AFAC Annual Report 2010-2011

Annual Report

2011

Contents Highlights........................................................... 1 AFAC Governance.............................................. 2 President’s Message.......................................... 4 CEO’s Message.................................................. 5

AFAC Vision “Fire and emergency services strengthened through sharing, collaboration and innovation.”

AFAC achieves its vision through five strategic goals • Leadership and advocacy

AFAC Members, Affiliates & Staff...................... 6

• Consistent and effective approach to the provision of services

Statement of Financial Performance................. 7

• The collective experience and knowledge across the sector is captured and shared

Statement of Financial Position........................ 7

• A fire and emergency service sector with capability and capacity • The value of AFAC is realised throughout the membership

Industry Awards................................................. 8 National Executive Command Forum 2010....... 9 AFAC Representation and Submissions........... 9 Professional Development Events................... 10 AFAC Bushfire CRC Annual Conference......... 12

Sponsors

Learning and Development............................. 14

AFAC sincerely acknowledges and thanks our corporate supporters:

Collaborative Purchasing and Contracts........ 16 National Children’s Awareness and Education Program.......................................... 17 Knowledge Web............................................... 17 AFAC into the Future....................................... 18 AFAC Group Members..................................... 22

Motorola Australia - partnering with AFAC to bring knowledge to emergency services

Highlights Advocacy and Influence

A Fire and Emergency Services Sector with Capability and Capacity

During the year AFAC on behalf of its member agencies engaged with Federal and State governments on a range of consultation activities.

A key performance requirement for any industry association is its ability to facilitate across the sector opportunities for learning, development, skills building and transportability of qualification and competency.

• submissions to three major State Government inquiries • more than 100 people from member agencies involved on Standards Committees, Review Committees, formal inquiries or otherwise engaged in consultation on industry matters

The following significant learning and development projects were completed or significantly progressed during the year:

• Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Australian Security Industry Association Ltd.

• AFAC (Industry) Guideline to promote portability of qualifications and competencies – Workforce Management Group -- Review of the Fire Qualifications

Major projects with implications across the sector were also managed or competed during the year including:

-- Moderation Instructional Kit – A draft Instructional Kit designed to facilitate a national approach to moderation of competence has been developed and is currently under pilot testing

• project to promote the use of home fire sprinklers • concept and now funding from the Australian Government for work towards a national best practice guideline on prescribed burning

• retrospective longitudinal cohort study into fire-fighter health and mortality scoped and agreed by all major stakeholders.

Research will be undertaken by Monash University (Vic).

• in conjunction with the National Bulk Tanker Association, a Training Resource Kit for responders

In addition the following training resources were completed:

AFAC will continue to pursue a program of influence, advice and where necessary and appropriate, lobbying functions on behalf of the sector.

• Fire Aviation Training Framework • Public Safety Training Package -- Certificate lll in Emergency Communications Centre (Operator)

Effective and Consistent Approach to the Provision of Services

-- Certificate lV in Emergency Communications Centre (Supervisor)

AFAC staff and members through the AFAC Group structure, worked hard during the year on developing a nationally consistent approach to Command and Control professional development and accreditation. All Public Safety Units for IMT roles have been completed and endorsed nationally, including the safety advisor and safety officer roles and the information function.

The Value of AFAC is Realised Throughout the Membership Events such as the annual conference, exposure to AFAC through the Knowledge Web, engagement with AFAC through our many and varied training resources, professional development courses, or through participation on the numerous Groups, clearly demonstrate to people within our member agencies the work and achievements of AFAC. Less visible is the influencing and advocacy work AFAC undertakes on behalf of the sector.

During the year a major project on Organisation Doctrine was completed in March. “Fundamentals of Doctrine: A Best Practice Guide”, is available to all member agencies through the web and from the AFAC Shop.

During the year AFAC staff commenced work on a suite of projects under the umbrella of guiding the organisation into the future.

The ‘AFAC into the Future’ program of works included activity on the following:

Work also continued on the following major projects: • ANZ testing regime for products list for bushfire fire-fighting chemicals • development of Landscape Fire Performance Measures

• Governance, Charter and Board structure and process

• scoping of a National Bushfire Fuel Classification System.

• updated AFAC Constitution • broader membership project

Collective Experience and Knowledge Across the Sector is Captured and Shared

• discussion, documentation and preliminary research around professionalisation

One of the core strengths of AFAC is the Group structure where collaboration is second nature and AFAC is recognised and used as a conduit for gathering and disseminating industry knowledge.

• new AFAC collaboration model.

This program of work recognises the importance of all well run and successful organisations to manage for the future to remain sustainable, relevant and of great value to their constituents.

During the year: • 1,800 people participated in more than 42 knowledge sharing or professional development events • close on 1000 delegates attended the annual AFAC and Bushfire CRC conference in Darwin • around 200 people attended a professional development workshop or seminar at Darwin In addition: • 30 AFAC Groups or sub-groups met involving some 260 plus personnel • 68 members represented the interests of our sector on Standards Committees • significant investment to upgrading the AFAC Knowledge Web was completed.

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AFAC Governance AFAC is governed by a Board of seven directors who are elected by the AFAC Council for a two year term.

AFAC Council is represented by the Head of each Member Agency.

Affiliate Members do not have representation at Council and have no voting rights.

AFAC would like to thank and acknowledge the contribution made by retiring Director Mike Hall, who has been on Council for more then ten years and who has been an AFAC Director for six years.

Representing New Zealand, Mike has played a significant role ensuring a closer working relationship between Australia and New Zealand in fire and emergency services. Through his efforts AFAC has extended the focus for the sector to Australasia and the wider Asia / Pacific region.

Mike retires as Chief Executive and National Commander for the New Zealand Fire Service in December 2011.

AFAC Board President Lee Johnson, Commissioner, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service Assoc Dip App Sc (Fire Technology), AFSM, MIFireE, FAIM Lee began his fire service career in 1975 and held successive leadership positions in regional and urban locations, culminating in his appointment as Commissioner of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service in 2001.

In 2004, Lee was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal – the highest individual honour awarded to Australian firefighters and is also the recipient of a number of awards and commendations.

In addition to his role as President of AFAC, Lee also represents Queensland as a Director on the Board of the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC).

AFAC Board continued Deputy President Greg Mullins AFSM, Commissioner, Fire and Rescue New South Wales M. Management, FIFireE, FAIM Greg commenced his career in fire-fighting joining the NSWFB in 1978 after serving for six years as a volunteer fire-fighter with the NSW Bushfire Service (now Rural Fire Service). He was appointed Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive Officer in July 2003.

