FIRE GROUND NOVEMBER 2020 - Tasmania Fire Service

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FIRE GROUND NOVEMBER 2020 - Tasmania Fire Service
FIRE
GROUND
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF
TASMANIA FIRE SERVICE   NOVEMBER 2020

FINGAL FIRE
SEASON.
P2

ANSWERING
THE CALL.
P11

A UNITED COVID-19
RESPONSE.
P14
FIRE GROUND NOVEMBER 2020 - Tasmania Fire Service
MESSAGE
from the Chief Officer

             W    elcome to another exciting edition
                  of Fireground.
                                                           A lot of the stories in this edition of
                                                           Fireground focus on our people and the
                                                           many ways they contribute to their local
             In this edition, volunteers involved in the
             Fingal and Pelham bushfire campaigns          communities. We have also received a lot
             share their experiences from the front line   of feedback from members of the public,
             and we also hear some personal accounts       sharing their appreciation for the work
             from people who were deployed to New          we do.
             South Wales.                                  TFS is fortunate to be underpinned by
             Summer bushfires around the country           our people’s strong commitment to
             were commonly described in public             protecting others and it is this willingness
             circles as ‘unprecedented’. While they        to respond that makes me proud to lead
             sadly included loss of life, major property   our service.
             losses and environmental impacts,             Whether responding to a local call out
             Tasmania experienced a moderate               over summer, getting on a plane to help
             bushfire season in comparison.                fight fires interstate or redesigning your
             As everyone began to wind down                station to meet COVID-19 requirements,
             from summer, we were hit by another           everyone has demonstrated a great
             unprecedented event. Navigating the           amount of resilience. Thank you for
             challenges of COVID-19 has required us        your unwavering commitment and for
             all to makes changes to our daily routine     continuing to respond when asked. I look
             and adapt to an extremely dynamic             forward to our organisation continuing to
             situation.                                    grow even more in 2021 and beyond.

             Together with SES volunteers and              I hope you can take a few moments out of
             Australian Defence Force personnel, our       your busy schedules to relax with a cuppa
             volunteers have assisted with compliance      and enjoy reading this edition.
             checks of those in mandatory quarantine.      Stay safe.
             It was this collaborative approach with our
             emergency service colleagues and other        Chris Arnol
             Government agencies that contributed
             to keeping Tasmanians safe. It also
             demonstrated that our skills can extend
             beyond responding to fires and we
             should remain flexible in our approach
             to public safety.
FIRE GROUND NOVEMBER 2020 - Tasmania Fire Service
CONTENTS
               Fingal fire season                              2
               Pelham fires                                    7
               Answering the call                           11
               A united COVID-19 response 14
               Reducing the risk                            16
               The importance of
               post-fire decontamination                    17
               In this together                             19

7         12   Training Reform Project                      26
               Fire Training - keeping it real 28
               Getting to know you                          31
               Recognising a lifetime of
               service to the West Coast                    34
               Collaboration in action
               at Ansons Bay                                42
               Aerial Fire Appliances
               in Tasmania                                  43
               Letters of appreciation                      46

     26   38
41
               Official magazine of Tasmania Fire Service
               Chief Officer Chris Arnol
               State Fire Commission Members
               Rod Sweetnam (Chair), Chris Hughes,
               Graeme Brown, Lindsay Suhr, Bruce Corbett,
               Dana Faletic, Leigh Hills
               fireground@fire.tas.gov.au
               fire.tas.gov.au
               The opinions expressed in Fireground are not
               necessarily those of the State Fire Commission
               Published by Tasmania Fire Service
               Design & production: Digital Ink
               ISSN 0727-6087
               Printing: Mercury Walch
               Printed on Hanno Satin, totally chlorine free
               from FSC Mixed Sources
               Cover photo: Dungay Creek, NSW
               by D’Wayne Leonard

                             November 2020 FIREGROUND              1
FIRE GROUND NOVEMBER 2020 - Tasmania Fire Service
Fingal fire season
    The 2019-20 fire season is one that I will never forget.

I am an 18-year-old
volunteer with both the
                                O     ver the past fire season, Australian
                                      firefighters were battling fires all
                                 over the country. In the Fingal Valley, we
                                                                              destruction that was incinerating the bush
                                                                              and threatening our local communities
                                                                              were terrifying.
Fingal and Ansons Bay            experienced a fire season that threatened    While other members of our brigade
brigades. I first joined         a number of towns and assets. Our            went out in the trucks, I was based at the
                                 community was in the grip of drought
TFS as a junior member at        and people were on edge when we faced
                                                                              staging area in Fingal. I worked alongside
                                                                              many hardworking individuals from TFS,
Fingal at the age of 11, and     scorching temperatures on 30 December        SES and Sustainable Timber Tasmania
recently became a member         2019. The land was ready to burn, and that
                                 is exactly what it did.
                                                                              (STT), as well as contractors and other
                                                                              local community members. I spent the
of the Ansons Bay brigade.                                                    majority of my summer school holidays at
                                 Following the initial ignition of the
Fingal has a tradition of        fire mid-afternoon that day, my family       the staging area, and while it was not what
family membership, with          returned to Fingal from our shack            I had planned, I couldn’t think of anything
                                                                              more valuable than the experience I
both parents and children        at Ansons Bay to find several local
                                 communities at emergency alert levels.       gained while working with these
participating. My father is      The conditions changed swiftly as the        fantastic people.
a member and when I was          fire spread from the initial site and was    During my time at the staging area,
                                 spotted to the south of the valley into      I experienced things that I never would
growing up, I could not wait     Mt Malcolm. I was 17 at the time, and        have had I been on the ground. I built
until I was old enough to        this was my first up close and personal      a better knowledge of processes,
get involved.                    experience of a severe bushfire. The         such as handling logistics, emergency
                                 height of the flames, the darkness of the    management, incident control, the
                                 smoke, the constant roar, and the sheer      forward command structure and the

2   FIREGROUND November 2020
FIRE GROUND NOVEMBER 2020 - Tasmania Fire Service
effort it takes to bring all these things      If anyone, young or old, were offered the   As a child, my involvement with the fire
together in an ever-evolving situation.        opportunity to be involved with anything    service taught me the value of community
I discovered the wonderful world of            like I was, I would highly recommend        service, and as an adult, I have developed
T-Cards, and why it’s so important that        taking it.                                  an assortment of skills that can be applied
they are filled out correctly! I experienced                                               in many situations. My involvement in the
the challenges and stress of making sure                                                   2019-20 fire season has taught me even
everyone received their lunch, while at        Being involved in something                 more, and I have obtained many new skills
the same time updating maps so that the
forward control team could stay on task.            like this helps you to                 that I know I can use in the future as I
                                                                                           continue to volunteer and complete more
My local knowledge was also put to good           understand all the hard                  training. The knowledge and experience
use, whether it was providing directions
to accommodation, where to get a hot            work that happens behind                   I gained when my own community was
                                                                                           under threat will not be forgotten.
breakfast or ensuring that no-one got lost      the scenes to make things
                                               run as smoothly as possible.
on the back streets of Fingal.                                                             Catherine Bean
                                                                                           Fingal and Ansons Bay Brigades
As a young member working with people
who were far more experienced than
                                                It teaches you the reasons
me, I was unsure of how I would fit in.          why plans can change so
These concerns completely vanished the            suddenly, and why your
minute I walked in the door. Everyone was
friendly and inclusive, which provided a                 lunch is late.
great motivation boost and helped me to
learn the ropes quickly.

