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Movers and shakers

Movers and shakers

THE CHANGING LOOK OF FIRE DANGER RATINGS

From 1 September 2022, fire agencies will switch over to the Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS). The AFDRS will improve how fire danger ratings are communicated and calculated.

More importantly, it will re-establish ratings as a national system, so that wherever people are in Australia, they will see a similar sign with consistent advice on how to prepare and stay safe.

The public-facing elements of the AFDRS have been informed by one of the largest social research projects ever undertaken in Australia.

The new system will see the number of levels in the rating system reduced to four, all with distinct, action-oriented, high-level calls to action.

In a first for fire agencies, the new system also includes ‘off’ or ‘no rating’

for days where no proactive action is required by a community. This does not mean fires will not occur, but that they are not likely to catch or move in a way that threatens the safety of the community.

The social research found that most Australians recognise the iconic ‘watermelon’ from roadside signs, so it was decided early on to maintain that semicircle shape and work towards a nationally agreed design.

YOUR FIRE RISK TODAY IS

MODERATE HIGH EXTREME

CATASTROPH I C

BE READY TO ACT

13 : 00

UPDATED

SEPTEMBER 25

SOURCE: AFAC

Moderate (Green) Plan and prepare

High (Yellow) Be ready to act

Extreme (Orange) Take action now to protect life and property

Catastrophic (Red) For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas

The new-look roadside fire danger signs will be consistent across Australian states and territories.

The agreed roadside sign design elements are: „ the rating names in a white font on a black ribbon „ the size, location and shade of colour used for the wedges „ the bar across the bottom left (under moderate) to indicate when there is no fire danger rating.

While the signs are familiar, the research uncovered a lack of trust in the information being displayed and a misunderstanding about what the ratings mean and what the community should do.

With this in mind, the AFDRS Program Board agreed on optional elements, which are to be considered ‘best practice’, including: „ a timestamp with the time and date the sign was last updated „ the relevant call to action, or appropriate community messaging „ the placement of signs in areas of lower speed limits.

Roadside signs are iconic, but they are also an increasingly dated way to inform the community about fire danger ratings.

The AFDRS device has been designed in a way to maximise its use on websites and social media, as agencies find new and innovative ways to engage with their communities.

The style guide includes how the agreed colours can be applied to maps and other elements of public information, to maintain a national consistency across a range of media.

To find out more about the AFDRS and the new design, visit: www.afac.com.au/initiative/afdrs

BOOST YOUR STAFF TRAINING

The Australian Government Skills and Training Boost is a program designed to help small businesses train new staff and upskill existing employees.

The program gives small businesses a bonus 20% deduction on the cost of external training courses delivered to employees in person or online by registered training organisations (RTOs).

In other words, for every $100 spent on training, eligible businesses will be able to get a $120 tax deduction.

There is no limit on how much can be spent on training by a small business on their employees in order to receive the bonus deduction, so long as the cost is incurred with an RTO, and in-house and on-the-job training are ineligible.

The deduction will apply on any eligible expenditure from when the program was announced in the Federal Budget (29 March 2022) to its expiry on 30 June 2024.

If you would like to know more about training opportunities, the FPA Australia Training team is able to help— contact us at training@fpaa.com.au.

AFAC CELEBRATES NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK

To mark National Volunteer Week on 16–22 May, AFAC released a video featuring fire and emergency service sector leaders from every state and territory in Australia coming together to express their gratitude.

The National Volunteer Week theme for 2022 was ‘Better Together’, aligning with AFAC’s collaborative values. In the context of the fire and emergency services sector, AFAC Members collectively engage over 250,000 volunteers, including our neighbours in New Zealand, equating to an enormous 87% of our sector’s capability.

On Wednesday 18 May, the AFAC office turned orange to celebrate Wear Orange Wednesday, a day to recognise the contribution of State Emergency Service volunteers across Australia.

Watch the National Volunteer Week thank you video on AFAC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ Vwf6BsWBE94.

AFAC staff joined in-person and online to celebrate Wear Orange Wednesday during National Volunteer Week.

SEASONAL BUSHFIRE OUTLOOK WINTER 2022: WET WEATHER AND WILDFIRE RISK

AFAC has released the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for winter 2022, with some areas expecting abovenormal fire potential for this period in northern Australia as the region experiences its dry season.

In the Top End, wildfire risk in the June to August period will see similar conditions to those normally experienced later in the fire season. Due to the dryness of the region, above-normal bushfire potential is expected for winter across large areas of the Gulf, Victoria River and Katherine regions.

Elsewhere, with a negative Indian Ocean Dipole and a weak La Niña-like state in the Pacific Ocean, the outlook for winter suggests above-average rainfall is likely over much of the country. dry season, with some locations near or at record dry levels over the past three months, which increases their fire risk,” he said.

“Elsewhere, we have seen significant rainfall this year for much of the country and are expecting aboveaverage rain to continue through winter. While this reduces fire potential for this season, it will increase grass and fuel as we move into spring and summer. Agencies will continue to monitor local conditions and manage risks accordingly.”

