Should have is too late Brave five-year-old burns victim the face of this year’s Winter Fire Safety Campaign Templestowe Fire Station opens to the public Queen’s Birthday Honours for MFB Commander Melbourne Airport exercise tests MFB
June 2012
FIREMARK
News from the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Melbourne Australia
From the CEO need to look at how we can better utilise our resources and work with other agencies where there are many opportunities for partnership. This could be through common procurements for equipment (such as foam, breathing apparatus, personal protective clothing and thermal imaging camera), joint recruit and promotional courses with the CFA, and the development of MFB’s new state-of-the-art training facility at Craigieburn, which will be used by our partner organisations.
Shortly MFB will publish its 2012-13 Strategic and Business Plan, which outlines the way forward for our organisation. There are many challenges to be taken into considering in the development of our strategic and business plan. MFB has an ageing workforce; there is an increasing density in the Metropolitan District and changing community expectations in relation to emergency warnings. But we are driven to succeed by our strong history and our founding values – professionalism, response and initiative. In a once-in-a-generation shift, MFB will change the way we engage with communities in the Metropolitan District to build community resilience. This will require MFB to assist households, businesses, community organisations and individuals to be informed and fully and effectively engaged in being planned, prepared and equipped for emergencies. The emergency services sector is in the process of significant change. In the next 12 months we will experience sector reform, a tighter fiscal environment and a shift towards community resilience building as a key component of our service delivery. Our vision is Ready Resilient Communities and to deliver this vision, the focus for 2012/13 is to be a leader in the implementation of the disaster resilience framework and strategy. We also page 2
This direction will be driven by sector reform and government direction in relation to our funding base. Several key documents underpin the reform direction. These include the DPC White Paper (analysing Victoria’s emergency management framework), the Fire Services Base Review (an audit of the purchaser-provider relationship between the State Government and MFB/CFA) and the Fire Services Commissioner Reform Agenda (building sustainable long-term community safety outcomes). Some of our key projects in the next 12 months will include the start of construction at the Craigieburn facility and contractual commitments to two new firefighting vessels as part of the MFB Marine Response strategy. Ultimately the aim is to build communities that drive and are accountable for their own resilience and recover and challenge decision makers in their local area to ensure that adequate provision and preparedness is made for any emergency. I believe this is a move that will in time be welcomed by communities, proud to champion their achievements and create a safe environment for those that live there. Nick Easy Chief Executive Officer MFB
Should have is too late MFB and CFA joined forces to launch the Winter Fire Safety Campaign at the Royal Children’s Hospital last month. The face of the launch was two-year-old Famke, who extensively burnt the back of her legs when a flame from a faulty gas heater ignited her pyjamas. Three years on, Famke’s recovery continues. In a matter of seconds Famke’s parents Gretha Oost and Willem had extinguished the flames and stripped Famke’s pyjamas off, but the damage was done and Famke was facing lasting scars and a lengthy recovery, including many skin grafts over a number of years. “It happened so quickly,” said Gretha. “There are so many ways it could have been avoided – we should have chased my landlord to fix the heater, we should have had a screen in front of the heater, we should have been in the room with my girls when the heater was on.”
FETY E HOME FIRE SA RESPONSIBL L AL E AR E W
The family joined the Police and Emergency Services Minister Peter Ryan in calling on all Victorians to take responsibility for their home fire safety. This year, the key message is that fire safety is something everyone has to be responsible for - no excuses. Look out for each other and ensure family, friends and neighbours are fire safe. Because “should have” is too late. For more information, visit www.homefiresafety.com.au.
FAST FACTS
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• In the past ten years there have been 164 fatalities from residential fires and countless injuries. Winter is the ty.com.au riskiest time of the year for fires in the homefiresafe home in Victoria with more than 1000 homes fires each year. • Of the 1,042 residential fires in Victoria last winter, 37% started in the kitchen, 14% in the lounge room and 10% in the bedroom. • Leaving cooking unattended was the main cause of residential fires in Victoria last year, responsible for 25% of incidents. This was followed by electrical faults (11%) and heating malfunctions (10%). • Residential fires last winter resulted in an estimated $20 million in damages and six lives were lost.
ty.com.au homefiresafe
Above: Famke and her mother at the launch. Other: Three graphic posters depicting burns victims feature in this year’s Winter Fire Safety Campaign.
