Page 2020 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 4 June 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
batching trailer, two helicopters contracted for the height of the bushfire season along with heavy plant and support vehicles.
The ACT also used fire towers to monitor the early detection of bushfire threat. Fire towers are located at Mount Coree, Mount Tennant, One Tree Hill and Kowen. Staffing fire towers is one of several mechanisms used to monitor the early detection of bushfire threat, with the ACT parks and conservation service providing resources to the ACT Rural Fire Service to undertake this task.
To further improve incident management, the ACT government invested in an upgrade to the incident management facilities at ESA headquarters. The upgrades included improved ICT, dedicated seating for key incident staff and an improved layout that enhanced team communications and coordination during critical and complex incidents. I announced last week that the ACT RFS will also benefit from the refurbishment of a multi-purpose room at the Hume helibase and modernised change areas for the Hall brigade.
As part of enhanced capabilities to mitigate the risks presented to the ACT in the 2018-19 bushfire season, the ESA contracted a specialist intelligence gathering helicopter for the season, a SIG. This is a helicopter with a high-definition infrared camera on board. Imagery can be streamed into the ESA incident management room in real-time, providing critical fire line and hotspot information. The helicopter significantly enhanced bushfire fighting operations by allowing key decision-makers to better understand the extent of situations as they unfolded. The SIG was able to detect and identify smoke not visible to the fire towers due to weather conditions and the small initial size of the fires, allowing crews to get to work early. Previously detection of these fires by the fire towers would not occur until the following day, resulting in a much larger fire.
These fires were ignited to the west of the ACT as a result of lightning storms in mid to late January. Personnel attended fires at Mount Gingera and Corin where terrain was difficult, being remote and inaccessible by vehicle. RAFT crews were winched into the fire location, commencing hand tool and chainsaw work to prevent fire spread. The crews worked quickly, together with assistance from aircraft, to extinguish these fires.
I also announced last week that the community will benefit from a third helicopter next bushfire season, ensuring bushfires are spotted in remote locations before they impact our suburbs. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service’s decision to contract four large fixed-wing aerial tankers, LATS, during the summer also provided a significant opportunity to the ACT. The ESA worked collaboratively with the New South Wales RFS and the Canberra Airport Group to ensure the new facility was ready for the bushfire season. The facility proved to be a valuable addition to the ACT’s fire and response capability, reducing flight and turnaround times to areas south of Sydney, resulting in a more effective fire response.
The ACT RFS also sought to improve the safety of its members through the allocation of new personal protective clothing, PPC. The updated PPC put firefighters in contemporary clothing that is lighter and constructed to a modern design standard for
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video