The Australian Firefighter I 1

Black Saturdaythe burning issues

COOL RUNNING | LIFE’S COSTS | ISO LATEST | VIC RALLY | BRANCH NEWS

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VOL 46 ISSUE 2 2009 The Australian Firefighter

FAMILY 15 STreSS 14 rIVerS 30

cOVer STOrY 16

16 Cover StoryBlack SaturdayThe Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission has handed down its interim report. But will governments and authorities learn the lessons of Black Saturday?

22 Cool running galleryTop-end aviation firefighters turn guinea pigs in search of cool

32 Show me the futureSustainable and ethical is the way to go for Super funds hit by the GFC

4 Contacts 5 Editorial 6 International news 7 National news 8 Branch News 14 Heat fight 15 Father and son 20 Better from bad 22 Cool running 24 Standards update 26 Branch election roundup 28 Life’s cost 30 Sir Murray’s tragic loss 32 Show me the future 34 Dead and buried 36 Green with envy 38 Breathless 40 CEOach 42 The last word

Black Saturday the burning issues

Yes, my super fund:

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Has the best fee deal for funds open to the public1

Offers competitive and above median investment returns2

Won the Best of the Best lowest cost super fund award two years in a row3

Is one of the ten largest funds in Australia4

Is a not for profi t fund that does not pay commissions to advisers.

Can you tick all the boxes?

If you can’t tick ALL the boxes, then maybe you should talk to First State Super today.

To fi nd out more about First State Super, visit www.fi rststatesuper.com.au or call us on 1300 650 873.

Consider the First State Super ABN 53 266 460 365 Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before deciding whether becoming a member of First State Super, or continuing your membership, is right for you. To obtain a PDS visit the website or call us. Issued by FSS Trustee Corporation ABN 11 118 202 672, AFSL 293340. September 2009.

1 SelectingSuper, a company of Rainmaker Information Pty Limited ABN 86 095 610 996, describes the best fee deal for superannuation funds as the best overall fees payable where overall fees are calculated for a member earning around $50,000 pa and who has $50,000 in their super fund’s default investment option and you can join as a private individual. The research dated June 2009.

2 SuperRatings Pty Ltd ABN 95 100 192 283. The SuperRatings Fund Crediting Rate Survey uses crediting rate returns that are net of investment fees, tax and implicit asset-based administration fees. Explicit fees such as fi xed dollar administration fees, exit fees, contribution fees and switching fees are excluded. All net return information is sourced directly by the super funds. It is assumed net return calculations are based on hard close exit prices or comparable prices where a super fund does not calculate a hard close exit price. Results refer to annual returns to 30 June 2009 for First State Super’s High Growth, Diversifi ed, Balanced, Capital Guarded, Australian Equities, International Equities, Property and Cash investment options. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

3 Money Magazine’s award covers funds with the lowest annual fees that receive employer contributions on behalf of members, and an account balance of $50,000. Funds are selected from SuperRatings’ rated Platinum and gold funds, must be public offer with more than $3 million in assets and have a minimum 5-year track record. First State Super winner 2008 and 2009.

4 SelectingSuper’s ranking of the Biggest Funds. First State Super was ranked 8th as at July 2009 in the categories ‘Super funds with the most members’ and ‘Super funds managing the most money’.

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UFU SPRING 09 TEXT ADS 8/10/09 3:11 PM Page 1

4 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 5

With another bushfire season on our doorstep, questions are rippling through vulnerable communities across Australia. How well prepared

are we and how can our families, fellow citizens and our property be best protected from bushfire? The answer is straight forward; trained, available and properly-crewed firefighters, with appropriate back-up resources, are the only real defence.

However, as UFUA Branches engage in new rounds of enterprise bargaining, Members in a number of states and territories are wondering if governments and fire services have learnt anything from the horrific events of Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfire.

In Victoria, where new collective agreements for both MFB and CFA firefighters are being negotiated, employers are playing hardball, demanding serious compromises to conditions, such as shift and crewing, that protect firefighter and community safety.

At the same time, the state government and the CFA are playing a ‘blame each other’ game over a failure to employ more firefighters at CFA stations, including a number in acknowledged bushfire hot-spots. Back in February, an independent Board of Reference ruled that 24 CFA stations be upgraded with more staff. But, as the bushfire season creeps closer, we are still waiting for action on this.

Our campaign is straightforward and the message is clear.

Authorities must acknowledge that the best way to protect the public is to adequately resource and staff fire services. We need more firefighters not less.

While firefighters are campaigning to maintain safe crewing, back-up and equipment levels, federal and state

governments are moving to introduce uniform OH&S laws across Australia that could endanger workplace health and safety protection. Under a plan to ‘harmonise’ OH&S regulations, most government’s have agreed on a sheaf of ‘model’ laws, that have set the alarm bells ringing throughout the Union movement.

With nine sets of occupational health and safety laws across the country, it makes sense to rationalise the system. However, national OHS laws will benefit firefighters only if the best from each state system is incorporated into the new system.

That’s why it’s important for all firefighters to get behind the ACTU’s Don’t Risk Second Rate Safety campaign to ensure governments introduce progressive OHS laws that aren’t watered down by employer pressure.

All Australian workers are entitled to genuine OHS protection; national laws must ensure employers can be prosecuted for OHS breaches, workers and Unions can take court action and the role of health and safety representatives and their Union is protected. ■

FROM THE NATIONAL SECRETARY PETER MARSHALL

EDITORIAL

Tough times create tough reactions. After the Labor party’s win in the 2007 federal election and the defeat of the WorkChoices industrial relations regime, many people

anticipated an end to the trench warfare attitudes of management. Unionists anticipated a return to more a productive relationship where the interests of Members and their workplace rights would gain greater recognition by management.

However, shortly after the Rudd government arrived in the nation’s capital, the global financial crisis (GFC) hit and this seems to have given employers and a number of state governments a chance to let the IR hounds loose again.

The UFUA Aviation Branch got off to a good start with our collective agreement negotiations earlier this year, but not long after sign-off, Aviation firefighters found the little trust the Union extended to ARFF management was broken, with them now pursuing a deleterious activities roster strategy.

In Victoria, the MFB and CFA are playing it tough from the start of EB negotiations with their targeting of key roster arrangements that provide safety for firefighters and the public. The State government’s stringent public sector wages policy further restricts the scope of bargaining. Furthermore, it is also refusing to ensure the employment of additional CFA professional firefighters

in key population growth and fire hazard locations across Victoria. Recommendations for these extra firefighters came from an independent body, but the CFA and the government continue to blame each other for the lack of action. Meanwhile, the start of another severe bushfire season in south eastern Australia is on the doorstep.

This edition of The Australian Firefighter Magazine covers these issues and other UFUA Branch news. Eric Lamar,

from the IAFF, the US and Canadian Firefighters Union continues his examination of how North American firefighters can best protect themselves from – and find opportunity in – fire service funding cuts imposed by local governments as a response to the GFC.

We also take a look at the direction industrial relations are heading here in Australia, now that FairWork Australia is up and running with an award ‘modernisation’ agenda as its focus and the push for national OH&S laws is well and truly on. This is a testing time for Labor governments at federal and state level. The question they face is one all Unionists are asking; will they act in the interests of the working people who elected them, or succumb to pressure from the vested interests at top end of town? ■

FROM THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT MICK FARRELL

CONTACTS United Firefighters Union of Australia

National Officewebsite: http://www.ufua.asn.au

Australian Capital Territory Branch secretary: Jason JonesUnit 4 dMA officesLathlain st, Belconnen ACT 2617ph: (02) 6251 3708 Fax: (02) 6253 1573

Aviation Branchsecretary: Mick Farrell86A o’shanasy st, sunbury vIC 3429 ph: (03) 9746 3722 Fax: (03) 9746 3766

New South Wales Branchsecretary: Jim Casey1-7 Belmore street, surry Hills nsW 2010 ph: (02) 9218 3444 Fax: (02) 9218 3488

Queensland Branchsecretary: Mark WalkerLevel 1, 286 Montague rd, West end oLd 4101ph: (07) 3844 0366 Fax: (07) 3844 0367

South Australian Branchsecretary: Greg northcott148 south rd, Torrensville sA 5031ph: (08) 8352 7211 Fax: (08) 8234 1031

Victorian Branchsecretary: peter Marshall410 Brunswick st, Fitzroy vIC 3065 ph: 03 9419 8811 Fax: 03 9419 9258

Tasmanian Branchsecretary: richard Warwick379 elizabeth st, north Hobart TAs 7000 ph: (03) 6234 9331 Fax: (03) 6234 9505

Western Australian Branchsecretary: Graeme Geer59 railway pde, Mt Lawley WA 6050 ph: (08) 9272 1199 Fax: (08) 9272 7789

The Australian Firefighter Magazine 410 Brunswick st, Fitzroy vIC 3065

Editor: Dave Laneemail: editor@ufunat.asn.auDesign: studio pazzo pty Ltdmob: 0418 504 642Pre publishing: www.splittingimage.com.au

Advertising and publishingAustral Media Group Ltd ACn 068 899 696 63–71 Boundary rd, north Melbourne vIC 3051ph: (03) 9328 4226 Fax: (o3) 9329 4633

ContributorsWe welcome your contributions to The Australian Firefighter Magazine. Make it a letter, story, column, feature or even just an idea. send us your photographs too, but make them a minimum of 120mm x 80mm at 300dpi. We like travel and workplace stories, as well as personal profiles. email all to editor@ufunat.asn.au

Authorised by P Marshall410 Brunswick st, Fitzroy vIC 3065

All material in The Australian Firefighter magazine is subject to copyright and cannot be published or reproduced without permission.

opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, the United Firefighters Union of Australia, or the publisher.

Contributions are accepted on the basis that the material is accurate and not defamatory. no responsibility is accepted for error or omission and every effort is made to verify submitted material.

It is not possible for the publishers of The Australian Firefighter to ensure that advertisements published in the magazine comply with all aspects of the Trade practices Act 1974; that responsibility rests with the person, company, or advertising agency submitting material for publication.

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Advertising: Advertisements in the publication are solicited from organisations and businesses on the understanding that no special considerations, other than those normally accepted in respect of commercial dealings, will be given to any advertiser.

Not a phone list: It is the desire of the publishers that the Australian Firefighter Buying Guide be used for the benefit of its members and valued sponsors. Therefore we ask you to respect the intention of the Australian Firefighter Buying Guide and not to use it for the purposes of telemarketing and soliciting of donations. Any person, group or company who decides to use the directory in this way is deemed as having accepted the following rates and becomes legally liable to pay these amounts:

1. An amount of $20.000 to a charity nominated by the publisher for the use of the directory as a mailing list,2. An amount of $50,000 to a charity nominated by the publisher for the use of the directory as a telemarketing list.

National Office www.ufua.asn.au

Australian Capital Territory Branch www.ufuact.asn.au

Aviation Branch www.ufuav.asn.au

NSW Branch www.fbeu.net

Queensland Branch www.ufuq.asn.au

Tasmania Branch www.ufutas.asn.au

Victorian Branch www.ufuvic.asn.au

West Australian Branch www.ufuofwa.net.au

Cover desIgn: Andrew cunnInghAM Cover PIC: AAP/Andrew BrOwnBILL

National Secretary peter Marshall

National President Mick Farrell

The Australian Firefighter I 76 I The Australian Firefighter

NEWS INTERNATIONAL

Global gathering Canadian firefighter and our Last Word correspondent Terry Peters attended the historic meeting of firefighter Unions in Vancouver a few months back. He was impressed.

History was made in vancouver at the Global Fire Fighter Unions Alliance founding conference. Firefighters from around the world joined together and made there voices heard in the familiar tone of unity. There were 25 delegates and 23 representatives from Australia, new Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, United states, Canada, Mexico, sweden, norway, Iceland, Finland and Israel.

All shared valuable perspectives of our profession during the four day meeting. strengthening the importance of opening our borders and ensuring collaboration between our affiliated Unions was a goal for everyone attending and that is exactly what was accomplished.

With english deemed the universal language for most sessions, Mexico’s 19 participants – the largest national group attending – required interpreters to participate. A friendly spanish translation flowing through head sets helped streamline the process and made communications that much easier for all delegates.

Peak bodiesGuest speakers came from as far away as Geneva in switzerland to give briefings on global unity and challenges facing Trade Unions around the world each and every day. david Boys of the public services International (psI) gave a passionate and compelling speech about global attempts to bust Unions and what his organisation is doing to stop them. The psI was founded in 1907, represents 646 affiliated Unions in 158 countries and territories, and assists over 20 million public sector workers all over the world.

The psI also works with affiliates within the International Labour organization (ILo) to strengthen governments’ compliance to international Union rights, bargaining standards and laws. david Boys told the conference that the ILo “is primarily devoted to advancing opportunities for

At RiskMoves by federal and state governments for uniform OHS laws across Australia threaten workplace health and safety protection for many employees. The Federal and state governments, apart from WA, have agreed on a set of ‘model’ laws, which they plan to release soon for a six week public comment period.

But this has set the alarm bells ringing at the ACTU and throughout the Union movement. “The rudd government is calling its oHs plan a ‘harmonisation’,” says UFUA national secretary peter Marshall. “But it looks like it might opt for a lowest common denominator solution that threatens hard fought gains in the workplace.”

Currently, there are nine sets of occupational health and safety laws across the country and it would make sense to rationalise the system. “some workers have less protection than others because of the inferior laws in the state or territory they’re in,” says peter. “others are covered by a weak Commonwealth oH&s system. The Union movement says it’s now time for governments across Australia to deliver the highest standards of safety at work.”

Grim realityHowever, employer organisations have a different view. In 2008, the Australian Industry Group said that while making oHs a top priority “is a worthy ideal ... the reality is that making a profit will always be the highest priority of a business.” And now, the ACTU fears that the big end of town has the ear of the Federal Government. “All

the indications are that the focus of the proposed new laws is about cutting red tape and reducing costs for business rather than improving workers’ health and safety,” says ACTU secretary Jeff Lawrence.

The Union movement’s fears have been confirmed by an Access economics report, commissioned by safe Work Australia, the Commonwealth’s own oHs regulator, which says the biggest winners from the move to national laws will be big business, leaving few or no benefits for workers.

“national oHs laws will benefit firefighters, but only if they integrate the best from each state system,” says peter Marshall.

“In Australia we have an average of 21 deaths a day from work related incidents or illness. That’s 21 to many.”

