroyed fruit plantations andhighlighted the potential of the upcoming fireseason.

“The fire was very erratic and in an arearecognised for its natural beauty andenvironmental importance,’’ Tweed Fire ControlOfficer, Superintendent Dave Cook said.

“The bush fire danger period had beendeclared early and we had already attendedsome other fires but this one causedconsiderable concern because of its location.”

“The Eungella area hasn’t had significantrain since last year and was the driest localshad ever experienced.”

“Although we lost 60ha of plantations,grazing land and the fire entered the NationalPark there was not a great deal of damage tothe rainforest itself.”

Tweed Fire Control Centre put the call toTyalgum Brigade at 1030, which arrived to findtwo unnaturally lit fires.

One was burning up the steep slope of ThreeTops Mountain through a banana plantationwhile the other destroyed a mango plantationcloser to the Tyalgum Murwillumbah Rd.

Six more RFS fire tankers with 18 personnelwere called to assist as concern mounted forproperties in Hidden Valley between Three Topsand Mt Warning.

Crews concentrated on property protectionfor the dozen homes and plantations in HiddenValley as the fire raced for the settlement.

Containment of the eastern flank wasachieved and another banana plantation savedby 2100 hours.

Attention turned to the western flank and adry rocky ridge to stop the fire’s westwardspread through National Park.

Volatile, erratic fire behaviour and steepslopes around 36 degrees hamperedfirefighters’ access to the area.

They continued work on containment linesthroughout the night and helicopter water-bombing on the ridge began on the morning ofFriday, 6 September.

Fuelled by extreme weather conditions andassisted by inaccessible country the fire crossedthe dry ridge and began to burn to the peak ofThree Tops.

Patrols of Hidden Valley properties beganagain as the fire threatened to drop over thecliff face into the settlement.

Despite the dry conditions, lush rainforestvegetation formed a natural containment lineallowing firefighters to keep the fire to thedrier ridgeline of Three Tops Mountain.

Regular surveillance and patrol was stillnecessary to ensure the safety of Hidden Valley

properties.With the threat to Hidden Valley reduced,

focus on day five, Monday 10 September,shifted to property protection for ruralresidences on Tyalgum Rd, then threatened bythe northern flanks of the fire.

The initial urge to light a backburn waschecked by the problems posed by steeptopography and the need to prevent the firetaking off up the mountain, creating furtherpressure on the then delicate naturalcontainment line on the southern flank.

In close consultation with NPWS a thoroughplan was formulated to protect homes andmove the fire away from the heritage-listedarea without pressuring the southerncontainment line.

MT WARNING –GILBERTS FIRE, EUNGELLA INCIDENT REPORT

VOLATILE, ERRATIC FIRE BEHAVIOUR AND STEEPSLOPES AROUND 36 DEGREES HAMPEREDFIREFIGHTERS’ ACCESS TO THE AREA.

Photo by Tweed Daily Newspaper Photographer John Holdsworth

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It was decided to wait for the fire to creepdown the hill, almost reaching properties alongTyalgum Road, before starting the backburn.

The backburn took place precisely at 0610on Monday 10 September and “went likeclockwork”, Supt Cook said.

As the fire approached the nearest homes ahighly coordinated 6km backburn was lit easingthe threat to properties by late evening.

By day 8, Thursday 13 September, the firewas contained along Wollumbin Creek and bythe wet forest on Three Tops Mt, enabling NPWSand RFS to further consolidate containmentlines by mopping up and patrolling.

Monitoring and patrolling continued forthree days before the fire was declared out onMonday, 16 September.

About 740ha of land was consumed. At the height of the fire seven RFS tankers

with 35 personnel, two RFS command vehicles,one NPWS striker, one helicopter and one SESunit were involved.Story by Meeka Bailey

Mr Brent Harman, CEO Prime Television, andCommissioner Phil Koperberg, said thecommunity partnership was a logical step fortwo organisations operating in rural New SouthWales and would provide both organisationswith a strong community based focus.

Mr Harman added, “NSW Rural Fire Serviceis a vital and important service to the peopleof our state and the support of such anorganisation is essential to the well being ofthe communities in which Prime operates.”

Commissioner Koperberg said, “It is vitallyimportant that we as an organisation providethe community with information on how toprevent and prepare for bushfires. Thispartnership provides the conduit by which todisseminate these messages. It will beextremely beneficial to both us and thecommunity.”

The NSW Rural Fire Service has recentlyproduced four television commercials worth atotal of $20,000 using a cash donation fromPrime Television.

The commercials are an integral part of ajoint community education campaign teachingthe role of the RFS and bushfire safety withinthe regional and remote areas of the state.

The key messages communicated by thetelevision commercials are that RFS membersare part of a volunteer organisation that hasbeen providing the NSW community with fireprotection services 24 hours per day for morethan 100 years.

To promote the message, CorporateCommunications produced and directed fourscenarios showing the diverse range offirefighting activities that Service memberscarry out: grassfires, bushfires, structural firesand motor vehicle accidents.

The commercials were produced using RFSmembers and were filmed in regional areasincluding Tamworth, Moree, Singleton andCastle Hill.

Dear Assist. Comm Trevor Anderson,On behalf of the Sydney Harbour ForeshoreAuthority, thank you for attending the chequepresentation ceremony and morningtea on 12April. It was great to see you there.

Our tenants were pleased to have beenrecognised and commended for theircontribution to the Premier’s Bushfire Appeal,and to have you, as a member of the AppealCommittee, to accept their cheque.

Yours sincerelyGreg RobinsonChief Executive OfficerSydney Harbour Foreshore Authority

SERVICE IN THE PRIMEWITH NEW PARTNERSHIP

THE ROCKSBUSHFIRE APPEALTHANK YOU

Photo by Tweed Daily Newspaper Photographer John Holdsworth


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Medowie Brigade, north of Newcastle, leadsthe way in station signage with the its newbuilding sign put up on 5 August 2002.

The sign is the first of its kind to carry thenew corporate tagline… ”for our community”and clearly identifies the station as belongingto the NSW RFS.

“We wanted the sign to differentiate usfrom the other fire and emergency agencies inour community so that people would know thatwe are the RFS,” said Medowie Deputy Captain,Jim Sanderson.

The Medowie sign is a credit to the Brigadeand proves the importance of written goals.

“The Brigade had been talking aboutgetting a new sign for almost five years, butonce we wrote the goal down we achieved it inless than six months,” said Jim.

Funds raised through a community trivianight paid for the sign and also provided asurplus of more than $3,000, which was usedon equipment including several GlobalPositioning System units.

New signage guidelines based on this signwill be developed by CorporateCommunications for all brigade buildingsacross the Service to create a professional andconsistent image in local communities.Story by Zoë Townsend

MEDOWIE BRIGADE ‘SIGNS ON’

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The Greater Union Organisation has raised atotal of $30,560 for the benefit of the NSWRural Fire Service with charity screenings ofthe Australian film Rabbit Proof Fence.

Screened on 13 February 2002, 4312 ticketsto the film were sold at a special price of fivedollars with all proceeds being donated to theService.

Following the screenings, Greater Unionpresented three cheques: one each to theCampbelltown District and Kiama/ShellharbourDistrict, which were amongst the hardest hit inlast summer's fires, and another to the NSWRural Fire Service Head Office.

Director of Rabbit Proof Fence, Phillip Noycesaid, “the courage that my film highlights andthe courage we saw every day from ourfirefighters makes it appropriate for RabbitProof Fence to be screened to help raise fundsfor the NSW Rural Fire Service.”

All screenings were sold out at Glendale,Tuggerah, Castle Hill, Macquarie, Shellharbour,Campbelltown, Hornsby, Burwood and Miranda.

FENCE SITTINGPAYS DIVIDENDS

KENTHURST VOLUNTEER BUSHFIRE BRIGADE:60 YEARS ON AND STILL GOING STRONG

activities, was the construction of the meetingroom over 15 years ago, when membersindependently raised funds for materials andbuilt the room themselves.

“Like all brigades it’s the people that makeKenthurst special,” says Bruce Linton, DeputyCaptain and Brigade President “they’re just agreat bunch of people to work with. Over theyears the faces change but the commitmentand camaraderie stay just the same.”

Kenthurst Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade in theBaulkham Hills Shire, north west of Sydney,celebrated its 60th anniversary of communityservice on 23 March 2002.

Formed during the war years to protect thelocal community from bushfires, the 40members of the Brigade aged between 15 and60 plus years, provide emergency responses toincidents ranging from bushfires and housefires to motor vehicle accidents and stormdamage.