In addition to his role as Deputy President of AFAC, Greg is also Deputy Chair of the NSW State Emergency Management Committee and is the Australian Director of the International Association of Asian Fire Chiefs.

In 1995 he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship and during his career has been the recipient of numerous awards and commendations including the Australian Fire Service Medal.

Treasurer Tony Blanks, Manager - Fire Management, Forestry Tasmania Tony Blanks’ career in fire-fighting and fire management spans more than thirty years, commencing with the Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service and presently with Forestry Tasmania.

Tony has a clear focus in developing effective interagency partnerships and protocols across the three main organisations that provide bushfire protection in Tasmania (Tasmania Fire Service, Parks & Wildlife Service and Forestry Tasmania).

He has served as a board member of AFAC since 2005, elected Treasurer in 2009.

Front Row (L-R): Naomi Brown AFAC CEO, Lee Johnson President, Bob Conroy Back Row (L-R): Tony Blanks Treasurer, Mike Hall, Mary Barr, Greg Mullins Vice President Unavailable for the photograph Jo Harrison-Ward.

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Directors

AFAC Council Lee Johnson, QFRS, President

Mary Barry, Chief Executive Officer, Victoria State Emergency Service

Greg Mullins, FR NSW, Deputy President

Mary was appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer in January 2006 following the re-establishment of the Victoria State Emergency Service as a Statutory Authority.

Bob Conroy, OEH NSW

Tony Blanks, Forestry Tasmania, Treasurer Mike Hall, NZFS

Previously Mary held the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Association of Health and Extended Care (VAHEC) and has held executive roles at the Shire of Melton and MECWA Community Care. She has extensive experience working with community based organisations where service delivery is dependent on the efforts and commitment of both volunteers and paid employees.

Mary Barry, VIC SES

Bob Conroy,

Murray Kear, NSW SES

Executive Director – Park Management, Office of Environment & Heritage, NSW

Mark Crosweller, ACT ESA

Bob Conroy is Executive Director Park Management with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.

Rebecca Williams, DERM QLD

Bob holds a BA majoring in Geography and Botany, a Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science, a Master of Management and is a 1998 Churchill Fellow and has been awarded the National Fire Medal.

Greg Nettleton, NT FRS

He is also a member of the NSW Bush Fire Coordinating Committee and the National Biosecurity Committee.

David Nugent, Parks Victoria

Mike Hall,

Islay Robertson, ForestrySA

Jo Harrison-Ward, FESA - WA Ross Dickson, Forests NSW Neil Cooper, ACT PCS Murray Dudfield, NRFA NZ Shane Fitzsimmons, NSW RFS

Mike Brown, TFS Grant Lupton, SA MFS Greg Nettleton, SA CFS Chris Beattie, SA SES Adrian Pyrke, Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania

Chief Executive and National Commander, New Zealand Fire Service

Andrew Lea, TAS SES

Mike commenced his fire career in Manchester, UK in 1969, moving to the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service in 1974. Mike has held every operational rank across the three Services, with key functional roles such as strategic planning, human resource management and technology integration.

Murray Carter, DEC-WA

Peter Smith, Airservices Australia Craig Hynes, FESA SES Bruce Grady, EMQ Stephen Sutton, Bushfires NT Peter Davies, NT ES

Mike was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal in 1995 for work in communications centre reforms. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Fire Engineers (IFE) and a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Institutes of Management.

Ewan Waller, DSE VIC Mike Williams, DENR SA Nick Easy, MFB Mick Bourke, CFA VIC

Jo Harrison-Ward,

Tony Graham, ACT SES

Chief Executive Officer, Fire and Emergency Service Authority WA (FESA)

Kym Duggan, AG

Jo Harrison-Ward was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Fire & Emergency Services Authority of WA (FESA) in August 2006. This followed her appointment as Executive Director of the WA Police in January 2005. Jo joined the public service in 1993 as senior advisor on emergency services to the Minister for Emergency Services over a five-year period. From 1998 to 2005 she held many senior management positions in FESA, including the Executive Director, Emergency Management.

Jo holds a Graduate Certificate in Management and Master of Leadership and Management. She was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2004 and the List Inspire Winning Ambassador CEO’s Award in 2008.

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From the President

Lee A Johnson

AFSM MIFireE,

Commissioner Queensland Fire and Rescue Service AFAC President

As I reflect on the 2010/2011 financial year, I cannot remember in my 36 year career a more turbulent phase for emergency management in our region.

I believe a major paradigm shift has occurred in our industry without many of us realising it. A significant factor in this shift was the Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission, aided by societal changes including new media. The speed of change has accelerated, facilitated by innovation in technology. The perception and expectation of how emergency services should be or could be delivered, is now under enormous scrutiny from a diverse range of groups.

The expectation that emergency services can protect the community from the forces of nature at all times is unrealistic and at best misguided. However, it should not be an unrealistic expectation that Commanders (Leaders) will provide timely warning and clear and concise instructions about what actions need to be taken, and in what time frame. For me this is the paradigm shift that has occurred.

The challenge is how we meet and through better education, shape that community expectation, in the environment in which we now operate.

A well positioned industry body such as AFAC will be critical in assisting us to identify where those changes are leading and how we need to respond. Since its inception AFAC has been a collective voice seeking to find the common ground and strengthen our sector through standard setting, professional development and knowledge sharing.

It is a great frustration to me that inquiry after inquiry has found deficiencies in the area of interoperability, despite the enormous efforts to date in developing the AIIMS framework. The underpinning tool which connects all of us within emergency management is AIIMS. Currently AFAC is well engaged with ANZPAA (Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency) to seek greater alignment with law enforcement agencies in the use and understanding of AIIMS, and good progress has been made under the leadership of Commissioner Greg Mullins.

One very important piece of work was launched by AFAC this year which strikes to the very heart of our capability as a sector.

‘The Fundamentals of Doctrine - a Best Practice Guide’ was published with little fanfare in March. Good doctrine can help align local actions with organisation policies and sustain continuous organisation learning and improvement. Put simply, it can strengthen the connection between what an organisation knows and what it teaches and does. I commend this publication to you. It is available to all members through the AFAC Knowledge Web.

AFAC plays a large role in advocacy and influence on behalf of our sector and during the year made significant submissions to the inquiries regarding the floods in both Queensland and Victoria.

AFAC Managers and senior people from the AFAC Member Agencies also contributed to the consultation process on a number of industry issues. AFAC’s work continues to ensure our voice is heard on more than 60 Standards Committees.