                                                                                                        Fingal - credit Andrew Taylor

                                                                                                       November 2020 FIREGROUND      3
FIRE GROUND NOVEMBER 2020 - Tasmania Fire Service
On 30 December 2019,           Fingal - credit Brad McDonald
Northern Region staff were
bracing for a tough day.
We knew the weather
forecast would make
firefighting extremely
                               T   he Regional Operations Centre
                                   had been stood up, and staff were
                               monitoring the day’s weather and incident
                                                                             We hit the road, radios dialled in to local
                                                                             frequencies, trying to build that important
                                                                             situational picture en route. The further
difficult, and it was not      responses. Field staff were asked to          I travelled, the more resources I heard
                               remain at headquarters in case we were        called for. At this point, most reports
lost on South Esk District     needed to provide incident management         were from locals phoning triple zero
staff that our volunteer       or support to the areas most likely to        for assistance.
firefighters had already       be affected.                                  As TFS crews started arriving and
                               About 4pm I was in my office and thought
gone above and beyond in       we may have dodged a bullet, but soon
                                                                             reporting back to FireComm, our fears
                                                                             were confirmed – we had a very large
their efforts to protect the   after, District Officer Steve Lowe came       fire aided by horrific weather conditions
areas of Mathinna/Fingal and   in and asked me to head to Mangana.           heading towards the communities of
                               A fire had started up at Calder’s Gully and   Mangana and Fingal. I was a little to
Scamander over the             the community of Mangana was under            the east of Avoca and could see the
preceding two months.          ember attack.                                 huge columns of pyrocumulus cloud

4   FIREGROUND November 2020
FIRE GROUND NOVEMBER 2020 - Tasmania Fire Service
As we flew towards the fire front, I could see
                                                     30-metre high flames tearing up bush ridges and
                                                      spotting onto the next ridges kilometres away,
                                                        assisted by wind direction and fuel loads.

                                             During the flight, we were told of local        I turned to see a glow from what was
                                             residents who decided not to evacuate.          obviously an established secondary fire,
                                             Given what we could see, we had grave           some five kilometres to the south-east.
                                             fears for their lives. We deployed a water      This was to become the Mount Malcolm
                                             bombing helicopter to their property for        fire that would go on to burn over
                                             the purpose of knocking down the fire           8,000 hectares.
                                             front enough to provide them some time          It turned out that embers from the
                                             to evacuate. Thankfully, we found out later     Mangana fire had travelled approximately
                                             that although they stayed and defended          10 kilometres to start the secondary fire.
                                             their property, they stayed safe thanks to
                                                                                             What ensued was a huge effort from our
                                             some intrepid water bombing pilots and a
                                                                                             people alongside personnel from State
                                             well-prepared property.
                                                                                             Emergency Service, Tasmania Police,
                                             I returned to the fire station and was          Sustainable Timbers Tasmania, Parks and
                                             asked to manage the incident at ground          Wildlife, our aviation industry partners,
                                             level, ably assisted by local Group Officer     earthmoving contractors and operators,
                                             Gerald Aulich and Brigade Chief Richard         local businesses and landowners, and
                                             Gee. We started to formulate our plans          of course our multi-agency Incident
                                             by sectorising the fire, developing a           Management Team.
                                             communication plan (difficult in some
                                                                                             We endured and overcame many issues
                                             areas not suited to clear reception),
                                                                                             and emotions ran high, but these
                                             providing the community with pertinent
                                                                                             things are all part and parcel of a major
                                             information and speaking to the media.
                                                                                             incident. It’s how we respond that counts
                                             I had good support over the phone
                                                                                             and everyone should be proud of their
                                             from District Officer James Newstead
                                                                                             professionalism in trying times.
                                             providing information on weather
                                             forecasts, resourcing, catering and other
                                             information that helped me do my job on
                                             the ground.                                      These fires went on to burn
                                             At around 7pm that day, TasWater                  for more than five weeks
                                             advised that the local water supply was at
                                             approximately 40 per cent, meaning we
                                                                                               in total, with a formalised
                                             had to initiate fill points and pumps for all       incident management
                                             sectors at the river.                               structure stood up for
                                             I remember clearly thinking crews had
                                             done an amazing job of protecting houses
                                                                                                approximately 26 days.
                                             at Mangana. The sitreps coming back were
                                             pleasing, we had firmed up our sectors,         It is heartening to see the way people
formations. It was at about this time I      nominated sector commanders and                 and communities work together in a time
realised I probably wasn’t going to be       communications were working about as            of need, and this was especially evident
home for dinner.                             well as we could hope for.                      during the Fingal fires of 2019-20.
When we arrived at Fingal, people and        Although the main front of the fire had         I am particularly proud of our local
resources were gathering at the local        seemed to skirt perilously close to             brigade members for their efforts and
fire station. At this point a pre-deployed   Mangana, by and large it missed most            their families for the sacrifices they made.
North West Strike Team had responded         of the community. For a minute I think          Many of them put their own lives on hold,
to Mangana alongside other local units       we all thought, “Well that wasn’t so bad.       day after day, to assist others and keep
for structural protection.                   If we can pull this up before Fingal, then      the community safe. It is this spirit that
                                             happy days!”                                    is synonymous with the TFS brand and
Air Attack Supervisor Neil McEachen met
me at Fingal and asked me to accompany       We were looking to swap out the North           certainly one to be proud of.
him on a flight, so we could see what we     West Strike Team and rotate our crews,          Clynt Allen
were dealing with.                           and it was about then someone came up           Field Officer, South Esk
                                             to me at my field ute and tapped me on
                                             the shoulder.

                                                                                                          November 2020 FIREGROUND          5
FIRE GROUND NOVEMBER 2020 - Tasmania Fire Service
Mangana Hills at night - credit Jamie Loane

For our brigade, the 2019-20
bushfire season was a long,
frustrating and challenging
one. The Fingal Valley was
experiencing prolonged
drought conditions with
minimal rainfall, high
temperatures, low humidity,
dry soil moisture indexes and
heavy fuel loads. The scene
was set for a long summer.