In the ACT and parts of NSW and Queensland, above-average rainfall and soil moisture indicates below-normal fire potential. This includes areas of forest recovering from the 2019–20 bushfire season. Jurisdictions are monitoring moisture levels and vegetation growth associated with above-average rainfall and the potential increase of fuel levels ahead of the southern fire season.

AFAC CEO Rob Webb said the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook reflected the diversity of risk across the Australian landscape, and the yearround factors that influence bushfire potential.

“In the lead-up to winter, our colleagues in the NT prepare the landscape and the community for the View the full Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for winter 2022 on the AFAC website: www.afac.com.au/ auxiliary/publications/newsletter/ article/seasonal-bushfire-outlookwinter-2022

Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for winter 2022.

AFAC PUBLISHES NEW DOCTRINE

AFAC has endorsed and published seven new and revised doctrine. AFAC doctrine is evidence-based, constantly reviewed and vested as the official view by the AFAC National Council and sector leaders. The latest updates include: ƒ Incidents Involving Electric Vehicles ƒ Large Animal Rescue Operations ƒ Fire History Data Dictionary

ƒ Fire Safety in Waste Management Facilities ƒ Framework for Risk Management and Workplace Health and Safety for Emergency Responders ƒ Safe Work Guideline: Managing Fatigue in Emergency Response ƒ Landscape Fire Performance Measures Data Dictionary All AFAC doctrine are available online: www.afac.com.au/insight/doctrine.

NATURAL HAZARDS RESEARCH PRIORITIES

Natural Hazards Research Australia (NHRA) has collated and published Australia’s most important natural hazards research needs in Research Priorities: national research priorities for disaster risk reduction and community resilience to the impacts of natural hazards.

The Research Priorities paper is a concise and informative collection of Australia’s natural hazards research priorities for reducing disaster risk and promoting resilience at local, national and international levels. Based on extensive collaboration, the paper can be used to guide government, industry, community and research institutes when developing and delivering valuable research over the next decade.

To create Research Priorities, NHRA consulted extensively with many different sectors and organisations in Australia and New Zealand. A survey of end-user stakeholders and a series

SOURCE: NHRA

of national collaborative workshops targeted eight overarching research themes and collated the priorities within each.

NHRA will use the national Research Priorities, alongside its Strategic Plan 2021–2031, to develop its 10-Year Research Strategy, Biennial Research Plans and the rolling portfolio of research projects.

CEO Dr Richard Thornton said the Research Priorities are a great starting point for a national research program.

“This is a really exciting time to ask how research can shape Australia’s approach to natural hazards over the next decade, and for end users to continue to be involved and tell us what their research needs are in order to keep communities safe and better protect the environment,” he said.

Explore NHRA’s full suite of corporate resources, including the Research Priorities, at www.naturalhazards.com. au/about-us/corporate-documents.

NHRA has released Research Priorities: national research priorities for disaster risk reduction and community resilience to the impacts of natural hazards.

AFAC RESEARCH STRATEGY TO GUIDE SECTOR

The AFAC Research Committee has released the AFAC Research Strategy to provide a high-level view of the role research and development can play in achieving the sector’s strategic directions.

Research needs to be useful, usable and used. The Strategy aims to promote an outcomes-focused sector through the effective use of research, supporting research prioritisation and investment by AFAC Member agencies.

The Strategy identifies seven major issues for research that would benefit from a collaborative, crossjurisdictional approach: ƒ escalating disasters, climate change and compounding crises ƒ a lack of baseline data ƒ explosion of communications and data ƒ the pace and breadth of change ƒ changing vulnerability and exposure ƒ the changing nature of communities and resilience ƒ workforce change.

To develop the Strategy, a series of workshops were held with the AFAC Research Committee and representatives of the various AFAC collaboration groups.

The Strategy includes two checklists to assist when considering or developing research proposals, so that research projects are set up for success.

View the Strategy on the AFAC website: www.afac.com.au/docs/ default-source/ru/afac_researchstrategy_final_v1-0.pdf

The AFAC Research Strategy identifies research issues that would benefit from a collaborative approach by AFAC Member agencies.

RESEARCH STRATEGY 2022–2027

GET YOUR FSA TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT WITH FPA AUSTRALIA

Accredited practitioners can now get the qualifications they need. For individuals working towards becoming a fire safety assessor, FPA Australia is now offering nationally recognised units of competency.

These units are required for qualified accreditation in the fire safety assessment (FSA) class of the Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme (FPAS), which is now mandatory for accredited practitioners (fire safety) in NSW.

Qualified practitioners can endorse the performance of essential fire safety measures (EFSM) on annual or supplementary fire safety statements.

Individuals holding transitional accreditation must complete these units within four years of their initial accreditation, while new entrants must hold the relevant units of competency in order to apply.

FPA Australia has been working with industry subject matter experts to develop industry-leading resources so that we can offer these recognised units of competency. These are delivered online via a workplace-based learning and assessment model that allows students to complete the work in their own time and at their own pace.