This is critical. For me the growing perception that emergency response will save all, all of the time, no matter what situation and no matter what the resource backing, takes focus away from other areas where focus legitimately needs to be placed.

We must ensure the message to both the community and government is heard on topics such as land use planning, resilience, community awareness, messaging and preparedness. Our industry body has been highly successful creating the opportunities for us to ensure our voice is heard across a very diverse stakeholder group. We need to make sure we take full advantage and give 100% support to these efforts.

AFAC continues to lift the performance bar on providing our industry with high quality and engaging professional development events. Once again the annual conference in Darwin exceeded all expectations with almost 1000 registrations and the largest trade exhibition to date. More than 40 events have been held this year including forums, seminars, workshops, clinics and master classes.

Further, AFAC has developed a number of partnerships for the delivery of joint events, maximising the opportunities and delivering cost savings for our members.

The ability for AFAC to form strategic partnerships with aligned organisations will be increasingly important. We have more stakeholders in the emergency management sector than ever before including local government, the mining and energy sectors and key utilities to name but a few.

In this rapidly changing environment I am very pleased to see that AFAC itself has commenced a significant review of their operating model. This work is being undertaken to ensure the organisation is well placed to meet its Vision into the future. I encourage you to read about this substantial program of work elsewhere in this report.

I take this opportunity to thank AFAC CEO, Naomi Brown and her very hardworking team. On behalf of the Board and Council I also thank and recognise the work of our very talented people across Australasia who participate on the AFAC Groups and who are and will continue to be, the powerhouse in leading our industry forward.

Lee Johnson AFAC President

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From the CEO

Naomi Brown, CEO AFAC

To quote Charles Dickens – the past 12 months has seen “…the best of times and the worst of times…”.

Images of the ‘inland tsunami’ flowing through the Lockyer Valley and Ipswich in Qld, the fast flowing flood waters of the swollen Brisbane River sweeping pontoons, boats and walkways before it and the devastation and damage sustained in WA through the worst fire season in the West for many years, are etched in all our minds. But so too are the images of the resourceful SES crews and fire-fighters in the leading roles they played in communities large and small during these disasters.

Our recent spate of significant emergencies has precipitated a focus and scrutiny on our work, making it all the more critical that we keep our eye on the core issues that will make our industry stronger and better able to play our role in keeping our communities safe.

Change is constant and the rate of change in the emergency management sector is rapid. In this environment AFAC has commenced the task of reviewing our structure, our collaborative models and workgroups and our membership arrangements to ensure our future sustainability and relevancy. We outline this body of work in this report on page 18. The AFAC into the Future (AITF) program is extensive and far-reaching. Our Council and Board have been engaged from conception and will continue to guide this process.

At this time of year I acknowledge and thank our sponsors for their continued support. Our sponsorship arrangements allow us to extend the reach of so many of our programs – particularly our knowledge and professional development events, including our highly successful annual conference and our on-going commitment to knowledge sharing across the sector through our Knowledge Web.

The response by our members to these emergency situations was outstanding and drew the focus and admiration of the world.

The leadership demonstrated by Australian emergency services people through these often tragic events has provided a model in a global sense, showing that communities when they band together and are supported by well trained and appropriately resourced emergency services can prepare and recover, even in the face of some of the worst natural disasters. Tropical Cyclone Yasi was testament to our ability to mitigate the impacts of even the most significant disasters through education, early warning and advice, and recovery planning.

At AFAC we are acutely aware of the commitment and dedication displayed by so many people who contribute to the AFAC Groups.

We know that you take on these responsibilities in addition to your own busy ‘day-job’ and we sincerely thank you for your contribution.

I also thank and acknowledge the hard working AFAC staff. It has again been a very busy year full of some unique challenges. I am very proud of the achievements of my staff and the outcomes we have delivered on behalf of our members. Our key achievements and the work of everyone involved with AFAC, is highlighted in this report.

We had barely drawn breath on our own significant disasters and we were mobalising USAR teams to New Zealand and Japan. We can be justifiably proud that we do have a sector with capability and capacity.

In the wake of two significant Inquiries which have been highly critical of our industry, it is easy to lose perspective, focusing only on the failings, rather than celebrating what was well done.

To the AFAC Board and all of the Council members, my thanks for your ongoing support of AFAC, its activities and me personally.

Finally, I urge you to read this report and share it with your colleagues. Even leave it in the tea rooms. The more people from our member agencies we can engage or even just make aware of the work AFAC undertakes, will help us demonstrate the value of an efficient and effective industry association and in itself will lead to a stronger and more capable emergency management sector.

Many of these events required our member agencies to work together in these times of need. Our ability to do so reinforces the role AFAC has played in interoperability – particularly in command and control situations where the work through AIIMS to date has been invaluable.

Much of the real work of AFAC often happens behind the scenes.

As the industry organisation for all fire, land management and emergency services in Australasia, it is up to us to identify the future needs of our industry. We must work with government at all levels to ensure the needs of emergency management are recognised and addressed. We also need to work across the sector engaging with all our member agencies to ensure that knowledge is being shared and applied. Our role is to facilitate efficiencies in both infrastructure and human capital. Through that collaboration we can continue to build a sector with capability and capacity to respond and manage disasters when they strike.

Naomi Brown Chief Executive Officer

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AFAC Members, Affiliates & Staff

as at 30 June 2011

Members

Affiliates

Australian Capital Territory

• Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) • CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products • Fire and Rescue Services Industry Training Organisation, New Zealand (FRSITO) • Forestry Plantations Queensland • Hong Kong Fire Services Department • Melbourne Water • Pacific Islands Fire Service Association (PIFSA) • Australasian Road Rescue Organisations (ARRO) • South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFCOM) • New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC NZ)

• ACT Emergency Services Agency (ACT ESA) • ACT Parks and Conservation Service (ACT PCS) • ACT State Emergency Service (ACT SES)

New South Wales • Fire & Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW) • New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) • Forests NSW • Office of Environment & Heritage, NSW (OEH NSW) • New South Wales State Emergency Service (NSW SES)

Northern Territory • Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service (NTFRS) • Bushfires NT • Northern Territory Emergency Service (NT ES)

New Zealand • New Zealand Fire Service (NZFS) • National Rural Fire Authority New Zealand (NZ NRFA)

AFAC Staff Naomi Brown, Chief Executive Officer

Paul Considine, Manager, Operations, Urban Fire and SES

Queensland • Department of Community Safety, Queensland Government - Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) • Department of Community Safety, Queensland Government - Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) • Department of Environment & Resource Management (DERM QLD)