Don’t risk itThere is particular concern about a lack of safeguards in the ‘harmonising’ proposals that will ensure employers can be taken to court for health and safety breaches. so the Union movement is running a don’t risk second rate safety campaign which is demanding national laws that:- ensure employers can be prosecuted for

oHs breaches,

NATIONAL

Firefighter Union representatives from 12 countries attended the global Fire Fighter Unions Alliance founding conference pic: t peters

- empower health and safety representatives,- enable workers and their unions to take

court action, and- respect the role of unions in oHs matters.

“These are very basic goals,” says peter. “Governments and employers should be reminded that we are now in the 21st century and that a high standard of workplace safety which properly protects workers from death and injury, is a modern, reasonable and compassionate expectation.”

Union leadMuch of what workers now expect in workplace oHs protection and rights were

won by Unions, but only after tough and bitter campaigns. These include workers’ compensation, rest breaks, protective clothing, limits to lifting weighty objects, heavy equipment training and licences, and bans on asbestos or other dangerous substances. “We say workers have a right to a safe and healthy working environment,” says peter Marshall. “The rudd government must have this at the forefront of its national oHs laws.”

The Union movement believes it is only fair that employees can learn what health and safety hazards they are exposed to at work and be able to negotiate how they are best dealt with. “These new laws must also allow

Members and their Union to determine their health and safety reps,” says peter Marshall. “They must also include the right to refuse to do unsafe work. Members just cannot accept an oHs regulatory framework that includes inferior standards to the level of protection they currently have.” ■

FInd out moreThe InTernATIOnAL ALLIAnce OF FIre FIghTer unIOnS weBSITe IS AT hTTP://IFFuA.OrgThe PSI weBSITe IS AT hTTP://wOrLd-PSI.Org

men and woman to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.” The psI expressed great interest in a Firefighter Unions Alliance as they see this as a powerful collective group. You can bet we will hear more from them as our International Alliance begins to take shape.

Alliance opportunityChairing the meetings over the four days was shared between the nations of Australia, United states, the United Kingdom and new Zealand. Matt Wrack General secretary of the United Kingdom Fire Brigade Union (FBU) spoke on national rights and standards for firefighters, while FBU president Mick shaw explained the UK’s collective bargaining rights. derek Best, the new Zealand professional Firefighters (nZpFU) secretary spoke about global health, safety and medical efforts.

national UFUA secretary peter Marshall delivered two presentations, including one on ‘International Framework Agreements’ (IFA). He mapped out how we need to ensure adequate fire service standards, regardless of the country we live in. “We as firefighters need to compare policies and experiences globally, to seek the answers to our common problems and identify good practices, and to co-ordinate domestic and international policies,” said peter.

PPC pleano delegate spoke more passionately at this conference than Australian representative Mark Gribble. ‘The Giant’ from Queensland captured the attention of all with his plea to address firefighter personal protective clothing standards as a global initiative. Hands-on demonstrations and video footage were all part of the presentation from the jet lagged firefighter. His humour and classic Australian slang, along with hard hitting facts about ppc / ppe manufacturers’ manoeuvres, had all in attendance agreeing “that more needs to be done!” Good job Mark!

The conference ended with the goals of the IFFUA endorsed and office bearers appointed. It was decided that full IAFF conferences will be held every three years on a different continent. A wrap-up reception, hosted by Harold shaitberger the IAFF (north American Firefighter Union) president and Global Alliance General secretary, was the final venue and as the ‘business connections’ flourished, firefighters attending now represented the world. The future for all of us looks brighter for it. ■

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8 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 9

Trust bustersTrust the ARFF? Maybe … but I don’t think so.

In May this year, a new four year collective agreement (CA) with Air services Australia / Aviation rescue and Fire Fighting (AsA / ArFF) was certified. Along with substantial salary increases, there were a number of changes to Members’ conditions of service such as meal allowance, overtime rates, sick leave without a certificate, personal leave, the category 10 activity roster and more.

In line with the new federal government’s policies, the AsA/ArFF negotiators were more amenable and negotiations were not as unpleasant as in previous encounters. A ‘road show’ then got underway with ArFF management representatives and the UFU conducting explanatory meetings at all stations around Australia.

Members were able to participate in face-to-face discussions, ask questions and gain first hand information from negotiators about the application of the new CA before casting their votes in the ballot. There were few, if any, differences between the UFU and ArFF in explanations about how the agreement would be applied and this seemed a good industrial omen for Members in the years ahead. Many members trusted management’s word because, as we know, the CA was voted up by an 82% majority.

Welcome change …In my report to the UFU’s annual BCoM meeting, I underlined the change in management’s attitude as very welcome; we also invited the AsA Ceo and the ArFF

NEWS ACT BRANCH

EB talks dueThe ACT Branch is gearing up for the next EB negotiations with talks due to begin in October. The current agreement expires in March 2010.

“There’s been no hint yet about what the government plans to offer but it will be a blanket ACT public sector offer and we’ll work with that,” says ACT Branch secretary Jason Jones. “We’ve put up a number of ideas that have received in-principle support from the government including a d&d (death and disability) support system similar to nsW.”

Another proposal is for an early retirement entitlement for ACT firefighters similar to that of the defence services. The Branch has a project team working with the government on costings and ways to implement the change. “We’re also examining a change of federal legislation in relation to the preservation age of firefighters’ super. so we’ll be working closely with the Union national office on that,” says Jason Jones.

ResignationsThe Commissioner of the ACT emergency services Agency (esA) has resigned recently, as has the deputy Commissioner, emergency services, Fire Brigade and rural Fire Brigade. “We’ve been negotiating with the government to bring back the position of Chief officer and this represents a big win for the ACT Branch and firefighters,” says Jason. “The position will be directly responsible for the Fire Brigade only.”

Under the previous structure, the deputy Commissioner was responsible for the Fire and rural Fire Brigades, plus the ses and administrative portfolios. “The position was a very difficult because of this and was one of its failings.” The ACT Branch is also negotiating with the government about the esA structure, improved governance, and how the Chief officers can function better and control their own budget. “This is a swing back of the pendulum – and that’s great news for us here in the ACT,” says Jason Jones.

The ACT will be advertising the Chief officer’s position shortly – Australia wide.

StructureThe ACT Liberal opposition has put up a Bill to turn the esA back into a statutory authority. “The Union opposes this because

it would increase admin costs and reduce funds for frontline services,” says Jason. The Labor government has rejected the proposal and the Branch has spoken to the Greens, who hold the balance of power, about the concerns.

“Many of our old problems like non-compliance, poor governance and lack of training can be traced back to the old structure,” says Jason Jones. “When the fires went through Canberra in 2003, the esA was a statutory authority.”

Training “We’ve made significant headway with firefighter training reform here in the ACT,” says Jason. “With a project team in place, work is underway to rpL and upgrade all Members qualifications to align them with Australia wide benchmarks like Cert Iv, diploma and Advanced diploma. We have a commitment from government to have this advanced training up and running as soon as possible.”

HQ moveConstruction of the new ACT emergency services Agency headquarters at Fairbairn continues. “There’s been a bit

AVIATION BRANCH

of an overspend and we’re suffering the impact of decisions of past ministers and commissioners,” says Jason Jones. “But there’s a commitment to move there and we understand this. We’ve had a bit of a stoush lately about Comcen but I believe we have had a win to get the facilities that are provided for in our collective agreement and what fulltime staff deserve.”

Private sectorThe private sector agreements for firefighters employed by serco at HMAs Creswell (Jervis Bay) and HMAs Albatross (near nowra) have been settled. “We ended up negotiating a better-than-inflation pay rise and got the 10/14 roster locked in,” says Jason Jones. “Given the location of the bases and the resources available, we reached agreement with the national and nsW Branches to hand back responsibility for serco members to nsW.” ■

general manager to address the annual conference to highlight this change and the newly improved relationship.

However, since certification of the agreement, there have been disturbing signs at various fire stations regarding interpretations of CA clauses; we put these down to the lack of education given to middle managers about the changes. These misinterpretations were all sorted out and we requested that ArFF management

provide the appropriate information and education to ensure this would not be ongoing. In general this was successful, although there are still some who insist on twisting clauses to suit their individual purposes.

The key to the negotiations, resulting in huge cost savings that provided most of the salary increase, was the agreement to implement an activity roster at Category 10 stations. The Union agreed to recommend that Members support this on certain conditions, including that the activity roster was sympathetic to the 10/14 roster, i.e. two days on and four days off.

… but not for longGiven the circumstances, we did place a modicum of trust in ArFF management by taking this approach, which included

the drafting of the specific clause and supporting the implementation of an activity roster in sydney prior to the CA’s certification. Management were pleased with this and quite happily explained to any Member that inquired how they supported the two-on-four-off activity roster, how it would work and how it could be a boon for Members that worked it.

now fast forward a few months and we find management have broken the little trust

we extended to them. They are now pursuing a four-days-on-four-days-off roster in Melbourne and tell us; - the Category 10 station activity roster, as explained above, was never a given, - they don’t recall advising Members to that effect, and further - they can implement any roster that suits them.

so we are now at loggerheads over this and are gearing up for a fight, not only on behalf of Melbourne members, but all Members at Category 10 stations around Australia, and we are confident of our position industrially.

This issue was the key to the four year CA agreement between the

Union and ArFF, but the trust we extended has been breached. We now wonder if this is a portent of things to come with the new CA. If so, it’s going to be a hard fought four years for Members, the UFU and more specifically, ArFF management.

However, even if this is not a taste of what’s in store for Members, we can no longer trust management’s word whatsoever. What’s that saying again about principles and a leopard changing its spots? ■

MIck FArreLL SecreTArY

ACTU firefighter training will match national benchmarks, thanks to the Union

Darwin Airport firies took part in heat stress trials earlier this year. Check out page 14 and the centre page gallery for more on the story

uFu aCt BranChBrAnch PreSIdenT: MATThew MAVITYBrAnch SecreTArY: JASOn JOneSweBSITe: uFuAcT.ASn.AueMAIL: uFuAcT@gMAIL.cOM

uFua avIatIon BranChAVIATIOn BrAnch PreSIdenT: JOe STenhOuSeAVIATIOn BrAnch SecreTArY: MIck FArreLL weBSITe: hTTP://uFuAV.ASn.AueMAIL: uFuAVAT1@BIgPOnd.cOM.Au

The Australian Firefighter I 1110 I The Australian Firefighter

NEWS QLD BRANCH

EB BallotQueensland firefighters are about to go to ballot for their next three year enterprise bargaining agreement.

Branch secretary Mark Walker, says the Union has negotiated increases of 4½%, 4% and 4%, or $34 per week, whichever is greater. “The result we’ve negotiated is a good outcome,” says Mark. “For example, a senior Firefighter in Queensland will have received 12½% plus 13% plus 3% across the last five years. That’s a total of 28½% — not a bad result.”

The new eB will run until 2012 and the increases are not based on any trade-off or loss of conditions.

once the ballot is concluded, the agreement will be lodged with the Queensland Industrial Commission and back pay to July 1 can be paid to all Members. “We’re confident the proposal will be supported,” says Mark. “The alternative is the revised offer from the state government of 2½% per year.” ■

Cancer claim fast trackSince the discovery of the Atherton Fire Station cancer cluster, the UFUA Queensland Branch has made progress with the ALp, state government and

authorities to streamline recognition and support for firefighters contracting cancer.

Queensland Branch president Henry Lawrence says that the Union is not looking towards specific legislation but a process similar to the treatment of latent onset asbestos injuries.

“There is a special claim process — and a unit in Queensland WorkCover — for these cases,” says Henry Lawrence. “so if you establish that you were exposed to asbestos on particular dates and occasions, that establishes the link to the job. The claim is then fast tracked and compensation paid quickly.”

The Branch is now looking at a group made up of the Union, Fire service and WorkCover that meets regularly and works in a similar way for firefighters with cancer. “If a Member has lodged a WorkCover claim for a particular type of cancer and we establish an exposure to a chemical or fumes, for example, that can be linked to this type of cancer, we will be able to get that claim accepted and dealt with quickly,” says Henry. “It will put in place a process similar to how asbestos claims are dealt with.”

DatabaseThe Branch is setting up a web-based personal exposure reporting system linked in with the membership system. It should be up and running by the end of september. “Any time one of our Members has been to

SA BRANCH

Queensland firefighters have gained 28.5 % across the last five years pic: matt hayes/firecall.com.au

SA Retained visits The SA Branch has been taking to the road over the last two months, with all seventeen of our Retained Stations visited by Secretary Greg Northcott.

Industrial officer Joe szakacs has also accompanied the secretary to a number of stations. The road trip has taken the Branch from Whyalla in the west to Mount Gambier in the south east. The visits have been an excellent opportunity for retained Firefighters to become acquainted with the officials of the UFU. This is the first widespread visit by the UFU since south Australian Metropolitan Fire service retained staff were for the first time included in the sAMFs Collective Agreement. The UFU is working hard to organise these retained stations and to build the power and capacity at a workplace level for retained staff.

Training These visits by the UFU will be followed up in the coming month by a combined retained shop stewards/oHs&W Meeting to be held at the sAMFs Angle park Training College. At this weekend-long meeting, retained shop stewards will have presentations and workshops with the secretary and Industrial officer on matters such as the role of shop steward and workers compensation training. ■

Tas super dispute Tasmanian firefighters have imposed bans and limitations over the state government’s tardy implementation of the superannuation agreement negotiated by the Union.

“We’ve resolved the dispute technically,” says UFUA Tasmania Branch secretary richard Warwick. “But outstanding tasks remain, such as amending the scheme’s trust deed, drawing up a deed of release and getting changes gazetted. We needed our lawyers to look over the documents but the government was dragging its heels. so we took industrial action to smarten them up.”

The government has been jolted into action and the Union hopes to have a final resolution shortly. “part of the agreement allows for people to leave this fund if they want, go to another of their choice and continue to receive the 14% employer contribution,” says richard Warwick. “With the recovering market we’ve got some who are desperate to get out and others, particularly people who have been in the longest, not wanting to leave. so we’re trying to satisfy everyone and we need the government and the Fire service to implement the thing so Members can make their choice.” ■

Response reviewsAbout 12 months ago, the Tasmanian government commissioned a review of emergency response arrangements in the state’s fire service.

Consulting firm KpMG was contracted to do the work and the result? Well, it’s deeply flawed says richard Warwick. “We’re profoundly disappointed with the review. The Union provided a major written submission

based on the Health and safety Act with a focus on the lack of safe work systems and absence of a proper risk management approach to responses and community risks.”

However in KpMG’s 160 page report, the only mention of the oH&s Act is in its summary of the UFUA submission. “They just completely ignored the employer’s health and safety obligations,” says richard. “But fortunately, the Coroner then released his report from the 2007 Hobart Myer fire coronial investigation. And while the findings are not to our liking, his recommendations are very good and will go a long way to counteract the negative aspects of the KpMG review.”

