MFB assists with flood operations 100 not out for UFU Australia Day celebrations Ahead in firefighter safety CyberQuad takes flight
FIREMARK February 2011
News from the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Melbourne Australia
Flooding North West Victoria. Photo: Timothy Arch, DSE.
From the Acting CEO with Army Reservists in Creswick in a liaison role between the Army Reserve crews who are doing damage assessments and the local council to assist in recovery efforts. This is a great demonstration of the ever-increasing interoperability between different emergency service agencies and MFB’s ability to mobilise new working partnerships to assist affected communities. As the response and recovery efforts continue in these affected areas, MFB will continue to liaise with the control agencies to provide assistance where we can. Our hearts and thoughts are certainly with those who have been affected. In our own patch, crews have been kept busy in January with large factory fires in Preston and
Welcome to the first edition of FireMark for 2011, I hope you have had a safe and happy festive season and New Year celebration. Mother Nature’s destructive weather hasn’t dealt us an easy start to the year, with many areas of South East Queensland devastated by unprecedented floods, causing the tragic loss of lives and damage to thousands of homes and properties. Closer to home, our own state is also experiencing record flooding in parts of the North West and Mid West of the state. As always, MFB is committed to helping wherever we are able. We have provided assistance to both Queensland Fire and Rescue Service and VICSES in responding to these emergencies. MFB led the deployment of a multi-agency contingent of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) operators from MFB, CFA and VICSES to Queensland, where they
Footscray. (See full story, p12.) We have also been active in the community, visiting the Royal Children’s Hospital and Monash Medical Clinic to spread some Christmas cheer to some very brave young children, promoting summer fire safety together with Department of Justice, Parks Victoria and local councils at Yarra Bend, and celebrating Australia Day by participating in the Australia Day People’s March and Display at Kings Domain Gardens as well as celebrations marking 100 years of professional firefighting and the UFU in Victoria. Our new Executive Leadership Team has also been working hard over the summer, driving the Organisational Realignment Project. The team recently presented their progress report to the board, which has reaffirmed its commitment to the project, and taking this opportunity to move forward and enhance leadership in our sector.
assisted with structural assessments in inundated
I look forward to sharing more details with you in the
areas.
next edition of FireMark.
In Victoria, we have provided a number of Rapid Impact Assessment Coordinators to regional Incident Control
Happy reading!
Centres, as well as an Assistant Divisional Commander to Kerang, a Media Officer to Bendigo and Liaison Officers to the State Control Centre. For the first time, MFB officers have also been working page 2
Shane Wright Acting CEO / Chief Officer
MFB assists with flood operations Following too many years of drought, 2011 brought a deluge of rain to our sunburnt country, causing widespread flooding across multiple states. The devastating impacts of heavy rainfall caused by Tropical Cyclone Tasha across South East Queensland saw the tragic loss of lives and destruction and damage to thousands of homes and properties. Just weeks later it was Victoria’s turn; the skies unleashed on a state already soaked by the September 2010 flooding, swelling rivers in parts of the North West and Mid West of the state to one in one hundred and even one in two hundred year flood levels. As an organisation and as individuals, MFB is always keen to assist our emergency service colleagues and following requests from Queensland Fire and Rescue Service and VICSES, MFB quickly mobilised skilled teams to assist with response operations in both states.
Above: Water reached well above street level in Culgoa. Top: The swimming pool at Pyramid Hill.
The sub-station at Kerang was protected from inudation by a constructed levee and sandbagging. Photo: Timothy Arch, DSE.
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Queensland floods Two urgent contingents of Victorian Urban Search and Rescue technicians were sent to Queensland on 12 and 13 January, comprising a total of seven MFB personnel as well as three each from CFA and VICSES. At the direction of Emergency Management Australia, MFB led the deployment of the Victorian team, which joined colleagues from New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and New Zealand, to form a multi-agency taskforce to undertake crucial tasks including inspecting flood compromised structures, looking for survivors and providing assistance to clean up efforts in the Withcott, Forrest Hill and Lockyer Valley areas. Crews returned to Melbourne on 19 January, wrapping up their seven and eight day deployments.
Above and right: Homes devastated by the flood waters in the Lockyer Valley.
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Above: Where this car ended up shows the height and power the flood waters reached in Lockyer Valley.
Victorian floods Following the assistance provided to VICSES during the September and December floods, MFB was again eager to provide assistance when the request came through. MFB initially sent two Rapid Impact Assessment Teams to Ballarat and Bendigo. They were soon followed by a rapid impact assessment coordinator and liaison officer to the State Control Centre, a media officer to the Bendigo Incident Control Centre and an Assistant Divisional Commander to Kerang.