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MFB by numbers As the financial year comes to a close, we reflect on the emerging trends affecting MFB. The Strategic Analysis and Report team compiles detailed quarterly reports outlining MFB’s performance. Here are some of the key findings from the January – March period. Between January and March MFB responded to a total of 9377 calls, 105 less than the same period last year. Of these, 9051 calls were within the Metropolitan District. The decrease has been attributed to a drop in hazardous incidents by 35.6% and false alarms by 16.4%. Of great concern is the number of preventable fire fatalities in the 2011/12 year-to-date. There have been six deaths so far, which is higher than in the previous two years (2009/10: five deaths, 2010/11: four deaths). Close examination of preventable fatal fires from July 2001 to March 2012 shows that the most common identifiable cause is an electrical event (28%), followed closely by discarded cigarettes or smoking materials (26%) and cooking-related fires (13%). With the recent launch of the Winter Fire Safety Campaign, MFB hopes to encourage all Melbournians to take responsibility for their home fire safety, as well as looking out for their elderly relatives and neighbours. Failure to have smoke alarms installed is an ongoing concern for firefighters; with 11.4% of residential structure fires attended lacking the life-saving device. MFB Community Resilience in partnership with CFA is holding discussions with local government and the Building Commission regarding ongoing smoke alarm education and awareness, emphasising the need for smoke alarms and the need for legislative compliance. There has been a slight decrease in the number of structure fires attended (from 798 to 791), but we have seen a jump in the number of non-structure fires (from 1076 to 1344) and medical response (from 725 to 809). Emergency Medical Response is a growing component of the work firefighters now carry out with calls up 11.6%. And while their role is usually to supply oxygen treatment to patients, from January to March firefighters used the defibrillator 53 times. Ongoing EMR training ensures firefighters are well-equipped to deal with these situations when they respond. Response times are still not meeting the target, at 8.1 minutes for this reporting period (the benchmark is 7.7 minutes). This is however an improvement on the same time last year when the response time was 8.4 minutes.
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Templestowe Station opening Boasting energy efficiency and MFB’s new fire station design, the new Templestowe station was officially opened in May. More than 300 members of the local community attended the event and community day at Fire Station 30 (FS30), which included speeches from Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship Nicholas Kotsiras and MFB Board President Neil Comrie, with Regional Director South East Metro Region David Youssef as MC. The car cutting demonstration was a highlight of the day and many community members also went through MFB’s SmokeBUSter fire education bus. Acting Assistant Chief Fire Officer Darren Davies said the event was a great opportunity for local residents to meet their local firefighters and check out the new station. “Opening a new fire station is a special event not only for MFB, but for the whole community,” he said. Times have changed since the first Templestowe fire station opened 41 years ago. In 1971, a firefighter was paid, on average, $5000 per year. The cost of staffing FS30 at that time was estimated at $100,000 per year. These days firefighters earn upwards of $60,000 a year. In the 1970s firefighters from Templestowe attended a lot of grassfires, however with the development of the area they now attend more house fires and car accidents.
Clockwise from above right: Station Officer Mick Convrey sings the national anthem; Chaplain Dave Thompson opens the station; From left: the Honourable Mary Wooldridge, MFB President Neil Comrie, The Honourable Nicholas Kotsiras, The Honourable Kevin Andrews and Mannington Council Mayor Geoff Gough with the plaque; children meet their local firefighters; and Heavy Vehicle Rescue perform a display for the community.
Recruit Course 105 By Assistant Course Co-ordinator Station Officer Glenn MacDonald
The curtains have drawn to a close on Recruit Course 105 as we send 24 eager new firefighters out into the wide world. It only seems like yesterday that we took away 24 individuals to Mt Morton for their team building component and returned with one unified group of 24. Now here they are, graduated. The 17 weeks flew by so quickly, I hardly know where the time went. One minute we are receiving their names and photos to let us know who was on the course, then the next we are putting these names on their certificates for graduation.