Safety & risk managementThe Coroner recommends that the Tasmania Fire service:- establish clear systems and protocols for

dealing with fires,- establish an accountability system when

standard operating procedures are deviated from during operations,

- complete pre-incident plans for all major buildings in the CBd and large industrial buildings in suburban Hobart,

- provide further training in sprinkler systems, thermal camera use, power disconnection and where BA communications fail during emergencies, and

- consider improvements in BA radio units and the installation of alternative units. “Where KpMG is saying we’re wrong, the

Coroner is saying we’re right,” says richard Warwick. ■

an incident and been exposed, they can fill in an online personal exposure report (per) form that will be added to their membership record,” says Henry Lawrence. “We can then start to build a database of exposures that will be of assistance in future WorkCover claims or other issue that might come up.” The database will also be useful for study and research purposes.

The Union also wants Members who have cancer to talk to their doctors about any possible link between their cancer and their job. They should also contact the Union to discuss a possible WorkCover claim and legal assistance with that claim.

Privacy protectedIn north America, the Firefighters Union (IAFF) database was important in its campaign for presumptive legislation that covers firefighters who contract cancer and a number of other work related diseases. 40 Us states and seven Canadian provinces now have presumptive laws in place.

“The idea for the database was picked up on our trips to the redmond symposiums in the Us,” says Henry. “We are not looking at legislation at this stage, but our work with the Fire service and WorkCover will pave the way for a quick and easy treatment of a claim from a Member who contracts a work related cancer, and possible future legislation.”

Members will be able to update their per record on the membership database records and privacy protection will be in place. Any data released for research purposes will be anonymised. ■

ElectionsFollowing the delay to facilitate rule changes to align state and branch rules for elections, the Queensland Branch elections are now underway. nominations are open and the ballot will close on november 9, 2009. ■

TAS BRANCH

What KPMG ignored, the Coroner has picked up pic: warren frey/tas

the australIan FIreFIghter gloBal newstraCk

the uFua’s roundup of links to key firefighter news stories,

reports and online comment from around the world.

subscribe at http://ufua.asn.au to receive

emailed updates

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pic: warren fay

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12 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 13

Firefighters march to Parliament House

NEWS VIC BRANCH

More firefighters, not lessIn mid September, with the start of the fire season just 43 days away, more than 1,000 MFB and CFA firefighters marched through Melbourne’s streets demanding action to fix Victoria’s under-resourced fire services.

Chanting “more firefighters, not less”, they demanded the state government immediately act to boost firefighter resources – and the MFB to stop its attempts to change shift and other firefighter work arrangements that protect the public.

“In April, an independent Board of reference ruled that 24 CFA stations be upgraded,” said UFUA victoria Branch secretary, peter Marshall. “The ruling covers the state’s growth centres which include outer suburban Melbourne and regional towns and localities. Yet, despite the fire season being just six weeks away, nothing has been done to employ the required number of firefighters and allocate additional resources to these locations”

Blame gameThe firefighters marched from Trades Hall to parliament House in spring street to protest the 161 days of state government and CFA inaction. From the steps, peter Marshall told the firefighters, and the many members of the public who watched the rally, “The government has not done one thing, the government has blamed the CFA, the CFA blame the government. While that little game goes on, 24 communities have less than a 50% chance of getting a fire truck if they need one.”

on August 18, premier John Brumby named victoria’s 52 danger spots for the coming fire season. The fire stations that need extra firefighters now cover 34 of these 52 hot spots. “Less firefighters equals communities at risk. We don’t want that, and we will campaign very, very hard to

make sure it doesn’t happen,” said peter Marshall. The Branch’s Firecrisis campaign website (http://firecrisis.com ) was also launched at the rally. ■

Hard bargainBoth CFA and MFB firefighters are in the middle of vigorous enterprise bargaining campaigns for new operations staff agreements.

The employers are playing hardball - and so is the state government with its 2.5% public sector wages policy. At MFB HQ, management has targeted key conditions of employment such as the 10/14 roster, minimum staffing charts, recall, overtime, and retention provisions as trade-offs for further, productivity related, increases. “This is just not on,” says peter Marshall. “We are also concerned about the MFB’s attempts to by-pass the eB’s consultative requirements by approaching individuals, particularly about the diversity and mentoring policy area.”

negotiations have also been disrupted by childish and belligerent behaviour on the part of MFB management personnel, one of whom took to targeting the Union secretary with a paper plane.

Scope OrderThe Union has lodged an application to Fair Work Australia (FWA), seeking a ‘scope order’ that the current negotiations should result in one agreement covering all operational staff, from recruit to Assistant Chief Fire officer (ACFo). The Union is seeking a determination that the ranks should not be isolated across three separate agreements.

There is much to be gained from this says peter Marshall. “It provides integrity

WA BRANCH

and completeness to the operational structure, which in turn provides integrity and completeness to the work of the MFB. It also provides a sound career structure and career path.” MFB management is opposed and have counter claimed with their own scope application that proposes separate agreements for Commanders and ACFos.

Full bench“A single agreement covering all ranks would also create administrative efficiencies, so I can’t see why management is holding out,” says peter Marshall. “The MFB operational ranks have more conditions in common than they have apart, they work together at the same locations and on the same incidents and matters, and one agreement complies with Members’ desire to bargain collectively. It would be disappointing if management is just trying to create division within the ranks over this.”

Following an application by the UFU, the matter will now go to a FWA Full Bench for determination; the ACTU will seek to become a party to the proceedings. ■

There’S MOre On The VIcTOrIAn FIreFIghTer

reSOurcIng crISIS In The cOVer STOrY On PAge 16.

AcTioN STATioNS: The uFuA VIcTOrIA BrAnch

hAS SeT uP The FIrecrISIS weBSITe. gO TO

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YOur LOcAL MeMBer OF PArLIAMenT, The MFB

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And LInk TO The ‘MOre FIreFIghTerS, nOT LeSS’

cAMPAIgn FAce BOOk And TwITTer BLOgS.

BCOM electionin May this year, the UFU of WA held elections for all committee positions.

Kevin Jolly was elected Branch president unopposed and Graeme Geer, an operational station officer, was elected Branch secretary. Five new committee members were elected for the upcoming three year period. The new committee is in the process of developing short and long term plans and faces many challenges in the near future. Many thanks and best wishes are extended to outgoing Branch secretary dave Bowers and the other outgoing committee members for their efforts and achievements while in office. ■

Branch buys fire stationThe UFU of WA was able to seize a rare opportunity last year and reclaim a piece of Fire and Rescue Service history when the old North Perth Fire Station was put up for sale in November 2008.

The building was built in 1926 for the then WA Fire Brigades Board. When the station was first commissioned, it was the no.2 station for the perth Metropolitan area. over time it has also housed some of the Brigade’s training facilities and many of our retired members have stories to tell of their work and associated escapades at the north perth station. The north perth Fire station was decommissioned in 1957 and the Brigade sold the building in 1962 to a private owner. since then it has only been offered for sale on three other occasions.

The circumstances that led to the Union’s purchase of this unique two storey fire station building (one of four remaining in metropolitan perth) included a review of the Union’s commercial properties in 2008. In the last 10 years other opportunities to purchase and occupy decommissioned fire stations have arisen and for various reasons the Union was unable to act on those opportunities.

Good investmentThe Union’s current premises in Mt Lawley were valued and roughly provided more than the equivalent value to the final purchase price of $1.6 million paid for the

north perth station. The Branch Committee subsequently decided to transfer the investments and its headquarters to the north perth station.

The suburb of north perth has very little listed commercial property and the purchase of the old Fire station made good investment sense for the Union, given its inner city location and projected capital growth.

Work is underway to bring the building up to the modern technological standard required for a Union office, but the heritage values of the station will not be compromised in the process. The Union looks forward to establishing its headquarters in the historic premises at north perth and will host many meetings and functions for both our retired and existing members. ■

Dispersed RelievingFor the last couple of years, the employer has pushed to move away from a centralised relieving system to a dispersed model.

of the 23 career stations, the end plan is to have 14 stations relieving throughout the metropolitan area.

From the early stages the union has opposed the authority’s model and believes it is a backward step. FesA has chosen

to ignore the advice given by the Union and has pushed ahead with the model. Firefighters have been posted to stations where basic facilities such as lockers, chairs, ppe storage and car parking are inadequate. The Union has advised all Members that until relievers are qualified on the appliances of their home station and until adequate facilities are in place, relievers are not to take up their positions at that posting.

Unresolved issuesone key reason for the push ahead with the dispersed model is that a new number one central station has been built 500 metres away from the current perth Fire station. The new station is physically smaller than the current station and has not been built to a standard firefighters would expect.

A number of oHs issues have been identified by the firefighters and until these are resolved, the $9.5 million building will remain empty. The building was due to be operational in 2008. ■

Peter Marshall addresses the rally

The firefighters’ message

History reclaimed: the new UFUA WA Branch Building

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14 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 15

NEWS STRESS

Heat fightFirefighters regularly face heat exposure which, if not managed effectively, can create the potential for heat stress and damaging injuries.

so, after multiple re-entries to the fireground, can firefighters rapidly make the right decision? Can they maintain a productive output and reduce the chances of suffering a life threatening, heat-related illness?

These are questions put to the test in darwin mid year when 60 top-end firefighters in full structural firefighting ppe (including BA) took part in over three hours of simulated emergency incident activity. They were part of a 120 strong team of participants; the others involved were health personnel who donned CBr encapsulated splash suits with BA and performed simulated CBr / HAZMAT incident activity.

The physical and mental demands associated with firefighting and other emergency operations are no secret. Coupling protracted incidents with the environmental dangers of extreme heat and humidity produces conditions that can have an adverse impact on the health, safety and the decision making skills of firefighters.

ComprehensivenT Fire and rescue service (nTFrs) station officer Terry Trewin is one of the researchers on the project, undertaken by the national Critical Care and Trauma response Centre. The tests and results analysis were conducted with input from the nTFrs, royal darwin Hospital and the northern Territory Institute of sport (nTIs).

Terry says the heat research project was

probably the most comprehensive and largest study on the effects of heat on firefighters working in harsh tropical climates. “The ultimate goal was to determine the most appropriate and practical method to cool emergency personnel working at incidents, reducing the likelihood of heat related illnesses,” Terry told The Australian Firefighter Magazine. “This

project will be a win/win for both emergency personnel and fire service management, as it will provide a much safer workplace for firefighters, and when you get personnel who think clearly, productivity is up.”

With its tropical location, darwin is an ideal place to test alternate cooling methods for emergency personnel working in extreme environments. The project was given medical ethics approval by the nT’s Menzies school of Health and the study was completely independent.

Capsuleeach participant was randomly assigned to a particular testing station and monitored consistently across the three hour exercise. each simulated incident comprised a 30 minute work period followed by a 30 minute rest period, and repeated three times. eight hours after testing, each participant completed a questionnaire on their wellbeing.

6,000 individual observations were evaluated, including core temperatures, urine analysis, blood pressures, pulse rates, tympanic temperatures, perceptual scales, and 240 pre-and-post evaluation reports. Four hours before starting the exercise, participants each swallowed a core body temperature monitoring capsule.

dr Matt Brearley from the nTIs, who has

FAMILY

studied the effects of heat on the mental capacities of AFL players, v8 supercar drivers and olympians, pointed out the clear differences in mental processing and decision making between the groups as the exercises progressed.

Cool downduring their rest period, participants were moved into their allocated testing stations staffed by medical personnel. They were then cooled by one of five different methods that included mist-spray and fan, cool water immersion, a sit in the shade plus an ice-slurry drink or with fluids normally available at incidents. Terry says that during the test, particular groups were returning to the fireground in better condition than when they first arrived (see the temperature variation table); they were focused, refreshed and determined.

“It was quite clear, particular firefighters re-entering the incident after being treated by the research team, were motoring past firefighters that received only shade and a cold drink,” said nTFrs station officer Tom Lawler. “These guys were switched-on,

focused and powered through the incident multiple times.”

Terry Trewin anticipates that both the general and scientific reports will be completed by december. He predicts they will have

major implications for the current ‘shade and a cool drink’ approach to rehab and recovery on the fireground.

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check OuT The cenTre PAge cOOL runnIng gALLerY.

Father and sonAfter a decade in the building industry, Paul Farrell signed up for a career in firefighting. Dad was very happy.UFUA national president and Aviation Branch secretary Mick Farrell spent 31 years as a firefighter and has been a UFU member for 34 years. So you can imagine his feelings when son Paul announced he was thinking of applying for firefighter recruit training. And for Paul, it was time for a change.

“After ten years of carpentry and not being happy in my work, I wanted to do something different but still wanted to stay active,” Paul told The Australian Firefighter Magazine. “Also, I was looking for something that would challenge me and give me plenty of opportunity to grow as a person within my career. So firefighting seemed to be the obvious choice.”

All round supportPaul says Mick was supportive, although he didn’t push the issue. “But when I asked him if firefighting was a good job, he said ‘absolutely’. I said, ‘do you think I should have a go’ and he said ‘you’d be mad if you don’t’. So I went for it,” said Paul.

After applying and being accepted for training with the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), Paul found his experience in the construction industry very useful in his new work environment. “Aside from the practical skills and working with tools, it’s given me a lot of building knowledge,” said Paul. “For example, knowing where load-bearing walls are, and when a house might be close to structural collapse.”

Paul Farrell’s building trades background also enabled him to compare the quality of MFB firefighter training. He sees it as not dissimilar to an apprenticeship but because recruit training is conducted in a college environment it has the added value of being very condensed and focused, with trainees getting to know each other very quickly. The training group was 30 strong with an age range of 20 to 45 years. And as for the gender balance, there were two women in the group, one of whom came dux of the course.

but what about the others in his recruit group? “With a strong Union membership at the college, the trainees have to ask why everybody is a member of the Union,” said Paul. “It’s made clear to them that the great conditions and everything that’s been achieved over the years is because of the Union. So when dad and Peter Marshall came down to talk to us, everybody was really happy to join.”

So for Mick Farrell, how did he feel about son Paul’s decision? “I’ve got three kids and have always maintained a respect for what they want to do with their lives. I’ve tried not to influence them, let them make their own decisions and I am extremely proud of them as adults and what they have achieved so far in this world. But when Paul graduated as a firefighter I must say it’s a huge sense of pride that I felt, because to have your son follow in your footsteps is a feeling I’ve never felt before, and for an old firie, a very emotional one too.”