W     e started to receive call-outs for
      multiple vegetation fires in the
Mangana and Mathinna areas as early                                                          Mangana Hills - credit Jamie Loane
as September.
During October, November and
December our brigade responded to            There were many call-outs to the Calders     The request was made for more
many deliberately lit vegetation fires.      Gully area near Mangana leading up to        assistance and brigades came from near
This created an unsettling feeling in        the new year, with over six separate fires   and far, which was greatly appreciated by
the community, but our brigades in the       and often multiple ignition points. We       our brigade and the local community.
Golden Gate group, (Avoca, Rossarden,        managed to control any new fires up          The Calders Gully fire went on to burn
Mathinna, St Marys and Fingal) pulled        until the afternoon of 30 December 2019      over 20,000 hectares and was out of
together and all did a fantastic job in      – a day of Total Fire Ban and one I will     control for five weeks.
controlling and extinguishing any fires      never forget.
that started. Assistance was also provided                                                I am extremely proud of our brigade
                                             High temperatures and wind speeds            and the way we helped protect our
by other brigades, STT crews, aerial         combined with low humidity meant if a
support and contractors.                                                                  community, with the broader TFS network
                                             fire started, it would spread rapidly. The   also working tirelessly, under extremely
We held community information evenings       pager went off in the afternoon, and         challenging conditions, to ensure the
for the public, which ultimately helped      even with a quick response from multiple     damage was kept to a minimum.
when the major fire started and people       brigades, this new fire developed quickly
were required to prepare their properties    and soon put Mangana and Fingal under        Richard Gee
and evacuate.                                threat.                                      Fingal Brigade Chief

6    FIREGROUND November 2020
FIRE GROUND NOVEMBER 2020 - Tasmania Fire Service
Pelham fires –
an account from the ground

                                                                                          Pelham - TFS RATS talk with a PWS member
                                                                                               over dangerous trees - credit Phil Pyke

On 30 December at around                                                                         Brigades from all over
2.45pm, the temperatures                     Midlands, Brighton and Kempton                     the state spent the next
were in the high 30s when a                  Brigades had arrived, as well as more
                                             Broadmarsh members. Trucks were
                                                                                               two weeks staging out of
thunderstorm went through                    being sent to surrounding houses for             Pontville, blacking out and
the Pelham area in the                       property protection.                               tackling flare-ups. Many
Central Highlands.                           The fire was starting to get very active.
                                             Just after 4pm, the pager went off again.
                                                                                               kilometres of tracks were
                                             “A fire in Cockatoo Gully Road” – about          bulldozed for containment.
N    ot long after, the pager went off
     – “Vegetation fire, Pelham Road.
Pelham lightning strike, Taylors Tier”.
                                             seven kilometres away. This was quickly
                                             extinguished by Bagdad Brigade.
                                                                                            On 14 January, the fire was handed
                                             With more crew on the 3:1, another             back to local brigades to patrol. This
We had a crew of two for the 3:1 and 5:1.    brigade member and I returned to our           was carried out by Kempton, Bagdad,
When we arrived on scene the fire was        own homes in Bluff Road to protect them.       Brighton and Broadmarsh until early
quite small but burning in steep,            More brigades were turning up, all the         February, when the incident was closed.
inaccessible terrain near the road and       time hitting spot fires and for property
being pushed by winds from the               protection.                                    On 14 February, Broadmarsh was called
north-west.                                                                                 out to a root system that had been
                                             Just after 5pm, the fire was impacting         burning from the first hours of the fire.
Shortly after, the fire jumped the road,     Bluff Road, with several properties under
burning in similar terrain on both sides –   threat. Tea Tree 3:1 turned up at my place     Overall, the Pelham fires spread for
not somewhere you would want to              for property protection and left later in      2,100 hectares with a 43 kilometre
put crews.                                   the evening when the threat had eased.         perimeter. One home was lost, as well as
                                                                                            12 outbuildings and a small amount of
There were eight houses on Pelham Road       Later that night, more rain fell, which        livestock.
that would imminently come under threat,     allowed everyone to go home. A lot of
and another dozen or so on Horners Road      hard work was done by locals, TFS and          Michael Gaskell
in the next hour.                            choppers to save numerous properties.          Brigade Chief, Broadmarsh

                                                                                                        November 2020 FIREGROUND        7
FIRE GROUND NOVEMBER 2020 - Tasmania Fire Service
Pelham - Brendon Burridge (Midlands FWO) chats with TasNetworks
    representative over fallen power pole - credit Phil Pyke

    Pelham - TFS light tanker is refilled from Norske Skog
    heavy tanker - credit Phil Pyke

8    FIREGROUND November 2020
Pelham - FWO (Midlands) Brendon
Burridge briefs crews at the
Pontville Staging Area - credit
Phil Pyke

                                  Pelham - Sector Commander Mitch Raspin from STT briefs
                                      crews before entry to the fireground - credit Phil Pyke

                                             Pelham - TFS PWS and STT crew move through
                                                             burnt forest - credit Phil Pyke

                                                                  November 2020 FIREGROUND      9
A united
effort
L  ast summer saw a large contingent of
   Tasmanian crews deploy interstate to
help with some of the biggest fire events
                                              estimated was
                                              eight kilometres
                                              away from their
in recorded history.                          destination. The
Amongst the crews were Tasmania Strike        fire had spotted
Team 73 and 74. Made up of Tasmania           nine kilometres
Fire Service (TFS), Parks and Wildlife        ahead of the main
Service (PWS) and Sustainable Timber          front.
Tasmania (STT) firefighters, they all         As they
united to support their NSW colleagues        approached the
who were battling fatigue in the face of      next fire front, they
overwhelming fire conditions.                 were confronted by
Strike Team 73 were tasked with back          a wall of flames and
burning operations and path clearing,         had to pull into a safe zone.
while Strike Team 74 were assigned to         While they waited, local Wytaliba crews
help local farmers and property owners        called over the radio to say their fire
with asset protection.                        station was alight and the only bridge in
Cameron Roper, PWS Firefighter, was part      and out of town was also on fire.
of Strike Team 74 and shared an account       The team decided the only option was
of his experience in Wytaliba, a small        to get out. At the same time, Tasmanian
inland town between Glen Innes and            Strike Team 73 had been sent in to try and
Grafton in northern NSW.                      reach the town from the other side.
“The first property owner we met was          As the crew made their way out, they
at breaking point. He told us he had          saw houses, car sheds and machinery
been dealing with fires for basically three   completely burnt out. They also came
months straight, in and around their farm.    across people walking bare foot along the
He was down to his last paddock of feed,”     road, trying to flee the devastation.
he said.                                      “I think we picked up five people on our
Cameron particularly recalls the              first trip back,” Cameron said.
significance of 8 November 2019.              “We also passed a guy heading back to
“It started like any other day. We received   find his neighbour who lived alone.“
our briefing and headed out from base         The team made it back to the bridge,
camp to the same place as the day             where they again encountered the man
before.                                       with his neighbour.
“The weather was off the charts. Nothing      She was severely burnt but the decision
I or the Strike Team leader with over         was made to get her across the river so
30 years’ forest fire fighting experience     she would have a better chance of getting
had ever witnessed.                           out of the area quickly.                     from different firefighting backgrounds,
“Fires were still predominantly burning                                                    from TFS, PWS and STT and they
                                              They constructed a makeshift stretcher       united to work together and protect the
in the ranges to the south of us. As the      out of a ladder, towels and fire blankets,
minutes ticked by, the fire activity kept                                                  interstate communities when they were
                                              transporting her to the other side of the    in need.
increasing. Then, all of a sudden, all        bridge to administer first aid.
hell broke loose and fire just came from                                                   “I’m extremely proud of the measures
                                              Tragically, they found out the next          taken, under challenging and adverse
everywhere. We had six buildings to look
                                              morning that the woman had passed away       circumstances.”
after and four crews plus farm units.
                                              in hospital from her injuries.
“Our team worked for the next two hours                                                    St John Ambulance Australia also
                                              Chief Officer Chris Arnol said he was        recognised Strike Team 74’s significant
jumping from house to house, putting out
                                              proud of the efforts of those involved in    efforts in April this year, presenting them
spot fires and trying to get on top
                                              both strike teams and other interstate       with a Save a Life Award. The Award
of things.”
                                              deployments.                                 recognises those who have rendered
There were numerous calls to assist
                                              “We send our firefighters away to assist     first aid to save or preserve a life, either
residents, including an elderly man whose
                                              other jurisdictions without hesitation,      through extraordinary actions or in
house was engulfed by fire.
                                              knowing they are trained and capable of      exceptional circumstances.
As the team moved along Old Grafton           dealing with whatever comes their way.
Road outside of Wytaliba, they passed                                                      Stephanie Webb
                                              “The people in these strike teams came       Communications Officer
an approaching fire front which they

