Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Update

New AFAC Website Is Coming Soon!

Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre

The Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) - the industry peak body for Fire and Emergency Service agencies across Australasia - strongly supports the Federal Government announcement regarding the establishment of a new Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre from 1 July 2013.

Department of Fire & Emergency Services, WA

The Department of Fire & Emergency Services (DFES), WA, formerly Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) was established today, November 1, 2012.

Appointment: Director-General, Emergency Management Australia

Congratulations to Mark Crosweller, Commissioner of the Emergency Services Agency (ESA), who has been appointed as the new Director-General, Emergency Management Australia, Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department (effective date to be determined).

A New Chief Executive Officer for AFAC

The new Chief Executive Officer of the Australasian Fire & Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) has been named.

AFAC National Database – Incident Activity Reporting, Australian Fire and Rescue Services

Outcomes of the Temporary Flood Barrier Forum, 27-28 June 2012

On 27-28 June 2012, senior practitioners from around Australia met to discuss the use of temporary flood barrier in flooding events.

111 Text Service for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired

By Quinlan Webster, Senior Station Officer, New Zealand Fire Service

AIIMS Doctrine: What's the next step in the evolution of Incident Management?

By Geoff Conway, Executive Officer, AFAC AIIMS Steering Committee

Routine Computer Maintenance on all AFAC websites

The corporate, knowledgeweb and afac2012 websites will not be available from 7PM to Midnight on Friday 24-FEB-12 due to routine computer maintenance.

AFAC's Public Safety Mobile Broadband Position Now Available

New Public Information Officer Tabard Required by AIIMS 2011 Revision Now Available

MEDIA RELEASE: Dräger sign for another Three Years

Get the print version of this MEDIA RELEASE.

Flames and Firebrands at research Advisory Forums

Around 60 Bushfire CRC researchers, students, AFAC staff and end-users gathered at University House at the Australian National University for the fifth meeting of the Research Advisory Forum at the end of last month.

Finalisation of the Review of the Fire Qualifications

The Fire qualifications have been submitted to Government Skills Australia (GSA) on 21 October in preparation for endorsement. While there will still be opportunity for further national comment in the forthcoming weeks, the review of the Fire Qualifications by AFAC and the UFUA has been completed.

AIIMS Training Resources Kit

The review of the Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System^TM (AIIMS) Revised Edition 2011 has been completed, with the latest edition released by AFAC in October 2011.

MEDIA RELEASE: Wild Weather Teaching Resource Wins National Award

Get the print version of this MEDIA RELEASE.

Review of the 2010–11 Victoria Flood Warnings & Response: Final report

Get the print version of this FINAL REPORT.

MEDIA RELEASE: Prescribed Burning an Essential Tool in Managing Community Safety

Get the print version of this MEDIA RELEASE.

A Guide to Resource Sharing (Mutual AId) 2011

Purpose

This guide has been developed to provide advice about matters that may be taken into account when agencies are considering entering into agreements for the sharing of resources intra and inter-jurisdiction.

SES National Awareness Week

Wild Weather Teaching Resource Wins Award

Emergency Communications Seminar – how well did it work?

In preparation for their group meeting earlier this year, the AFAC Chief Information Officer’s Group decided to hold an open seminar on emergency communications and how well they worked during recent disasters. Open to AFAC member agencies and other organisations to attend, the Seminar focused on how high volumes of emergency information was received, used and dispatched during the disasters in New Zealand and Australia early in 2011.

Historic Reports Published by the State Library of Victoria

Statement and Updates to VIC Coroner’s Approach to Black Saturday Fatalities

On February 16, 2009 a Royal Commission was appointed to inquire into the causes and circumstances of the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009 which claimed the lives of 173 people and devastated so many communities.

Doctrine Master Class Series 2011

The early-2011 round of Doctrine Master Classes has now concluded with a total of almost 70 participants from 9 agencies over 3 states.

AFAC would like to thank Mr Justin Kelly (Principal Consultant, Noetic) and Noetic Solutions Ltd for their assistance with sharing knowledge and assisting build capability in this area.

A Shared Responsibility: The Report of the Perth Hills Bushfire February 2011 Review

Understanding Floods: Questions and answers

Industry Collaborative Purchasing Briefing on 292 Contract

Nominations Now Open for 2011 Knowledge Innovation Award

Queen’s Birthday 2011 Honours Awards

Congratulations to all the agency members who were recognised as 2011 Queens Birthday Honours recipients. It is most pleasing to see that dedicated service and commitment has been acknowledged through these Awards.