Under the pumpThe training was rigorous and a great introduction to the job, say Paul. “They prepare you to be really under the pump, to be under pressure”. However, he reckons his real firefighting apprenticeship started a couple of months ago when he was assigned to Fire Station 47 at Footscray and started on shift. As for his new workmates, “they were very welcoming and more than helpful. Everybody I’ve worked with has been great.”

Paul says the pressure of the job can be mental as well as physical. He said one situation in particular brought this home to him. “We attended the scene of a young woman’s suicide. I guess it wouldn’t get a lot worse than that. But peer support was right onto me — straight away; the support network is right there if or when you need it.”

Union proudComing from a strong Union family, Paul’s commitment to the UFU is right there,

Taking a bath — better than a cold drink

FOr MOre InFOrMATIOn And InquIrIeS, cOnTAcT: STATIOn OFFIcer TerrY TrewInnT FIre And reScue SerVIceTerrY.TrewIn@PFeS.nT.gOV.Au

Firefighting and Union membership runs in the Farrell family

National Trauma & Critical Care Reponse Centre pdf

Impact of cooling methods on core body temperatures measured across three hour simulated incident activity exercise

16 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 17

immediate operation on high fire risk days, and that CFA /DSE (Department of Sustainability and Environment ) State Duty Officers have the direct responsibility for ensuring this happens,

- Fire Service authorities ensure the most experienced, qualified and competent person is appointed as Incident Controller for each fire, irrespective of the point of ignition of the fire,

- Level 3 Incident Controllers be authorised to release a bushfire warning, if required and if the designated Incident Controller is temporarily unavailable.

- more police discretion at roadblocks to cater for essential services, residents and animals needs.

“To have the resources on hand to meet a crisis, you’ve got to invest in employing, training and deploying those resources,” says Peter Marshall. “That’s why Victoria’s professional firefighters have been marching through the streets recently demanding more firefighters, not less. The state government has identified 52 bushfire hotspots across Victoria for this summer; fire stations that cover 34 of those areas need more firefighters employed to do the job. But government still refuses to act, even ‘though the fire season is on our doorstep.”

and bureaucratic Victoria’s emergency management system is — and how it failed on Black Saturday. People threatened by fire did not receive adequate warnings and authorities could not track the path of the fires.

Fire Service authorities acknowledged failures and communications breakdowns. The ABC commented that evidence presented indicated “a pattern of confusion, late warnings, a bureaucratic system and rigid chain of command that struggled to cope on Black Saturday and in the days that followed.”

The states’ fire agencies were ill-prepared, and Counsel assisting the Royal Commission, Jack Rush QC, described the CFA’s chief officer’s role as “divorced from fundamental aspects of the responsibilities” he had as chief officer, including the provision of public warnings and the protection of life.

Needed nowThe interim report’s recommendations focus on changes the Royal Commissioners think can be implemented before the 2009–10 bushfire season. It says changes to incident management are necessary and says the state and authorities must ensure:- Level 3 Incident Control Centres are

properly staffed and equipped to enable

COVER STORY ROYAL COMMISSION

13 chapters, and following the Royal Commission’s subsequent hearings, one thing is clear,” says UFUA Victorian and National Secretary, Peter Marshall. “The responsible authorities still have many questions to answer about their management of the crisis.”

The February 7 bushfires in Victoria, and their aftermath, killed 173 people, burnt around 430,000

hectares of land, 2000 properties and 61 businesses. They destroyed whole towns and affected some 78 communities. Sadly, the UFUA also lost one of our own, ACT

firefighter and Branch Junior Vice-President David Balfour, who was killed while working with his crew in the fire zone east of Marysville.

The Royal Commission’s first report on Black Saturday bushfires was released in August. “After sifting through the careful and subdued language in the interim report’s

Neither the spin from the state government nor the ducking and weaving by senior Fire Services’ management in testimony to the Commission can hide the facts. “Our firefighters and the communities they work hard to protect were let down on Black Saturday and the days that followed,” says Peter.

The Royal Commission does remark on members of the public who failed to take heed of the warnings — and the weather — in the week leading to that dreadful weekend in early February. And it also reminds readers of the fires’ behaviour on the day (including the rate of spread and prolific spotting), which it says was “unique”.

“However, the interim report and testimony to the Royal Commission hearings since its release, tells me we need more firefighting resources, more effective communications with the public, real leadership from the government and far more effective Fire Services’ management,” says Peter Marshall. “We’re stuck in the middle of a crisis requiring further state government action and we are only weeks away from a new bushfire season.”

In the meantime, the Bushfires Royal Commission, its Chair Bernard Teague and Commissioners Ronald McLeod and Susan Pascoe, continue the examination of 12 of the largest Black Saturday fires.

SubmissionThe UFUA was granted leave to appear before the Commission, with our submission focusing on:

- how well Victoria’s fire and emergency services authorities responded to the emergency,

- how effectively the firefighting effort was coordinated and managed,

- how resource allocation and staffing were handled, and

- how we can ensure that such tragic developments won’t happen again.

The Interim Report makes fifty one recommendations. It also details bungling at the highest level during the February emergency and says the state’s Emergency Response Plan does not clearly identify who is responsible for warnings and / or recommending evacuations.

System failureDuring the public hearings leading up to the interim report, witness statements and cross examination revealed how complex

After 35 days of hearings, 87 witnesses and 26 community meetings, the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission handed down its interim report. But will the state government and fire authorities finally learn the lesson?

pic: aap / andrew brownbill

16 I The Australian Firefighter

Black Saturday

the burning issues

The Australian Firefighter I 1918 I The Australian Firefighter

COVER STORY ROYAL COMMISSION

have refuges and the CFA resources to defend them. Why not? There should be dedicated units.”

Justice Teague has been critical of the term ‘neighbourhood safer places’ coined by the State government. He has said “It isn’t the sort of terminology likely to resonate with people.”

RepeatsMany of the Royal Commission’s recommendations have been made in reports on other fire tragedies, such as Ash Wednesday, the Canberra and South Australian bushfires — even as far back as the 1939 Black Friday fires. These include such things as refuges, warnings, revamping the ‘stay or go’ policy and the need for individuals to develop contingency plans. But they have been consistently ignored by successive Victorian governments. Most recently, the Victorian government ignored requests to upgrade police communications and the triple zero emergency call system.

“If we haven’t learnt from ‘97, if we haven’t learnt from 2002 in Canberra, if we haven’t learnt from 2005 in Tasmania, and 2006 in South Australia, and we don’t learn from 2009, what does it say about our future?” asks Peter.

However, to find who should shoulder responsibility for how the Black Saturday

Responsibility The Royal Commission recommends the Victorian government amend the law to ensure the CFA Chief Officer has responsibility to issue warnings and provide information to the community concerning the risk of bushfires.

“It’s frustrating to know that many of the things requiring urgent attention are the result of the failure of successive state governments to act on previous bushfire reports,” says Peter Marshall. “They also reflect a systemic failure of the top echelons of the fire authorities to behave as the public expects — that is, to be strategic, responsible and accountable when protecting Victorian communities from bushfire.”

Fiefdoms Rivalry between and within Victoria’s Emergency Services agencies has been a long term challenge for firefighters trying to protect the community. “You’re seeing systemic problems that have probably cost lives and indeed done a lot of damage” says Peter Marshall. “We have three organisations, the CFA, DSE and MFB, and if I can put it as bluntly as this, they all have a sandpit. You cannot play in my sandpit unless I invite you in.”

Even such basic functions as getting timely information to the public have been compromised by the lack of a single authority to oversee fire and emergency services in Victoria. The Royal Commission has called for the establishment of a single, multi-agency portal for bushfire information that uploads information simultaneously to both CFA and DSE websites and

allows incident control centres to directly post information and warnings. It also recommended that the State Emergency Response Plan (SERP) be amended to give clear responsibility to the control agency to issue warnings.

RefugesThe report says that since Victoria’s fire refuges policy was introduced in 2005 no new refuges have been established in the state. It also raises questions “about the few existing refuges that continue to be recognised.” And even more damning it says “The lack of refuges in Victoria also fails to assist people in areas threatened by fire who are away from their homes.”

The Royal Commission says the state government and local councils have a role in establishing, identifying, maintaining, promoting and listing community fire refuges, or ‘neighbourhood safer places’ as the State government risk averse spin labels them. It also suggests the CFA give priority to resourcing the defence of them.

“If you go back through every coronial inquest – every Royal Commission that’s been as a result of wild fire, loss of life and property – there’s been an issue of the refuges,” says Peter Marshall. “Yet we don’t

disaster unfolded, we should not be holding our breath for the Royal Commission’s final report. Justice Teague has rejected suggestions the commission’s interim report was too soft on key players. He says the role of the Commission is not to lay blame.

In the meantime, Peter Marshall says urgent implementation of the interim report’s recommendations is vital. “The changes are on the right track but the Government should be compelled to implement them all, not just allow them to sit on the shelf like previous inquests,” he said. “We owe that to the people who perished.”

Victoria’s Bushfires Royal Commission is required to deliver a final report by July 31 next year. ■

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FREE AGENT

When the chips are down, the state is facing its worst fires in living memory, and you occupy the uppers echelons of the Fire services’ hierarchy, what do you do? Well, from evidence given to the victorian Bushfires royal Commission you can play a strategic role, take a statewide view or avoid focusing on any one fire. You might define your own role, distance

yourself from actual decision making, or become a kind of free agent, adding value to the system.Then when its all over, you might assess your mistakes as learnings and replace your old mobile phone, losing all record of communications during the crisis.All in a day’s work, really. ■

SPIN AND EUPHEMISM

An orwellian experience! That’s how the ABC reporter covering the victorian Bushfire royal Commission describes trying to decipher the hearings. Journalist Jane Cowan says the euphemisms and spin go right back to when the CFA Chief officer declared the system had worked “very, very well” on Black saturday. “But when the royal Commissioners themselves declare their support for ‘relocations’ as opposed to evacuation, and adopt the Government’s preferred language of ‘neighbourhood safer places’ alongside the notion of refuges, victorians could be forgiven for wondering what will become of this inquiry,” says Cowen.At the release of the interim report, journalists were given little time to read the document (it arrived late) before “a conga line of fire chiefs, police chiefs and ministers” arrived to field questions. premier John Brumby spent most of question time delivering a power point presentation on what he claimed the state government had already done about the royal Commission interim

recommendations. ■

including simplifying warnings, a new fire bushfire severity scale, reintroducing the Standard Emergency Warning Signal, the reintroduction of sirens in local communities and accelerating the introduction of a national phone based

warning system. It says the State government and fire agencies must promote the changes throughout the community effectively, through better publications, advertising and awareness campaigns.

More recently Justice Teague has commented that naming a fire after its point of origin is confusing for people threatened but who are some distance from the fire, and this needs to be changed. He has welcomed the new six-stage coding system for bushfire threat to take effect in October but believes an ‘’acceptable noun’’ to describe major fires still needs to be found.

Stay or goThe interim report does not recommend the ‘stay or go’ policy be abandoned, but says the public should be given more realistic information, and for “those who choose to stay and defend, the risks should be spelt out

more plainly, including the risk of death.”“We are the only country in the world

with a policy that recommends to people to stay and defend their homes,” says Peter Marshall. “It’s been used as a pseudo attempt to turn communities into fire fighting units because government has not provided sufficient firefighting resources where they are needed. We have learnt from the fact that on Black Saturday, 120 of the 173 perished in their homes, that this approach is ill-conceived. It should be scrapped.”

In september, more than 1,000 CFA and MFB firefighters marched through Melbourne’s streets demanding action to fix victoria’s under-resourced fire services. Chanting “more firefighters, not less”, they demanded the state government immediately act to boost firefighter resources.earlier this year, a CFA / UFU Board of reference ruled that 24 CFA stations be upgraded. The ruling covers the state’s growth centres that include outer suburban Melbourne

and regional towns and localities.victorian and national UFUA secretary peter Marshall told the firefighters – and members of the public who had joined the rally - “The government has not done one thing, the government have blamed the CFA, the CFA blame the government.” speaking on the steps of state parliament, he said, “While that little game goes on, 23 communities have less than a 50% chance of getting a fire truck if they need one.” ■

Despite the Royal Commission’s criticism of how the bushfire fight was managed on Black Saturday, the state’s Premier, John Brumby, has defended the CFA hierarchy, and given its top brass his personal vote of confidence, including the reappointment of the Chief Officer for another two year term.

Faulty The lack of accessible, timely widely available information about the bushfires contributed to the February disaster.

The Royal Commission recommends a number of communications changes

MORE FIREFIGHTERS NOT LESS

The Australian Firefighter I 2120 I The Australian Firefighter

WORKFRONT FUNDS CRISIS

The squad also ensures that the incident commander has the capability to:- rapidly place a second line in service,- perform basic truck functions such as a

primary search or top-side ventilation, and

- provide rapid intervention services.

This re-distributed workforce ensures the highest safety level for responders. This is also the safest arrangement for the public. In no case should a fire station be operating with a single person or a two-person crew. Personnel should be combined into teams of a minimum of four and assigned to stations on that basis.

Of course, tactics must be altered to reflect a possibly lengthened response time as well as the changed staffing levels on-scene, though this arrangement is actually safer than the prior one where crew size is concerned.

Reality checkLet’s be honest, in a flush economy fire service leaders have been known to actively fight against, or at least passively resist, comprehensive mutual aid agreements. After all, relying on neighbouring communities can appear to reduce the

The budget crunch that inevitably follows a recession has produced firefighter sackings, station closures, brown-outs and safety compromises across the US. In the last edition of The Australian Firefighter, the IAFF’s Eric Lamar argued that crews of at least four firefighters — a figure proven to be the safest minimum number required to conduct an interior fire attack — must be maintained at all costs. Eric continues his analysis of how firefighters in North America might take advantage of tough economic times to maximise safe emergency responder staffing levels.

Silk purse possibilityThis may be one of the rarest of moments, the opportunity to, as they say, turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse. Hundreds of small and medium fire departments across North America have sloppy, ineffective and unsafe staffing models that are frequently responsible for firefighter injuries and deaths. These departments constantly deliver poorly staffed companies to fires and other emergencies where responders become instantly over-extended and catastrophes inevitably result.

Safer scenarioIn some cases, especially in a smaller service area with three to five stations, it may be appropriate to close one station and to concentrate staffing for safety and efficiency. This may be viewed as a radical move, but it is the one that will ultimately protect both firefighters and the public most effectively.