South Australia

Jill Edwards, Manager, Strategy

Trevor Essex, Manager, Finance

Gary Featherston, Manager, Operations, Rural and Land Management

• ForestrySA • South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (SAMFS) • South Australian Country Fire Service (SA CFS) • Department of Environment & Natural Resources, South Australia (DENR SA) • South Australian State Emergency Service (SA SES)

Judy Gouldbourn,

Tasmania

Sandra Lunardi,

• Tasmanian Fire Service (TFS) • Forestry Tasmania • Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania • Tasmania State Emergency Service (TAS SES)

Manager, Learning and Development

Victoria

Manager, Standards

• Country Fire Authority, Victoria (CFA) • Department of Sustainability & Environment, Victoria (DSE) • Metropolitan Fire & Emergency Services Board, Melbourne (MFB) • Parks Victoria • Victoria State Emergency Service (VIC SES)

Claire Ciantar,

Western Australia

Administration Officer

• Fire & Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA) • FESA State Emergency Service - Western Australia (FESA SES) • Department of Environment & Conservation, Western Australia (DEC WA)

National • Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department (AG) • AirServices Australia

Manager, Volunteer and Employee Management

Amanda Leck, Manager, Knowledge Innovation

Rob Llewellyn, Manager, Community Safety

Sue Pigdon, Manager, Marketing & Sponsorship

Russell Shephard,

Project Officer

Kent MacCarter, Online Services Coordinator

Ben Smith, Margaret Staples, Receptionist/Administration Assistant

Corinne Taton, Group Administration Officer

Kate Twentyman, Finance Officer

Lynette White, Executive Assistant

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Statement of Financial Performance For the Year Ended 30 June 2011

2011 $

2010 $

REVENUE Members Subscriptions

1,642,832

1,471,716

Gross Margin From Trading Activities

562,723

720,657

Other Revenue

815,384

692,427

3,020,939

2,884,800

1,898,209

1,740,342

Travel & Meeting Expenses

199,506

178,911

Office Expenses

544,034

499,596

Total Revenue

EXPENSES Salaries & Related Expenses

362,367

323,143

3,004,116

2,741,992

16,823

142,808

6,466,957

6,425,613

221,825

235,891

6,688,782

6,661,504

IT & Office Equipment

278,280

338,307

TOTAL ASSETS

6,967,062

6,999,811

Trade Creditors

1,974,604

2,417,061

Revenue in Advance

1,737,629

2,131,277

Special Project Funding

1,368,138

579,841

Total Current Liabilities

5,080,371

5,128,179

19,388

38,776

Others

121,977

104,355

TOTAL NON CURRENT LIABILITIES

141,365

143,131

1,745,326

1,728,501

Other Expenses

Total Expenses Surplus/(Deficit)

Statement of Financial Position As at 30 June 2011

CURRENT ASSETS Cash & Debtors Others

Total Current Assets

NON CURRENT ASSETS

CURRENT LIABILITIES

NON CURRENT LIABILITIES Deferred Revenue

NET EQUITY

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Industry Awards Laurie Lavelle Award The Achiever of the Year Award was first introduced in 1997 to recognise individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to emergency services in any one year. This award is now appropriately named after Laurie Lavelle, in recognition of his life-long commitment to emergency services in Australia.

Laurie was a long-standing Chief Fire Officer of the Melbourne & Metropolitan Fire Brigades Board and was the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) from 1993 – 2001. In 1989 Laurie was made a Member of the Order of Australia.

Joint winners of the Laurie Lavelle Award for 2010 are Mr Arthur Tindall, Manager, Infrastructure and Logistics, at the South Australia Country Fire Service and Mr Russell Shephard, Manager Standards at AFAC. The award was made in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the AFAC Collaborative Purchasing Initiative, and for their commitment, dedication and ability to work together towards common goals and achieve outcomes for all AFAC Members.

Both Arthur and Russell have a passion for collaboration and interoperability and are dedicated team players who are highly motivated and outcome focused. Jointly awarding them the 2010 Laurie Lavelle Award provides the national recognition their contribution deserves.

Mark Roche (left), Assistant Commissioner, QFRS, accepts the Knowledge Innovation Award, Agency, from Dr Michael N’Guyen, General Manager, Direct Sales, Government and Public Safety Motorola.

Inaugural AFAC/Motorola 2010 Knowledge Innovation Award Sponsored by Motorola and as part of Motorola’s commitment and partnership with AFAC to bring knowledge to emergency services, an industry award has been developed specifically to recognise innovation, creativity and contribution towards the advancement of knowledge management. This award is made both at an individual and agency level.

Winners of the inaugural Knowledge Innovation Award for 2010 were presented during the opening ceremony at the annual conference.

The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) won the agency award for their Knowledge Management Framework which provides a multidisciplinary approach to Knowledge Management and contributes to achieving mission objectives by making the best use of organisational knowledge.

Simon Hemer, Operations Manager, Coastal Branch, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, won the Individual Award recognising Simon’s lead in driving cultural change to improve prescribed burn performance in the agency. Simon’s drive and enthusiasm including integrating knowledge, systems and the best available science, and systematically identifying and removing impediments to performance, has been a big factor in changing the culture of his organisation’s approach in relation to prescribed burning and urgency in delivering on targets.

Laurie Lavelle Award winners Left: Arthur Tindall, Country Fire Service SA with Naomi Brown, CEO AFAC and Russell Shephard, AFAC.

AFAC & Bushfire CRC 2010 Special Recognition Award Mark Chladil, Tasmanian Fire Service (TFS) and Damien Killalea, TFS, received their special Awards from Naomi Brown, AFAC CEO at the 2010 annual conference.

Mark and Damien were recognised for the contribution they made in providing submissions on behalf of the industry to the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission hearings.

Mark Chladil (left) and Damien Killalea receive their Special Recognition Awards from Naomi Brown, AFAC CEO.

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National Executive Command Forum 2010 The second National Executive Command Forum was held in Canberra in October and again feedback from those who attended was extremely positive. More than 35 heads of Agencies attend this event themed “Crisis and Resilience – Individuals and Agencies”.

This concept of gathering the most senior operational people in a forum to share experiences and be exposed to new ideas and people outside of our industry continues to meet the needs of our most senior members.

Key actions arising from the Forum included: • to develop a strategic Command Program in partnership with the Australian Institute of Police Management • to form a Group of senior AFAC and other external bodies to oversee the maintenance and new developments with AIIMS • to put forward the first step of an AFAC agreed approach to accreditation of Level 3 Incident Controllers • to consider changing the term ‘AFAC Position’ to ‘AFAC Best Practice Approach’.