10   FIREGROUND November 2020
Answering the call                                                                                                NSW deployment
                                                                                                         - credit D’Wayne Leonard

Late one Friday afternoon,
the phone rings. Acting
District Officer Bones is on
the other end. “Can you
mobilise a crew at short
notice to deploy to NSW?”
he says. “They have a few big
fires and are asking for help
from other states.”
“No problem,” I say. “I’ll
canvas the guys and get
back to you.” By Sunday
morning we were on board
the C117 at Hobart Airport                                                                                      NSW deployment
                                                                     NSW farewell                      - credit D’Wayne Leonard
amid tight security and were
away – point of destination,
Port Macquarie, NSW.

T   he crews deployed were made up of
    25 volunteers from the south of the
state, led by deployment chief ASO Jason
                                           Prime Minister and the NSW Premier out
                                           the back of Port Macquarie airport, then it
                                           was on to our home base of Kempsey.
                                                                                         death adders also liked to camouflage
                                                                                         themselves in the undergrowth to ambush
                                                                                         someone’s unsuspecting ankle.
Fitzpatrick from Hobart Fire Brigade.      The staging area was NSW Rural                Our main roles were asset protection and
The flight there was certainly very        Fire Service’s Lower North Coast              burning out edges to containment lines.
interesting. We were told to rug up as     headquarters at West Kempsey. This gave       Kempsey is a large regional town that was
we’d be flying at 20,000 feet with no      us a central point to deploy from, as the     directly in the firing line, with fire travel
heating. Let’s just say the TFS beanie     environment was constantly changing.          predictions ending further up on the coast.
and soft-shell jacket came in handy! The   Hot changeovers with CFA crews at the         One of the standout moments was
highlight was entering the cockpit and     compound and out on the fireground was        undoubtedly the opportunity to go
talking to the pilots during the flight.   the preferred option due to the amount of     and meet locals who had lost their
Crossing into NSW it became obvious        travelling at dusk in unfamiliar territory.   home or relocated to the local refuge.
from the air that these fires were         Night-time firefighting has many dangers.     We heard their personal stories and the
not going to be extinguished until a       Unfortunately, the areas we were working      gratitude they showed towards the Tassie
substantial amount of rain fell. Looking   in had hundreds of kilometres of fire edge    firefighters was definitely a humbling
out the window, we all began to focus on   that was left to burn out. Trees posed a      experience that brought a few tears to the
the huge job that lay ahead.               danger, as they were constantly dropping      eyes of more than one person.
We had a quick meet and greet with the     unannounced in the dark. The local

                                                                                                      November 2020 FIREGROUND      11
One of the standout moments was
     undoubtedly the opportunity to go and
     meet locals who had lost their home or
     relocated to the local refuge. We heard
     their personal stories and the gratitude
          they showed towards the Tassie
      firefighters was definitely a humbling
     experience that brought a few tears to
        the eyes of more than one person.

                             Start of 9km backburn to               Firefighter Christopher Stephens
                             stop fire front, Mackville, NSW                   assisting with a tactical
                             - credit Brett Carhart                        backburn in Dungay, NSW
                                                                            - credit D’Wayne Leonard

A special shout-out must go to Jason Fitzpatrick (aka Boss Man).
Jason’s leadership skills and his ability to engage people to get
the best out of them went a long way towards everyone being
kept safe and content. Jason made a lot of great decisions
based on the wellbeing of his deployment crew. Most notably
was after the all-day bus trip back to Sydney from Coffs Harbour,
due to the airport being smoke logged. Jason received
information that we would most likely be spending our last
night at Richmond Airbase on camp stretchers in the mess hall.
Instead we secured bookings at the Novotel in Sydney’s CBD
courtesy of the RFS. King-size beds and a meal voucher were a
welcome alternative!
The effort of all firefighting crews from different agencies
across Tasmania during the summer deployment is something
that everyone can be extremely proud of. The friendships and
respect that were formed is something that will stay with people
for a long time.
                                                                                        N SW farewell
Paul Baker
Brigade Chief, Lauderdale

     Strike Team 273 - NSW being briefed by Strike Team
     Leader D’Wayne Leonard prior to deploying for night
     shift in the Dungay sector                                     Fire in NSW - credit Brett Carhart

12    FIREGROUND November 2020
Interstate deployment - credit Paul Baker

Fire front, Mackville NSW - credit Brett Carhart                                            Tassie Crew NSW

Fire front, Mackville NSW - credit Brett Carhart   Briefing at Kempsey RFS Headquarters - credit Brett Carhart

                                                                                   November 2020 FIREGROUND      13
A united COVID-19
response
N   ot long after many TFS personnel and volunteers had started
    settling back into life after a busy local bushfire season and
a heavy rotation of interstate deployments, COVID-19 arrived
in our state and the Tasmanian Premier declared a State of
Emergency.

        The COVID-19 pandemic response
        provided a unique opportunity to
       demonstrate flexibility and resilience
         in unprecedented circumstances.

    Consistent processes and procedures                              TFS and SES volunteers followed a process of calling ahead a
                                                                     few minutes before arriving at the registered address to make
  had to quickly be implemented to comply                            sure the person in quarantine was at the property.
  with public health directions, and ensure                          Once this was established, the teams checked whether
                                                                     the person had been complying with their quarantine
 the workforce was kept regularly informed                           requirements and asked whether they required any
          as the situation evolved.                                  assistance.
                                                                     Most of this was done over the phone, with the person
                                                                     standing in the window or in a doorway to meet strict social
                                                                     distancing requirements.
TFS members were brought into the DPFEM planning team
alongside SES and Tasmania Police representatives, tasked with       Scott Marriott from Taroona Fire Brigade said many people
developing and enacting response plans across all agencies.          were pleased about the visits.
Early in the planning process it became apparent that TFS and        “Most residents were happy to see a fresh face and have
SES volunteers had the skills and relevant training to support       someone to chat to, from an appropriate distance of course.
Tasmania Police with compliance checks of those in mandatory         “We enjoyed the polite, relaxed and friendly reception,
quarantine.                                                          which mirrored our own approach.
After a trial weekend in the south, the process was rolled out       “It was great to see how many people thanked us for
across the state, with Australian Defence Force reservists also      checking on them,” he said.
called in to assist.