"“Kenthurst Brigade has assisted at almostevery major fire in the Sydney area, from thefires in the sixties through to the ChristmasBushfire crisis last year,” said Stuart Frost,Deputy Captain.

One of the great achievements of theKenthurst Brigade, apart from operational

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Destruction of property caused by the Christmas2001 fires has prompted new rules for building onbush fire prone land.

Some homes lost last December and Januarywere built in steep bush land, lacked defensibleareas for firefighters to work with, were hard toaccess and evacuate or failed constructionstandards.

These are issues that can be dealt with early inthe planning stages of building development.

Changes to the Rural Fires Act 1997 andEnvironmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979dictate that councils must produce maps of areasat risk of bush fire and developers must meetplanning guidelines and construction standardsthat take fire hazards into account.

The Service is responsible for ensuringmeasures are taken to make properties safer andwill review some applications, but councils are stillthe ultimate consent authorities.

“It is not the intention of the new measures toprevent the development of land in bushfire pronelocations,” RFS Planning and EnvironmentalServices Manager, Grahame Douglas, said.

“However, in order to provide adequateprotection from bushfire it may be necessary tomodify the style, construction material or locationof a building.”

The aim is to reduce the impact of bush fire onresidential areas by arming Councils anddevelopers with information on what land is likelyto be problematic, design and building guidelinesto make properties safer and help applicationsthrough the approval process.

Land of concern is generally forest or grasslandclose to existing or proposed development andincludes a buffer zone to take account of emberattack and radiant heat.

Developments more than 100m from thebushland interface do not require any specificbushfire protection measures.

The RFS will generally take an advisory role inthe application approval process but is an issuingauthority for some developments.

In the case of a proposed, single, residentialdwelling to be constructed among existingstructures, plans will only be referred to the RFS ifbush fire protection criteria are not met.

If the location or nature of the building doesnot meet the minimum requirements of theguidelines, Councils refer the application to theRFS for expert bushfire safety advice.

The Service will take a more active role inapproving sensitive, “integrated developments”

such as aged care, child minding, educational andmedical facilities and tourist accommodation byissuing a Bush Fire Safety Authority.

“These developments are highly vulnerablebecause the people using them lack mobility andthat impacts on emergency situations andevacuations,” Mr Douglas said.

“We provide special considerations for thesedevelopments and these are tight because we donot want to expose children and the elderly tounnecessary stress or risk.”

Subdivisions also require a Bush Fire SafetyAuthority, providing a consumer protectionmeasure for potential buyers who may be unawarethe property is in a bush fire prone area.

Building industry concerns about the legislativeamendments focus on fears that the applicationprocess will take longer and cost more because ofRFS involvement.

“If developers comply with bushfire protectionthe RFS does not need to see plans, council canapprove them. If they do not comply then look atthem, provide solutions and facilitate approval,”Mr Douglas said.

“Only those developments that do not complyneed to come to RFS and we will work to the sametime frames as councils, generally processing themwithin 14 days.”

Property owners wishing to do externalmodifications will also be subject to the newplanning provisions.

The sale of an existing dwelling will not beaffected by the new legislation, however, Councilswill issue a Section 149 certificate to identify theproperty as being in a bush fire prone area andflag the planning issues with potential buyers.

The RFS and PlanningNSW have produced thePlanning for Bushfire Protection 2001 guide fordesigning and building in bush fire prone areas toassist developers.

Councils and the RFS have lists of developmentconsultants for bush fire prone areas who canassist with fire management and planning issues.

Volunteer firefighters will be helped by theamendments, as they require developers to takemeasures that make properties less likely to beaffected by fire and easier to access, evacuate anddefend.

Planning for Bushfire Protection 2001 an be downloaded from the RFS website(www.rfs.nsw.gov.au) or purchased fromPlanningNSW.Story by Meeka Bailey

Design and development must:>> consider provision of refuges and evacuation> avoid isolated developments> promote good access> avoid ridge tops and steep slopes> ensure water provision for firefighting> use level ground where possible> locate habitable building near access/egress

points> locate services underground.

Ten Engadine families who lost their homes onTuesday 8 October were the most recent fire victimsto receive help from the Christmas 2001 Bush FireAppeal Fund.

Most of the $11,108,000 donated because ofthe Christmas 2001 fires has been distributed.

However, enough remained for the ThurlgonaRd and Marooba Pl residents to each receive a$10,000 Helping Hand Grant within 48 hours oflosing their homes.

The Fund provided $10,892,700 to families,businesses and community groups by30 September 2002.

A total of 383 Helping Hand Grants were madein respect, households destroyed or madeuninhabitable by the Christmas fires or to farmfamilies and small businesses that sufferedsubstantial damage.

Further payments of between $600 and$16,200 were given to those most in need.

Applications for assistance were made to apanel of NSW government representatives fromwelfare, rural and business backgrounds andgrants were determined by a points system toreflect the level of need.

Twenty community groups, ranging from sportsclubs to religious organisations, children’s centresand cultural groups, received $135, 800 for lossesincluding fencing, windows and equipment.

The Office of Emergency Services received$500,000 to research and enhance the capacity ofNSW’s volunteer emergency services.

The Fund was managed by the NSWDepartment of Community Services and remainingmoney will be placed in the Community DisasterRelief Fund.Story by Meeka Bailey

PLANNING LEGISLATION AMENDMENTS

CHRISTMAS 2001BUSHFIRE APPEALFUNDS

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The RFS Library – what resources will youfind there?>> More than 3000 publications and reports>> 600+ videos>> training resources (OTEN, AFAC, NSWRFS, etc)>> media clippings, press releases and

transcripts related to Rural Fire Service backto 1991

>> photos>> journals

What subjects are covered?>> all fire-related information – prescribed

burning, fire safety education,firefighting, etc

>> environmental planning and management>> safety, health and welfare>> legal services>> management >> emergency services>> other relevant subjects

What services does the library provide?>> Research assistance – ask the librarian to

help you track down the most usefulinformation for your project or report

> Loans – books and videos may be borrowedby members of the Rural Fire Service, orused in the library

> Current awareness – new books and journalsare on display for a short period and thenavailable for loan

> Equipment and facilities – for study andviewing videos. There are desks, computers,photocopier, and a TV/video

Who can visit the library?All members of the NSW Rural Fire Service arewelcome to visit the library for browsing andstudy.

The library is also open to members of thepublic by arrangement with the librarian.

Where is the library located?The library is located at the Rosehill offices ofthe Rural Fire Service, 175-179 James RuseDrive, Rosehill. The library occupies theground floor of Unit 9.

Visitors are required to go first toReception, Unit 3, to sign in and obtain aVisitors Pass.

How to arrange a visit:Contact the librarian, Barbara Glass, on88453625, or by email:[email protected]

Hours of opening:Monday to Friday – 9am-4.30pmSaturdays by arrangement.

Brigade visits:If you would like to organise a brigade visit tothe library on a Saturday, or one eveningduring the week, please contact Barbara todiscuss.

RECENT VIDEOS IN THE LIBRARYGone to Fire: the story of the Australianvolunteer firefighters (includes 6 minutes offootage of the Christmas 2001 bushfires).48 minutesThis excellent documentary was screened onChannel 7 on 29 December 2001. TheCommunity Education section of the NSW RuralFire Service had charge of co-ordinating the2001 Centenary celebrations of the Rural FireService. The Centenary culminated in thebroadcast of this documentary which utiliseshistorical and contemporary footage.

Job safety analysis: Safetycare series. Safetycare Australia Pty Ltd.Melbourne: 2001.15 minutesThe job safety analysis is a safety tool tologically examine a particular job or task sothat all the hazards associated with thatparticular job can be identified and, whennecessary, suitable control measures can bedetermined.

Prescribed burning – planned, effective andsafe Victoria Department of NaturalResources and Environment. 1998.29 minutes This training video provides information on lowand high intensity burning; planning for aburn; burn objectives; details required in theburn plan; safety aspects; ignition devices andperimeter control.

WEB SITES TO SEEhttp://www.apfmag.com/index.htm ASIA PACIFIC FIRE (APF) This is a quarterly trade journal for the fireprotection and firefighting industriesdedicated to the Asia Pacific countries.You will find the latest in new technologiesand codes and standards on this site.

Within the site you will have to access:News – The latest developments in the industryas they happen, plus direct manufacturerhyperlinks

Articles – A fully archived library oftechnical articles from each issue of the hardcopy magazine

What's On – A breakdown of the majorglobal events for the Fire Protection & Fire-Fighting industries in the Asia Pacific regions

http://ausfire.comAFAC NEWSLETTER. This is the monthly newsletter of theAustralasian Fire Authorities Council.It contains a wealth of information aboutdevelopments and happenings in firemanagement in Australia.

http://www.firehouse.com FIREHOUSEThis is a great site with heaps of informationabout firefighting in the US context.

