The Science of Climate Change
The Science of Climate Change: Questions and Answers
The Australian Academy of Science has released one of the clearest statements on climate change yet produced.
more.Revised 2010 AFAC Meeting Schedule
Revised 2010 AFAC Meeting Schedule more.Royal Commission Recommendations Have National Implications
The Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) believes the Final Report of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission to have national implications for fire and emergency management agencies across Australian and NZ.
more.Signals of Change - a Royal Commission
Sometimes change is subtle and sneaks up, other times it is like a sledge hammer. This week saw the release of the 2009 Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission Report which includes findings and recommendations that regretfully confirm once again that it takes a catastrophic disaster to convince people of the need to avoid one. AFAC wishes to foster debate and conversations regarding the changes that this Royal Commission represents, as well as other signals that are occurring that have the potential to reshape the future of fire and emergency services in Australia and New Zealand.
more.Updated Report - Alerts and Advice
The Final Report on the development of revised arrangements for bushfire advice and alerts to the community now contains the detailed bibliography of the material used to inform the work. more.Inaugural AFAC Motorola Knowledge Innovation Award - 2010
Nominations are currently being received for the inaugural AFAC Motorola Knowledge Innovation Award.
New staff join the AFAC Team
AFAC welcomes new staff members Margaret Staples, Kate Twentyman and Kent MacCarter.
more.Tasmanian firefighter participates in Japanese study tour
Heath Bracey from Tasmania Fire Service recently participated in the JENESYS East Asia Future Leaders Program Disaster Prevention and People: Working Toward the Creation of a Strong Society.
more.International USAR deployments
The Urban Search and Rescue/Technical Rescue Sub-Group met in Melbourne on 24-25 June.
more.Neil Comrie appointed as MFESB President
Former Chief Commissioner of the Victoria Police Force, Mr Neil Comrie, has been appointed to the position of Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (MFESB) President.
more.Good practice guidelines for fire and emergency services doctrine
AFAC has commenced work on developing good practice guidelines for fire and emergency services doctrine. more.European Commission studies aerial firefighting resource sharing
The National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC) office recently contributed to the European Commission’s project: Study on Wild Fires Fighting Resources Sharing Models. more.PIFSA Fire and Emergency Services - Executive Forum
The inaugural Pacific Islands Fire Services Association (PIFSA) Fire and Emergency Services Executive Forum was held in Papua New Guinea from 21 to 25 June, 2010. more.Queen’s Birthday 2010 Honours Awards
Congratulations to all the agency members who were recognised as 2010 Queens Birthday Honours recipients! more.Natural Disaster Mitigation Program
The NSWFB is managing two key information projects of national significance; the Data Dictionary Project and the Impact of Natural Disasters and Emergencies Project. more.Graduate Diploma in Bushfire Protection Course - UWS
Bushfire Protection acknowledges the critical need to understand bushfires and their impact on the natural and built environment. The University of Western Sydney run a Graduate Diploma course on Bushfire Protection. Anyone interested in course details should contact UWS more.AFAC 'Laurie Lavelle" Award 2010
AFAC "Laurie Lavelle" Award 2010 - Nominations for the highest AFAC award are now open. more.A Common Incident Management System
Simon Overland, Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, attended the recent AFAC Council meeting to discuss issues in relation to Command and Control and the potential for Police and Fire and Emergency Management agencies to adopt a common incident management system. more.AFAC Strategic Plan
Abraham Lincoln once said “the dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.” more.Project Management Forum
Across fire and emergency services there are many topics in the project/ program management area of potential interest to the project management community. more.The Victorian Royal Commission Examines Aerial Firefighting
On Monday, April 19, The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission dedicated a day of hearing to the subject of aerial firefighting. more.2009-10 Bushfire Season Closes for NAFC
The 2009-10 bushfire season is finished for the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC) which boasted its biggest national fleet to date, with 44 aircraft providing 48 services across Australia. more.NAFC Roll Out National Tracking and Event Logging Services for Aircraft
In late 2009, NAFC and its members (Australian States and Territories) adopted a national standard approach to the provision of tracking and event logging services for aircraft involved in firefighting and related operations. more.Review of the Public Safety Training Package