An examples: City A was using a minimum of 21 on-duty personnel to staff the following:

Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4Engine 1: Engine 2: Engine 3: Engine 4:

crew of 3 crew of 3 crew of 3 crew of 3

EMS unit: Squad 2: Ladder 3: EMS unit:

crew of 2 crew of 2 crew of 3 crew of 2

Shift Chief: 1 Total: 21

The fire department undergoes cuts in the overall fire department budget or the overtime budget that causes the loss of two positions per shift, leaving 19. They should consider re-deploying as follows:

Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4

An engine An engine, An engine Closed and an ladder and and a squad, EMS unit EMS unit. both full with a time and both minimum with 4 per

of 4 company

Respond Respond The squad with 4 on either the responds to a fire engine or all calls of run and ladder with significance with 2on2 a crew of 4 on an and the EMS call EMS unit is full time

Shift Chief: 1 Total: 19

The principles involved in this re-deployment are:- create and implement a safe and

effective crew size,

- maintain that safe crew size by placing units ‘out-of-service’ as necessary, and

- counteract the effects of lengthened response time by creating a strategic reserve (squad with four firefighters).

need for resources within a jurisdiction. If we are truly committed to the safety of firefighters during this unprecedented economic downturn, we cannot at the same time be opposed to utilising mutual aid agreements which will allow us to boost company staffing even as our budgets are decimated.

Leaders, especially in smaller jurisdictions, need to study what neighbouring resources are geographically available as part of their crisis staffing plan. For example, if a neighbouring city has a fire station which can be factored into a first alarm response, then they should strongly consider working to achieve an effective mutual aid agreement. Such stations would undoubtedly figure prominently in a decision to close an

Better from badFrom the financially stricken US, Eric Lamar continues his analysis of opportunities presented by the recession to improve firefighter and community safety

existing fire house to redistribute existing personnel resources.

Mutual aid benefitsThe use of these agreements reflects the sequence of events that has occurred:

- The economic downturn has created a precipitous fall off in municipal revenue,

- fire chiefs and agency heads are told to provide the same services with less,

- staffing levels begin to erode as budgets are reduced,

- we realise that this erosion compromises firefighter safety, and

- we take actions that ensure adequate crew size for fire and emergency response.

In addition to redeploying as proposed above, this will inevitably include looking

regionally to locate resources that will assist us in achieving safe staffing levels, as responder safety must be the bottom line.

Clean upLet’s take this opportunity, and the financial pressure we are under, as an impetus to clean up our collective staffing mess and re-create these departments into units that are consistently staffed with an adequate number of responders, including a strategic reserve. Who knows, we might look back at this time and actually be glad we went through it, especially if it makes us safer. ■

erIc LAMAr IS The IAFF’S ASSISTAnT TO The

generAL PreSIdenT FOr InFOrMATIOn TechnOLOgY.

eMAIL: erIcSLAMAr@gMAIL.cOM

20 I The Australian Firefighter

MEDICS TO THE POOR

The debate about health care reform that’s raging across the United States is bringing to the surface some of the more underhanded and desperate campaigning tactics from the political right and its powerful allies in the private insurance, medical and pharmaceutical industries.

However, while the nation and its citizens pay more for health care than any other country on the planet, firefighters – as first responders – are finding they are becoming the primary medical providers to the poor.

A recent story in the New York Times brings home the point. It found in Washington, the US capital, firefighters were responding to at least at least one medical emergency call per hour. “I joined the force to battle blazes, not to be an emergency room doctor,” one firefighter told the newspaper.

Budget cut impactAbout 80% of the calls handled by Washington’s Engine Company 10 are medical emergencies. This fire station serves Trinidad, a low income neighbourhood in the city where few residents have health insurance. The New York Times says health checkups are rare and the residents’ medical problems “are left to fester until someone dials 911.”

In many larger cities across the United States, these demands on firefighters are being made worse by budget shortfalls that have led to the elimination or planned elimination of 6,000 firefighter jobs in the past year. According to the IAFF, that’s about 2% of all firefighters. At the same time, emergency calls have increased by 1.2 million, or 3.5%, across a 12 month period.

Life – and job saverThe New York Times points to another side of the story too. It says advances in consumer protection rules and fireproofing technology have led to a drop in the frequency of fires, so medical emergencies have helped keep firefighters employed.

National Fire Protection Association statistics indicate that fire departments across the United States responded to almost 1.5 million fire calls in 2008; this compares with 3 million in 1980. Fire department responses to medical calls have increase by 213% across the same period; from about 5 million in 1980 to about 15.8 million in 2008. ■

reAd The FuLL STOrY FrOM The new YOrk TIMeS VIA hTTP://TInYurL.cOM/YBcFeBw

US firefighter EMRs are on the rise pic: stock.xchng kkiser

There is budget-crunch opportunity for US firefighters pic: stock.xchng bstangland

The IAFF IS The InTernATIOnAL ASSOcIATIOn OF FIre FIghTerS, The nOrTh AMerIcAn FIreFIghTer And eMergencY SerVIce wOrkerS unIOn

FIRE PROTECTION STRESS TEST

ThAnkS TO AVIATIOn BrAnch PreSIdenT JOe STenhOuSe And TerrY TrewIn FOr The IMAgeS And BAckgrOund

In Darwin, firefighters turned guinea pigs during a series of tests to measure the impact of cooling methods on core body temperatures. Here’s the story in pictures; read all about the details on page 14

Cool running

22 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 23

Sandbagging in ppc is a real test pic: © 2009 Terry Trewin

Paul Chaffer, Adam Burns and a cool drink

Exiting the confined space trainer pic: © 2009 Terry Trewin

Cooling station misting fans

Health workers took part in CBR tests pic: © 2009 Terry Trewin

... and Terry with that monitoring capsule Ice slushy rehydration – Richard McCaghIce bath station with medical checks pic: © 2009 Terry TrewinNT Fire and Rescue Service HQ Darwin set up area

The Australian Firefighter I 2524 I The Australian Firefighter

WORKFRONT STANDARDS

UFU SPRING 09 TEXT ADS 1/2 14/10/09 8:56 AM Page 1

mark gribble

Standards updateThe vested interests are

entrenched and powerful

but firefighters are making

headway in talks to es-

tablish safer international

PPE/PPC standards

Mark Gribble, the UFUA’s representative at the International Standards Organisation (ISO)

has been in Europe continuing his work on international standards for firefighter protective equipment. He reports that progress is being made.

A few months ago, I travelled to Berlin for the International Standards Organisation (ISO) TC94/SC14 meetings on firefighter personal protective equipment. Representatives from countries around the world attended, and with participants from some nations working through interrupters, sometimes the going is a little difficult.

This work is divided into Working Groups (WG), as follows:- WG1: General Requirements- WG2: Structural Firefighting

- WG3: Wildland Firefighting- WG4: Haz-Mat- WG5: Rescue.

In WG5, I was able to complete a full risk assessment and hazard exposure matrix for rescue tasks performed around the world. This will also prove valuable for our work locally on the Australian Standards for Rescue PPE/PPC which is still under development.

Vote closeI serve on each of these ISO committees and I feel we are close to getting a positive vote in 2010 — and therefore a published international standard — on wildland firefighting PPC and for the Selection, Use, Care, And Maintenance (SUCAM) document, the work for which is conducted in WG1.

Additionally, ISO 11613 – Standard for Structural Firefighting is closer to a successful outcome as a result of an appropriate isolating within the document of the unacceptable ‘Level 1’, which has levels of protection less than in the wildland standard. It is my understanding that this level may well be removed from the standard in relation to a new work item.

Clearly, I have always pursued a single acceptable minimum safety standard. While I sought to remove this level altogether, this successful isolating process has identified that this level is ‘not suitable for interior attack for structural firefighting’ and will also now be required to be labelled that way, if someone is silly enough to manufacture such a garment. This is significant given that the definition of structural firefighting is in part, ‘firefighting in, on and adjacent to fires involving all sorts of structures’ (my words).

Two standardsHowever, we do not have to look to poorer developing nations to identify the real problems of multiple levels within a standard. During our ISO meeting in Berlin, I had the privilege of an invitation to visit the Berlin Fire Brigade which has about 3,000 career firefighters and 1,000 volunteers who work within the greater city of Berlin. The chief made it very clear that all his firefighters go to the same fires and fight them in the same way. When I questioned him further, he said his career firefighters were adequately protected in compliance with the correct level of the EN (European) standard. However, for his 1,000 volunteers he conceded that

Desperately needed — published, effective ISO ppc /ppe standards pic: stock.xchng /orbanf

they used firefighting PPC that meets a lower level.

While it is worthy to note the Berlin Fire Brigade is seeking enhanced components in their upcoming new tender, it is even more disturbing to note there are one million volunteer firefighters in Germany alone. The situation is similar in France and many other European countries.

Desperate waitI have worked over a long time for the interests of all firefighters across the world, especially the many hundreds of thousands of firefighters in developing nations who are waiting desperately for a minimum safety standard in the absence of their nations having firefighting PPE standards of their own. This was highlighted in the recent terrorist attacks and subsequent hotel fires in India.

For most delegates from most nations at the meetings, this pursuit has been in good faith, with a degree of good will, and with the intent of developing a harmonised ensemble

firefighting standard. Ensemble standard means all associated equipment for the task included in the same standard, for example, garments together with associated boots, helmets, gloves and B/A. At the moment it is possible to test for compatibility of the ancillary elements by separate testing.

Crucial votesAt the Berlin meeting, it was extremely disturbing to witness at least one individual from within the European block vigorously arguing about the cost factors of providing firefighting boots in the face of a very appropriate risk assessment by the end-users. This individual represents a number of equipment manufacturers.

What makes this more repugnant is the fact European nations are not compelled to use this proposed ISO standard, as they can simply use their European Nations (EN) Standard. This obstructionist behaviour, and the lobbing of his European colleagues, has led to

the recent negative vote, a situation not helped by the lack of end-users attending these meetings where the votes are taken.

Just prior to the Berlin ISO meetings, I was grateful for the opportunity to give a lengthy presentation to the founding meeting of the International Firefighters Union Alliance (IFFUA) in Vancouver, Canada. My aim was to identify the level and importance of this ISO work by showing them advances in various testing requirements and combinations of components. I also hoped to recruit some end-user representatives, not only to assist with the work and argument, but also to provide a better balance to the voting and so overcome the abhorrent and morally bankrupt behaviour displayed at past ISO working group meetings.

While I did not expect to see any end-user representatives so soon after the Alliance meeting, I remain hopeful this may happen at our next ISO meeting. ■

MArk grIBBLe IS A LIFe MeMBer OF The uFu queenSLAnd BrAnch. he IS ALSO An ISO And AuSTrALIAn / new zeALAnd STAndArdS MeMBer.

26 I The Australian Firefighter

UFUA Queensland Branch elections will be held in October pic: matt hayes / firecall.com

Congratulations to our newly elected representatives and thanks to all who participated. Thanks also for the hard work put in across the previous term by outgoing and retiring officials. Successful candidates for contested and uncontested positions include the following:

ACT BranchBranch President: Matthew MavityBranch Vice President: Todd Bradley BourneBranch Junior Vice President: Patrick David BrennanBranch Secretary: Jason JonesBranch Trustees: Greg Abrahamffy, Brett Baulman, Graeme Gallagher, Mate’ Peric.

Aviation Branch: Branch President: Joe StenhouseBranch Secretary: Mick Farrell

Branch Organiser: - Adelaide Rescue and Firefighting Unit: Kim Papp - Brisbane Rescue and Firefighting Unit: Karl McDonald,- Coolangatta Rescue and Firefighting Unit: Peter Young- Hamilton Island Rescue and Firefighting Unit: Perry Stedman- Maroochydore Rescue and Firefighting Unit: Derrick Runge- Melbourne Rescue and Firefighting Unit: Toni Alexandrow- Perth Rescue and Firefighting Unit: Joseph Reid - Rockhampton Rescue and Firefighting Unit: Philip Turner- Townsville Rescue and Firefighting Unit: John Douglas Ring

Branch Committee Member: - Victoria: Michael Scanlon- Northern Queensland: Christo Sachlikidis- Southern Queensland: John Hancox- South Australia: Simon Osborn- Northern Territory: Mark Suridge- Australian Capital Territory: Jon Vaughan- Western Australia: Andrew Gannon.

NSW BranchBranch President: Darin SullivanBranch Vice President: Travis Broadhurst

Branch Junior Vice President: Matthew MurrayBranch Secretary: Jim Casey

Branch Committee of Management Committeeperson:- Sydney North: Terry Kirkpatrick- Sydney South West: Hugh Clouston - Sydney North West: Jason Morgan- Sydney South: Wesley Smith- Newcastle: Luke Russell- Central Coast: Kenneth Michael Smith- Illawarra: Andrew Coppin- Country: Tim Anderson- Senior Officer’s Section: Terry Farley- Retained Section: Matthew Burgess

Queensland Branch: Branch elections have been delayed to facilitate rule changes to align state and branch election rules; nominations will close on October 1, 2009 for Queensland Branch Committee of Management positions and October 5, 2009 for local Branch positions.

South Australia BranchBranch President: Barry Luke Branch Vice-President – Officers: David Scarce Branch Vice-President – Firefighters: Michael Vander JeugdBranch Secretary: Gregory Northcott Branch Trustee: Bart Lewis, Chas Thomas and Brendan West Branch Ordinary Committee Member – Officers: Gideon Douglas, Neil Mangelsdorf and Greg Smithson

Branch Ordinary Committee Member – Firefighters: Kevin Fischer, Ben Gore and Dave Harvey.

Tasmanian BranchBranch President: Vincent Males Branch Vice President: John Holloway Branch Secretary: Richard WarwickBranch Trustees: Shane Batt, Darren Gye, Colin Lockhart, Dale Rayner, Daniel Redpath and Chris Tomes.

Victorian BranchBranch President: David HamiltonBranch Vice President: Anthony James TrimbleBranch Junior Vice President: Ken BrownBranch Secretary: Peter Marshall

Branch Trustees: Brendan Angwin, Stewart Marshall, Paul Graham Martin and Michael McGuinness

Branch Committee of Management:- Officer Member MFESB: Glen Cavanagh and Mick Tisbury - Firefighter Member MFESB: Christopher Cleary and Danny Ward - Officer Member CFA: James Kefalas.- Firefighter Member CFA: Dave Blundell - Other (non MFESB / CFA): Robert Gardiner.