RFS LIBRARY –A PLACE TO RELAX, READ, RESEARCH AND LEARN

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On Sunday 25 August two hundred NSW RuralFire Service members from the greater Sydneyarea and surrounds volunteered to work on the2002 Sydney Convoy for Kids. This year theconvoy raised more than $65,000 for theChildren’s Hospitals in Westmead andRandwick, and Careflight.

More than 600 trucks including 43 RFSvehicles formed the convoy at Huntingwood, inwestern Sydney at 2.30 am and then proceededto Sydney Olympic Park at Homebush via theM4 Motorway. All vehicles were in theirallocated parking spaces by 9am.

RFS members played a major part in theplanning, organisation and running of theconvoy and activities at the Homebush Baysite, with brigades from Empire Bay, LakeMacquarie, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly andWollongong taking part.

"NSW RFS is the backbone of the convoy,the amount of work they put in year after yearis phenomenal," said Kerry Mannix, Secretary

As an emergency service the RFS is familiarwith all aspects of major incidents and disastersituations. The disruption and destruction ofthe Christmas 2001 fires, and incidents such asSeptember 11 in the US, raise the question asto what would be the consequences to the RFSif a major incident or disaster occurred onService premises?

While Australia is relatively free ofterrorism, major incidents do occur in ourworkplaces, causing disruption or loss.Sometimes they ultimately result in the closureof organisations and almost nightly, the TVnews shows one or more businesses sufferingfrom fire or other damage. Some relativelyrecent local examples are:> Bankstown City Council Fire – Sydney> Building Fire – NSW Bowling Club Hunter St.

Sydney> National Crime Authority Office Bombing –

Adelaide> Sydney Hailstorm> Longford Gas Plant Explosion – Victoria

Each of these incidents caused disruptionand loss to one or more organisations and insome cases complete organisational failure. Of those that have recovered, most have hadsome sort of protective process in place,bearing in mind that all organisations arevulnerable to the impact of external eventsthat are reckoned to be beyond their control.

What is it that enables some to survive andothers to fail? The answer is BusinessContinuity Management (BCM). It is theestablishment of back-up and contingencysystems to ensure that an acceptable level ofservice can still be provided even if anorganisation falls victim to unforeseendisasters.

The Service is undertaking a major projectto implement a BCM process that willincorporate the planning for redundancy andrecovery of both the technology resources(traditionally known as Disaster RecoveryPlanning or DRP) and the business processesthat are undertaken (or Business Continuity

of Sydney Convoy for Kids.Wingecarribee and Lake Macquarie catering

crews excelled themselves in the preparationand distribution of food and drink.

Blue Mountains and BlacktownCommunications Groups provided thecommunications infrastructure to ensurethat the day ran smoothly.

RFS firefighters assisted in running thechildren’s games, although at times it was hardto see who was having the most fun. There wasalso a colouring-in competition, run by RootyHill Brigade. RFS personnel also helped withthe auction, various stalls around the complexgenerally pitching in and lending a hand whenthe convoy committee needed it.

Special thanks should go to key planners inthe convoy: Greg and Sandra Frullani of theBlue Mountains Woodford Brigade; Peter Hyett,Deputy Captain of the Rooty Hill Brigade; IanMann (Comms1) from the Blue Mountains, RonFreeman (Comms 1) from the Cumberland Zone(Blacktown Fairfield Penrith) and Ralph Jenner(Comms 2) from the Cumberland Zone.

Ted WilliamsInspector, Cumberland Zone.

Planning or BCP). The Information Services section is

designing the implementation of the DRPprocess to ensure continuing availability of theService’s IT hardware and softwareinfrastructure requirements. This work willcomplement the next project that will review,update and implement the BCP process.

There are various stages in the development ofthe BCP: > An analysis of the business processes to

validate/recognise the dependencies andpriorities

> Development of a selected recovery strategyor strategies to facilitate the recovery ofthe prioritised business process, withinagreed timeframes

> Development of plans that detail the how –where – whom – when for the recovery ofthe specific business processes

> Exercise of plans to become familiar bothwith their content and the required

SYDNEY CONVOYFOR KIDS

BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT

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recovery process. These exercises can takevarious forms from a desktop walk-thoughto a full-simulated disaster.

The end result will be a fully documentedbusiness recovery process in a series of livingdocuments that will be regularly reviewed,exercised and updated to ensure that theyremain relevant for the needs of the Service’svarious business areas.

During 1999 many organisations around theworld worked and planned to prevent anyimpact from the Y2K bug. The Service identifiedkey processes and introduced some limitedcontingency planning to counter the impact ofany outage that may have occurred. Despitethe hype and excitement we all know that Y2Kresulted in little or no outages beingexperienced. Nonetheless, the groundwork laidand the work done will be reviewed for the BCMprogram and refined it to make it appropriatefor current recovery needs.

BCM is not just a one-off process that is

implemented and then forgotten. Rather it is achanging and evolving management practiceresponding to organisational change. Followingthe initial cycle of analysis, strategy andplanning documentation, there will be a seriesof rehearsals to validate the assumptions madein the plan, and to familiarise those responsiblefor managing the organisational requirements ofthe plan with their responsibilities. Theserehearsals should identify changes andimprovements to the plan. Full reviews wouldoccur every two years.

The benefits to the Service will besignificant. It will be more resilient to theimpacts of major incidents and disasters andbetter prepared in all areas. Most importantlyBCP will ensure that the Service continues todeliver the high quality of service currentlyexperienced and expected by the people of NSW.Story by Mark SwayneManager, Corporate Planning & Performance

consultative bodies before submission to thePolicy Unit and should be available early next year.Story by Meeka Bailey

HEALTH & SAFETYPolicies to protect Service members from injuryand illness as they work on firegrounds, instations and at fire control centres, are now apriority due to changes to NSW legislation.

Brigades, Districts and Regions must nowassess all their potential workplace hazards,create their own health and safety treatmentplans and involve members in this process.

Under the new Occupational Health and SafetyAct and Regulation, an employer has a duty toconsult with personnel and must use riskmanagement methodology to identify and assesshazards then prioritise and treat the risks.

“Risk management planning methodology isnot a new concept for the RFS, we use it forbushfire planning, but we can also apply it to thehealth, safety and welfare of our people on thefireground and at work,” RFS Safety and WelfareManager, Jan Rashbrook said.

“While health and safety practitioners haveadopted this approach for many years, the newlegislation spells out the absolute requirement fororganisations to employ risk managementprinciples throughout every aspect of their

business.”“For the RFS that means everything from

driving a fire tanker and undertaking a prescribedburn to answering radio communications orcleaning a fire control centre.

“This is a very exciting period for health andsafety because volunteers and staff will beinvolved in producing the policies that affectthem.

“They will help identify the workplaceproblems they face and the treatments that areneeded and best suited to their requirements.”

The RFS is drafting a Health, Safety andWelfare Risk Management Policy to help each areacreate their health and safety documents andplans by providing templates and advice.

“The RFS is committed to a pro-activeapproach to managing health, safety and welfareat the workplace and will maintain a system tosupport the identification of hazards, and theassessment and treatment of all work-relatedrisks,” Ms Rashbrook said.

The draft policy will be presented to theHealth and Safety Committee and other

Photos by Adam Hollingworth

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More NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) members aredealing with the distressing incidents theyattend by talking to the Service’s peer supportnetwork.

The Critical Incident Support Service’s(CISS) team of trained volunteer PeerSupporters helped 2,330 members over aperiod of 4,500 work hours between 30 June2001 and 1 July 2002.

The team’s activities peaked over theChristmas / New Year bushfire period, whenmore than 1300 members received assistancethrough the range of CISS initiatives, such ason-scene and telephone support.

The already comprehensive, 24 hour-a-dayservice, will be boosted by the appointment ofmore team members as the 2002 CISS trainingprogram nears completion.

“RFS work can be traumatic for those whoattend incidents so we are increasing teamnumbers to ensure volunteers have access tothe range of support systems we offer,” CISSManager Paul Scott said.

“NSW is a large State and while we haveimmediate telephone support the aim is toincrease the response time of on-scene supportso that our crews have assistance on theground.”

A recruitment drive held last year increasedthe team by five to 24, and 13 new volunteersare currently in training. Further recruitment isplanned for next year.