     Compliance checks -
     Dillon Monks Risdon Vale Brigade                                                                      Compliance checks -
     & Evan Cram Lenah Valley Brigade                                                    personnel briefing at SES staging area
     - credit Leon Smith                                                                                    - credit Leon Smith

14    FIREGROUND November 2020
“As trusted organisations charged with
                                                                    protecting the community, TFS and SES
                                                                    volunteers have been playing an integral
                                                                   role in keeping Tasmanians safe during the
                                                                           ongoing COVID-19 response.

SES Assistant Director Leon Smith said the COVID-19 response      “Their work in ensuring that people are meeting quarantine
demonstrated innovation and flexibility.                          requirements and conducting welfare checks is a great
“I am immensely proud of the collaborative effort that took       support to the broader effort,” he said.
place,” he said.                                                  While compliance checks are ongoing, at their peak TFS
“This was a unique opportunity to use the wide range of           and SES volunteers, together with Tasmania Police and ADF
skills that volunteers from all respective agencies can offer.    personnel, were completing up to 550 checks per day around
They worked hard to develop a sense of ‘one team’ that places     the state.
us in an exceptional position for the future.”                    Leon ‘Alfy’ Smith
State Controller Darren Hine commended the efforts                Assistant Director, Operations and Resources, SES Tasmania
of everyone who participated in the compliance checks.

                                   Compliance checks - SES and TFS volunteers reporting to SES staging area - credit Leon Smith

                                                                                                       Credit – Mark Forteath

                                                                                                    November 2020 FIREGROUND      15
Reducing the Risk
The Bushfire Risk Unit (BRU) undertook a
high-priority burn near Hydro Tasmania’s
Poatina Power Station in March 2020, as part
of the statewide Fuel Reduction Program.

T   he aim of the 210-hectare burn was to provide protection         The window of opportunity to burn in the area is only about
    to the power station and the community of Poatina. As            three weeks per year. With the majority of Hydro Tasmania staff
Poatina Power Station is one of the primary sources of energy        working underground, a weekend burn was planned so the
for the north of the state, powering critical infrastructure such    power station’s ventilation could be shut down.
as hospitals, water treatment and irrigation, this burn had a very   Attempts to conduct the burn in 2019 were cancelled due to
strategic outcome in risk management.                                unfavourable weather. In 2020, the weather again intervened on
Station Officer Jeremy Ripper consulted with Hydro Tasmania’s        the first attempt, but subsequent favourable conditions enabled
Ed Gwynne on the many complexities, including burning near           the burn to proceed.
high voltage powerlines and keeping smoke out of the power           Lighting was conducted over three days, including aerial
station’s air intakes. COVID-19 protocols were also implemented      ignition on day two. Volunteers from Bracknell and Hadspen
for fire crews.                                                      worked alongside the Bushfire Risk Unit and Sustainable Timber
                                                                     Tasmania fire crews. Three Senior Firefighters from Launceston
                                                                     Fire Brigade also attended the burn, being mentored as sector
                                                                     commanders as part of their Leading Firefighter training.
     “Undertaking a large-scale fuel reduction                       The burn was ultimately a success. Hydro Tasmania was pleased
       burn around one of our major power                            with the work undertaken to protect its assets without affecting
       station facilities aligns with our asset                      the community’s energy security needs. In particular, Hydro
                                                                     Tasmania praised the work of Station Officer Jeremy Ripper and
       management activities and bushfire                            Burn Coordinator Brad Williams.
              preparedness,” Ed said.                                David McIntee
                                                                     Community Engagement Officer, Bushfire Risk Unit

     Hydro FRB Poatina - credit Stu King

16    FIREGROUND November 2020
The importance of
post-fire decontamination
W     hen I started my career, you could
      tell the experience of a firefighter as
                                                                                           The following decontamination
                                                                                           procedures are required for each zone:
soon as they stepped into the fire truck to                    Hot Zone
complete a gear check. It was not only by                                                      Hot Zone – Once internal firefighting
their knowledge of the equipment, but by                                                       operations are complete, firefighters
their ability to pinpoint the type of incident   This is determined by the associated          will exit the structure and, while still
the crew before them had attended.               hazards of the structure fire.                wearing breathing apparatus, use
                                                 Consideration of wind direction is            their hose to spray down each other
They could smell the difference between          essential for determining the hot             from head to toe. This removes visible
a car and a house fire and even taste the        zone – a good rule of thumb would             solid contaminants from breathing
oil residue in the air left over from a motor    be to consider if structural collapse         apparatuses and protective clothing,
vehicle crash. The soot-stained helmet           occurred, what area would this                and wets down any fine particles
and blackened turnout gear was regarded          impact?                                       on clothing that may become
as a badge of honour.
                                                 In the hot zone, the minimum                  airborne during disrobing. Particular
Over the years, as we gained a better            requirement of personal protective            attention should be made to washing
understanding of the adverse health              clothing is:                                  the underside of boots and any
issues associated with the cleanliness                                                         firefighting equipment to prevent
of our uniforms, trucks and equipment,           • Full structural firefighting ensemble
                                                                                               cross contamination in the appliance
procedures have been developed                   • Self-contained breathing 		                 and clean areas.
to reduce our exposure to these                    apparatus.
contaminants. A culture of cleanliness                                                        Warm Zone – A designated
is the new badge of honour. As an                This workspace should be tactics             disrobing station should be set up
organisation, we must continue to adapt          driven and focused on direct                 and the station will have laundry packs
and enhance our procedures so we                 firefighting requirements.                   available for each firefighter to disrobe
can create a safe and healthy working                                                         and bag contaminated turnout gear.
environment for each other.                                                                   A tool dump will also be located near
Firefighters are potentially exposed to                                                       the disrobing station for all tools,
chemicals while performing their duties,                                                      including breathing apparatus, to be
                                                                                              cleaned as per the doctrine. Once at
particularly during fire suppression and
overhaul. There is potential for harmful                       Warm Zone                      the disrobing station firefighters will:
chemicals to be absorbed or inhaled                                                           -P lace any potentially contaminated
if personnel do not practise adequate                                                           tools in the tool dump area
personal hygiene procedures. These                                                            -R emove structural gloves and put on
                                                 Like a Hazmat incident, this area
chemicals may exist as vapours, gases                                                           nitrile gloves
                                                 should be determined by the lack of
and particles, and means of contact may
                                                 contaminants and hazards.                    -R emove BA face mask and put on a
occur through:
                                                                                                P2 or half-face silicon respirator
•	Inhalation of gases released from             In the warm zone, the minimum
     personal protective clothing (PPC)                                                       -R emove BA and place in the tool
                                                 requirements for personal protective
     after the fire response                                                                    dump area
                                                 clothing may include:
• Skin exposure to smoke                                                                      -R emove structural PPC and bag in
                                                 •	Full vegetation firefighting                accordance with TFS laundering
•	Post-fire inhalation of gases released          ensemble                                     procedures.
     from poorly ventilated structures
                                                 •	P2 dust mask (preferably a half-
     during fire investigation and overhaul                                                     C old Zone – This area is designed for
     operations                                    face silicone respirator).
                                                                                                  firefighter rehabilitation and may also
• Skin exposure to combustion products                                                            be set up in conjunction with the fresh
•	Skin exposure to contaminated PPC                                                              air base. Once at the fresh air base
     and equipment.                                                                               firefighters will:
                                                                                               - Remove P2 mask/half-face silicone
When we talk about decontamination,
we often relate this to a Hazmat incident.                     Cold Zone                            respirator and nitrile gloves
                                                                                               - Use fire wipes to clean critical areas,
As firefighters, we should understand that                                                          including face, neck, abdomen, lower
every structure fire we attend will have                                                            legs, arms and hands
elements of a hazardous materials incident.      This area will be free from all
                                                                                               - Don disposable coveralls, return to
Tasmania Fire Service has implemented a          hazards associated with the fire
                                                                                                    station and wash hands.
post-fire decontamination procedure to           itself, up wind and away from any
reduce the amount of contaminant we              exhaust emissions. The required           Firefighters should also shower with
are exposed to.                                  personal protective clothing would        lukewarm water within one hour of the
                                                 be dictated by the specific tasks         incident, as this is scientifically proven to
Like in a Hazmat situation, the attending                                                  reduce skin exposure post-incident.
Officer should establish a hot, warm and         being undertaken.
cold zone, which will then determine the                                                   Adrian Adams
level of personal protective equipment                                                     Station Officer, Operational Training,
required:                                                                                  Northern Region