The Public Safety Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) has managed the review of a number of the Public Safety industry wide units in the Public Safety Training Package (PSTP) under the auspices of Government Skills Australia (GSA). more.AFAC Learning and Development Strategy
AFAC Strategic Plan for 2010 – 2015 identifies in Goal 4 that it is committed to working with the member agencies to develop A fire and emergency services sector with capability and capacity. more.Colour Coding Fuel Cans
The following colour codes have been adopted for Australia and New Zealand fire and emergency services agencies:
Water Point Markers
Around Australia, there are uses other than marking water points proposed for blue reflective markers. To avoid confusion AFAC has adopted the following position. more.National Procurement Arrangements
At the recent AFAC Council meeting a significant step forward was realised in relation to a national approach to the procurement of a wide range of items. more.Performance Standards for Private Bushfire Shelters
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) was tasked by the Victorian Royal Commission to develop a Standard for Private Bushfire Shelters (PBS). more.Job Opportunity: Dir Education & Training, NSWFB
NSW Fire Brigades are looking to recruit a new Director or Training and Education. Full details can be found on the Careers section of the AFAC Corporate site. more.State of Climate 2010
Australia's two lead climate science agencies - the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology have produced and released a snapshot of the state of the climate in Australia and what it means.
more.New look homepage
The Knowledge Web homepage has undergone a design change. more.New Bushfire CRC Firenotes
The Bushfire CRC has released 2 new fire notes. more.Secondment - Communications Officer, Bushfire CRC
An immediate three month secondment opportunity exists within the Bushfire CRC for a Communications Officer. more.Trial of bushfire-detection technology
The trial of bush fire detection cameras commenced on 15 February in the Otway Ranges in Victoria and near Tumut in New South Wales and will run until the end of April, with a possible one month extension depending on prevailing conditions.
The cameras are able to continually monitor bushland and automatically detect smoke and lightning to enable the provision of exact information on where and when a fire starts. This will potentially assist fire fighters get to a fire in the shortest possible time in order to prevent it becoming an inferno.
Issue 3/10 of KW News out now!
KW News was sent out today to those subscribed and can be viewed online under our News section of the website. more.AFAC Updated 2010 Meeting Schedule
The AFAC 2010 Meeting Schedule has just been updated. more.Vacancy: Victoria State Emergency Service Manager, Operations Performance
Victoria State Emergency Service, in addition to its role in emergency response, has a major planning role, providing support and advice to Local Government. The successful incumbent of this newly created role will be responsible for monitoring the operational performance of VICSES. The role will also be responsible for conducting research, designing, developing and implementing programs to improve operational performance. more.Supreme Court judgment on smoke and wine grapes
The Supreme Court has dismissed court action against the Department of Environment and Conservation for negligently carrying out a prescribed burn that resulted in smoke taint of wine grapes. Justice Graeme Murphy handed down his decision on Friday 12 March more.Vacancy: VIC SES Manager, Media and Community Information
Victoria State Emergency Service is currently seeking a new team member with proven, comprehensive experience in media and public relations. The successful candidate will be required to build the VIC SES profile in the media and build the community and volunteer networks within the emergency services sector. more.2010 Pre Conference Workshops Announced
Building on the success of the 2009 Bushfire CRC Pre-Conference Workshops, a series of pre-conference Professional Development Events has been finalised and will be held on the day prior to the Annual AFAC/BCRC Conference. more.Tsunami Awareness Project
Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, and Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) Director of Life Saving, Peter George, announced on the 6 March an innovative awareness program to help the general public and surf life savers better prepare and respond to tsunami warnings. more.
New Industry Appointments
AFAC would like to congratulate Graham Fountain, Gavin Freeman and Mick Ayre on their new appointments within the fire and emergency service sector and looks forward to working with them in their new roles.- Mr Graham Fountain has been appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Officer of the Metropolitan Fire & Emergency Services Board, Melbourne.
- Mr Gavin Freeman has been appointed as Deputy Chief Officer of Tasmania Fire Service.
- Mr Mick Ayre has been appointed as the Assistant Director Strategy and Development Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service.
more.