In addition to on-scene and telephonesupport, CISS Peer Supporters and traumaconsultants provide pre-incident education,post-event individual and group interventionsas well as referrals to professional counsellingand clinical services.

Services provided by the CISS program arestrictly confidential and feedback frommembers on its effectiveness has alwaysbeen positive.

“Some people experience difficulty on theirroad to recovery and it is a joy when we canhelp someone to process the thoughts andfeelings they are experiencing and assist themin their time of crisis,” Mr Scott said.

For general enquiries, education sessions,calls for assistance telephone 1800 049 933.

During an awards ceremony on 2 September,2002 the Hon Bob Carr MP recognised NSW RuralFire Service (RFS) members who achievedexcellence in the provision of emergency service.

The inaugural Premier’s Emergency ServiceAwards acknowledged volunteers and staff whowent beyond their normal duties in their workfor the RFS, NSW Fire Brigades, NSW Police Force,NSW Ambulance and State Emergency Service.

Four awards were presented to the RFS atGovernment House:

1 > State Operations – Unit AwardEffective management by State Operationsduring the 2001-2002 bushfires saw thousandsof firefighters and fire appliances coordinated tosave an estimated 20,000 homes. Significantproperty damage did occur as a result of thefires, however, there is no doubt the losseswould have been far greater if not for theeffective coordination of all agencies by StateOperations. A high degree of essential serviceplanning with other emergency services andsupport agencies was achieved by StateOperations. Logistical information and welfaresupport were provided and the media werehandled in a professional manner. Theoutstanding leadership and managerial skills ofState Operations Manager, Chief SuperintendentAlan Brinkworth, were noted.

2 > Chittaway Rural Fire BrigadeOne of the most active units in the State,Chittaway Rural Fire Brigade is extremely reliablein its response to operational requests. Over thepast five years the Brigade has averagedbetween 250 to 300 fire calls per year and isresponsible for a 3000 ha area of operation.Because of the station’s location close to the F3Sydney Newcastle Freeway, the Brigade hasattended numerous motor vehicle fires andaccidents. The most memorable was a petroltanker rollover fire at the Ourimbah interchange.

3 > Captain Colin NoonCaptain Noon and his family saved the life oftheir neighbour who was struck by a rotatingaeroplane propeller on July 6, 1999. Using firstaid training learned through the RFS, CaptainNoon and his wife Carolyn stabilised the patientwhile paramedics responded. Captain Noon’sdaughter, Michelle, guided the ambulance to theremote accident scene. Without the interventionof the Noon family the patient would have diedfrom his severe injuries. He eventually lost an

arm. Captain Noon is an active brigade memberand his family also assisted in developing acommunity education program for their area. Healso conducts RFS specialist driving courses forvolunteers.

4 > Mr Richard Donarski Mr Donarski developed a particular interest inthe design and development of protectiveclothing for volunteer firefighters as the RFSManager Engineering Services from 1993 to2002. He is now recognised throughout Australiaand overseas as an authority in this field. He wasinstrumental in the development of internationalstandards for garments, providing increasedsafety for firefighters in situations where theywould experience high degrees of radiant heat.Mr Donarski presented many papers onprotective clothing and convinced agencies toaccept the new standards. He was recentlyseconded to the Australasian Fire AuthoritiesCouncil to develop national standards.

CRITICAL INCIDENTSUPPORT SERVICE

PREMIER’S EMERGENCY SERVICE AWARD

>1

>2

>3 >4

13

In NSW we operate by using the IncidentControl System (ICS) for a single tankerincident through to a Class 3 fire. The onlydifference is that at the single tanker incidentthe Officer in Charge (OIC) fulfils a multitudeof roles including the Incident Controller (IC),Operations Officer (OO), Logistics Officer (LO)and Planning Officer (PO), whereas at a largeincident there will be an Incident ManagementTeam (IMT) with many personnel filling thesekey positions and assistants filling otherpositions within the functional areas.

ICS we currently use for emergencymanagement had its origin in a militarysystem. It was adapted and refined withconsiderable success by the Forestry Servicesin North America as the National InteragencyIncident Management System (NIIMS). Thissystem was initially used in Australia in theearly 1980s and was eventually formalised asthe Australian Inter-service IncidentManagement System (AIIMS) and was firstpublished by the Australasian Fire AuthoritiesCouncil (AFAC) in 1991.

The overarching legislation under which weoperate is the State Emergency and RescueManagement Act (SERM) 1989, which definesthe combat agencies for various emergencyincidents and recognises three levels ofmanagement, State, District and Local, thelatter being based on Local Government Areas.All three levels are required to prepare andmaintain a Disaster Plan (Displan) for theprevention, preparation, response and recoveryof emergency events. The arrangementsoutlined in the plans provide for assistance to

the combat agency by other agencies andfunctional areas.

The NSW Rural Fire Service is the combatagency for rural fires and may be supported byother agencies such as Police, Ambulance, NSWFire Brigades, State Emergency Services,NSW Agriculture, etc.

Within NSW, under the State Emergency andRescue Management Act, there are two firecombat agencies, the NSW Rural Fire Serviceand NSW Fire Brigades. However under theRural Fires Act there are two additional firefighting authorities, the National Parks andWildlife Service and State Forests, theirmanaged lands being part of the Rural FireDistrict or the Fire District.

Under the Rural Fires Act, the Commissioneris charged with the responsibility of controllingand co-ordinating bush fire fighting withinNSW. The Act also provides for theestablishment of the Bush Fire Co-ordinatingCommittee which has the principalresponsibility of planning for bushfireprevention and co-ordinated bushfire fightingand, therefore, brings together the fouragencies noted above to fight bushfires.

Additionally, the Act also requires the BushFire Co-ordinating Committee to establish BushFire Management Committees at the local level,which brings together all the local"stakeholders", to prepare the Plan ofOperations and the Bush Fire Risk ManagementPlan for the area.

A question often asked is about the classesof fires. A Class 1 fire is a fire under thecontrol of the responsible fire authority,

OPERATIONS 2

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT


Photo by Meeka Bailey

Photos by Sean Davey

14


OPERATIONS

15


OPERATIONS

16


whether or not incidental assistance isprovided by other agencies. A Class 2 fire is afire which, by necessity, involves more thanone agency and where the Bush FireManagement Committee Operational Executivehas appointed a person to take charge offirefighting operations. A Class 3 fire is amajor bushfire or fires where an appointmenthas been made or is imminent under theprovisions of Section 44 of the Rural FiresAct, 1997.

It will be seen that with this approach, co-ordinated firefighting personnel from a varietyof agencies will be working together towards acommon goal. It is, therefore, essential toidentify the roles within a system, which doesnot rely upon rank or position but rather theperson’s ability to perform a function. To thisend a series of "Tabards" and "Brassards" ofvarious colours have been created to identifypersonnel within specific roles. The colourscheme is:> white for incident control> red for operations> yellow for planning> blue for logistics> grey for management support> lime green for safety.

One of the key elements contributing to thesuccess of the ICS is the "Span of Five" whichrelates to the number of groups or individualswhich one person can successfully supervise.Each functional area has a number of sub-functions and these positions may be activatedif required due to the escalation of theincident.

The concept of the "Tabards" and"Brassards" is that a tabard is worn by the

person filling each key function and a brassardis worn by the person filling each sub-function.The brassard is designed to be worn on a shirtwith or without epaulettes and has provisionfor a card to be inserted identifying the sub-function.

The Incident Controller has overall controlof the incident and through effectivemanagement ensures that control, commandand co-ordination are achieved by the IncidentManagement Team. There may also be anumber of Deputy Incident Controllers to assistthe Incident Controller, particularly if it is acampaign incident running 24 hours a day.

The Operations Officer is responsible to theIncident Controller for the combat of theincident, through field commanders, inaccordance with the Incident Action Plan (IAP).

The Air Operations Manager is responsibleto the Operations Officer for the co-ordinationand management of aircraft used for fivesuppression, observation and transport ofpersonnel.

The Divisional Commander is responsible tothe Operations Officer for his/her division, forthe combat of the fire and management ofpersonnel.

The Sector Commander is responsible to theDivisional Commander for his/her sector, forthe combat of the fire and management ofpersonnel.

The Planning Officer is responsible to theIncident Controller for maintaining informationon the current and forecast fire situation andcombat resources, as well as developing theplanning components of and assemblingthe IAP.

The Logistics Officer is responsible to theIncident Controller for the provision offacilities, services and materials in supportof the management of the fire.

The Assembly Area/Staging Area Co-ordinator is responsible to the Logistics Officerfor co-ordinating the activities at the AssemblyArea/Staging Area.