If you would like to enrol in the units of competency that are currently available, or to register for the waitlist for those units currently in development, please direct your enquiry to training@fpaa.com.au.

Additional information about FPA Australia Training Services can be found at www.fpaa.com.au/training.aspx.

INTRODUCING FPAA101D

FPA Australia has launched an introductory course on the FPAA101D technical specifications.

This industry-leading training program provides insights into the use of FPAA101D for residential fire sprinkler system design and installation.

FPAA101D (Drinking water supply) is a deemed-to-satisfy sprinkler system in the National Construction Code for Class 2 and 3 buildings of four or more storeys and less than 25 metres.

The course is designed for members of the construction industry, with a particular focus on plumbers and sprinkler fitters, and may also help regulators and authorities to understand more about this novel sprinkler system.

This non-accredited training course, provided by FPA Australia, has no prerequisite entry requirements, is delivered entirely online, is self-paced and is available now on our FPA+ platform.

For more information on this course, please contact us at training@fpaa.com. au or visit www.fpaa.com.au/training/ introduction-to-fpaa101d-fire-sprinklersystems-course.aspx

DEPLOY THE BEST RESOURCE BASED ON THE RISK

Australia’s aerial firefighting fleet is a powerful tool in the nation’s fire and emergency response artillery. The fleet is underpinned by powerful decisionsupport tools and real-time data that provide strategic insight to increase its impact.

The Resource to Risk project, delivered through the AFAC National Aerial Firefighting Centre, develops these decision-support tools to empower fire and emergency service agencies to deploy the best resource based on the risk.

Leveraging the National Aerial Firefighting Centre’s existing resource awareness software ARENA, Resource to Risk supports planning allocation of aerial resources, coverage modelling, consolidated risk information and planning functions. Resource to Risk brings intelligence from across the emergency management sector to help agencies make informed decisions.

Find out more at: www.nafc.org.au/resource-to-risk

Resource allocation

Finding the right firefighting aircraft for the job Using new resource allocation information and availability tools

Risk and data

Evaluation

Resource planning

Ensuring the firefighting aircraft fleet meets community needs Interfacing with the latest science and dynamic risk data

Ensuring fire agencies can learn from the past to improve the future of aerial firefighting Continuously improving models and evaluation mechanisms

Placing firefighting aircraft on standby in the right locations Planning resources five days in advance Developing capability for seasonal and strategic fleet procurement

FPA AUSTRALIA AT FRNSW OPEN DAY

On Saturday 14 May, over 5,000 people attended the NSW Fire and Rescue training facility in Orchard Hills, Western Sydney, for its Open Day.

FPA Australia’s NSW State Manager, Mark Whybro, and National Manager, Accreditation and Training, Greg Smith, hosted visitors to the Barry Lee Training Room and provided advice about careers in our sector.

The hundreds of people who explored the room were amazed at the range of products on display and surprised at the different careers available in fire protection.

For many it was the first time they had seen the ‘hidden, mysterious’ pipework, allowing them to visualise how the water travels from the sprinkler valve to the sprinkler head to suppress a fire. Even more surprising for the visitors was learning about the service schedules, and how a fire protection system is the sum of all its parts that is ready to work at a moment’s notice. PHOTO: FPA AUSTRALIA

5,000 people dropped into the training facility to find out about fire protection.

NEW FIRE DEFINITIONS PROPOSED

Grant Linley from Charles Sturt University, Chris Jolly from Macquarie University and others have published a paper exploring the concept of the ‘megafire’.

‘Megafire’ is an emerging concept commonly used to describe fires that are extreme in terms of size, behaviour and/or impacts. However, despite being in use since 2005, there has been little consensus on what it is exactly.

The paper described a structured review of the use and definition of the term ‘megafire’ in several languages in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.

By collating definitions and descriptions, and recording the size and location of global megafires, the researchers recommended that: „ megafires be defined as affecting more than 10,000 hectares arising from single or multiple related ignition events „ a new term—‘gigafire’—would describe such fires affecting more than 100,000 ha „ another new term—‘terafire’—would describe those incidents affecting more than 1,000,000 ha.

You can access the paper at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/10.1111/geb.13499.

FPA AUSTRALIA PROPOSES BUSHFIRE ACCREDITATION FOR VICTORIA

A group of representatives from FPA Australia, including the CEO John Kilgour and Victorian State Manager Peter Collina, recently met with the Commissioner for Better Regulation Victoria (BRV), Anna Cronin, and her senior advisors.

They discussed a proposal to introduce mandatory accreditation and/ or registration of bushfire consultants and Bushfire Attack Level assessors.

BRV will shortly release its recommendations into the Building System Review, but it has invited FPA Australia to make a further submission about practitioner registration and competence, statutory duties, dispute prevention and resolution, compliance, enforcement and insurance.

The two organisations will continue to engage over the proposal, and it is anticipated the final recommendations on the new Building Act and Regulations—and any decision on accreditation—will be submitted to the Minister in June 2023.

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