Steering Committee on National Broadband Capability for Police and Emergency Services

Attorney-General Robert McClelland has just released the terms of reference for a multi-jurisdictional Steering Committee to develop a plan to equip Australia’s public safety agencies with reliable and robust mobile broadband capability.

AFAC Council Agrees on Consultation for Potential Professionalisation Scheme

At the AFAC April Council meeting the green light was given to undertake preliminary consultation within its member agencies and key stakeholders on a professionalisation scheme.

Nominations Now Open for 2011 Laurie Lavelle Award

Sharing Risk: Financing Australia’s disaster resilience

Submission to the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry

AFAC’s interest in the outcome of this Commission of Inquiry is to optimise future conditions for AFAC members to manage flood emergencies as they arise. To that end, our submissions focus on those areas which have the potential to improve both community safety and flood response operations.

Work Health and Safety: New laws, are you ready?

With new Model Work Health and Safety laws coming into effect in January, it is time for organisations to ensure they know how these changes will affect them.

Scania Australia Continues Support for AFAC Annual Conference

Roger McCarthy, Scania Australia Managing Director, today signed on as major sponsor for the AFAC and Bushfire CRC conference 2011. This is the fourth year Scania has supported the event, this year to be held in Sydney at the end of August.

Fire and Emergency Service Volunteers Acknowledged During National Volunteers Week

AFAC acknowledges and thanks all volunteers of our member agencies around Australasia for their commitment and dedication.

Fundamentals of Doctrine: A best practice guide

AFAC and Bushfire CRC Launch Annual Conference in Sydney

MEDIA RELEASE:

AFAC and Bushfire CRC Launch Annual Conference in Sydney

Children's Disaster Awareness Program Delivered to Schools

Attorney-General Robert McClelland today said every Australian primary school will receive a new education kit to teach children about how to prepare for and respond to natural disasters.

Download a print copy of this press release from the office of Hon. Robert McClelland MP, Attorney-General.

2011 PIFSA Executive Planning Meeting

Social Networking Media Paper

AFAC recently monitored social networking media channels during the QLD and subsequent VIC floods.

For a period of approximately 2 weeks, varying levels of information distribution occurred though social networking media channels and some emerging issues for AFAC members were raised as a result.

Development of AIIMS 4th Edition

AFAC is conducting the review of the AIIMS 3^rd Edition and the development of the 4^th Edition, working closely with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), fire and emergency services and other users.

Development of Common Alerting Protocol: Australian Profile (CAP-AP) as an Australian Government Standard

Since FY2009-2010, the Attorney-General’s Department has undertaken the CAP project; To develop an Australian Government standard for the Common Alerting Protocol and have recently announced positive progress made. In their recent brief, AGD have outlined the current aim to finalise the development of CAP-AP requirements in order to move forward to the next key milestone in April to develop the CAP-AP standards document. Matthew Smith (NSWRFS) has been providing AFAC representation on the consultation group of the Common Alerting Protocol and continues to uphold AFAC standards in the process.

Access to Communications Spectrum for Public Safety Agencies

Over the Christmas period AFAC worked with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) and the Council of Ambulance Authorities (CAA) to have a joint voice in relation to the issue of public safety agencies having dedicated digital dividend spectrum to ensure sufficient broadband data networks exist to support the critical business needs of emergency services.

Australia Day 2011 Honours Awards

Recent Vote on ISO 16073 Has Been Approved

AFAC Standards Manager, Russell Shephard, is chairman of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) TC/94 SC/14 Working Group Committee 3; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Wildland Firefighters.

The committee includes representation from an array of international countries and is the body responsible for developing international PPE standards for wildland firefighters (ISO 16073).

Shephard reports, ‘The committee has worked the past six years developing the first PPE ISO standards for wildland firefighter use. These standards include head-to-foot protection with a focus on compatibility across all PPE equipment’.

The standard's final draft incorporates input from AFAC's PPE Group, which provided a significant amount of insight as subsequent drafts were developed en route to the final version.

A final ballot for ISO 16073 was released on November 26, 2010 and closed on January 26, 2011.

The ballot has been successful, with the required number of countries supporting ISO 16073.

This is the first international standard that encompasses use of all PPE equipment for wildland firefighters.

What to do BEFORE, DURING and AFTER a flood regarding rooftop solar electricity panels

NT Fire and Rescue Service Acting Executive Appointments

The following changes affecting NTFRS executive positions will commence from 8 January 2011 as a result of the Director’s resignation.

New Name for NSW Fire Brigades

Knowledge Web Welcomes New Funnelback Search Engine

New Chief Officer for South Australia CFS