The Media Liaison Officer is responsible tothe Incident Controller for identifying the keyissues to be mitigated or communicated to themedia, affected community and incidentpersonnel. The strategy and all releases, unlessof an urgent nature, must be approved by RuralFire Service Corporate Communications to ensureaccuracy, appropriateness and consistency.

The Management Support Officer co-ordinatesthe administration and information flow withinthe Incident Management Team (IMT).

The Safety Officer is responsible to the

Incident Controller for the overall health andsafety for all personnel involved in theincident.

Another question often asked by bothCommunications Officers and Catering Officersis why don’t they have a tabard as they areseen as key roles within a District? The answeris that within the Organisational Chart it willreadily be seen that the CommunicationsOfficer fits within the Operations section andwould therefore wear a brassard with a cardinserted which reads "OperationsCommunications". Likewise the CateringOfficer fits within the Logistics section andwould therefore wear a brassard with a cardinserted which reads, "Catering"

DTG on the "Organisation Structure Chart"refers to the Date Time Group which uses thetwo digits for the date and 24 hour time, e.g.10:51hrs on 15 November, 2002 would be 151051. The full DTG would be 15 1051 NOV 02which includes the date, time, month and year.

Fire Name on the "Organisation StructureChart" refers to the name first given to the fireand used on the Situation Report (SitRep).As noted above there may be a number ofagencies working on a fire and each may beproducing SitReps back to their own agency. It is, therefore, imperative that some thoughtand consultation be given to the naming toensure that the fire has a unique name toavoid confusion with a previous fire and thatall agencies use the same name. Once a namehas been established it will be used by allagencies and will not be changed as this avoidsconfusion and the thought that there aremultiple fires.

More information, regarding operationalmanagement and the detailed roles andresponsibilities within the ICS, is available inthe Operational Management Folder, a copy ofwhich is maintained at your District FireControl Centre. Story by Chief Superintendent AlanBrinkworth & Zoë Townsend

Photo by Adam Hollingworth

OPERATIONS


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The Christmas 2001 fires highlighted the ongoingneed for effective hazard reduction to preventextensive damage to homes and businesses.

The Commissioner now has the opportunity toorder essential hazard reductions by all landmanagers and takes control of fire permits underrecent legislative changes.

The changes allow the Commissioner torequire private, commercial and Crownlandholders to conduct hazard reductions andstreamlines the assessment process for lesssensitive environments targeted for hazardreduction, including prescribed burns.

The Risk Management Inspectorate (RMI) wasrecently created to increase the consistency ofthe hazard reduction process by monitoring theperformance of Bush Fire Risk Management Plans(BFRMPs).

Bushfire Hazard ComplaintsUnder the new arrangements the Commissionercan consider the need to remove hazards acrossall land tenures.

This includes private owners and governmentagencies such as National Parks and WildlifeService (NPWS), Department of Land and WaterConservation (DLWC) and State Forests.

The RMI ensures BFRMPs are implemented,conducts strategic fire trail audits and manageshazard complaints.

Based at head office and regional centres,RMI field officers will log complaints or requestsfor hazard reduction, impose orders onlandholders and track whether hazard reductionhas taken place and was effective.

The inspectorate is currently developing aStrategic Audit Plan for BFRMPs, strategic firetrail audits and a complaints managementsystem.

Approvals to BurnThe legislative amendments recognise twoimplementation approvals required beforeundertaking a hazard reduction.

Permits:A permit is a fire safety authority to undertakeburning. It is required when lighting a fire in theopen during a bushfire danger period or where itmay be of danger to a building.

Permits were previously issued by local councils.All permits are now issued by the

Commissioner or his delegate in rural fire districtsor officers of the NSWFB in NSWFB districts.

Permits must be consistent with therequirements of bushfire risk management plans.

In all rural fire districts the Fire ControlOfficer (FCO) or Deputy FCO can issue permits.

Other members of the Service may berecommended by the FCO as permit issuingofficers. These will usually include brigadeofficers and existing arrangements will continue.

Public authorities such as the RFS, NPWS andState Forests do not need a permit to light a fire.

Service Standard 4.2.2 and the Permit IssuingOfficers Guidelines outline these procedures forRFS members and can be found on the Internetunder Service Standards.

Certificates:The Bush Fire Hazard Reduction Certificate is theenvironmental approval for hazard reduction. Thisis a streamlined environmental assessmentprocess for hazard reduction work allowed for inthe new legislation.

Hazard reduction work permitted with aHazard Reduction Certificate must be consistentwith the environmental requirements of the localBFRMP and a Bush Fire Environmental AssessmentCode (BFEC), which is currently being developed.

The Code, when finalised, streamlines thenumber of approvals required for areas ofenvironmental value.

The assessment process will be theresponsibility of local government and other landmanagement agencies such as NPWS, DLWC andState Forests. Councils will be responsible forissuing certificates to private landholders.

When the BFEC is finalised a permit-issuingofficer will be able to determine whether acertificate or any other approval has beenobtained and the suitability of granting a permit.

In the interim, permit-issuing officers shouldissue permits in line with existing practices,ensuring that safety is the primary consideration. Story by Simon HeemstraEnvironmental Officer

FIRE PERMITS

OPERATIONS

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Australian firefighters battled the worst firesin the United States for 50 years when theyassisted with rugged forest blazes in southernOregon and northern California during theAmerican summer.

Together with 45 other aviation and groundoperation experts from Australia and NewZealand, four RFS specialists spent six weeksfrom August 8 on the Biscuit fire in theKalmiopsis Wilderness.

Over 7,000 people fought the fires, whichburned 199,986ha from July 13 when drylightning strikes were fanned by hightemperatures, low humidity and gusting winds.

Four homes were lost, 18 damaged and 68people were injured with total costs estimatedat US$150M.

“The protracted campaign in which the USfirefighters were involved meant theirresources were becoming depleted and we wereonly too happy to rally and support them,”State Operations Manager, ChiefSuperintendent, Alan Brinkworth said.

“Apart from helping them it was anexcellent opportunity to compare the waydifferent agencies operate and to exchangeideas.

“Most of the US personnel have expressed astrong desire to assist in Australia.”

Selected for their specialist skills andfitness, the ‘Anzac’ team included 22 aviationexperts, 21 ground operations personnel andliaison officers from firefighting and forestryagencies.

The RFS was represented by Chief SuptBrinkworth, Blue Mountains FCO Supt MarkWilliams, Shoalhaven DFCO Inspector PaulGooey and Wyong DFCO Inspector ShaneGeerin.

Team members underwent strenuousphysical and medical testing before flying toBoise, Idaho, for a two-day induction at theNational Interagency Fire Centre headquarters.

The intense briefings familiarised overseascrews with the Incident Control System, whichwas very similar to that used in Australia,communications, mapping, personal protectiveequipment, vegetation, fuel types, terrain,terminology, jurisdictions, weather and firebehaviour.

They were then deployed to three basecamps and helibases at Lake Selmac, GoldBeach and Brookings to start long shifts incontrol centres and on the fireground.

“It was very intense and safety was a majorfocus of all briefings.” Chief Supt Brinkworthsaid.

“The Emergency Management System wasvery similar to our Incident Control Systemwith some minor terminology differences.

“We were very impressed by the conceptof the US Incident Management Teams, theirprofessionalism and their ready acceptanceof our assistance and acknowledgement ofour skills.

“The high altitude at 2000m, tall trees andlong 16 hour shifts over 14 days were the maindifferences between our US experience andAustralian wildfire fighting.”

The team came in contact with thelegendary Smoke Jumpers, who parachute ontothe fireground, and Hot Shot Crews, elitefirefighters who walk everywhere in single file,even in steep terrain carrying heavy loads.

Lighter moments of the tour included acricket match on a pitch littered by gopherholes with a bat fashioned from redwood by achainsaw.

This was signed by the entire contingentand donated to the National Interagency FireCentre at Boise, along with a RFS flag andpatches, upon the team’s departure.

Footy scores featured with a word of theweek from Down Under during briefingsessions.

Overseas crews were presented with thekeys to Gold Beach, visited local schools, andwere treated to a special Father’s Daypresentation on September 1.

New contacts and ideas gained from the USexperience were expected to assist the NSWRural Fire Service in the future, Chief SuptBrinkworth said.Story by Chief SuperintendentAlan Brinkworth

US DEPLOYMENT

September is NSW’s driest and windiest monthof year. Normally these conditions aredangerous enough, but when coupled with anabnormally warm and dry winter, September2002 saw the ignition of bushfires across Stateresulting in an early start to the bush firedanger period.