                                                                                                        November 2020 FIREGROUND       17
New PPC storage for
Hobart Fire Brigade
A    new Personal Protective Clothing (PPC) storage and isolation
     facility at Hobart Fire Brigade was completed this year.
It replaces a temporary storage place for our Gemini structural
turnout gear.
The new facility protects firefighters from contamination and
ensures that structural turnout PPC is maintained to the
highest level.
It provides clean areas for firefighters to don PPC when
responding, as well as areas for off-gassing gear that has been
exposed to contaminants. There are cleaning facilities for
contaminated gear and showers for firefighters when they return
from a job.
                                                                                                        Completed PPC works at HFB
Hobart Fire Brigade is over 130 years old, with the oldest part
                                                                                                      - credit Philp Lighton Architects
of the station built in 1911. This meant we needed to ensure the
historical significance of any old structures was preserved during
excavation.
As well as this, the new building has been designed with future
expansion needs in mind, allowing for the addition of a second          During this project, we identified several
storey if required.
The donning area now has sufficient space for firefighters to
                                                                        factors that should be considered when
have all their structural and bushfire gear on hand, allowing            other projects like this are undertaken.
them to dress efficiently in a clean area during shift.               Examples are larger doors with push plates
After dressing, firefighters move to the vehicles through a one-
way, airlocked area that prevents diesel and other contaminants
                                                                        rather than handles, hardy floor and wall
from entering the PPC storage rooms. This system also ensures        linings, and clear markings for traffic flow.
that the station’s offices and accommodation are kept clean.
When returning from an incident, firefighters enter the building
via the warm zone where they can shower and dress, prior to          Phil Smith
being back in service.                                               Acting Deputy Regional Chief, Southern Region

The Tasmanian Disaster Resilience Strategy
2020-2025
                                              The Community Fire Safety Programs and        •   understanding their disaster risks
Last summer’s mainland                        Fuel Reduction Program within Tasmania        •   reducing disaster risks where possible
                                              Fire Service are great examples of disaster
bushfires and our own                         resilience and disaster risk reduction.
                                                                                            •   being prepared for disasters
2019-20 bushfires in                          Following extensive consultation, the
                                                                                            •   knowing what to do when a disaster
                                                                                                happens and what support is
Tasmania, as well as the                      Tasmanian Government released the
                                                                                                available.
                                              Tasmanian Disaster Resilience Strategy
current pandemic and other                    2020-2025 in December 2019. The               Where possible, people should reduce
recent disaster events,                       Strategy describes the many current           risks in ways that have everyday benefits,
show that now more than                       and recent initiatives that contribute to     even when a disaster does not occur. They
                                                                                            should also embed disaster risk reduction
                                              Tasmania’s disaster resilience and seeks
ever, Tasmanians need to                      to build on them.                             in everyday plans and operations, so
proactively prepare for all                   The Strategy is aligned to the United
                                                                                            disaster resilience becomes part of
                                                                                            normal business.
types of emergencies.                         Nation’s Sendai Framework for Disaster
                                              Risk Reduction and the National Disaster      The Strategy provides some quick
                                              Risk Reduction Framework. This means          hints on how individuals and families,

D     isaster resilience is about everyone
      working together and using the best
available evidence to understand and
                                              disaster resilience actions in Tasmania
                                              can be aligned with current international
                                                                                            businesses and other organisations, local
                                                                                            government, community organisations
                                                                                            and Tasmanian Government agencies can
                                              standards of best practice.
reduce risks and prepare for disasters.                                                     be more disaster resilient.
                                              The Strategy emphasises that disaster
It is about acting beforehand to reduce       risk reduction and preparedness is            To see the Strategy, go to
the impact of disasters on communities        everybody’s business, not just the            www.alert.tas.gov.au/resources.
and the environment. It means focusing        responsibility of response agencies.          Lynley Hocking
on managing disaster risks proactively,                                                     Project Manager, State Emergency
                                              Response and recovery efforts are more
rather than just managing disasters when                                                    Service
                                              successful when everyone plays their
they happen.
                                              part by:
18   FIREGROUND November 2020
In this together                                                                  New Aboriginal flag flying at Launceston Fire Brigade
                                                                                                              - credit Steven Richardson

I n this together. These are the words
  used to describe National Reconciliation
Week 2020, which was held from 27 May
                                               In addition to placing the flag atop our
                                               building, LFB also undertook cultural
                                               awareness training in Launceston
                                                                                              the impacts on culturally sensitive assets,
                                                                                              and how we can minimise our impact.
                                                                                              You will no doubt continue to hear
to 3 June. This theme was developed last       towards the end of 2019. Around 25             reference to culturally sensitive assets at
year – now resonating in ways no-one           participants came together to join in a        briefings you attend. Equal consideration
could have foreseen.                           journey with the Tasmanian Aboriginal          is given to a wide range of Tasmania’s
Last year, I began to reflect on a recent      Centre. The aims of the sessions were to       sensitive assets, whether historical,
addition to the Launceston Fire Brigade        offer knowledge and understanding              natural or artificial.
(LFB) – the Aboriginal flag flying together    about Aboriginal history and the impact it
                                                                                              Once we all get through COVID-19, TFS
with the Tasmanian flag atop our beautiful     has today, and to reflect on our work
                                                                                              will hold a small ceremony in Launceston
building in Paterson Street.                   practices to ensure they are culturally safe
                                                                                              to mark the significance of installing the
                                               for Aboriginal people and their families.
The LFB building is listed with Heritage                                                      Aboriginal flag at LFB, with members from
Tasmania, meaning the planning to              Everyone who attended the day found            the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, the
install the new flag took some time, and a     it to be challenging and confronting at        Aboriginal Elders Council of Tasmania and
complex approval process was required          times, but also very worthwhile.               TFS staff.
before any changes to the façade could         The lessons from this training will be
                                                                                              Steven Richardson
be made.                                       implemented in future responses to fires.
                                                                                              Acting Deputy Chief, Northern Region
I’m pleased to say this is now a permanent     Our people will take the time to consider
fixture for Tasmania Fire Service. As LFB is
staffed day and night, both flags are flown
24 hours a day and are lit up at night.
Seeing these flags when driving to work
each day gives me that little bit of pride
to start my day, something I hope other
members enjoy equally.