Night training
drills
The course had joint recipients of the Ross Leeder Instructors’ Award - Firefighter Cameron Godwin and Firefighter Mitch Reeves and Stirling syndicate received the Frank Churchill Memorial Award (FFs Cameron Godwin, Caleb Geppert, Luke Hampshire, David Jensen and syndicate leader LFF Greg Whatley). As assistant co-ordinator, I believe I can speak on behalf of the instructor group when I say that we are extremely proud of the graduates’ efforts on their graduation day. They showcased their competence by performing extremely well during the parade and ceremony and put on a very professional and dynamic display of their abilities for their family, friends and dignitaries. As one of the squad drill instructors, I am extremely proud of the conduct of the graduates during the ceremony and seeing all their hard work pay off on the day. I know they were all extremely pleased with the ceremony and display they put on. As they head out on shift, I would like to say to them that this is the time for them to really start to learn their new ‘trade’; remember the basics they have been taught; maintain the high standard they left with; for them to just get out there and enjoy everything that this job is and to remember to stay safe, take care and have fun.
Reeves and hters Mitchell Above: Firefig inners of the win — joint-w Cameron God Award. Ross Leeder
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ructors on Proud course inst graduation day
Memorial to honour fallen colleagues earns Queens Birthday honours A brush with death drove Commander Peter Egan to establish a memorial for Fallen Firefighters to remember his colleagues who weren’t so fortunate. His hard work has been recognised after he was awarded an Australian Fire Service Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Peter was nominated in recognition of the professionalism, leadership, initiative and engagement demonstrated in the concept, design, construction and completion of the Fallen Firefighters Memorial project, which is located at the Burnley Complex. “I researched others that we had lost in the line of duty and realised we (as an organisation) needed to do something to record for posterity and for those that follow us,” CMDR Egan explained. “This will ensure the lives and sacrifice of those we had lost in the line of duty was not in vain. The memorial we now have is the result. As an agency we were the only one that did not have a memorial of this type.” CMDR Egan was one of four firefighters to escape death following a training exercise gone horribly wrong in 1974. The incident claimed the life of CMDR Egan’s colleague Firefighter David Griffiths. His work on the memorial has been praised by MFB CEO Nick Easy. “This project has provided a lasting memorial that recognises the supreme sacrifice made by MFB firefighters in protecting the lives of others and provides a place of reflection for the families of those fallen firefighters and will maintain their memory in the minds of all past, present and future firefighters,” Mr Easy said. A firefighter with MFB for almost 40 years, CMDR Egan said the award was something he would treasure in his retirement years. “I felt honoured and somewhat humbled as there are a number of people that have received the AFSM that have achieved far more than me,” he said. Above: DCO David Youssef, MFESB president Neil Comrie, Deputy Premier and Police and Emergency Services Minister Peter Ryan and CMDR Peter Egan at the Memorial launch in December last year. Left: CMDR Egan speaks at the memorial launch. page 7
Exercise Hades MFB was the lead agency during an extensive Counter Terrorism exercise testing emergency service agencies on their response capabilities. Exercise Hades (held on wednesday May 9) was designed to robustly test the State’s capability to respond to an event impacting severely on critical infrastructure, people and livelihoods. An airliner en route to Melbourne was the scenario context with reports of a significant number of injuries. The exercise commenced just after 10am with MFB crews from the North West Metro Region responding to a 4th Alarm Hazmat Exercise at the airport. The exercise resulted in MFB taking a lead role for the Hazmat response component and provided an opportunity for MFB to test incident management capabilities remotely, as the operations’ control point was set up at Eastern Hill, not Melbourne Airport where the exercise took place. Recruits from Course 106 took part in the exercise, acting as victims on the aeroplane. This was a fantastic opportunity for them to be part of such a large-scale, multi-agency exercise. There were also participants from Operations, Operations Improvement, Operational communications, Special Operations, Media and Communications, Emergency Management and Senior Operational staff. MFB Chief Officer Shane Wright said the exercise was a culmination of many months’ work and commitment from the staff at Special Ops. “In particular I would like to acknowledge the work and commitment of Senior Station Officer Luke Klein,” he said. “Luke’s commitment and enthusiasm coupled with his obvious passion for the subject matter resulted in a realistic, well thought through scenario.”