West Australian Branch Branch President: Kevin Wayne Jolly Branch Vice President - WAFB Officer: Rob Forster Branch Vice President - WAFB Firefighter: Mark Payne Branch Secretary: Graeme Geer Branch Assistant Secretary: Brian David Longman Branch Trustee - WAFB Officer: Frank Martinelli

Branch Ordinary Committee of Management Members: - WAFB Officer: John Kevin Chatfield, Daryl Clohessy, Danny Mosconi, Stephen Rogers and Brad Stringer - WAFB Firefighter: Rick Cook, Chester MacKean and Neil MacKintosh - General Member: Michael Teraci. ■

Branch election roundupUnited Firefighters Union of Australia Branch elections were held across the country during April and May 2009.

branch elections

UFUA BRANCHES

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28 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 29

POLITICS POWER PLAYScharles l iv ingstone

Life’s costA recent Commonwealth Preventative Health Taskforce report calls for new measures to tackle growing health system costs. Charles Livingstone examines the obstacles

That’s not enough to have a serious impact.

Public health thinking now stems from the realisation that the health and wellbeing of the population has benefited far more from preventative measures in the past than it has from medical interventions, as important as those are. The biggest single improvements in the health and wellbeing of populations occur from non-medical interventions like clean water and effective sewerage systems.

Prevention strategiesEven such important medical interventions as the invention of antibiotics didn’t

Ironically, our success at promoting longevity — after the Japanese, we’re now the second longest lived

people on earth— has become a problem. Although we live longer than ever, we also suffer in our later years from a host of chronic diseases which in the past would perhaps have killed us.

Nowadays, many of them are treatable; but at a cost, and a cost which is proving increasingly unsustainable. Our health care budget currently stands at about 10% of gross domestic product — roughly $100 billion of our country’s $1 trillion GDP. If we don’t start to address the epidemic of chronic disease we face, it could readily

drift up towards 15% or more. In current terms, that’s another $50 billion a year that wouldn’t be available to spend on education, housing, transport, or anything else.

Old model Partly, our dilemma stems from the fact that our health care system developed from a nineteenth century treatment model. Overwhelmingly, we spend our health care dollars on treating people with established diseases, which of course we must continue to do. But we only spend around 2-3% of our health budget on serious attempts at health promotion and disease prevention.

There are political obstacles to a long and healthy life pic: stock.xchng

THE INCENTIVE ISN’T THERE FOR STATE GOVERNMENTS TO SERIOUSLY REDUCE POKIE RELATED HARM

have such a huge impact on longevity as those very basic developments. The life expectancy of Australians improved dramatically after reliable clean water supplies and sewerage systems were introduced to our cities in the 19th century. In many third world countries today, the diseases carried by unclean water continue to kill children and infants at alarming rates.

Perhaps echoing these origins, public health jargon refers to social or environmental interventions designed to improve health as ‘upstream’, and to interventions designed to treat existing conditions as ‘downstream’. A good example of upstream intervention is the way we have legislated in recent years to make smoking unacceptable in workplaces, restaurants, and these days, even hotels and bars. Such interventions, supported by midstream interventions such as education campaigns and downstream treatment programs have been very effective at substantially reducing the impact of disease associated with smoking.

Over the last thirty years, we’ve gone from a society where more than half of the population smoke to a smoking rate of under 20%. There’s still some way to go of course, but the progress has been very spectacular.

Powerful interestsSmoking also provides an example of the forces that are arrayed against such health promoting activity. Big tobacco fought a long, hard and unyielding campaign against such interventions, a fight that continues to this day. The Preventative Health Taskforce calls for further action against smoking, which is still the single biggest cause of preventable disease. Tax hikes on tobacco products, plain packaging, and under-the-counter sales have all been recommended, and are all opposed by vested interests.

Fast food, sugary soft drinks, physical inactivity, inadequate consumption of fresh food and excessive alcohol consumption are also all strongly related to chronic disease, including diabetes, cancers, cirrhosis, heart disease and so on. Addressing these issues will be a

very difficult task, not because we don’t understand the relationship between these risk factors and disease – generally speaking, we do – but because so much power stands in the way.

Big tobacco provides an example of the power of large corporations, particularly in the face of threats to their commercial interests. The food and beverage industry, dominated by very large multi-national corporations, is unlikely to simply accept the sort of interventions that were required to reduce smoking rates. We’ve already witnessed their alarm at the prospect if restrictions on advertising. They will certainly resist such changes.

Gambling imbalance

Commercial gambling is another area where upstream interventions could do a lot to reduce harm. Many people may not see gambling as a public health concern, yet problem gambling is strongly related to physical and mental illness, and to a range of other harms including the neglect and abuse of children, family breakdown, financial ruin, crime and, in extreme cases, self-harm and suicide.

In another irony, it’s also an arena where the financial interests of the Australian states and the commercial interests of large corporations coalesce. Australian states are perpetually strapped for cash. This is the product of the ‘vertical fiscal imbalance’ — the idea that the states spend a hefty proportion of public money, on hospitals, schools, and transport, for example, but the commonwealth government has most of the taxing powers.

Successive federal governments, particularly since 1975, tightened the purse strings on the states. Always on the look-out for revenue opportunities, gambling taxes loomed as irresistible when the smaller states started the headlong rush into legalised commercial gambling in the 1980s. In 2007- 08, Victoria

and NSW made $1.6 billion each from gambling taxes, and Queensland around $890 million. Together, the states collected nearly $5 billion in gambling taxes in that year; mostly from poker machines.

Harms wayPoker machines are responsible for around 85% or so of the problem gambling that causes the harms referred to earlier. Anything that reduces harm will also reduce revenue, since somewhere between 40% and half of pokie revenue comes from people with a problem, or at serious risk of one. The incentive isn’t there for state governments to take the steps to seriously reduce pokie related harm.

Neither are there any incentives in place to make large commercial enterprises such as Tattersall’s, Tabcorp, or Woolworths (who operate thousands of poker machines in hotel venues across Australia) adopt a more responsible approach.

Poker machine technology allows the level of acceptable harm to be pre-determined. In fact, it would be far easier for governments to act on reducing harm from pokie gambling than almost any other area of public health concern. It’s an area where real harm reducing reform could be achieved at the stroke of the legislative pen.

Unfortunately, despite some progress in recent years, it’s also an area where little substantial reform seems likely. As the history of tobacco control shows, public health is a field where power and money seem capable of delaying change indefinitely.

In the war against chronic disease, those who seek to improve health and wellbeing must first campaign against money, power and vested interests. In many ways, these are the real obstacles to a long and healthy life for all! ■

chArLeS LIVIngSTOne wOrkS In heALTh SOcIAL ScIence AT MOnASh unIVerSITY.

30 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 31

POLITICS THE INSIDERsir murray

Tragic LossIt’s a game where leaders, pretenders, contenders and the absence of a team leave the selectors facing a dilemma, as Sir Murray Rivers explains

starting to get a few runs on the board. The turnaround in form had been

attributed to Turnbull finally working out that to score runs you had to stop talking about it and actually get out in the middle and physically do it. Sadly, the good form dropped off again and cracks in the team’s unity started to appear when young Costello kept refusing to retire, choosing to enjoy a public wage while writing a boring book about what rotten luck it was that he never got to captain the side.

Godwen googlyThen the real disaster struck for Turnbull with that disastrous innings against the government at the Estimates Committee when he had an unfortunate rush of blood to the head and decided to dance down the wicket to Swan in an attempt to belt Swan into another postcode. Having got away with some spectacular hits on day one, belting Swan and Rudd to all parts of the ground, Turnbull was caught out via a ripper of a delivery that Shane Warne would have been proud of, courtesy of the enigmatic part-time spinner Godwen Grech.

It was a spectacular dismissal; Turnbull was caught in slips by Rudd and then stumped by him at the same time. There are some that say that this particular outing has scared Turnbull; he continues to struggle and will for some time, after all it’s not easy getting runs on the board when you have your own chaps down at the other end trying to run you out all the time, as they are currently doing with the enthusiasm of a teenager.

Short lengthThe big problem for the team is who would replace Turnbull as captain if he were asked to walk the plank? Some are suggesting that ‘Shrek’, Joe Hockey

I t is appropriate, given the recent appalling defeat of the Australian cricket team by England in the last

Test series, that those of us in this colony who know a thing or two about the game of cricket, put forward our respected opinions as to why we were defeated by a second rate English outfit who, only a few months ago, would have been flat out defeating the Bundaberg Under 15s.

I have made a thorough examination of the situation and offer up the following view on why we failed to bring home not just the bacon but also the urn it was supposed be transported in.

I’ve isolated what I think are the three crucial areas where England beat us during the last series: bowling, batting and fielding. Had we been on top in these critical aspects of the game, I have no doubt we would have romped it in.

Towel tossingOf course there has been a lot of criticism of the leadership. As for the leadership, one doesn’t wish to kick a chap in the wedding tackle when he’s having a bad trot, but I do find it hard to believe that young Turnbull has been allowed to remain captain. Let’s be honest, it hasn’t been a great six months for Malcolm and knowing the patience of team management, one wonders how long it will be before he’s asked to take the revolver and go into the changing sheds and do the decent thing.

There was great hope when Turnbull took over the captaincy from the hapless Nelson who himself tossed in the towel very recently (just before the selectors did it for him). In my humble opinion, the rot for Turnbull set in a few months ago, ironically at a time when he was putting a few good innings together and was finally

Copping a belting is all part of the game pic: iStockphoto.com/willsie

could be a contender but the idea remains a triumph of hope over experience. The kindest view is that Joe at best is competent rather than inspirational. He bats well enough but Gillard, who has been sensational against him on the Government team, loves facing up to him. Gillard is yet to be caught out or bowled by anything Joe has thrown up at her, all of which tends to be predictable, short of a length and lacking any movement in the air – or anywhere else for that matter.

Abbott, who has played the role of the Night Watchman when Turnbull needed someone to face up to the fast bowlers in the media at the end of the day, certainly wants the job. He’s very aggressive with both bat and ball and not scared to fling the bat around unpredictably, often before he gets onto the field. This could be his main drawback; doing an impression of

a rottweiler with a lump of wood in his mouth may be helpful in keeping the forward short leg on his toes but it is not the qualities required in a captain of the national team.

Drinks callBishop is discounted due to very patchy form over a long period of time. After that, the potential leaders drop away at a very fast rate of knots. Some people are shocked to learn that some of the original team under John Howard is still there. Ruddock comes to mind. There has been some speculation that Ruddock actually passed away about five years ago but somehow with microsurgery they have been able to get his lips to move on occasion. Certainly it is heartening to know that they have been able to get his arms to move in order to bank his pay cheque each month, earned by working

his freckle off on behalf of a grateful nation. Under the Geneva Convention, in order

for a team to call itself a team, there must be some visible evidence that they are one. This is Turnbull’s big problem; he has a lot of players but no team. Tuckey, who takes to his own leader the same way he takes to a maniac wielding a sharp axe down an alleyway late at night, is a good example of Turnbull’s dilemma. Which is, having to beat your own team first, before you get to the mob you’re playing against. Malcolm, in times like this I’d call for the concierge or adopt plan ‘B’ – try drinking your way out of it. ■

SIr MurrAY rIVerS qc (reTIred).

A FOrMer dISTInguIShed VIcTOrIAn SuPreMe cOurT Judge, SIr MurrAY’S cOnTrIBuTIOn TO The nATIOn’S PuBLIc LIFe cOnTInueS AS A greAT And VerY dISTInguIShed AuSTrALIAn

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32 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 33

LIFE SURVIVALhel ga birgden

Show me the futureIf your super fund has used the global financial crisis to walk away from sustainable and ethical investment strategies you could be missing out, as Helga Birgden explains

super schemes to adopt — and prioritise — responsible investment behaviours.

The general principles underpinning responsible investment go hand in hand with effective risk management. That’s because ESG factors can have material impact on long term shareholdings, so responsible business practices should be promoted among investee companies with the ultimate goal of improving their returns.

Assessment easier Responsible investors also believe in challenging traditional investment models by incorporating ESG factors into the investment process. In the past, it has been difficult for super funds to assess how ESG factors are managed within their members’ portfolios. However, there is now more information available for investors to understand how companies and managers within their portfolios address these issues.

As an example, Mercer has rated in excess of 1,800 manager investment strategies for ESG integration and provides a carbon footprint analysis tool. These help all types of investors better mitigate the risks

A quick scan of newspaper headlines might suggest that the global financial crisis (GFC) has taken

precedence over issues such as the environment, carbon or governance risk.

With the focus on falling investment returns from our super funds and the Australian government’s swathe of ‘global recession buffers’ that will soon be hard at work to effectively provide greater compensation for emissions intensive, trade exposed industries, one could be forgiven for thinking that concern for the environment is definitely on the backburner.

We all know now that the GFC is deeply associated with decisions about risk. But now is not the time for investment managers to forget that responsible investing is also about better understanding risk. It does this by recognising that the environment, corporate governance and how well companies manage people and look after their work force will somehow, and ultimately, play out in every investment activity.

Responsible investment also focuses on potential upsides, such as finding investment opportunity in areas such as clean technology, alternative energy, wind and solar power, or waste management as a direct response to the impact of climate change.

Behaviour mattersMany investment managers who look after our super contributions are becoming more sophisticated in acknowledging the results of research into Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues. These include the impact of carbon, labour and safety standards on the workforce and whether the super board looking after our investments is up to speed.

With hindsight, it now seems obvious that a number of systemic issues, investor behaviour and corporate governance failures not only caused, but exacerbated the GFC. If we look back to previous investment bubbles and crashes, much of the risk taking that contributed to the GFC was associated with the short term or near sighted approaches by investors and those

responsible for super funds. The failings start to stack up even

further when we add to the mix factors such as increasing complexity and inter-connectedness of investment, product design, debt flows and institutional relationships. Then there is the trend toward delegation of responsibility, e.g. from super fund to investment manager, from investment manager to company, from company to consumer. If we also include de-regulation, coupled with poorly implemented and monitored codes of conduct, we can now get some idea why this recipe produced the results it has.

Tradition challengeThe financial crisis has demonstrated that systemic risk management is critical and hence responsible investing, or strategic thinking and investment stewardship, has a role to play in the solution.

Bumping ESG down the priority list is hardly an effective way to develop a more robust financial system, particularly after seeing what unexpected risks can do to super funds’ returns. We can all play a part in creating the solution by encouraging our

Responsible investment can help fix the mess pic:iStock.com/scoleccs

and uncertainties that abound, as well as identify dimensions of risk that typically may not be part of a risk management plan.

PRI principlesAccording to new data from the United Nation’s-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) initiative, a significant number of mainstream investors have now turned a corner in putting responsible investment into practice. There are currently over 560 signatories to the PRI1

and over $US18 trillion in assets signed up to the initiative’s six principles2.

The key findings of the PRI’s annual assessment of its signatories show signs of a growing culture of active ownership and collaboration among investors in response to the financial crisis. They’re saying the GFC has strengthened their belief that responsible investing based on appropriate consideration of ESG issues is a key component of a successful investment strategy.