Half-face respirators
L ast year, a review into the suitability
  of the P2 respirators used by TFS was
undertaken.
                                               TFS personnel were deployed to different
                                               places in Queensland and NSW to assist
                                               our interstate counterparts in the trying
Conducted by the Personal Protective           conditions. Many who were deployed
Clothing and Equipment Committee,              would testify that the air quality while
the review ultimately recommended              interstate was less than ideal.
that TFS adopt half-face respirators, to       Fortunately, the last few deployment
provide personnel with a higher level of       crews were issued with the new half-face
respiratory protection.                        respirators.
                                                                                              P2 filter six hours after use in Queensland
A tender process was carried out, with         Reports from those who used them on the                 bushfires - credit Jason Fitzpatrick
Honeywell the successful supplier. Their       fireground were positive, and there were
7700 series silicon mask, paired with an       examples of members using their masks
ABEK1 gas & vapour filter and P2 pre-filter,   for a 12-hour shift and returning with the
provides a vast increase in protection.        P2 pre-filter completely full, as pictured.    Anyone who has any questions about
                                                                                              PPC should contact their PPC Committee
As this procurement was underway,              Trials of protective goggles to fit with       representative.
Australia was hit with the worst bushfire      the masks are now underway and are
season in recorded history, in summer          expected to be complete in time for            Jason Fitzpatrick
2019-20.                                       fire season.                                   Acting Field Works Officer

                                                                                                          November 2020 FIREGROUND       19
The Tasmanian Emergency
Management Arrangements (TEMA)
T   he Tasmanian Emergency Management Arrangements
    (TEMA) outlines the ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘when’ of emergency
prevention (mitigation), preparedness, response and recovery.
                                                                    After outlining the context in which Tasmania’s emergency
                                                                    management arrangements operate, the TEMA describes roles,
                                                                    authorities, responsibilities and agreed arrangements for the
This document provides essential information for people who         four phases of emergency management, abbreviated to PPRR:
have a direct involvement in emergency management, whether:         • Prevention (mitigation)
• full time                                                         • Preparedness
• as an occasional part of their normal duties                      • Response
• as an emergency service volunteer.                                • Recovery.
With so many parties involved in emergency management,
clearly defined responsibilities, shared language and concepts
are critical. This better ensures Tasmanian communities’ safety     The TEMA outlines governance, administrative
and wellbeing in the face of emergency events.
The TEMA is a useful tool in helping TFS operational staff and
                                                                       and legal frameworks. It also defines the
volunteers understand the context of their work and the process     planning and management arrangements that
of coordination during operations, particularly:                       bring all the different elements together.
•	understanding the roles of the different levels of government
    and different agencies, so all parties can work together
    effectively                                                     This consistent and coordinated approach to emergency
•	knowing who to liaise with when needed, for example, to          management is essential when Tasmania faces increasing
    close roads, organise evacuation, facilitate relief and many    disaster risks. Climate change and increased complexities due to
    other activities                                                the risks of concurrent, cascading or compounding emergency
                                                                    events, for example, managing a flood or bushfire during the
•	knowing when municipal, regional or state operations             pandemic, are further drivers for agreed and well-understood
    centres need to be set up and scaled up or down.                emergency management arrangements.
Nationally agreed principles guide Tasmania’s approach to           TEMA Issue 1 was finalised in February this year and provides
emergency management. This means Tasmania is consistent             more comprehensive definitions of responsibilities than the
with national and international standards of best practice.         previous Tasmanian Emergency Management Plan. It covers
Such consistency helps to ensure state and national                 all parts of the emergency management spectrum, particularly
governments can work more effectively together before,              recovery, and recognises that response and recovery agencies
during and after emergencies.                                       work in partnership with individuals and communities to ensure
The TEMA covers all hazards, including ‘man-made’ ones, so          Tasmanians’ safety during and after emergencies.
these arrangements apply to emergency events in this state          The SES website has a short online course introducing TEMA,
irrespective of cause. Commonly understood processes and            which is available on the TasEMT page. To view this and find out
approaches across all hazards means everyone can work better        more, visit www.ses.tas.gov.au/emergency-management-2.
together, no matter what risks the state faces.
                                                                    Lynley Hocking
                                                                    Project Manager, SES Tasmania

TasGRN Project
The Tasmanian Government
Radio Network (TasGRN)
                                            T  he end result will be a more reliable
                                               and resilient network, enabling
                                            the provision of better services to the
                                                                                            TFS was well represented at the
                                                                                            workshops with participants from a
                                                                                            broad range of areas, including Brigade
is a collaborative project                  Tasmanian community.                            Operations, Planning & Capability,
                                                                                            Central OH&S Committee, Engineering &
transitioning eight core user               When complete, the integrated radio
                                            network will be used by Tasmania Fire           Fleet Services, Communications Systems
organisations (currently                    Service, Tasmania Police, Ambulance             & Technology, as well as representatives
                                                                                            from the United Firefighters Union and
using five separate radio                   Tasmania, State Emergency Service, the
                                                                                            Volunteer Associations.
                                            Department of Primary Industries, Parks,
communications networks)                    Water and Environment, Sustainable              Led by the TasGRN Technical Team,
onto one unified, digital and               Timber Tasmania, TasNetworks and                upgrades to the paging network have
interoperable radio network.                Hydro Tasmania.                                 been undertaken over the last few months
                                            Earlier this year, a series of workshops were   and were carefully timed, following fire
                                            held with representatives from all eight        season and before wintery conditions hit
                                            user organisations. Participants had the        mountainous locations.
                                            chance to see radio equipment firsthand         The upgrades were done in the south of
                                            and give their feedback on how they think       the state in early May amidst some frosty
                                            the different technology options will meet      conditions, with the north and north-west
                                            their needs into the future.                    upgrades taking place in early June.

20   FIREGROUND November 2020
State
Air Operations
Air Operations is rapidly expanding and
continues to be a valuable asset to TFS and the
Tasmanian community during bushfire season.