The statewide bush fire danger periodnormally runs from 1 October to 31 March.This year, however, the Commissioner declaredthe start of bush fire danger periods innorthern areas of the State as early as 26 July.

"When recognising the levels of bushfireactivity experienced so far this year, thecurrent and forecast weather and the longrange prognosis, this bush fire danger periodhas the potential to be a protracted, difficultseason likely to require high levels of sustainedresource and commitment from all fireauthorities," said Alan Brinkworth, ManagerState Operations.

The El Nino phenomenon has contributed tobushfire conditions by making this year’swinter the driest in some parts of NSW in morethan 100 years.

Dry lightning in late September thatprovided ignition, but no rain, across the northof the state, resulted in fires in the Severn/Tenterfield district, Hunter Valley and MidNorth Coast.

"The ground fuel is so dry that whenever afire hits vegetation and is fanned bySeptember winds, it sticks," said Rob WebbSenior Meteorologist, Bureau of Meteorology.

NSW RFS has responded to more than 4,900fires since 1 July 2002.Story by Zoë Townsend

ABNORMAL WINTERWEATHER KICKSTARTS BUSHFIREDANGER PERIOD

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Photos by Meeka Bailey

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Early 2001 while a LP Gas Cylinder was beingfilled at the local hardware store, the owner ofthe cylinder asked the young attendant if hecould use the gas barbeque on total fire bandays. The attendant replied with a blank look andsaid “Sorry mate, I don’t know”.

Standing close by was David Bryden, theCommunity Education Officer from Round CornerBrigade, Baulkham Hills District. A great idea wasborn. Dave thought “why don’t we (the RFS)train the staff at places where they could getasked these questions as another way of making asafer community.”

Dave took the idea to Mike Donohoe, who wasat the time the Public Education Officer forBaulkham Hills District, and together they workedon the idea.

Dave and Mike approached Barbeques Galorewho has branches throughout Australia and has agreat reputation for selling outdoor recreationcamping, and BBQ equipment. Barbeques Galoreloved the idea and the project was on the way.

Dave and Mike worked with the Baulkham HillsDistrict Training Officer, Damian Eggleston, todevelop the training package that outlined somerecent fire history, why we have disastrous firesin Australia, what a total fire ban is, and tips forsafe outdoor recreation such as picnics, campingand bushwalking.

In September 2001 the training package waspresented to the staff of Barbeques Galore CastleHill and Hornsby. To launch the new training, apublic education display with activities for thekids and a fire tanker was held out the front ofthe Castle Hills store.

The partnership between the RFS and BarbequesGalore has allowed the fire safety message to getacross to the community in another way. There is ahope to expand the fire safety training to otherstores in NSW and possibly the rest of the country.Story by Damien Eggleston

3 COMMUNITY SAFETY

RFS Corporate Communications has embarkedupon a very active campaign of trainingmembers of the media (eg. journalists, cameraoperators, photographers, etc) in bushfiresafety, bushfire behaviour and the operationsof the RFS.

It is important that you are aware of thisprogram, as it will affect your day-to-dayoperations on the fireground.

The training program is designed to giveattendees from the media:> A clear understanding of the role of the

NSW Rural Fire Service at various incidents> A basic understanding of fire behaviour

(especially bushfires)> A basic knowledge of proper safety

precautions to take when around firerelated emergencies

> A basic understanding of survivaltechniques should problems occur in thebushfire environment

Our goal is for the media to:> Promote volunteer firefighter's activities> Inform employers of activities and

encourage their support> Ensure reporting by media is accurate> Inform the public of situations for their

safety

Having completed the training, we areencouraging the media to outfit themselves inPersonal Protective Equipment (PPE) as shownin the photos accompanying this story.

The purpose of wearing the PPE is to ensurethat the media are readily identifiable on thefireground and also appropriately attired tomaximise their safety. It is not the purpose ofthe training or the issuing of PPE to see mediabeing placed into more dangerous areas –rather it is to minimise their exposure todanger (i.e. provide a safe workingenvironment).

This is especially important in a bushfirewhere an area that was originally thought tobe safe may become dangerous due to erraticfire behaviour. It is also important to recognisethat the media may find themselves in bushfiresituations where they are not supervised by anexperienced firefighter and may not be awareof the extent of danger around them.

Members of the media who have completedour training will also begin to be issued withID cards. The ID cards will assist RFS membersin identifying those members of the media whoare appropriately trained to be escorted ontofiregrounds. For our own protection, mediabeing taken near fire activity should have beenappropriately trained and kitted out. The IDcard is NOT an access card and gives the mediano additional right to enter a fireground – thisremains at the discretion of the IncidentController.

This training program has already seen theRFS train over 300 members of the media. Wehave already covered the entire northern areaof the State and the Greater Sydney area.Further training will roll out in the comingmonths to the Hunter, southern and westernareas.

Media and Media Officers will become anincreasing presence on the fireground. Notethe important distinction: the photo shows anRFS Media Officer (either a member of staff ora volunteer Local Media Officer) –distinguished by the black stripe on yellowhelmet, regular RFS PPE with "Media Officer"on the back of the PPE or a Media OfficerTabard. The clothing for a member of the media(i.e. NOT an RFS member, but employed by amedia outlet such as a TV station, radio,newspaper, etc – people such as a journalist,camera operator or photographer) is a yellowhelmet with the word "MEDIA" on either side ofthe helmet, yellow PPE without any stripingand the word MEDIA on the placard on theback where Rural Fire Service is normally seenon our PPE (i.e. NO RFS identification).

Service members who are interested inworking on the media side of IncidentManagement Teams should express theirinterest in the Local Media Officer program byregistering through the RFS website –www.rfs.nsw.gov.au – then go to News andMedia and select “Local Media Officer EoI”.

This program is delivering significantbenefits for the RFS in increasing thecommunity’s understanding and awarenessof our role and our activities in protectingthe community.Story by John Winter

MEDIA ON THEFIREGROUND

BARBEQUES GALORE– NEW PARTNERSHIPWITH NSW RFS

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Arsonists are the target of a partnership betweenNSW Crime Stoppers Ltd and the NSW Rural FireService (RFS).

Members of the public will be encouraged tohelp arrest and prosecute arsonists by providinginformation to police through the Crime Stoppersprogram.

The program is a response to the Joint SelectCommittee inquiry into the 2001-2002 bushfires,which found arsonists made a significantcontribution to the Christmas blazes.

Lack of information from the public was amajor problem for police investigating theChristmas fires through Strike Force Tronto.

One small detail can make the differencebetween achieving an arrest and an arsonistremaining free to light fires again.

The RFS – Crime Stoppers partnership willeducate and encourage the public to provide anyinformation that will assist in the arrest ofarsonists.

Crime Stoppers is an important communicationlink between police and the community that allowsthe public to make anonymous, confidentialreports using a free call number.

RFS members will assist in promoting the1 800 333 000 number by displaying signs,stickers and posters on RFS vehicles and at firescenes requesting information.

The resources will be distributed to FireInvestigators and rural fire brigades across NSWand be accompanied by a long-term publiceducation program.

Passing motorists, residents or visitors to anarea affected by fire are asked to call 1 800 333000 with information on; details of vehicles suchas makes, models and registration plate numbers;descriptions of suspects; and dates and times ofsuspicious activities.

Callers can remain anonymous if they wish. Rewards are available for information that

leads to an arrest, however, only 10 per cent ofcallers request a reward. This is evidence of thecommunity support for Crime Stoppers.

Since 1989 police have arrested 2,800 peopleand laid 8,750 charges due to informationreceived by Crime Stoppers.

The RFS is hoping that Crime Stoppers’ newbushfire arson focus will replicate the success ithas achieved for the NSW Police Force.

For further information contact: CommunityEducation on (02) 9684 4411 or FireInvestigation on (02) 4722 3865.

THIS TRAINING PROGRAM HAS ALREADYSEEN THE RFS TRAIN OVER 300MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA.

CRIME STOPPERS

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Christmas Message 2002By Senior Chaplain Ron Anderson

It's commonly accepted that people should becompassionate during the Christmas season,and it's a sociological fact that they are.People tend to do more, give more, and helpothers more during the month of Decemberthan any other time of the year. Part of thereason for this is that we have moreopportunities to help others during thisseason.

It's good that we're so willing to showcompassion during the holidays, but we allknow that our acts of compassion shouldn't belimited to just the few weeks at Christmas. Weshould show Christmas compassion year round.We should give to others year round.

The story of the three wise men teaches ushow to give. These principles work 12 monthsout of the year. So, as you're buying gifts thisChristmas you can keep these ideas in mind,and you can also apply them to your life inJanuary, February, March, and so on. In thisstory there are three principles on giving. Let'stake a look at each one. First of all, when yougive...