Exexcutive Command Forum 2010

AFAC Representation and Submissions Standards

AFAC made a number of submissions on behalf of the sector during this financial year to the following inquiries:

• restructure AS2118.1 - ABCB’s Sprinkler Reference Document • Australian Standard AS1851 - 201X Routine Service of Fire Protection systems and equipment for pre-public comment.

Inquiries • submission to the review of 2010-2011 Flood Warnings and Response (Victoria)

Built Environment • National Construction Code - Plumbing Code Committee

• submission to the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry

• Expanded Polystyrene Manufacturers Group Code of Practice for the installation of EPS Panels

• submission on NEPM Review Ambient Air Quality.

• Code of Practice for Security Fog Systems and Security Strobes

AFAC also responded to the following reviews or otherwise contributed to the consultultation process on the following issues:

• review of “Smoke Alarms in Dwellings Report” by Victoria University.

Memorandum of Understanding

• joint response from AFAC / ANZPAA / Council of Ambulance Authorities regarding the Digital Dividend

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with the Australian Security Industry Association Limited (ASIAL) in May 2011.

• response to the Draft Discussion Paper - ‘The Australian National Emergency Response Principles’

By cooperating together under the terms of this MoU, AFAC and ASIAL will be able to identify opportunities for aligning our distinct areas of business in pursuit of our common goals of public safety and security.

We will look to improve the processes by which our member agencies work together. In addition, we will cooperate in public education initiatives such as enhancing understanding of the role of domestic smoke alarms and how they should be installed and monitored.

• comment on the Consultation Draft - National Strategy for Disaster Resilience • review of the 7th Edition of the Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG7) - Consultion exercise • RMIT led submission to Round 4 of the Australian Space Research Prgram titled “Earth Observatory for Fires and Floods”

Australian Standards Committee Representation

• draft Model Work Health and Safety Regulations - Public Comment.

AFAC members are represented on more than 50 Australian Standards Committees. For a full listing please see page 24.

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Professional Development Events AFAC’s events program has continued to expand over the past 12 months in response to meeting the knowledge needs of member agencies. A total of 42 events have been held involving nearly 1,800 participants from across the AFAC membership, some also involving non-members.

A strategic priority for AFAC has been to work with member agencies to assist them to understand the national implications of the recommendations of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, as handed down in July 2010. AFAC worked with Stuart Ellis from Leading Emergency Services to deliver a forum in most jurisdictions on the Conduct, Reporting, Recommendations and Implications of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.

With the launch of the Professional Development Events Guideline last year, as part of the implementation of the Knowledge Management Approach and Strategy, AFAC has embedded the events program into normal business practice.

A successful program of professional development events was held as part of the AFAC Conference in Darwin, with nearly 200 participants indicating that events should continue to be run as an optional addition to the conference program.

Events delivered included forums, seminars, workshops, clinics and master classes, and they have provided opportunities for people to come together to share knowledge and thinking and to facilitate the creation of a knowledge transfer approach across the industry.

AFAC is grateful for the support of Motorola Australia in their sponsorship of the knowledge events program.

AFAC has developed a number of partnerships for the delivery of joint events. These include a strategic knowledge management partnership with the Bushfire CRC to facilitate the delivery of events that utilise research outputs through to industry.

Another important partnership is with the Fire Protection Association of Australia (FPAA), who AFAC has worked with to deliver two seminar series on revised Australian Standards, AS 3959 – Building in Bushfire Prone Areas and AS 3745 – Planning for Emergencies in Facilities. These events have attracted large numbers of participants from outside the AFAC membership, including from the health and education sectors, as well as AFAC members, and have generated a revenue stream for AFAC. Other partners include the National Bulk Tanker Association (NBTA), Maddocks Lawyers and Monash University.

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Annual Report 2011

The AFAC and Bushfire CRC Professional Development Event Guideline and Event Proposal Form have been produced to assist with the planning of Events. The use of this Guideline is being actively encouraged by AFAC and the Bushfire CRC and is available on the AFAC Knowledge Web.

<< AFAC and the Bushfire CRC are working together to encourage and support the use of Professional Development Events as a mechanism to utilise research in agencies.

Engagement and active involvement are seen as critical to the success of utilising research as this allows people to form their own understanding of what the research might mean to their own context. Pictured left are participants in a Fuel and Fire Clinic held in the Victorian Mallee region.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Events delivered included forums, seminars, workshops, clinics and master classes, and they have provided opportunities for people to come together to share knowledge and thinking and to facilitate the creation of a knowledge transfer approach across the industry.â&#x20AC;?

11

Darwin 2010 a resounding success

1.

2.

More than 900 fire and emergency services personnel attended the annual AFAC and Bushfire CRC conference in Darwin from around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Region.

The AFAC and Bushfire CRC annual conference has grown to be one of the most significant events for the emergency management sector in the region.

AFAC has played a lead role in facilitating closer working relationships between all fire and emergency service agencies and the talented and committed people who work in our sector. The annual conference is a wonderful opportunity for them to network, strengthen those relationships, broaden their knowledge and gain exposure to new and innovative products and services through one of the largest trade shows for the emergency management sector.

6.

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Over the three days of the conference, delegates heard from expert speakers and researchers from around the world on topics as diverse as; the mental effects of trauma in emergency services, fire and carbon sequestration, cyclone threat, planning, forecasting and bushfires.

Former High Court Judge, the Hon Michael Kirby, gave the opening address, setting the tone for the conference and challenging delegates to reflect on the Royal Commission into the February 2009 bushfires and the national implications of the ensuing recommendations.

The conference, now in its 17th year was again very well received by the industry. An extensive evaluation survey was conducted post the conference with more than 85% of attendees rating the conference very good or excellent.

8.

7.

More information on the AFAC and Bushfire CRC annual conferences is available from the AFAC Knowledge Web at http://knowledgeweb.afac.com.au.

“….This is my third conference and they keep on getting better.

A world class event…”

10.

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International delegate, Canada

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12 | Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council

Annual Report 2011

16.

“The indigenous strea excellent. To broade and look at very diffe and issues was fanta

“…everyone was welcoming and very interested in the mutual swapping of ideas, thoughts and business cards…”

Delegate, South Australia

3.

“The trade show was invaluable, in particular to those of us from more isolated areas.”

Regional delegate

1. AFAC President Lee Johnson (right) with Michael Carter, Bushfires NT. 2. The Dräger Knowledge Lounge was a very popular meeting place hosting the Meet the Speaker and Research Wrap programs and also the kiosks linked to the AFAC Knowledge Web. 3. The trade expo was as popular as ever with more than 100 exhibitors making the trip to Darwin.