A    ir Operations is a new and dynamic function of State
     Operations. It plays an integral role in helping TFS and partner
agencies Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) and Sustainable Timber
Tasmania (STT) keep Tasmania safe and resilient from bushfires.
Air Operations provides air support to TFS, PWS and STT during
bushfires, enabling a rapid weight of response to suppress fires
quickly, and transporting remote area firefighters to otherwise
inaccessible fires.
During bushfires, State Air Operations Station Officer, Adam
Salter, is responsible for maintaining an overview of state level
firefighting aircraft operations and liaising with regions and
incident management teams on air operations and personnel
resource requirements.
He also provides strategic support to the State Fire Controller
during incidents and develops State Air Operations planning in
the months before bushfire season.
“Having specialist staff managing the statewide air response
operations all year round enables interagency policy, procedure
and protocols to be constantly reviewed and dynamically
improved for the next bushfire season,” he said.
“Aircraft are relied upon to give quick intelligence to Incident
Controllers for incident action plans and decisions.
“As one of the largest conservation areas in Australia, Tasmania is
made up of vast wilderness and world heritage areas,” Adam said.
                                                                        Air Operations is currently based out of Cambridge.
“The inaccessibility of some parcels of land, as well as the
terrain, can make extinguishing fires extremely difficult.”             “Although still part of State Operations, the separate office and
                                                                        warehouse dwelling enables the Air Desk to function within
TFS has contracted aircraft from the National Aerial Firefighting       close proximity of the airfield, aircraft and staff.”
Centre (NAFC), as well as access to local air operators
throughout the state, to ensure that further resources are              Alison Wigston – Fire Education Officer
available on demand.                                                    (formerly Acting Station Officer, State Operations)

                                                                                                          TasGRN - Paging End of Life
                                                                                                         Hardware upgrades at Millers
                                                                                                              Bluff, Central Highlands
The Emergency Dispatch Messaging
                                                                                                              - credit TasGRN Project
and Alerts (EDMA) Working Group is
continuing to work on identifying options
to replace the existing ageing paging
system.
District Officer Claudio Muench is
seconded to the TasGRN Project as the
TFS Agency Lead and can be contacted at
tasgrn@fire.tas.gov.au for any questions.
You can also stay up to date with the
TasGRN Project by visiting www.tasgrn.
tas.gov.au and signing up for the quarterly
newsletter, or looking out for regular
updates on Conexus.
                                                  TasGRN - Claudio Muench, TFS
                                                  Agency Project Lead and Anthony
                                                  Dick, SES Agency Project Lead
                                                  - credit TasGRN Project

                                                                                                           November 2020 FIREGROUND      21
New appliances rolling out
New appliances continue to be rolled out
across TFS, ensuring personnel across the
                                                                T    he current build of compressed air foam (CAFS) enabled
                                                                     medium tankers is progressing well. Six of these new
                                                                appliances are now in service, and the current forecast
state have access to high standard equipment.                   indicates one new appliance will be available for delivery
                                                                every five weeks. The project and delivery of all 30 medium
                                                                tankers is on schedule for completion by mid-2022.
                                                                A working group has also been formed to determine the
                                                                operational requirements of replacement medium pumpers.
                                                                Vehicle insurance reimbursements were used to fund the
                                                                assembly and delivery of two new light tankers in early 2020.
                                                                It is anticipated an additional two light tankers will be made
                                                                available through proceeds from the sale of decommissioned
                                                                vehicles at upcoming auctions.
                                                                As part of the heavy pumper replacement program, five new
                                                                heavy pumpers will be delivered over a four-year period.
                                                                At a cost of $1 million each, these new pumpers are the most
                                                                technologically advanced in the country and provide many
                                                                advanced safety and firefighting features including CAFS.
                                                                They come equipped with a full cache of brand-new
                                                                equipment, including upgraded battery-operated road
                                                                crash rescue tools, and can deliver 4,000 litres of water a
                                                                minute when at capacity. Two of the new pumpers have been
                                                                manufactured and are in service in Launceston and Hobart.
                                                                The remaining three pumpers will be delivered in the coming
                                                                financial years.
                                                                Three new aerial appliances are in the final stages of
                                                                construction in Germany and are due for delivery later this year.
                                                                TFS has adopted a whole-of-state aerial appliance operational
                                                                strategy, which will result in three new aerial units in each
                                                                region to replace the current snorkels.
                                                                The installation of roof-mounted crew protection system helos
                                                                on 2014 Hino heavy tankers is also underway and scheduled
                                                                for completion this financial year.
                                                                A medium pumper working group has been formed to
                                                                determine roles, specifications and configurations towards
                                                                the replacement of the current medium pumpers.
                                                                A Vehicle Configuration Working Group is also being
                                                                established to better capture and streamline operational
                                                                requests for vehicle modifications. Group membership
                                                                includes representation from both volunteer associations.
                                                                There’s a lot happening in the appliance space so keep
                                                                watching for updates on Conexus and through WordBack.
                                                                Alex Lee
                                                                Manager, Engineering and Fleet Services

Launceston 1.2 at night - credit Scott Anderson, LFB

     Medium tanker                                     Heavy pumpers 05.11.19

22    FIREGROUND November 2020
An overview of
Engineering and Fleet Services                                                                                         TFS GTV Pod

The amalgamation of Tasmania Police and
Tasmania Fire Service mechanical workshops                          PWS, including 10 medium tankers, 65 light tankers and two
                                                                    SES rescue units. It has also conducted significant upgrades
in 2015 saw the formation of the current                            on heavy pumpers, and designed, constructed and placed in
Engineering and Fleet Services (EFS) Unit.                          service 43 GTV pods.
                                                                    Three Regional Mechanical Units located at Cambridge,
                                                                    Youngtown and Burnie look after the statewide servicing, repairs
A     s a result, the former Engineering Services, as many in TFS
      used to know it, does a lot more these days. The services
it provides, the premises it operates from, and its staffing and
                                                                    and maintenance of over 1,400 vehicles. Among them are a
                                                                    variety of passenger vehicles and GTVs, various fire pumpers,
                                                                    tankers, aerials and rescue appliances along with specialist
structure have all expanded.                                        police and SES response units.
The Cambridge complex has grown significantly, with the
construction and occupancy of a new 500-square metre
purpose-built automotive electrical workshop specifically
for the wiring, commissioning and decommissioning of new
                                                                        The Fleet Services Unit is responsible
vehicles and appliances. The workshop services a wide range of         for the coordination of the entire fleet,
clients including Tasmania Police, Tasmania Fire Service, State      including vehicle purchasing and disposals,
Emergency Service, Department of Health, Ambulance Tasmania,
Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) and Sustainable Timber              researching and providing leasing options,
Tasmania (STT). It commissions over 200 vehicles annually.           insurance claims and fuel card distribution.
The Fabrication Unit located at Cambridge, which traditionally
manufactured TFS fire appliances, has diversified its services.
It is now responsible for designing and manufacturing fire          While a lot has changed in the last few years, EFS is now able
appliances for TFS, PWS and STT along with the design and           to offer a broader range of services to TFS members and other
fabrication of SES rescue units and the manufacture of slip on      emergency service and government agencies.
pumps and group transportation vehicle (GTV) mounted pods.          Frank Howe
Since the amalgamation, the Fabrication Unit has manufactured       Acting Area Manager, Operations,
and refurbished multiple firefighting tankers for TFS, STT and      Engineering and Fleet Services

                            PWS Heavy                                      STT Light                                  SES Rescue

                             PWS Light                                      SES Pod                                    Police Pod

                                                                                                       November 2020 FIREGROUND      23
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