Right: MFB firefighters deployed the decontamination pod; MFB was one of many agencies from around the country involved in the exercise
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Firefighters increase management skills Five MFB firefighters recently extended their academic learning, by completing the Graduate Certificate in Applied Management at the Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM). The Executive Development Program is a post graduate course that awards the successful participants a Graduate Certificate in Applied Management.
and Station Officers Donna Wheatley, Darren Borschmann and Will Klinge. Commanders Will Glenn and John Jugum also attended the course as Visiting Fellows, assisting as Syndicate Leaders which incorporates course guidance, assisting with draft papers and marking assignments. “I was very proud of the accomplishments of the five MFB students, who were all successful in completing one of the most difficult and challenging courses they will undertake,� CMDR Glenn said.
This course comprises of two subjects studied via part-time distance education and two subjects delivered in a full-time intensive oncampus residential program. The residential The course culminates in a formal dinner and component is completed over three weeks at graduation ceremony on the final night, which was also attended by Deputy Chief Officer Paul the institute in Manly, NSW. Stacchino, who is a strong supporter of this The MFB is a strong supporter of programs academic program. at the AIPM and many firefighters have successfully completed courses and acquired The dinner featured a speech by SO Borschmann on behalf of the student group, academic qualifications. who was appointed Class President for the final The alumnus now includes Senior Station week. Officers Steve Watts and Stephen Charles,
Above, from left: CMDR John Jugum, SO Darren Borschmann, DCO Paul Stacchino, SO Donna Wheatley, SSO Steve Watts, SO Will Klinge, CMDR Will Glenn and SSO Stephen Charles.
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Red Nose Day
MFB supported the launch of Red Nose Day last month with a special Friday Display at Eastern Hill. The event was held in conjunction with SIDS and Kids Victoria and Ambulance Victoria, to educate the public about the role played by emergency service workers when confronted with the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. “The sudden unexplained death of an infant is without doubt one of the most stressful and challenging situations that emergency service workers can face,” Acting Commander Allan Morton of the MFB Emergency Medical Services Department said. “The moment when a parent realises their child has died unexpectedly and without explanation can invoke the most devastating grief imaginable. “Since MFB firefighters took on emergency medical response as a core activity in 2001 our crews have attended an increasing number of SIDS calls and worked alongside Ambulance and Police members.” MFB recognises the importance of the work that SIDS and Kids does to support parents impacted by this traumatic event and their dedication and important work in the fields of research and education to save the lives of babies and children. In 2011, MFB responded to more paediatric call outs than in the previous seven years.
Above: AV Team Manager Brian Russo, SIDS and Kids Victoria CEO Karen Passey and MFB Peer Support Coordinator Station Officer Rod Egglestone.
Carbon Pricing
With the introduction of the Carbon Pricing tax on July 1, the implications on the fire protection industry will be varied. There are various synthetic greenhouses gases (SGGs) used by the industry as extinguishing agents, and fire protection companies who import SGGs in either bulk form or in fire protection equipment will be required to hold an import license and pay an equivalent carbon price. However not all will incur the tax, for example, the carbon dioxide (CO2) extinguishers used by MFB will not be affected by the legislation and no additional levies will be charged on their import. Similarly, the water, foam and powder extinguishers used by MFB are all exempt from the tax. For more information about the Australian Government’s administration of synthetic greenhouse gases, visit: www.environment.gov.au/atmosphere/ozone/index.html
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Braving a cold, wet night for charity On one of winter’s coldest nights, Executive Director of Organisational Learning and Development Peter Rau left behind his comfy, warm bed and took part in the 2012 Vinnies CEO’s Sleep Out at Etihad stadium, raising money and awareness of homeless people. Money raised will directly assist Vinnies to provide relief to the homeless through crisis accommodation, domestic violence support and access to budget counselling, cooking skills and legal advice; educating people on making better choices in life. For more than 105,000 men, women and children who sleep out across Australia each night, this is no light matter. With our help, Vinnies can turn the tide and give people the opportunities they need to rebuild their lives. In the end, Deputy Chief Officer Rau raised more than $1300 for charity.