4. AFAC CEO Naomi Brown addresses the conference on the first day.

5. Andrew Gissing, Director Emergency Management and Communications SES Victoria presented on flood mapping and planning.

6. Kiosks in the Dräger Knowledge Lounge linked to the AFAC Knowledge Web.

9.

7. The new convention centre on Darwin’s waterfront was a great venue for AFAC 2010.

8. Michael N’Guyen General Manager, Government & Public Safety demonstrates the latest in radio handsets from Motorola.

9. The trade expo was as popular as ever and some of the trade suppliers have been involved since the first AFAC conference some 18 years ago.

10. Scania’s Stand at the trade show.

11. One of the many great trade show stands.

12. Gary Morgan CEO of the Bushfire CRC.

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13. Dr. Danielle Clode from La Trobe University.

13.

14. Kate Carnell former NT Chief Minister gave a presentation but also stayed on to be part of the lively debate on day 2.

15. Scania have been the conference major sponsor for the past six years. Managing Director Roger McCarthy at the conference welcome.

16. Almost 1,000 delegates attended Darwin 2010.

17. More than 300 people attended one of the 6 professional development sessions on the Monday preceding the conference.

18. Mick Bourke gave one of his first major speeches in his new role as CEO of the Country Fire Authority Victoria.

17.

am yesterday was en our perspective erent communities astic.”

Sandy (delegate)

19. Keynote speaker The Hon Michael Kirby, former High Court Judge, challenged the audience and set an upbeat tone.

Bottom Far Left: Crocodiles – we must be in Darwin! The farewell drinks were held at Crocosaurus Cove, a tourist highlight in Darwin and a great place to unwind after the conference.

18.

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Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council | 13 Annual Report 2011

Learning and Development Throughout the year we have completed a number of projects under the Learning and Development umbrella that will have significant impact on our member agencies and help us advance on our shared goals to increase the capability and capacity of fire and emergency services.

A number of significant projects were completed, notably the national endorsement of all Public Safety units for IMT roles, including the Safety Advisor and Safety Officer roles, and the Information Function.

All the Public Safety units of competency for the AIIMS IMT functions have been endorsed as part of Version 8.1 of the Public Safety Training Package, which was released in December 2010.

It is intended that this work will inform the Mapping Alignment Report showing the relationship between each AIIMS role and the units of competency. Further work will soon commence to scope what the industry requires in terms of a consistent approach to command and control development.

This year we have also completed the specifications for the following • Certificate III in Emergency Communications Centre (Operator) • Certificate IV in Emergency Communications Centre (Supervisor) qualifications.

Both qualifications have been endorsed as part of Version 8.1 of the Public Safety Training Package in December 2010. This is the first time personnel working in these areas will have formal recognition of the work undertaken in these areas.

The Fire Aviation Training and Assessment Framework (FATAF), Version 1.0, has also been completed and provides a model and pilot for a nationally-consistent approach to role based training and assessment, recognition, certification and agency endorsement.

In addition to the above projects, the 2010/11 period saw AFAC co-ordinate a comprehensive review of the seven PUA00 Fire Qualifications, as part of a wider-review of the Public Safety Training Package conducted by the Public Safety Industry Advisory Committee, under the auspices of Government Skills Australia.

This was a major undertaking, requiring extensive consultation across four streams – Urban Fire, Wildfire, Building Fire Safety and Fire Aviation Management – each composed of subject matter experts from AFAC’s member agencies.

In conjunction with the above review of the Fire Qualifications, AFAC facilitated an industry-wide consultation to achieve endorsement of five newly created units in the field of search and rescue: • develop plans and manage arrangements for deployment of a USAR Category 3 taskforce • implement and monitor USAR Category 3 task force plans • review USAR Category 3 task force plans implemented at an incident • perform land based swiftwater/floodwater rescue and recovery • undertake swiftwater/floodwater rescue and recovery A final readjustment of the relationship between core and elective units within the structure of the Fire Qualifications will be effected at the September 2011 Learning and Development Group meeting, at which time the completed review will be submitted for endorsement via Government Skills Australia.

Also during 2010-11, the New Zealand Fire Service undertook the lead-agency role in partnership with VectorCommand and AFAC to produce a new Strategic Exercise for use with VectorCommand’s Training and Exercise System.

Operation Tãwhirimãtea is based upon a severe weather and flooding event as a result of an extra-tropical cyclone impacting the coastal area, in the North Island of New Zealand. The exercise was piloted in Wellington in December 2010, and the finished product demonstrated at the AFAC/VectorCommand User Reference Group IMT Workshop on the 2nd and 3rd of May 2011. It incorporated a number of innovations and improvements on prior TES scenarios, which increase the degree of realism and participant immersion in the scenario, as well as greater ease of facilitation.

The Exercise has been made available to all AFAC members holding licences to use VectorCommand’s Training and Exercise System, and complements an expanding suite of scenarios available to exercise Level 2 and 3 Incident Management Teams.

Finally, a major project undertaken and aligned with AFAC’s goal of cultivating a fire and emergency services sector with capability and capacity, has been the development of an industry-wide AFAC Capability Development Capability Strategy for 2011–2016.

This will ensure volunteers, staff and contractors are safe, skilled, capable and resourced, and their competencies are fully transportable and nationally recognised.

Agencies Grouped by the Number of People Trained Each Year

14 | Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council

Annual Report 2011

Knowledge Management Areas Identified as a Priority (Ranked in Order of Present Importance)

These three inputs were critical in the Capability Development Strategy:

The Learning and Development Group is presently developing a detailed work plan to structure its activities over the next two years, and has already committed to the development of an instructional kit on the delivery and moderation of assessment. It is intended that the kit will foster greater awareness of the variety of techniques that can be used to promote and ensure quality assessment across the industry, and through it create greater confidence both within and between agencies that training and assessment is resulting in capable personnel.

• AFAC Strategic Plan, 2010–2012 • AFAC Preliminary Discussion to a Capability Development Strategy: Industry-wide Survey Report, 2011 • Bushfire CRC Research Utilisation Strategy, 2011–2014 The Strategy, which was endorsed by the AFAC council in April, is designed to be progressed across all of the AFAC Groups; while a majority of proposed projects and activities may be allocated to the AFAC Learning and Development Group to undertake, there are others that can only be progressed by other AFAC Groups or by individual agencies.