The PRI’s reporting and assessment has been managed by Mercer, with almost 300 global pension funds and fund managers (all

signatories to the initiative) surveyed and scored on their implementation of PRI principles.

These unprecedented times are undoubtedly challenging. However it’s what we do now, by choosing not only the best investment strategies but in fully understanding the risk exposures involved, that will make a real difference to future investment success. Document2 20/10/09 10:09 AM Page 1

KEY FINDINGS

The latest prI assessment found:

– scores recorded by signatories in Asia / pacific and emerging markets were lower than in north America and europe,

– 2/3 of asset owners, such as pension funds, responsible investment elements into contracts for the external managers of their investments; however, less than 15% include these factors in the incentive structure of externally managed funds,

– a majority of signatories are considering

rI/esG capabilities, where relevant, when selecting various categories of service provider; this figure is growing (65% in 2008, up from 56% in 2007), so adding to the pressure being exerted on non-prI signatories to consider responsible investment approaches,

– among signatories who responded this year and last, the percentage stating they integrate esG considerations increased for listed equity (both developed and emerging markets), private equity and hedge funds.

Responsible investors are already leading by example. ■

heLgA BIrgden IS heAd OF reSPOnSIBLe

InVeSTMenT ASIA PAcIFIc FOr Mercer.

1. The PrI IS An InVeSTOr PArTnerShIP wITh The unITed nATIOnS enVIrOnMenT PrOgrAMMe FInAnce InITIATIVe (hTTP://www.unePFI.Org) And The un gLOBAL cOMPAcT (hTTP://www.ungLOBALcOMPAcT.Org)

2. deTAILS And BAckgrOund cAn Be FOund In A uneP PdF dOwnLOAd AT hTTP://TInYurL.cOM/kOc9ddDocument2 20/10/09 10:08 AM Page 1

34 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 35

LIFE IRBrett Baulman

Dead and buriedThe Union movement celebrated the demise of the Howard government’s ‘WorkChoices’ laws but it’s not so sure about the replacement

Significant changes to the approval, variation and termination of agreements are envisaged by the Act. Briefly, FWA must be satisfied that the agreement:- has been ‘genuinely agreed to’ by the

employees concerned,- passes the new ‘better off overall test’,- has a nominal expiry date of not more

than four years following approval by FWA, and

- includes a disputes resolution clause.

Good faith bargainingAn important provision added to the Act, is the requirement for bargaining parties to meet ‘good faith bargaining requirements’, with a ‘civil remedy provision’ as an encouragement to do so. Protected industrial action has undergone some changes, including the abolition of the initiation of formal bargaining periods. The ability of employers to proactively ‘lockout’ employees in support of a new agreement is not permitted.

ArbitrationIt is important to note that enterprise agreements can contain an express power for FWA to

arbitrate disputes should both parties agree. Unfair dismissal

rights have effectively been reinstated by the act, with the general exemption for employers of 100 employees or less removed.

The Act provides protections, excluded by WorkChoices, where a business enters into an outsourcing arrangement. If a transfer of business occurs, the prevailing industrial instrument that covered employees is binding on the new employer. This new provision is an important aspect to a vastly improved and fairer industrial relations system for Australian workers.

BreTT BAuLMAn

1. whAT IS heLd TO Be A ‘MATTer PerTAInIng’ IS PArT OF recenT cASe LAw: See AuSTrALIAn MArITIMe OFFIcerS unIOn V SYdneY FerrIeS cOrP (2009) FcA 231.

The Fair Work Act comes with an award rationalisation process that is troubling the ACTU and many

trade unionists. ACT firefighter and ACT Branch Trustee Brett Baulman examines the legislative changes.

It would be hard to argue that ‘Work-Choices’ presented a fair go all-round for most Australian workers. The pendulum of fairness was set to the far right by the Howard government and the legislation was draconian and unbalanced.

So when the Fair Work Act 2009 finally passed through the Senate, a raft of new industrial laws took effect from July 1, 2009, with others due from January 1, 2010. This Act builds on changes contained in the Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Act 2008, which represented the first step towards the promised ‘forward with fairness’ reforms of federal labour law.

Middle ground challengeThe key elements of the Acts are the removal of the ability to make new AWA’s (Australian Workplace Agreements), the introduction of a new disadvantage test against which new agreements are to be tested, and the creation of ‘modern awards’.

It is in achieving the middle ground that the government left important matters unaddressed. Future campaigning of the Union movement will likely focus on matters such as expanding the content of agreements or ‘matters pertaining’1, such as EB flexibility clauses for individuals, the current requirement for secret ballots preceding industrial action, the right to bargain on an industry sector basis and the right for all workers to be treated equally, most notably building workers.

New bodyThe fundamentals of the new Act include the creation of Fair Work Australia (FWA)

which takes over all functions of the Workplace Authority, the Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC), Australian Industrial Registry, Workplace Ombudsman, the Orwellian named Fair Pay Commission and the Building and Construction Commission. Judicial functions are handled by new ‘Fair Work Divisions’ within the Federal Court and Federal Magistrates Court.

From January 1, 2010, National

UFU SPRING 09 TEXT ADS 1/4 23/9/09 2:08 PM Page 4UFU SPRING 09 TEXT ADS 1/4 23/9/09 1:59 PM Page 1

UFU SPRING 09 TEXT ADS 1/2 9/10/09 8:35 AM Page 4

Nobody happy? How the Murdoch media sized up Labor’s Award modernisation process

Employment Standards (NES) or minimum standards of employment will apply to national system employees. The NES will pertain to matters, some of which were previously ‘prohibited content’ under the WorkChoices regime. These matters include, but are not limited to, maximum working hours, annual leave, personal leave, long service leave, public holidays and notice of termination and redundancy pay.

Collective or individual workplace agreements are now known as enterprise agreements. Their contents limitations remain contentious for Unions and it is a common held belief that agreements should contain any matters agreed between the parties to the agreement, not just ‘matters pertaining’.

36 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 37

LIFE EATSmannix

Green with EnvyWith a global financial crisis hangover and uncertainty about how digestible those recovery packages are, Chef Mannix suggests a retro approach to dinner

over it and, using the wide end of your knife, grind the salt and garlic into a paste.

Melt the butter in a skillet, then add the onion and allow to soften slightly. Add the garlic-salt paste, a teaspoon of ground white pepper, the cayenne and nutmeg. Cook until the onions have wilted and turned transparent. do not let them burn or brown.

drain the stock from the peas (save the stock for another use, as its flavour will have been boosted) and add the onions to the peas. Grate the cheese into the peas, then blend everything with an immersion blender, if you have one, as you can keep everything in the saucepan.

Add the eggs and blend until they are incorporated, then allow the mix to cool while you make the pastry.CrustI am the world’s worst pastry maker; this is a method I came up with which minimises the pastry handling.

empty the flour and a pinch of salt into a plastic bag. pop the butter in the freezer until it’s super firm, then grate it into the bag. Add the sour cream.

pat the flour around so that the butter and sour cream get covered and then kind of knead the dough from the outside of the bag until everything is incorporated. pat the pastry into a disc shape, wrap the bag snugly about it and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

dust a surface with flour. I use a pliable cutting board but if you don’t have one, place a sheet of baking parchment onto your work surface. You will be able to pick up the rolled out pastry and invert it into the pie dish later. Knead the dough a little and then roll it out until it is about 8 mm thick. Invert the cutting board / baking parchment and kind of tip the pastry into the dish, then spread it out evenly into the dish.

Break an egg into the pie shell, slide it around so that it puts an egg wash over the unbaked pastry, then slip the egg out of the pie into a bowl (This is a cheat’s way of lining the pastry — feel free to use a pastry brush). spoon the pea mixture into the pie shell, even it out with a fork or knife, then sprinkle with some grated cheese and bread crumbs. Brush the exposed pastry with a little beaten egg.

Bake in a preheated 215C oven for around 35 – 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

In times like these, the easiest place to look for cheap meal ideas is back-in-time. peas were seen as an

affordable alternative to meat during the Great depression, so it’s time to give them another try.

Cheap Pea PieYou’ll be amazed how tasty — and how very green — this pie really is. You can add anything you like; it screams out for a big fat bit of bacon but is sensational by itself. The goods: 1kg frozen peas (2 bags) 1 onion 30g butter 1 cup chicken stock 2 cloves garlic 2 tspn salt pinch cayenne 55g grated gruyere cheese

30g grated parmesan cheese 2 eggs pinch nutmeg salt and pepper The pastry (based on Maggie Beer’s easy and delicious sour cream pastry): 255g plain flour 200g cold butter 1/2 cup sour cream pinch salt … and the topping: 2 tblspns bread crumbs 2 tblspns grated gruyere 1 tblspn grated parmesan paprika. The time: 30 minutes active, 40 minutes baking.

empty the peas into a saucepan, pour over the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cook for two minutes, then turn off heat and let sit. peel and dice the onion, then peel and chop the garlic, sprinkle the salt

Easy Peasy Mac & CheeseThis is possibly the easiest and trashiest dish I’ve ever baked. practically everything comes from a packet in the supermarket.The goods: 1 can (350ml) evaporated milk 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 packet (225g) grated sharp Cheddar cheese pepper pinch cayenne / hot paprika dash Tabasco sauce 1 packet (450g) pasta noodles (preferably rotelle / ruote wheel shaped shells) 1 packet (310g) hot dogs / frankfurts 1 bag (450g) frozen peasan additional 2 tblspns grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup white bread crumbs. The time: 45 mins total, 20 mins active.

put a pot of water on for the pasta. Bring it to the boil and add a fistful of salt to it, pour in the noodles and give them a stir. pour the evaporated milk into the saucepan, and heat it until it starts to bubble. remove from the heat and add the sour cream, cheddar and parmesan cheeses. stir until they have melted. Add

the pepper, cayenne and Tabasco sauce. slice the hot dogs into 1.5 cm rounds.

drain the pasta as soon as it is al dente. reserve about 1/4 cup of the water to stretch the sauce if needed. Toss the pasta and cheese sauce together. Add the hot dogs and frozen peas.

pour into the oven dish, top with the bread crumbs and additional parmesan cheese and bake in a hot oven until bubbling and crispy.

Marmalade syrup cakeone of my earliest memories is being taught to make cupcakes by my nan. I was three and it wasn’t hard — 2,4,6,8. That’s two eggs, four ounces of butter, six ounces of sugar and eight ounces of flour. A little milk or juice and you’re in business! of course, in metric, that reads more like and Ip address: 2.113.170.226. The goods: 2 eggs 113g butter 170g sugar 226g plain flour 2 tspn baking powder 1 orange 1 lime

1 lemon 3 tblspns marmalade (preferably Rose’s lime marmalade) 1 1/2 cups icing sugar. The time: from scratch to first slice in just over an hour!

preheat oven to 190C. Beat butter in mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Add sugar and beat to combine. Add eggs one at a time and beat to combine. Grate zest from orange, lime and lemon, add to bowl.

Measure flour and add baking powder, add to bowl and beat to combine. squeeze juice from orange and add 2 tblspns marmalade to bowl, beat to combine. pour batter into cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes.

squeeze juice from lemon and lime, add 1 tblspn marmalade and heat for 20 seconds in microwave. Add the confectioner’s sugar and whisk into a syrup. pour syrup over oven warm cake, if you like (and I do), slice the cake in half and pour half the syrup over the middle too! ■

VISIT TheLOVeBITe.cOM FOr dAY TO dAY SuggeSTIOnS And TO FInd OuT MOre ABOuT cheF MAnnIx, A MeLBOurne LAd nOw LIVIng In LOS AngeLeS. ALSO, FOr hOw-TO VIdeOS, SeArch YOuTuBe, On keYwOrd MAnnIxeATS.

Green, pea and pie Easy peasy mac bake

Tangy, sweet and citrusy marmalade syrup cake

38 I The Australian Firefighter The Australian Firefighter I 39

valleys and hills, shallow gravel rivers, spectacular massifs and peaks all around, and a moderate to stiff breeze that had blown the plastic bags somewhere, but definitely out of sight.

We peaked at over 5,100 metres over Tong la and Lalung la (mountain passes), their arches of prayer flags flapping wildly in the crisp blue sky and prayer wheels ready for the attention of all who stop to take in the breathtaking scenery. Gasp, now where did that oxygen molecule get to?

Thermos focused From Tingri, you can take a side trip up the Everest base camp, but we kept our examination of the “Third Goddess” a distant one, breakfasted on tsampa (roasted barley flour) and butter tea (bő cha), then the other toast and tea, before getting back to the bitumen.

We had spectacular views of Cho Oyu and Everest, plus a couple more 5,000 metre passes before dipping down into the valleys, where the farm houses sport brightly coloured trim, the sheep look like goats and where people walk in the middle of nowhere. Oh yes, and of course, the yaks.

The altitude sickness subsided over the next day or two, helped I think by the quality of the lunchtime momos and hot tea; the large metal thermos is a big thing in Tibet.

OvensThere’s a lot to take in across a short eight days. There are the big towns, Shigatse, seat of the Panchems (rival lamas to the Dalais), Gyantse and Lhasa. Each sport impressive monasteries and stupa, sand-mandala

Just a peakWe had been belting along the well paved Friendship Highway in a minivan, and by adding 2,500 metres to our previous night’s sleeping altitude, we had disobeyed Sir Edmund Hilary’s advice to “climb high, sleep low” when out and about at elevation.

I was woozily contemplating the foolishness of this, our eight day Kathmandu — Lhasa road trip, when nature called and I realised that drinking all that fluid to ward off high altitude dehydration was a really bad idea. But, after numerous stumbles through the icy pitch black to a breezy, semi-open-air concrete convenience, light finally appeared in the eastern sky. And, sitting majestic in a ring of mountains edging the high plain, was Everest, Qomolangma to the locals, tinged pink in the clear early morning air. So what was that about feeling a little crook?

Time squeezeBut why the rush? Well, for the cross country tourist, there are relatively few ways to get into Tibet. The Chinese, who claim the territory as their own, are slightly sensitive about the place — as you no doubt know — and they don’t offer many options, if like us, you don’t like tour groups or plan to visit China as well. There are only

It’s two in the morning, thousands of metres above sea level and sunrise is still nearly five hours away. I wake up

gasping for breath and realise that after propping myself up, I’d dozed off and slumped onto my side. Lying flat is not an option, as it immediately produces the feelings that Chip (the brown acid man) Monck warned about at Woodstock.