1. Give more than you expect to receiveWhen the wise men came, they knew theyweren't going to a "gift exchange." They weregoing to see a child, a newborn baby. Theywere visiting a child who was, quite literally,born in a barn. His parents were poor; thepossibility of reciprocation didn't exist. And, ofcourse, the wise men didn't care. They came togive, not receive.

I've known of situations where hard feelingsdeveloped in families because someone didn'tget back as much as they put in. They feltcheated. Understand: when it comes to giving,you can't be cheated. The goal in giving is togive more than you get back.

2. Give out of love, not out of obligation.Have you ever received a gift from someonewith the impression that the gift was givenmore out of duty than desire? And if they really

had a choice, they wouldn't have given youanything at all? Have you ever given a gift withthat attitude? That's not giving a gift, it'spaying a bill. When you give with that attitude,people can tell.

It's as simple as this: if your gift isn'tmotivated by love, it doesn't matter what thegift costs, it is worthless. The wise men's giftswere special, not because they were valuable,but because they were given with a heart fullof love.

3. Give gifts that tell people what they'reworth.In the Bible the Christmas story tells us thewise men came and they opened their treasuresand presented Him with gifts of gold, and ofincense, and of myrrh.

Interesting gifts for a child, aren't they?What did these gifts mean? According to thecustoms of the day, gold was the gift for aking; incense was the gift for a priest; andmyrrh was the gift for one who is to die – itwas used to embalm the bodies of the dead.When the wise men brought their gifts, theydidn't come bearing trinkets for a child. Theybrought gifts that indicated who he truly was –the king of kings, the great high priest, theone who would die for the sins of the world.

When you give, give a gift that says,"I believe in you. You're worth something."

We can't give with the attitude that says,"I'm giving this gift because I'm generous."We must give with the attitude that says,"I'm giving this gift because you're worth it."

The Talmud says, "He who give a coin to apoor man obtains six blessings, but he whoaddresses him with words of comfort obtainseleven blessings." What does that mean? Itmeans that we should give in such a way thatbuilds up the recipient.

Too often we give condescendingly, andwith too many strings attached. We try to useour gifts to manipulate people into doing whatwe want them to do. We give with the subtle

message: "Now you owe me." This isn't giving,it's bribery. It doesn't build up the one whoreceives the gift; neither does it glorify God.

The wise men brought valuable giftsbecause they recognised the worth of who theywere visiting. When you give, give a gift thatsays, "You're worth something to me."

With this Christmas Message I have beentalking about how to re-discover the simplicityof Christmas, and it's all been about giving.When we give, we need to give more than wehope to get; we need to give out love, notobligation; and we need to give in a way thatcommunicates to others "You a worthsomething to me."

One of the greatest gifts God has given usis, each other, our family, and friends. Let'senjoy these gifts; let's celebrate Christmastogether.

Our prayer is that your Christmas will bringwonderful memories, your Christmas will befilled with happiness, and your Christmas willsatisfy all your hopes and that He will continueto make a difference in each of us so that wewill go on making a difference into 2003 andbeyond.

An enjoyable and safe festive season to all,and to those who share the Christian faith wewish you a happy and Holy Christmas.Ron & Carol Anderson.

4 CHAPLAINS MESSAGE 2002

“HOW TO GIVE CHRISTMASGIFTS ALL YEAR LONG”

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After the recent tragic events in Bali it is vitalthat all members of the Association are awareof the possibility of being involved inincidents, which may be acts of terrorism.Since September 11 the role of the emergencyresponder has taken on a different focus andall members should consider the way in whichwe would traditionally respond and approachincidents.

Your personal safety and that of your fellowmembers is paramount during all firefightingactivities, particularly with the unprecedentedfire activity currently being experienced acrossthe State and the prolonged droughtconditions adding to the severity of the fireseason.

On behalf of all members of the AssociationI wish to extend to the family and friends of MrJohn Overton our deepest sympathies. As youmay be aware, John was tragically killed whilefulfilling his duty as a firefighter with theKanimbla Rural Fire Brigade in Greater Lithgow.

The Association through the NSW Rural FireFighters’ Fund and the Rural Fire Fighters’Foundation has established a process to collectdonations in order to assist the Overton family.

If you would like to contribute to the appealplease make cheques or money orders payable to:RFFF John Overton Appeal

To allow the Foundation to send receipts andthank you letters please attach your name andaddress to your donation and send to:Lithgow Rural Fire ServicePO Box 294Lithgow NSW 2790

The Overton Family will gratefully acceptany donations.

The RFSA was represented at the recentAustralasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC)Conference by a number of State Council andExecutive members.

The Conference was focused on theinnovations and best practices for emergencyservices and featured several internationalguest speakers who addressed the changingrole of the emergency services responsepractices.

Members interested in obtaining copies ofthe papers may do so through the AFACInternet site.

Two new volunteer branches have recentlybeen formed in the Southwest:

Murray-Wakool, around Deniliquin andLower Western, around Dareton (Wentworth). Icongratulate the foundation members for theirinitiative and look forward to the new branchesactively participating the RFSA business andassisting Association members in their areas.

This year’s NSW RFS State Championshipsheld at Penrith were a great success with a veryhigh standard of competition, particularly withcadet teams who competed. The Associationcongratulates all those competitors and inparticular those teams that were successful inachieving places in the various events.

The Executive is working diligently onputting a viable financial package together toensure the RFSA can continue to expand itsservices to members.

Again I would encourage all members toparticipate in the Association and raise anyissues that you may have with your district andregional representatives. Steve YorkePresident RFSA

STATE COUNCILThe State Council met at Wagga in Septemberand endorsed the following initiatives:> "That the RFSA approach the Commissioner

to encourage his public support for theRFSA by including budgetary provision atthe District level to enable cost of postage,correspondence, photocopying and meetingexpenses etc. be met from RFS funds"

> "That State Council supports a trialmembership scheme in Baulkham HillsDistrict including issuing a badge using theDistrict name."

> "That the issues relating to cost effectiveRadio Communications be referred to theCommunications Committee for advice."

> "That in view of the Linton inquiry findings,the RFSA request the RFS to set up a "SaferFirefighting Steering Committee" consistingof firefighters, legislators, prosecutors and

coronial officers with volunteersrepresented by the RFSA. The Committeeshould focus on safety on the fireground,how to achieve proper accountability andeducation of the legislators, prosecutorsand coronial officers."

DATES TO REMEMBERState Council and Executive Meeting23 November 2002 Narrabri

State Council and Executive Meeting15 March 2003 Wollongong

RFSA Annual General Meeting14 June 2003 Bathurst

Looking after our volunteersVolunteers are encouraged to give theirfeedback on a draft volunteer charter, whichaims to protect volunteer rights in decisionsmade by the NSW government and the Service.

The charter is an overriding statementabout what the volunteers provide to theService and forms a framework for how theNSW government, Service and Associationrelate with each other to promote the well-being of the volunteers and the community.

Following member feedback, the charter willbe ratified at the next State Council andExecutive Meeting in Narrabri.

The draft volunteer charter can be accessedon the RFSA website athttp://www.rfsa.org.au/news/charter.html.Please send your feedback to Steve Yorke.

HAVE YOUR SAYPlease forward any comments or issues to:[email protected] [email protected]

PPrreessiiddeenntt Steve YorkeSSeeccrreettaarryy Warwick RocheEExxeeccuuttiivvee OOffffiicceerr Keith Jordan

5 NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE ASSOCIATION


25


CUT OUT AND LAMINATETHIS FIRE INVESTIGATIONCHECKLIST. KEEP IT ONTHE VISOR OF YOURBRIGADE VEHICLE

6 FIRE INVESTIGATION✃

✃

NSW

RU

RAL

FIR

E SER

VIC

E FI

RE

CA

USE

AN

D O

RIG

IN C

HEC

KLI

ST

TO A

SSIS

T W

ITH

TH

E IN

VES

TIG

ATI

ON

OF

WIL

DFI

RES

, CR

EWS N

EED

TO P

ROTE

CT

THE

AR

EA O

F OR

IGIN

(SEE

FIR

E IN

VES

TIG

ATI

ON

SOP’S

)

