State’s remote crews on hold
TASMANIA Fire Service’s remote firefighting operations have been fully suspended while reports of safety breaches are investigated.
The directive from the State Fire Commission means Tasmania is without its core bushfire fighting capability, less than two months before the start of the bushfire season.
In an internal letter obtained by the Mercury, State Fire Commission chair Rod Sweetnam says the authority is deeply concerned by reports of safety breaches that occurred during last summer’s bushfires.
The Commission has received reports of breaches of the Work Health and Safety Act and a lack of safeguards for the Tasmania Fire Service Remote Area Team.
Reported breaches include a lack of risk assessments during remote firefighting operations and inadequate evacuation measures for remote firefighters.
Mr Sweetnam says the Commission has taken the notices of breaches “extremely seriously” and has ordered a review into risk assessment procedures.
His letter says that “until such time as the aforementioned risk assessment is considered and identified control measures are fully implemented, all isolated and remote firefighting operations are fully suspended”.
The State Government confirmed the Tasmania Fire Service will not be deploying staff for remote activity, but said the state could draw on interstate firefighters and Parks and Wildlife remote firefighters.
“The safety of our emergency services personnel is paramount, and agencies are working together to ensure they are again fully prepared for summer,” a Government spokesman said.
“The Parks and Wildlife Service is assisting the TFS regarding risk assessment, policies and protocols for remote area firefighting.
“At present the TFS will not deploy staff for remote activity. However, the PWS has a standing capability to deploy remote area firefighters should they be needed and, as has always been the case, Tasmania can also draw on interstate resources through national arrangements if needed.”
The category “isolated and remote” covers all fires that break out in areas not easily accessed — including all bushland where there are fire tracks or no tracks. All of last summer’s bushfires were in remote and isolated areas.
Operations were suspended in mid-July, and there are concerns the safety issues will remain unresolved by the official October 1 start of the bushfire season.
The letter says the State Fire Commission has received two safety complaints, called Provisional Improvement Notices, of safety concerns statewide in various remote and isolated locations.
“The State Fire Commission takes these notices extremely seriously and is deeply concerned,” it says.