Where were we? Everest base camp, the night before a climb to the top? A bivouac on K2 after the last oxygen bottle had fallen off the edge of the glacier? Not quite, but it was Tingri, a small town in south central Tibet, on the road to Lahsa. At about 4,500 metres, we were camped out at the Snowland Hotel, its accommodation edging a compound, low-slung, motel style. Sergio Leone could have used Tingri as a location for one of his spaghetti westerns. It comes with the dust, donkeys, drays and even tall, silent, steady-eyed strangers. Only the cacti are missing.

RefreshmentsHours earlier, we had a couple of beers, including chäng, the local barley brew and a Snow, the more familiar hopped variety. We were in the hotel bar, which quadrupled as restaurant, entertainment centre, owner’s lounge room and truck drivers’ bunkhouse, with a number of plait-haired Tibetans. Most wore aviator sunglasses (even after the sun went down), cowboy hats (mostly removed before entering) and dusty, encrusted but multi-coloured felt clobber (apart from the jeans). “You only need to wash once a month,” said one, as we sat around the sheep-dung fired, sheet-iron space heater, wetting our whistles. Coming from water starved Victoria, I thought this guy’s on the money; he could get a job as a John Brumby spin doctor — another one.

However, it wasn’t those drinks that had left me feeling like someone was pounding the butt of a six-gun against my temple. It was the pace of our travel.

two land borders that will get you legally into the ‘The Land of Snows’ from outside China. The most accessible is near the Nepalese town of Kodari, located up the valley from the capital Kathmandu.

However, there is still the group tour issue, as the Chinese won’t allow ‘independent’ tourists into Tibet from this direction. So being independently minded, we went with a group tour — of two. Of course, the choice of vehicle remains limited and you have to take a driver and guide along too. This makes it all slightly expensive, so you don’t want to be on a twenty-dollar-a-day travel plan.

There is another hitch. Your Chinese (Tibetan) visa is valid for only eight days and you must leave the country from Lhasa (by air). And while the Tibetan capital is only about 740 km from Zhangmu (across the bridge from Kodari), there’s a lot to see and a number of worthwhile side trips along the way. Hence, our rush.

Out of sightCrossing the ‘Friendship Bridge’ at Kodari is a bit of a shock. The border formalities were straightforward enough, with the Chinese officials businesslike but courteous — almost friendly. However, unlike the Nepalese, the Tibetans and their Chinese ‘managers’ don’t have a handle on plastic rubbish. So as you wind your way up the rapidly narrowing valley into town, the inorganic refuse littering slopes, nooks and crannies is a little disconcerting.

However, after an overnight in Zhangmu, it wasn’t too long (despite the road works and numerous hair-pin bends) before we were up on the Tibetan plateau, with its broad, denuded grey/brown sweeping

making monks and friendly locals. Each has its old town (where the Tibetans mostly live) and new town (where the Chinese live). What’s happening is all pretty obvious.

In Lhasa, the Potala Palace is a spectacular as the postcards suggest; and so are the bits you can get to see on the inside before being hurried along by an officious crowd handler. But it’s only one of a long list of ‘must sees’ on and around the Lhasa circuit.

Tibet is well worth the trip and you’ll have the smell of the juniper incense ‘ovens’ and yak butter candles in your nostrils for quite some time after the plane delivers you back at Kathmandu airport following a fly past of Everest.

Just remember to get a window seat — on the right hand side. ■

nuTS And BOLTS: TIMe TO gO: we wenT In MAY And The MOnSOOn wAS BuILdIng uP A heAd OF STeAM On The SOuThern SIde OF The hIMALAYAS. ThIS MeAnT A FAIr BIT OF hAze In nePAL BuT cLeAr And BrIghT SkIeS On The TIBeTAn SIde OF The MOunTAInS.

PrIceS: SOMe PrIOrITIeS Are rIghT, e.g. YOu cAn BuY A Beer FOr hALF The cOST OF A SOdA wATer. OTherwISe, PrIceS Are MOderATe TO hIgh FOr ASIA. ‘The TOur’ cAn Be BOOked BeFOre YOu LeAVe, OnLIne Or when YOu ArrIVe In kAThMAndu. TheY dePArT SATurdAYS And TueSdAYS; cOSTS wILL cOMe wAY dOwn IF YOu LIke TrAVeLLIng In A gAng.

FOOd: A LIkIng FOr YAk heLPS. ‘VegeTArIAn’ MeAnS IT cOMeS wITh JuST A LITTLe YAk MeAT. YAk BuTTer’S gOOd TOO, BuT PerhAPS nOT In The TeA, whILe In LhASA YOu’LL FInd The STAndArd ‘TrAVeLLer’ rAnge OF cuISIneS … And YAkITOrI.

TechnOLOgY: YOu wOn’T Be ISOLATed – MOBILe PhOne, InTerneT AcceSS And TV eVerYwhere. YOu MIghT eVen cATch A FOrMer ABc TV weATher MAn reAdIng The eVenIng newS.

LIFE BREAKSdave lane

BreathlessIt’s a road trip that leaves you gasping, as Davo found out when he hit the high plains highway with little time to spare

Monks creating a sand mandala, Pelkor Chöde Monastery Gyantse

Yamdrok-tso one of Tibet’s four holy lakes

Lhasa’s Potala Palace

The Australian Firefighter I 4140 I The Australian Firefighter

when ‘going hard at the ball’ was more important than achieving personal key performance indicators.

These days coaching seems a question of personnel management. People like rugby league’s Wayne Bennett — legendary coach of the Brisbane Broncos for two decades, now steering the fortunes of St. George-Illawarra — see the overall person not simply the football player. Bennett’s story is a fascinating one of perseverance and discipline. Infamous for his taciturn displays at press conferences, he’s much more forthcoming when the role of the coach comes up. Bennett maintains that these days you have to monitor the development of every aspect of a footballer. You can’t simply squeeze the sporting ability out of your charges and discard them like orange peels. Proof of his methods lie in half a dozen NRL premierships and an amazingly stable player roster.

Tenure tensionNaturally, that’s easy with ‘good cattle’. Do great teams make great coaches, or is it the other way around? When Leigh Matthews finally purged the ‘Colliwobbles’ back in 1990 did that necessarily make him a great coach? Maybe, maybe not. But three consecutive flags with the Brisbane Lions seem to pretty much end the debate. Whenever I hear ‘Lethal’ talk about his methods I’m surprised by the lack of jargon. Matthews seems a coach cut from older cloth; basic skills, commitment to the team, ferocity at the ball, playing until the final siren — ideas that seem archaic when the ‘personal growth’ crew start to talk.

The other dramatic development in

coaching concerns tenure in the job. Appointments are no longer the stuff of end-of-season announcements. Think of the case of Brian Smith, the erstwhile coach of the Newcastle Knights NRL team. Smith decided to tell his team he was leaving to coach the rival Sydney Roosters next season. It didn’t cut much ice in the Hunter Valley and Smith eventually decided to leave. Bad blood everywhere except with the actual players, who started to win games.

Vitality bleedOn the other side of ledger is the way the Sydney Swans handled their coaching transition. Paul Roos has transformed the Swans. Little more needs to be said other than the team won the AFL Flag in 2005. But Roos decided it was time to move on. Rather than acrimony and leaked stories to the media, the Sydneysiders planned and implemented a transition to assistant coach John Longmire. Continuity, certainty and civility (don’t they know how sporting organisations are meant to behave)?

I think as elite sport has become professional and more focused on corporate support, the nature of coaching has changed. They’re more CEOs now, co-ordinating the overall success of their product, delegating specific tasks to assistants, ensuring the various stakeholders (the Board, sponsors, fans, employees) are

Christmas can come twice for a journo if that style of coaching is in vogue.

Some people trace the enthusiasm for motivational mantras back to Phil Jackson, the former coach of the Chicago Bull’s basketball in the American NBA. He was the one striding the sideline in an expensive suit, deploying basketball talents most Olympic teams couldn’t match. I suppose when you can line up Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippin and even Aussie import Luc Longley in a starting five you can basically say anything that comes to mind. So the odd quote from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War can’t hurt. And who cares if it was written over 2,500 years ago.

Old schoolSo is it simply winning that separates the great coaches from the also-rans? Is it possible to compare the late Jock McHale with his contemporary successor Mick Malthouse — both esteemed coaches of the Collingwood AFL club? And of course in the middle was the inimitable Bobby Rose. McHale and Rose seem like ancient figures, sitting on the boundary line in their gabardine coats and club ties, clutching a fist full of notes to inform the quarter-time spray. Jabbing fingers and barking voices. So old school, but fashioned for a time

What’s that old line about success having many fathers but failure being an orphan? Seems to me

the number of sporting orphans is growing all too quickly in Australia just now. The Ashes are back in the mitts of the old enemy, the Bledisloe Cup never leaves New Zealand’s gnarly grip and any number of AFL fans spend the weekend gnashing their teeth. And this is meant to be fun?

Of course, it begs the question of who’s running the show. Coaches, of course. But the role of the sports coach seems to change with each new season. And not everyone’s pleased with the progress.

At one end of the assessment is the one-liner usually credited to the blunt speaking former cricket captain, Ian Chappell; the coach is the thing that gets you to the ground. Basically for Chappell, captains and players determine outcomes, not some accessory with a clipboard

and a whistle. Coaches are just there to make sure everyone gets to the game on time and in the right gear. All the psychological mumbo-jumbo of the new age motivational types is a load of bunkum.

Method mantraChappell’s former team mate, fast bowling tyro Jeff Thompson also collected his thoughts on the issue once. Thommo declared that anyone who needed professional help to focus on playing cricket for his State shouldn’t bother turning up. (Pretty clear on the topic is our Jeff.) Then along came John Buchanan and out came the note books, the strategies and quotes from Zen masters. Sometimes not everything went to plan – like the time the Australian team notes detailing the shortcomings of the English players were slipped under the doors of the travelling media contingent.

LIFE PLAYmick o ’regan

CEOachPersonal growth or go in hard? Has coaching become simply personnel management that drains vitality from the game asks Mick O’Regan

generally satisfied. It seems to have bled a bit of vitality from the game.

Flamboyant characters like the late Jack Gibson – the rugby league ‘super coach’ of the ‘70s and ‘80s — with his American fitness innovations, skin fold tests, fur coats and memorable quips (“played strong, done good”) seem as dated as dinosaurs.

Bump onBut maybe not. As I write, a radio news bulletin is quoting Ron Barassi’s disappointment that the AFL Tribunal is intent on eliminating the ‘bump’ from the Australian game. Aussie Rules without a well timed hip‘n’shoulder? Give me a break, Ron must be thinking. How’s a coach going to fire up his players to put their bodies on the line if they’re not allowed to? I must be starting to show my age, but I thought Buddy Franklin’s bump on Ben Cousin’s was emblematic of the game. It’s a collision sport and sometimes you come off second best.

Anyway, in AFL, the real test of coaching technique unfolds each year about this time. Nothing settles the issue of who is best than those standing on a stage at the end of a grand final holding aloft a trophy. Sport is like that – definitive. ■

MIck O’regAn IS The ABc rAdIO nATIOnAL’S OnLIne edITOr, FOrMer PreSenTer OF The SPOrTS FAcTOr And A PASSIOnATe SPOrTS enThuSIAST.

THOMMO DECLARED THAT ANYONE WHO NEEDED PROFESSIONAL HELP TO FOCUS … SHOULDN’T BOTHER TURNING UP

The makings of a great modern coach pic: iStockphoto.com/rbfried

42 I The Australian Firefighter

time it was over — and the lives of three firefighter personnel operating air tankers.

Repeat eventThe government, in an attempt to recover some of the costs of the 2003 fires, increased insurance tax premiums, a move vigorously debated by firefighters who pleaded for adequate staffing and resources. This date, we have been unsuccessful and it will continue to be a priority until the government complies.

This year by mid August, 134,000 hectares in BC had been set ablaze, with six homes destroyed and again, another pilot was killed when his helicopter crashed into a river as he attempted to retrieve water. Already the cost has exceeded $212 million.

Although similar in nature, our goals are identical and currently about 33 Australian incident management personnel are assisting with the wildfire operations in BC. I hope that some good can come out of this fire, as I believe there is a wealth of knowledge both countries can share. And that can only assist our striving to make sense of the inevitable.

For more information on the British Columbia wildfire visit the web-site at www.bcwildfire.ca ■

In SOLIdArITY, TerrY PeTerSIAFF LOcAL 1298, POweLL rIVer BrITISh cOLuMBIATerrYPeTerS@TeLuS.neT

In our occupation as firefighters, sometimes we have to come to terms

with situations that we will never quite understand. Or try to make sense of how tragedies could have been easily prevented or avoided.

Sometimes the simplest of things can become so complicated and the results of even one person’s actions can sometimes leave a lifetime of pain no matter where you are in the world. The North American public felt the very same as we watched the stories unfold in Australia this year when the devastating fire storms swept across Victoria during February. Seeing the events unfold even from the other side of the world was a grim reminder of how fragile and comparable our occupations can be.

Facing extremesNo one could have ever predicted that terrible catastrophe in Victoria, or the extreme conditions leading up to those fatal days. But one thing is certain, we have to be better prepared to deal with these situations as they arise. Such extreme climate and weather changes are being blamed on global warming and plenty of scientists are predicting that heat waves and fires are almost certain to increase in intensity and frequency in years to come.

Easily said, perhaps by local fear mongers! But whether it is true or not, no matter what or where these situations happen, we will be there to deal with it, regardless of whether it is the environment or careless and thoughtless people to blame. We must not only lobby our respective governments for the much needed resources, but also share our own history

of circumstances to help keep everyone safe from the fear that is sadly, becoming bestowed on us.

Season’s impactTo explain a bit of the history about our situation, Canada’s forest fire season usually starts as early as April, with grass fires scorching the landscape. Then, the season moves into high gear with the first round of forest fires in May and June and the most devastating of circumstances mostly happening in July and August. By the time all is over in September, an average of 25,000 square kilometres will have burned in roughly 10,000 fires across the country.

The Western Canadian Province of British Columbia (BC) has seen yet another spike in the wildfire season this year. However to date, this has not been anything near as comparable to the loss of life experienced in south east Australia a mere five months earlier.

Most fires in Canada are caused by humans, and could have been prevented, while more than half of the remaining 42% of fires are caused by lightning. In 2003, the famed Okanagan Mountain fire was the most significant interface wildfire event in BC history, consuming over 265,000 hectares and 238 homes. It cost the provincial government $375 million by the

THE LAST WORDterry peters

Devastating Comparisons Regardless of cause, extreme fire events have to be dealt with as firefighters strive to make sense of the inevitable, says Terry Peters

Dealing with devastating events requires staff, resources and knowledge sharing

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