✓1

> >

Secu

re a

nd c

ordo

n of

f the

are

a or

ori

gin

plus

10

met

res

adja

cent

wit

h ta

pe o

r ro

pe>

Cond

uct

min

imal

fire

sup

pres

sion

act

ivit

ies

>U

se m

inim

al w

ater

- d

on’t

drag

hos

e ov

er a

rea

- do

n’t

driv

e or

wal

k ov

er a

rea

>Do

n’t

allo

w a

ny p

erso

n to

tou

ch o

r re

mov

e an

y it

em in

the

are

aor

oth

er s

uspi

ciou

s it

em/s

foun

d in

the

vic

init

y>

Mak

e ob

serv

atio

ns a

nd r

ecor

d (s

ee F

ire I

nves

tiga

tion

SOP

’s):

2 >

Call

Rece

ipt:

>Ca

ll ty

pe (

tele

phon

e /

alar

m /

oth

er)

>Da

te a

nd t

ime

call

rece

ived

>Ca

ller

(nam

e, a

ddre

ss, p

hone

num

ber)

>Ty

pe o

f fire

>Lo

cati

on

3 >

En R

oute

to

Fire

:>

Note

sm

oke

colo

ur, n

umbe

r of

col

umns

& w

eath

er c

ondi

tion

s>

Obse

rve

and

reco

rd s

uspi

ciou

s pe

ople

(he

ight

, bui

ld, h

air

colo

ur,

sex,

dis

ting

uish

ing

feat

ures

)>

Obse

rve

and

reco

rd s

uspi

ciou

s ve

hicl

es (

mak

e, m

odel

, col

our,

regi

stra

tion

num

ber,

num

ber

of o

ccup

ants

, dis

ting

uish

ing

feat

ures

)>

Look

s fo

r an

d pr

otec

t ty

re, f

oot,

hoo

f pri

nts

etc)

4 >

On A

rriv

al:

>No

te s

mok

e, f

lam

e co

lour

& s

ize

of f

ire (

brea

dth,

dep

th a

nd h

eigh

t)>

Loca

tion

of g

reat

est

fire

act

ivit

y>

Num

ber

and

loca

tion

of s

eats

of f

ire

>Lo

ok fo

r an

d pr

otec

t w

heel

, foo

t, h

oof p

rint

s>

Look

for

and

prot

ect

susp

icio

us o

bjec

ts>

Obse

rve

and

reco

rd s

uspi

ciou

s pe

ople

and

sus

pici

ous

vehi

cles

Forw

ard

all

info

rmat

ion

to y

our

FCO

who

will

liai

sew

ith

the

Regi

onal

Oper

atio

ns O

ffic

ervi

a St

ate

Oper

atio

nsto

det

erm

ine

if a

form

al in

vest

igat

ion

is r

equi

red.


6 FIRE INVESTIGATION

STR

UC

TUR

AL FIR

ES

> PR

ESER

VE TH

E POIN

T OF O

RIG

IN A

ND

TAKE N

OTE O

F THE FO

LLOW

ING

:

✓1 > External>

External fire sources>

Evidence of forced entry (who, w

hen, where)

>Evidence of tyre / foot prints

>Suspicious containers (type, location, preserve, protect)

>Electricity and gas (connected, on / off)

2 > Internal>

Doors (type, open / closed / locked)>

Window

s (type, open / closed / broken)>

Evidence of forced entry

MO

TOR

VEH

ICLE

FIRES:

3 > Take note of:>

Vehicle (make, m

odel, colour) & registration num

ber>

Doors and window

s (open / closed / locked)>

Is it suspicious? Seats and trim in place? Original w

heelsand nuts in place? Stereo in place?

WH

EN DOES A FORMAL INVESTIGATION TAKE PLACE?

>Incident Controlinform

s FCO>

FCO advises State Ops>

State Ops advisesRegional Ops Officer

>Reg Ops Officerarranges for a form

alinvestigation

>Any other info should beforw

arded to your FCO

Does the fire involve – >

Death/serious injury to afirefighter / m

ember of public?

>Significant dam

age / destructionto an appliance / property / stock/ produce / crop etc?

>Declaration of a s44 appointm

ent?>

Deliberate ignition – is it one of aseries of deliberately lit fires inthis area?

>A structural fire w

here the causeis unable to be determ

ined?

YES

NO

✃

27


The needs of volunteers will be the focus of thenewly created position of Manager VolunteerRelations and its first office holder, MartinSurrey.

A member of Heathcote Headquarters Bigadefor 18 years and its current Captain, Martin isnow based at Rosehill as a communication pointfor NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteers.

He will provide feedback from volunteers onorganisational issues to the Service’smanagement groups.

“My most important responsibility is to talkto volunteers to gather information on theissues they face in order to present them tomanagement,” Martin said.

“I will also be assisting Regional and Districtstaff where necessary to strengthen workingrelationships with volunteers.”

He will be visiting all Regions to analysetheir volunteer numbers and investigate ways toretain and boost membership.

“To get the best outcomes for this projectI will be asking for interested volunteers to joinfocus groups and together we will developstrategies that best meet the needs of localcommunities.”

The position also involves working closelywith the Rural Fire Service Association and othervolunteer based emergency services to ensurethe RFS has the best possible informationnetwork and promote volunteerism.

Members are encouraged to contact Martinwith questions regarding Service issues whileobserving their local communication policies.

Email: [email protected]: 02 8845 3714 or 0418 645 839.

Story by Meeka Bailey

7 VOLUNTEER RELATIONS

Photos by Adam Hollingworth

ANCILLARY AND LEISURE APPAREL Embroidered Garment Price Qty. Colour Size Cost

Fully Fashioned V Neck Jumper $62.00 Navy

Polo Shirt - Lemon(L), Navy(N), White(W) $29.00

T-Shirt - White(W), Navy(N) $18.00

Sloppy Joe $29.00 Navy

Dress V Neck Jumper $85.00 Navy with Epaulettes, Shoulder & Elbow patches + pen pocket

S M L XL XXL 3XL – 6XL

90 95 100 105 110 115 – 130 (Add $2 per garment )

AVAILABLESIZES

Total $

Length 93cmHeight 33cmWidth 31cm

For large orders please addclearly printed lists as required

✉Please send all orders to

Blue MountainsD.M.P. Enterprises Pty. Ltd.

27 Byrne St.,Lapstone NSW 2773

ABN 44 092 928 919

☎Phone: (02) 4739 8619

Fax: (02) 4739 5417www.local.com.au/dmp

Payment can be made by cheque, money order, Bankcard, Visa or Mastercard.

Fax Credit Card orders accepted.Total cost $ _________________ including postage & packaging. Allow 28 days for delivery.

(Please ✓)

Card No: _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ Expiry date: ___ / ___ / ___

VISA MasterCard

Cheques - Please make payable to Blue Mountains D.M.P. Enterprises Pty. Ltd.

Name: ___________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________

_____________________________________ Postcode: ___________

Please

Print name &

address

clearly

Signature: ______________________________ Contact No. ____________________________

Please print Name or Brigade Colour Qty. Cost Please Tick

Total $

Name Badges or Brigade BadgesSize 3.0cmx 9.0cm (approx.)Gold badges now Proban backed

PRICES Note: No "Minimum" order

1 to 99 Badges (Any) $3.30 each

Actual size

EMBROIDERED BADGES

Note: Red on Navy background badges are also available.

eg. JIM LEWIS

(For larger orders please attach clearly printed lists)

All Council orders accepted

Plus postage & packing per address $4.00

ANCILLARY AND LEISURE APPAREL

Brushed Cotton Cap $8.50 Navy(25+ Caps $8.00 ea., 100+ Caps $7.50 ea.)

Large Kit BagIndividual/Brigade names

$45.00 Navy(printed on seperate sheets) plus $8.00

Length 50cmHeight 30cmWidth 20cm

Medium Kit BagIndividual/Brigade names

The above is not our complete range – See website

$35.00 Navy(printed on seperate sheets) plus $8.00

Plus postage & packing per address (Includes badges if part of order) 6.60

Rural F

ire

Servic

e Appro

ved

100 plus Badges (Any) $3.00 each

Red onNavy

Red onGold

White onNavy

SPECIAL! 12 or more garments, Brigade name embroidered under logo for FREE!

ADVERTISING RATES per issue (includes GST)1/6page 1/3page 1/2page Full Page Inside CoverCasual rate FFuullll ccoolloouurr475 675 850 1275 180012 month Contract Rate FFuullll ccoolloouurr400 550 680 1000 1400

LIST OF DISTRIBUTIONPublishing run 33,000 copies

CONTACTSAdvertising Sales:Nichole Ingram [email protected]:(02)9684 4411 Facsimile:(02)9638 4671

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5833 RFS- Bulletin #3 · 2013. 10. 24. · bushfire bulletin vol24#03 mt warning – incident report in this issue 03 sydney convoy for kids 10 incident management 13 fire investigation

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