Above: The train line was inundated at Culgoa.
For the first time, MFB officers also worked with Army Reservists in Creswick in a liaison role between the Army Reserve crews doing damage assessments and the local council to assist in recovery efforts. This is a great demonstration of the ever-increasing interoperability between different emergency service agencies and our ability to mobilise new working partnerships to assist affected communities.
MFB deploys with the army reserve The Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission stressed the need for emergency services to work well together. The new Fire Services Commissioner has also stressed the point and in recent weeks we have seen MFB working closely with teams from VICSES and CFA on the floods in Victoria and Queensland. In a new development, MFB has deployed with the Army Reserve in Victoria. Commander Will Glenn, Commander Dominic Scarfe and Commander Ian Leaves joined the Reservists as they worked to assess the extent of the damage caused by the receding flood waters. The three day deployment is a first for MFB and the Commanders assisted by acting as a liaison between the Reserves and other agencies including local governments. It was a highly valued exercise, both in terms of the help provided and for the experience that it gave.
Above: Map of Victorian towns impacted by flooding. (As at 22 January; impacted towns marked in purple.) Map courtesy VICSES.
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Flooding North West Victoria. Photo: Timothy Arch, DSE.
Australia Day celebrations As proud members of the Melbourne community, MFB continued the tradition of taking part in the Australia Day People’s March followed by a display at King’s Domain Gardens on 26 January.
to promote fire safety to thousands of Victorians, from all walks of life and from all over the world, who were out to celebrate our national day. Firefighter temporary tattoos and kids helmets were popular, while parents took the chance to have a chat
Firefighters from West Melbourne, Windsor and South
to our firefighters and pick up a Fire Ready showbag.
Melbourne worked with the Community Education team
SmokeBUSter also proved a great family activity.
MFB display at King’s Domain.
Australia Day honours Two MFB firefighters were honored with the Australian Fire Services Medal this Australia Day, to recognise distinguished service as part of an Australian fire service.
competent and effective part of RSE delivery into secondary schools in Victoria. Senior Station Officer Paul Illman was nominated for outstanding service to the
Station Officer John Hale was
community and the MFB over 24
nominated for distinguished service
years, through development of
and outstanding bravery and
commercial fire safety courses
heroism as an operational Station
aimed at empowering building
Officer with the MFB; serving the
occupants to initiate life-saving actions before the
community for over 22 years.
arrival of the fire service; and empowering teenage
John has demonstrated creativity and commitment in the design, development and implementation of innovative changes in the area of Road Safety
secondary school students to make responsible decisions when driving or travelling as a passenger in a motor vehicle.
Education (RSE) and Fire Safety for International
Paul also completed a secondment to the West Samoa
Students, making a significant difference in the Fire
Fire Service in 1994, where he was responsible for
Service and community.
developing capacity amongst West Samoan firefighters
Through his drive, leadership, innovation and determination the MFB is now recognised as a page 6
through tailored training courses procedures and systems enabling delivery of services independently.
Blast from the past MFB has a long history of participating in the Austalia Day parade - check out this report from Febraury 1984.
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Ahead in firefighter safety Our firefighters’ turnout gear will meet even higher safety standards this year, with the rollout of new colour-coded, structural firefighting helmets starting this month.
After extensive on-the-job trials, the Rosenbauer HEROS - xtreme helmet was selected as the best fit to complete MFB’s set of new structural firefighting gear.
With the new helmets we will also introduce a new colour code to improve incident management and make it easier to determine rank at the emergency scene.
MFB will be the first Australian fire service to use this type of helmet, which has been developed according to the toughest European Standards.
The rollout is expected to take two months.
Its unique design reflects world-first innovation with: • A unique, high strength and impact-resistant helmet shell which provides more external coverage • Enhanced weight distribution and comfort • compatible with breathing apparatus masks • built-in visors for eye protection and a full face shield • best possible hearing and heat sensitivity in combination with excellent ear protection • integrated neck protection
FireReady Roadshow visits Yarra Bend MFB crews from Northcote and Hawthorn recently participated in a FireReady Roadshow visit at Yarra Bend. The FireReady Roadshow has visited more than 40 atrisk townships across Victoria this summer, to promote bushfire prevention. Stopping in at Yarra Bend the informal visit brought together local City of Yarra and City of Boroondara Councils, as well as Parks Victoria rangers, local police and firefighters to speak to local residents about
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The FireReady Bus display at Yarra Bend.
Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley (left) speaking with MFB Firefighter Ben Sandow and Leading Firefighter Andrew Hill. fire safety in their local area, where the haven of native bushland around the Yarra River presents a significant fire risk. Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley also dropped in on the day. MFB Community Safety Commander John Cranston said a number of families from the local community came down on the day, where they were able to have a chat to firefighters about preparations they can make around their homes, while the kids were kept busy with free slushies and a mini fire truck ride.
MFB Ladder platform takes a tour of Dandenong CFA If you see an MFB Ladder Platform turning out in Dandenong this month, you can rest assured it hasn’t lost its way home to the Metropolitan Fire District - it is actually on loan to the CFA while theirs undergoes maintenance.
“This is just the start of a new landscape of interagency collaboration and support,” said Acting ACO Davies. CFA Operations Manager Trevor Owen said; “ MFB Southern Zone and CFA District 8 have fostered an excellent relationship and this is a great testament of
Following a request from CFA Region 8 Operations
how well we are working together in the interest of the
Manager Trevor Owen, Southern Zone Acting Assistant
Victorian community.
Chief Officer (ACO) Darren Davies arranged for one from MFB’s reserve fleet to be loaned to CFA while theirs is out for regular maintenance. A Bronto Skylift was selected to take on the task, being the most similar to the ones CFA have been operating. Operational training also organised training for CFA crews before they took loan of the appliance. Acting ACO Darren Davies said this was a great
“CFA is very appreciative of MFB for the loan of the Ladder Platform and in particular the efforts in making this happen just before Christmas.” Dandenong CFA didn’t waste time putting the appliance to good use; on 4 January it responded to fire and explosions at Springers Leisure Centre on Cheltenham Road in Keysborough. Read the full story on CFA Connect.
demonstration of the cooperation between MFB and CFA, which has never been at a higher point.
The MFB Ladder Platform attends a CFA fire call at the Springers Leisure centre in Keysborough.
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Melbourne has been warned MFB has used its new internet-based community web warning service with community information and safety advice for major incidents in November 2010 and January 2011.
“At the chemical incident in Campbellfield, we were able
At a chemical incident in Campbellfield on 30
message, followed by a further five updates over the
November, the web warning was used together with
next 24 hours. In all our media interviews, we told
a doorknock of neighbouring properties; while at the
people to keep checking our website to know when it
factory fire in Cowper Street, Footscray on 10 January,
was safe to go back outside.”
the warning was issued alongside extensive media interviews, to keep the community informed of the situation and updates.
MFB website for updates so they could find out when the situation was safe.” “For the Footscray fire, we issued an initial warning
The MFB web warning system enables messages to be uploaded to the MFB website and can also be used to notify media and key stakeholders via email and SMS
Acting Assistant Chief Officer (ACO) Ken Brown, who was an Incident Controller at both events, said the web warnings gave the Incident Controller an opportunity to direct the community and media to the MFB website for the latest safety advice and incident information. “This means the community know where to look for further updates, while also streamlining the public communication process,” said Acting ACO Brown.
page 10
to tell people when we were doorknocking to check the
of the incident. Providing real time information to the public about individual incidents is now seen as a business critical function. There’s no doubt this tool and accompanying processes will continue to enhance our ability to keep the community informed in emergencies. Current web warnings are posted on the home page of the MFB website.
The home page of the MFB website indicating a web warning has been issued.
CyberQuad on display: The fan-driven aircraft feeds back pictures to a portable monitor and can even display thermal images .
CyberQuad takes flight MFB showed how it’s using new technology to improve the future of firefighting, taking CyberQuad for a test-fly over Eastern Hill on 27 January. The hi-tech, remotely controlled aerial camera platform, is capable of hovering above fires to detect hotspots and send real-time vision back to a central control. CyberQuad has huge potential for delivering information from difficult incidents where an aerial perspective would greatly help manage and coordinate the emergency effort. MFB is currently testing two of the eye-in-the-sky fan-driven aircraft; one equipped with a high definition camera, the other records standard definition and thermal imaging. “MFB is very open to innovative ways of using new technology to help manage emergencies. CyberQuad is another example of that philosophy. It will undergo significant testing, not just at incidents, but also in how we deploy it, before it goes into service,” said MFB Acting CEO and Chief Officer Shane Wright.
MFB is currently working with staff to train CyberQuad pilots and expects to determine training and deployment protocols in the next few months. CyberQuad further demonstrated its capabilities at the UFU centenary parade on Sunday 30 January. The unit flew the UFU flag to lead the celebrations.