Uniform interpretation of LACES
The Rural Land Management (RLM) Group and the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Group are currently considering a discussion paper proposing a uniform interpretation of the safety acronym LACES. more.Australian Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition
The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition is being established to lobby the use of home fire sprinklers as a method of reducing the risk to lives and property and for the inclusion of home sprinklers in future home designs. The Coalition currently consists of: AFAC, NSWFB, FPAA, Institute of Fire Engineers Australia, and Insurance Council of Australia. Membership will be expanded as necessary. more.
Australia Day Honours
Congratulations to all the agency members who were recognised as 2010 Australia Day Honours recipients. It is most pleasing to see that dedicated service and commitment has been acknowledged through these Awards. more.Bushfire Detection Cameras
Bushfire detection cameras are being trialed in Australia this year by the Bushfire CRC. The cameras have been placed in strategic positions in Victoria and New South Wales and will be evaluated on their performance in detecting fire starts, compared with current methods. more.Black Saturday mail survey results released
A survey designed to help better understand residents’ actions in the 7 February 2009 Victorian bushfires has been completed by the Bushfire CRC as part of more extensive research project on the Black Saturday fires. more.Issue 1/10 of KW News out now!
KW News was sent out today to those subscribed and can be viewed online under our News section of the website.
more.Protecting Firefighters Information Package now available
The Protecting Firefighters Information Package developed by the Bushfire CRC is now available on the Knowledge Web. It combines crucial research projects on Safe Behaviour and Decision Making (led by Dr. Mary Omodei, La Trobe University), Effective Incident Management Teams (led by Dr. Christine Owen, University of Tasmania), and Firefighter Health and Safety (led by Dr. Brad Aisbett, Deakin University and David Nichols, CFA). more.New Sponsor for the Knowledge Web
AFAC is pleased to announce that Draeger Safety Pacific as sponsor of the AFAC Knowledge Web for 2010. Draeger’s sponsorship of the Knowledge Web will assist in the ongoing development of the industry’s knowledge sharing site. Draeger will also be sponsoring a new Knowledge Centre at the AFAC Bushfire CRC Conference; a new initiative for 2010. more.AFAC Shop Christmas Hours
The AFAC Shop will still be taking orders over the Christmas period. more.AFAC 2010 Meeting Schedule now available
The AFAC 2010 Meeting Schedule is now available through the Knowledge Web and AFAC Corporate website. more.Home Fire Safety Training Materials launched today
Available from Tuesday 15 December on the Knowledge Web. more.Scheduled Downtime for website - 1430- 1700, 21st December
The Knowledge Web and AFAC Corporate site will be undergoing maintenence on the 21st December, 1430 - 1700 approximately. more.Commissioner appointed for ACT Emergency Services Agency
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Simon Corbell, has today announced the appointment of Mark Crosweller as the new ACT Emergency Services Commissioner. more.2009 AFAC Annual Report now online
The 2009 AFAC Annual Report is now available to download as a pdf. more.NAFC 2009 Annual Report
The NAFC 2009 Annual Report has been published and is now available online at the NAFC website. more.Registrations open for the 2010 AFAC Bushfire CRC Conference
You can now register for the 2010 Conference at www.afac2010.org.au. more.Issue 9/09 of KW News out now!
KW News was sent out today to those subscribed and can be viewed online under our News section of the website. more.Conference 2010 Call for Papers
The 2010 Conference is being held in Darwin, Northern Territory on 8-10 September.
The theme of the 2010 Conference is: Same, Same, but Different – Learning lessons in a changing world, which explores: if the world is changing, are we and can we manage emergency services the same way we have done in the past?
more.Naomi Brown, CEO AFAC appears on 7PM Project, Channel Ten
Naomi Brown appeared on last night’s (10/11/2009) 7PM Project discussing the current early heatwave across SA which have been sparking fears about this year’s bushfire season. more.Forum Survey
We are currently conducting a short survey to understand your thoughts on the Knowledge Web forums. more.Issue 8/09 of KW News out now!