Identified Training Gaps and Their Relative Levels of Priority Among the Agencies that Respond to the L&D/Training Managers Survey

Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council | 15 Annual Report 2011

Collaborative Purchasing and Contracts An important part of AFAC’s Vision is to facilitate efficiency across the industry. Over the past 5 years it is estimated our member agencies have saved millions of dollars through our collaborative purchasing initiatives, these include both actual dollar savings as well as those achieved through a reduction in the process of procurement.

A significant initiative in this area has been the development of a collaborative purchasing contracts section which was added to the Knowledge Web during the year.

This new area allows AFAC member agencies the ability to search, browse and identify existing collaborative purchasing agreements that may suit their procurement needs.

Contracts are loaded in this online space for the appropriate and authorised parties to access. They are set to automatically expire upon a set date, assuring accuracy for active contracts. This is a very powerful tool and enables all our agencies to take advantage of the most recent tenders, no matter how large or small.

Where applicable, contracts are also linked to pertinent specifications documents that have already been established in the Knowledge Web. This not only standardises what is available, but eases administration time for all interested parties.

During the year the NSW 292 contract was launched. This is a joint tender between the NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW and the NSW Department of Procurement and Government Services in collaboration with the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC).

At the launch Mr Russell Shephard, Manager Standards AFAC, provided the forum with an overview of the Collaborative Purchasing Initiative (CPI) outlining benefits that exist for AFAC members and for the industry as a whole.

“The term, ‘Collaborative Purchasing’, is a term all vendors will be hearing more of in the future…”

John Hacking,

Manager Procurement and Contracts, Rural Fire Service NSW

16 | Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council

Annual Report 2011

“…this is the first important step in achieving national specifications and industry standards.”

Russell Shephard, AFAC Manager Standards

Russell commended both agencies for tirelessly working together to reach consensus on a large number of specifications that underpin this tender.

Mr John Hacking, Manager Procurement and Contracts for the Rural Fire Service, NSW, explained that fire and emergency services agencies increasingly operate in an environment where there is competition for available funds from areas such as health, police and education.

“As agencies struggle with tightening budgets we are consistently pursuing avenues or initiatives to save financial resources and supply fire fighters on the ground with the equipment they require,” he said.

The NSW Fire and Rescue and NSW Rural Fire Service, in partnership with AFAC, and along with the support of the other fire agencies from around Australia and New Zealand, have together been developing a systemic joint approach to agency specifications.

This is only the start of what’s to come.

The success of this project is demonstrated by the two largest fire fighting agencies in Australia, coming together in a partnership to produce a range of specifications that both agencies have agreed upon. This will not only improve the efficiencies between agencies, but ultimately between all fire agencies across Australia.

Pictured Below: AFAC CEO Naomi Brown addresses a meeting of the collaborative purchasing group who meet in Melbourne twice a year

HAZARDS L A R U Children’s Program T A N National Children’s Awareness and Education Program In February 2010, AFAC in partnership with SES Agencies applied for funding through the Federal Attorney-General’s Department 2010 - 2011 National Emergency Management Projects, to deliver a program to educate children and their families about natural hazards.

In addition AFAC and SES agencies supported the program through a national media launch with the Federal Attorney General, The Hon. Robert McClelland, negotiation of significant community service airtime (CSA) to supplement the paid advertising schedule, State/Territory based PR launches and activities linked to SES Awareness Week. The program was integrated into existing schools education programs by local SES units where possible.

This application was successful and the program targeted to primary school aged children 5 -12, consisted of the following key elements:

The DVD-ROM schools resource was a central part of the project and was developed by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF). Both AFAC and ACTF developed a comprehensive promotions and communications program to support delivery of the schools resource kit to more than 8,000 primary schools throughout Australia.

• 10 x 30 second television commercials in the form of safety stories based on the Li’L Larikkins characters created by Ettamogah • a paid national television advertising campaign running during prime time children’s viewing

The school’s resource won the Best Primary Education Video Resource at the prestigious ATOM 2011 Awards. These awards, established and run by the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM), recognise excellence in film, television and animation.

• a national PR and promotional program • a schools resource aligned to the national curriculum • website supporting the campaign.

Editorial support for SES agencies and the Li’L Larikkins SES Natural Hazards Children’s Program also ran in highly rated children’s television programs ‘Toasted TV’ and ‘Totally Wild’.

Knowledge Web New Search Engine

The AFAC Knowledge Web is a platform that provides new and existing members the opportunity to share their expertise, research and operations. All personnel of our member agencies are eligible to join the AFAC Knowledge Web.

A new search engine that significantly enhances a user’s ability to find what they’re looking for has also been developed. Funnelback search technology has been integrated across the site to provide users with the most effective tool for navigation and content location by using ‘contextual’ and ‘subjective’ tools that assist with any given search.

A fully cleansed and re-worked application of metadata on the site’s pages and documents was also completed as part of the Readability Project.

As membership to the Knowledge Web grows, so too increases the wealth of knowledge that enriches, educates and connects the AFAC community. Overall site traffic on the Knowledge Web has increased by 6% from the previous financial year and attracted just over 500 new members, bringing the total number of registered users to just under 2,500. Significant growth in users is projected for the upcoming financial year.

During the year a significant investment was made to reorganise and upgrade the Knowledge Web.

Redeveloped Content - Readability Project The Knowledge Web consists of numerous levels of drill-down information and research. All areas of the site have undergone a revision via the Readability Project, which makes the Knowledge Web easier to navigate and more intuitive to locate information.

Internal links have been added throughout the site connecting related information. An assessment regarding current relevance, naming scheme and subject/site placement of all documents and information delivered by the Knowledge Web has also been completed.

Pictured >> A video library is a new addition to the Knowledge Web and this feature will be fully developed in the coming year.

| 17

AFAC into the Future Every industry organisation must ensure some focus is always trained on the future needs of the sector it serves. This is particularly relevant in the fire and emergency services industry given the rapidly changing environment. The AFAC into the Future (AITF) is a major body of work sanctioned by the AFAC Board and Council who will continue to guide and approve the strategic direction this work will take. This work will build on the AFAC Strategic Plan 2010-2012.

• To manage the ‘project’ – sub projects have been formed with responsibility in the following areas • Business Development - (New products and services, new subscriber category and expanded income streams) • Collaboration and Networking – (The efficient structure and service delivery of the AFAC workgroups) • Governance and Charter – (Review of constitution, efficient structuring and processes of the Board and Council) • Membership – (Membership rules and levels including Affiliate Membership category and related policy) • AFAC as an Influencing and Advisory Body – (Review of rules of engagement, structure and process) • Professionalisation Concept – Phase One – researching the need for fire and emergency management work to be a formally recognised and certified profession.