Ladder to the rescue Ladder platform operators Leading Firefighters Matthew Nicholson and Brett Pomroy used their height advantage when the Aboriginies Advancement League came calling last month. On morning Thursday May 31, staff from the Thornbury centre called Acting Northern District Multicultural Liaison Officer Sal Galofaro and asked if MFB could help replace the rope on their flag pole as it had snapped off. Commander Will Glen promptly organised the crew from Eastern Hill Fire Station’s ladder platform to go out to see what they could do. “As you can see (right) the men performed brilliantly and by midday had the job done,” LFF Galofaro said. “The guys from the Advancement League were most appreciative.”
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Gnome rescue and lots of snow Firefighting exchanges are a great way for MFB firefighters to share their knowledge and learn new things with crews across the globe. MFB currently has two firefighters workng in Canada, and two Canadian firefighters stationed in Melbourne. The pairs swap homes, cars, and jobs for a twelve-month period. Station Officer Adrian Newton, of South Melbourne Fire Station, is currently working in Vancouver, Canada. Here he shares some of his experiences from his first three months on exchange. Arriving in Vancouver mid-January, or anywhere in the northern hemisphere, it’s always a bit of a shock coming from long hot days to short cold days. Average temperature is three-degrees Celsius. The other downside is that it rains … a lot. During the first week I was also greeted with five to 10 cms of snow in downtown. Which means only one thing - head for the mountains. Richmond is a municipality of Vancouver with a population of 190,000 over approx 1500sq/kms. Richmond has an immigrant population of over 60%, the highest in Canada. More than half is of Asian descent. There are more than 200 firefighters employed at Richmond Fire, working the same shift system as MFB. Richmond has a reciprocal emergency response relationship with its bordering neighbours, the cities of Vancouver, Delta and New Westminster, and provides backup services to the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) – airside operations. The first three months have been well worth the effort and I have definitely gained some new skills and ideas along with some great friends. The biggest stand out is the high volume of medical calls to patients that are alive. This has been a learning curve in patient management and obtaining as much information as possible to hand over to paramedics when they arrive. One of the funniest call outs so far, was a call to resuscitate a Santa gnome. Needless to say the look on our faces was priceless. That goes down as the funniest call I’ve ever been to. Unfortunately we couldn’t help him, as we haven’t received training in gnome resuscitation. Leisure time has been spent in the mountains snowboarding and snowmobiling (with the snowboard on back) between Mt Baker and Whistler. Fortunately I got lucky with Mt Baker receiving 6.5m in March alone and Whistler having its biggest March snowfall on record. I’m looking forward to downhill mountain biking over the summer.
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Scholarships for advances in Emergency Services
The annual Emergency Services The purpose of ESF Scholarship Sceme is to Foundation scholarships were awarded enable fellowships and grants to be made to in April, with two MFB projects amongst members of the Victorian Emergency Services to assist them to undertake advanced studies them. in Australia or overseas. This might be by The ESF was established following the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983 and operates as a trust to provide immediate support for those who suffer hardship as a result of the death of a family member or injuries sustained in the line of duty.
participating in formal courses of education or training or by attachment for study or observation with other agencies or educational or training institutions to advance their educational and professional standards.
The foundation also provides educational scholarships to members of the industry.
• Commander Mark Swiney - who will study Benchmarking Systems and Structures of Large Scale Crisis Management against outcomes of Emergency Management reform; and
MFB recipients this year included:
• Acting Executive Manager Corporate Strategy and Performance Cliff Overton who will conduct research into the planning and creation of resilient places through improvements in land use and planning strategy, policy and regulation. Scholarship winners must submit a report of their findings when they return from their trip. Left: CMDR Mark Swiney and Cliff Overton.