KW News was sent out yesterday to those subscribed and can be viewed online under our News section of the website.
more.Ms Julie Harris, MFB wins the 2009 AFAC Laurie Lavelle Award
AFAC would like to congratulate Ms Julie Harris, Community Ageing Strategist, at the Metropolitan Fire & Emergency Services Board (MFB) as the recipient of the 2009 AFAC Laurie Lavelle Award. more.New Chief Officer for TFS
Mike Brown has been appointed to the role of Chief Officer, Tasmania Fire Service effeftively immediatley. more.Australian deployments to earthquake zones
Australian fire and emergency service personal have been sent to the earthquake hit regions of Samoa and Sumatra Indonesia. more.New Committee of Management Appointments
At the September AFAC Council meeting Commissioner Lee Johnson QFRS was elected President of AFAC for the next two years. more.Bunker standard to be developed
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) announced on 24 September that it will be developing a national standard for the design and construction of a bushfire bunker for personal use.The ABCB indicated the standard will be available for use in 6 months.The announcement can be read on the ABCB website. more.AFAC Bushfire CRC Conference a success
The 16th Annual AFAC Conference has now ended, achieving our highest record in numbers of delegates and exhibitors attending. more.AFAC Conference off to a great start
Despite the red dust outside the Gold Coast Conference, 1200 delegates from across Australasia are attending the 16th Annual event.
more.New and improved search engine
We have listened to your feedback and worked on improving our search engine for the Knowledge Web - launched earlier in the week. more.AFAC Bushfire CRC Conference - NEXT WEEK
The AFAC Conference is just next week with another bumper crowd expected this year. Registrations are still being taken and can be done through the conference website.
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AFAC Meeting Schedule Updates
The AFAC Meeting Schedule has just been updated with quite a few changes. more.August/September Newsletter out now
The latest newsletter has just been sent and can also be viewed online under our News section of the website. more.Royal Commission into Bushfires hands down Interim Report
Interim Report RecomendationsOn August 17 the Royal Commission into Bushfires handed down its interim report to the Victorian Government. While there were a range of recommendations made concerning the operation of Victorian Agencies there were some key recommendations made that will have implications for all fire and emergency agencies around Australia.
more.
Latest KW Newsletter Out Now
The latest newsletter has just been sent and can also be viewed online under our News section of the website.
more.Draft Position & Discussion Papers on the Effects of Climate Change
AFAC has prepared a draft position and discussion paper on the effects of climate change on emergency services. more.Position Vacant: Deputy Regional Chief North, TFS
Tasmania Fire Service has an exciting opportunity for someone that is ready to take that next step into an influential management position. This role will enable you to use your leadership qualities, as well as your conceptual and strategic planning skills in order to facilitate change or adherence to operational and management practices both within the northern region and across the state. more.New CFA CEO Announced
Kerry Murphy, CFA Chairman today announced that the Board has approved the appointment of Mr Mick Bourke as the new Chief Executive Officer. more.Knowledge Web Survey
The Knowledge Web is nearly a year old and we want to make sure that you are happy with the website by finding out how you use the website and the issues or problems you face using it. more.Scheduled Downtime for Knowledge Web
AFAC will be upgrading the system on the Knowledge Web during 28th -30th July. During this time you may find that the site could be down, you are unable to log in or just find the site running a little slow.
We hope to have the site up and running as quickly as possible, but apologise for any inconvenience during this period. We will still be contactable during this time by emailing webadmin@afac.com.au.
Report on Queensland Fire Fighters’ Cancer Study released
The final report of a retrospective study of cancer in operational Queensland fire fighters carried out by the Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (MonCOEH) in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University has been released. more.Vote Now! - Help improve the Knowledge Web
The Knowledge Web is seeking you help to improve the log in process for the Knowledge Web. Take this online poll to let us know your thoughts. It only takes 20 seconds.
more.Federal Senate Inquiry into Bushfires
The Australian Senate announced an inquiry will be undertaken by the Senate select committee on agricultural and related industries into Australian Bushfires. The committee is chaired by Senator Heffernan who initiated the inquiry. more.Extra funding for the Bushfire CRC
The Federal Government announced in the May budget that it will provide $15.0 million over three years from 2010 11 to the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). This extra funding was an outcome of senate discussions. more.Fire safety in Australia’s international student housing
Gaps in internationals students understanding of fire safety in Australia have been identified by new research. more.The current state of global smoke alarm legislation
Recent research has analyzed some of the barriers to international adoption of smoke alarm protection more.New Funding for NTFRS
The Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services Minister Paul Henderson said Budget 2009 provides funding for an additional 20 firefighters.