100 years ago firefighters used the watch tower at Eastern Hill fire station; today CyberQuad creates new possibilities.
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Preston carpet factory fire MFB crews arrived on scene quickly to find a carpet factory fully ablaze just before 4am on 8 January. Due to the construction of the building and intensity of the fire it wasn’t possible to get inside the building early on, instead crews applied water and foam to the sides
Above: The Ladder Platform and Teleboom trucks are used to attack the Preston fire from above. Below: The hi-bay light fitting believed to have caused the preston fire.
of the building and roof area until the flames could be controlled. After 100 minutes of external attack, the fire was brought under control, allowing crews to get inside the building and fully extinguish the fire. Crews remained on scene for nearly 24 hours to mop up. The cause of the fire was found to be an electrical failure in a hi-bay light fitting.
Firefighters hampered by poor visibility at the factory fire at Cowper Street in Footscray.
Footscray factory fire Thick white smoke billowed from the roof of a factory in Cowper Street in the early hours of 10 January. First responding fire crews quickly raised the alarm to bring on more crews to fight the intense flames with water and foam. Crews were hampered by poor visibility and had limited access to the back of the building, while a collapse inside the structure made the fire difficult to suppress. It was brought under control at 06:23, however it still took many hours to dampen bales of woollen textiles inside the building. The thick smoke continued well into the morning, prompting the Incident Controller to issue safety advice via the media and MFB web warnings for neighbours to keep indoors and out of the smoke. The police arson squad was called in to investigate the suspicious cause of the fire, finding it to have started
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during an attempted burglary.
100 not out for UFU It was the biggest day out for the UFU and Victorian firefighters in 100 years – the centenary of the union and professional firefighting in Victoria. There’ll be events throughout the year to mark the milestone, but the first major occasion was the Parade on Sunday 30 January. letter from the Premier to officially start the day.
Around 1,500 firefighters from all Victorian agencies and their supporters gathered at Eastern Hill Fire
Following the parade, participants chilled at the official
Station before marching down to Swanston Street and
BBQ in Alexandra Gardens – and with temperatures
an official reception by Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert
hitting 40 degrees by that stage some serious chilling
Doyle on the steps of Town Hall.
was definitely required.
Led by a procession of historic and modern vehicles
Despite the heat, it was smiles all around for a hundred
and featuring the Victoria Police band and the Watsonia
years of service to the Victorian community.
RSL Pipe and Drums Band, the parade was nearly a kilometre long from head to tail
Above: CyberQuad leads the UFU parade.
And to show off the latest in firefighting technology, CyberQuad, the MFB’s under-development, remote control aerial eye-in-the-sky delivered a UFU flag and
Below: Historic vehicles lead the parade through the city.
Progressively modern fire appliances.
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The centenary banner.
Picnic at the Alexandra Gardens.
Every year MFB brings Christmas cheer For the 82nd year running, the MFB Once a Year Club visited the Royal Children’s Hospital on Christmas Day. The Once a Year Club formed over 80 years ago, when the children of some of the firefighters working at Eastern Hill fire station were sick in hospital at Christmas time. The firefighters decided to organise a visit to make the day special for their own kids as well as others at the hospital. This Christmas the tradition continued, with crews from Eastern Hill, West Melbourne, Carlton and Windsor fire stations as well as clowns, musicians and fire service museum staff and vehicles making the special trip.
Firefighters distributed lollies and talked to families of the young patients, while the clowns and musicians broke into groups to provide some entertainment and distraction to some very sick kids. Meanwhile our Southern Zone crews continued their own tradition of visiting the Monash Medical Centre on Christmas Day. For the ninth year, crews from Clayton and Oakleigh fire stations delivered Santa to the hospital and helped deliver presents to approximately 30 children in the children’s ward and the intensive care unit.
Above: Leading Firefighter John Barry with Santa at the Monash Medical Centre. Left: MFB crews arrive at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
FIREMARK February 2011
News from the Metropolitan Fire Bridade, Melbourne Australia
Next edition – April 2011 FireMark is the bi-monthly magazine from the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board. Editorial enquiries and feedback - firemark@mfb.vic.gov.au Subscribe now: If you would like to subscribe to FireMark, please email your name, position, company and email address to firemark@mfb.vic.gov.au. Please visit www.mfb.vic.gov.au for further information about the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. Your Privacy: Please be assured your details will not be shared for any other purposes. Your email address is safe with us!