Gas leak strikes twice
Firefighters were called to the same building site in Southbank two days in a row last month after a gas leak forced the evacuation of workers. On Thursday June 7 about 140 workers were evacuated from the Haig Street building site at 9:30am after tradies smelled gas. Crews in Breathing Apparatus conducted a thorough search of the building but were unable to detect any gas leak. The call was elevated to third alarm, and crews remained on scene for several hours. The following day MFB was called again to the work site after a gas line was ruptured about 8.30am. Again, workers were forced to evacuate the site. The gas leak was brought under control just before 10am and MFB issued a community warning for people to avoid the area around Haig Street. page 13
Blast from the past A daring skyscraper rescue Back in January 1992, now Chief Officer Shane Wright was a District Officer at Eastern Hill on D shift. In a copy of FireMark, he wrote of a daring rescue in the Melbourne CBD for two men on a “swing stage” (a Portable Building Maintenance Unit) 37 levels high. The men were glaziers, working to fix leaks in the windows of BHP House (a 55-storey skyscraper). Upon arrival firefighters found that the swing stage suspended from the roof had failed, and had tilted to an angle of sixty degrees. Neither of the workers on board were wearing a harness. Early discussions concerned firefighters on scene, as they feared they may have to lower a third person onto the stage to repair the unit. This would mean having to rescue three people instead of two if emergency repairs failed. Luckily, members of the MFB High Angle Rescue Team (HART) arrived with an alternative rescue option. Firefighter Bill Rouse (now a Station Officer) was lowered to the platform where he was able to place the occupants into harnesses. One of the occupants was then lowered with FF Rouse to safety. This procedure was then repeated by Station Officer Mark O’Connor (now an MFB Commander) with the second occupant. The rescue was completed at 11:30am, three hours after the initial call for help.
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Above: The rescue at 600 Bourke Street. Left: SO Bill Rouse who started the High Angle Rescue Team. Photos courtesy Mark Wilson, The Age.
Football fun for new arrivals The temperature may have dipped near freezing but that didn’t stop more than a hundred community members flocking to the Whitten Oval for a game of football last month. MFB in partnership with the Western Bulldogs completed the fifth annual CALDplay Football carnival at on Wednesday June 20. Lead by the MFB’s North West Metro Region Multicultural Liaison Officers (Colin Campbell and Leading Firefighter Ron Hayward) and assisted by on-shift MFB firefighters, the day was a huge success with players from Adult Migrant English Schools (AMES) in St Albans, Footscray and Werribee all taking part. The players had been training hard over the past school term to prepare for the game. The women’s game kicked off with the ladies displaying their new football skills in the cool and strong breeze. The men’s game was a spirited affair played with much enthusiasm. Director Regional Community Resilience ACFO Rob Purcell later commented that many of the players could go on to be good Aussie Rules footballers. The men’s winning trophy was presented by Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCarthy with medals, caps and a smoke alarm presented to all players. The award-winning program helps promote fire safety initiatives, introduces new Australians to the uniformed services and brings together students to represent their English learning centre. Played during Refugee week, the joint MFB and Western Bulldogs badged football jumpers were emblazoned with this year’s Winter Fire Safety Campaign message: “Home Fire Safety — We Are All Responsible”.
Clockwise from top: The winning team from the mens game; Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCarthy with ACFO Purcell and firefighters on the day; one of the players from the winner side takes a mark; the women’s teams; the women’s game was highly competitive.
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Coode Island training exercise Firefighters took part in a multi-agency exercise at Coode Island in late-June.
The exercise tested the emergency preparedness of the Port of Melbourne under the State Emergency Management arrangements. The MFB’s involvement as an exercise participant was due to the nature of the emergency - hazardous a leak at No.1 Berth Maribyrnong. All objectives were reached with the professional and diligent work of all crews and the Incident Management Team during the course of the exercise. A learning from the exercise was the testing of the interoperability arrangements between all emergency services and the Ports, which proved to be very successful.
Clockwise from top: crews from Eastern Hill fire station were first on scene; Waterway Emergency Response on Fire Boat 6 from West Melbourne fire station; and foam on the water signifying the chemical spill.
June 2012
FIREMARK
News from the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Melbourne Australia
Next edition – August 2012 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!