New AFAC Committee of Management Member
At the AFAC Council met on 21 April, FESA CEO Jo Harrison Ward was elected to the AFAC Committee of Management. Jo will bring considerable experience to the Council. She has replaced Mike Hall NZFS who has stepped down from the committee. more.CRC Rebid Stage 1 Success
AFAC and the Bushfire CRC have been successful in advancing through to the second stage of the CRC assessment process. Stage two of the process involves a peer review of the proposed research projects and an interview. Interviews will be held in Canberra between 29 June and July 1 with supporting documentation due by 12 May.
more.National Volunteer thankyou campaign
Volunteering Australia has secured the support of a major sponsor to conduct a national “volunteer thank you” media campaign to start mid March running through to National Volunteer Week (11th to 17th May). more.Continuity for Government and Critical Infrastructure Executive Conference
The recent devastation of bushfires in Victoria and the Floods in Queensland increases the focus on the importance of creating a resilient government and communities. The question remains, how prepared are you if this was to happen again? and how will your community and the nation be impacted? more.Positions vacant advertising now available on AFAC Corporate Site
The AFAC Corporate Site has a newly created area for member agencies to advertise available career opportunities to the firefighting community. more.Future Fire Scenario: 2020
The year is 2020. Australia is hotter, drier and far more fire prone than ever before. What effect is this having on our water supplies, agriculture, the changing rural populations, health systems, and the elusive carbon balance?
This 2020 scenario is presented by the Bushfire CRC as it considers the issues that the fire industry may confront in the near future. It was developed as a counterfactual for the economic analysis of the proposed CRC Fire – Environment and Society. It is what the world may look like without the research proposed for the new CRC.
more.
2008 Conference Proceedings Now Online
Papers and presentations from the 2008 AFAC Bushfire CRC Conference have been published on the Knowledge Web. more.Black Friday anniversary renews importance of ongoing bushfire research
Australia’s peak fire management and research organizations are calling for ongoing support for scientific research to deal with the bushfire threat to our communities. more.Pedal for Prostate Website
The Pedal for Prostate website is now online. In October 2009 the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (MFB) Cycling Club will set out from the steps of Victoria's Parliament House to ride non-stop around Australia on Highway 1 in 25 days to raise money for Prostate Cancer Research. more.2009 AFAC Annual Visiting Fellow Announced
Chief Superintendent Richard Griffiths from NSW Fire Brigades has been confirmed as the 2009 AFAC Annual Visiting Fellow to the Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM). more.CRC Bid Update
Planning for the new CRC for Fire – Environment and Society has increased in recent weeks with the announcement by the Australian Government of the new guidelines for the Cooperative Research Centre Program funding. more.New look for Research Reports, Case Studies and Member Contribution areas
With thanks to the valuable feedback received by our members, we’ve changed the way you can now contribute to the Knowledge Web. more.Firefighter Interviews - BCRC Update
The Bushfire CRC has released an update on the results of a series of interviews with firefighters conducted over the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 fire seasons. These interviews were conducted as soon as possible after a shift, usually within two days of a fire. more.One Thousand Users on AFAC Knowledge Web
This week the Knowledge Web reached a major milestone, registering its one thousandth user. more.Smoke Toxic Assessment Guide - BCRC Update
more.AFAC 2007/08 Annual Report now available
On behalf of the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC), we are pleased to advise that a PDF version of the AFAC Annual Report for 2007/2008 is now available on the Corporate website. Printed copies can be requested from AFAC by phoning (03) 9419 2388; or by emailing afac@afac.com.au. more.A call to action on Environmental Responsibility
more.Mary Barry appointed to Committee of Management
AFAC is pleased to announce that at the recent AFAC Annual General Meeting held in Melbourne on the 29th October 2008, Mary Barry, Chief Executive Officer of Victoria State Emergency Service was appointed as a Director of AFAC. The AFAC Council welcomes Mary to the Committee of Management.
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