Each of these sub-projects is headed by an AFAC Manager aligned to that specific project.

At the Council meeting in March 2011, approval was sought and granted to progress all sub-projects and some of the sub-projects have moved forward more rapidly.

Work on a new Collaboration and Networking Model has progressed quickly following the results of a survey of all members undertaken in March 2011. The same group structure has been used for 17 years and over that time the number of Groups and people involved has significantly grown. While this growth has led to some great outcomes there is pressure to ensure the return on investment of people and money is well demonstrated, measured and understood.

Overall the research found that Group members value the group work and networking opportunities of the meetings and feel there should be more options than twice yearly group meetings available for agency members to meet, solve problems, share ideas and experiences.

Innovation in communications technology can and will be used to deliver some of these outputs.

A new Collaboration and Networking Model has been developed and will be presented at the Council meeting in August 2011. More information on this sub-project and the research results can be found on the AFAC Knowledge Web at www.knowledgeweb.afac.com.au.

Work on all other projects continues with the guidance of the AFAC Board and Council, and a business plan for the future will be tabled at AFAC Board meeting in December 2011.

A communications program keeping all members up to date on the status of this work will be developed as these projects come on stream.

Introduction of the new Collaboration and Networking Model A comprehensive review of the AFAC Groups structure was undertaken at the beginning of the year, with a view to implementing a new collaboration model sometime in the New Year (2012).

The drivers behind the review included concerns that after 17 years the same structure was increasingly becoming outdated with divergent views on “return on investment” developing between Council members and their staff participating in group activities.

This was one of the key issues identified through the research phase.

This was linked to the acknowledgement there needed to be greater accountability for group performance and outcomes, given the considerable investment by AFAC secretariat and its member agencies. A new structure would allow greater flexibility and the uptake of new technologies to facilitate the collaboration or networking. There was also a clear desire to improve the strategic alignment of AFAC work with those of member agencies.

Effort and research to which AFAC group members, Board and Council contributed substantially included: • a review of current collaboration practice, focused on the AFAC Group model • a survey to all AFAC Group Members, with over 180 complete responses received • a number of one-on-one interviews with key senior stakeholders nationally

The new Collaboration and Networking Model will be implented in 2012.

Collaboration and Networking Model

18 | Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council

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• a desktop review of ‘best practice’ examples of collaboration in similarly complex organisations, both locally and internationally.

AFAC Group Members The work of AFAC is effected through a range of Groups which meet usually once or twice per year to collaborate on a wide range of issues and topics.

All AFAC Member Agencies are eligible to have representatives on AFAC groups. The number of representatives is governed by an agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capacity to participate and interest in the focus of a particular Group.

For an explanation of acronyms, please refer to the Member Agencies list on page 6.

Alternative Energy Systems Project Group Chair: Malim Watts, SACFS AFAC Manager: Paul Considine

Business Management Group Chair: Mike Gallagher, TFS AFAC Manager: Jill Edwards

Collaborative Purchasing Group

Audrey Ko, NT PFES

Chair: Mike Pearce, SAFCOM AFAC Manager: Russell Shephard

Michael Morgan, SAMFS

Russell Neuendorf, QFRS

Ian Barnes, MFB

Mark Phillips, ACT ESA

William Norfolk, QFRS

Andre Belterman, Melbourne Water

Trevor Arnold, VIC SES

Tony Norman, SAMFS

Colin Dawes, ACT ESA

Dan Meijer, NSW RFS

Frank Pasquale, FESA

John Grech, CFA

Jeff Harper, TFS

Trevor Pearce, SAFECOM

Mike Gallagher, TFS

Les Holden, FESA

Kevin Stacey, NZFS

John Hacking, RFS

Ian Kennerley, NSW RFS

Neville Stephenson, SAFECOM

Peter Kiernan, NZFS

Richard Spiteri, FRNSW

Adam Summons, FRNSW

Audrey Ko, NT PFES

Damian Foletti, MFB

Lota Vargas, FRNSW

Russell Neuendorf, QFRS

Ben Murphy, MFB

Glenda Warren, NSW RFS

Frank Pasquale, FESA

Dave Ellis, NTFRS

Harry Wiedemann, MFB

Ron Preston, VIC SES

Anthony Styring, MFB

Michael Wootten, CFA

Tim Rhodes, ACT PCS

Stephen Johnston, FESA

Amanda Singleton, NSW SES

Steve Warrington, CFA

Michael Somers, DSE

Chief Information Officers Group Built Environment Sub Group

Chair: Mike Hall, NZFS AFAC Manager: Jill Edwards

Owen Swanton, DSE Guy Tesorier, FRNSW Arthur Tindall, AFAC Wayne Willimott, ACT ESA

John Barratt, ACT ESA

Chair: Greg Buckley, FRNSW AFAC Manager: Rob Llewellyn

Paul Bunker, VIC SES

Andrew Andreou, CFA

Michael Foreshew, CFA

Rod Bahr, SAMFS

Alma Hong, NZFS

Adam Dalrymple, MFB

Richard Host, FRNSW

Simon Davis, NZFS

Iain Larner, TFS

Jarrod Edwards, MFB

Robbie Lefroy, FESA

Tony Flaherty, ACT ESA

Gary McKinnon, FRNSW

Terry Jackson, FESA

Femina Metcalfe, DEC, WA

Paul McBride, Airservices Australia

Alen Slijepcevic, DSE VIC

Phil Oakley, TFS

Matthew Smith, NSW RFS

Alan Oates, NTFRS

Glenn Walker, QFRS

Neil Reid, QFRS

John Weippert, NT PFES

Pat Ryan, SACFS

Neil Wheeler, MFB

Andrew Edwards, NSW SES

Lew Short, NSW RFS

AFAC Groups Members Continued >>

Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council | 19 Annual Report 2011

AFAC Group Members...

Community Educations Sub Group

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Work Group

Fire Engineering Project Group

Chair: Lisa Sturzeneggar, CFA AFAC Manager: Rob Llewellyn

Chair: David Weir, FRNSW AFAC Manager: Corrine Taton

Chair: Jarrod Edwards, MFB AFAC Manager: Rob Llewellyn

Sandra Barber, TFS

Con Patralis (Co-chair), MFB

Dave Boverman, NSW RFS

Gwynne Brennan, CFA

Sandra Barber, TFS

Ed Claridge, NZFS

Virginia Dixon, ACT ESA

Fiona Dunstan, SACFS

Jeff Dau, ACT ESA

Fiona Dunstan, SACFS

Christine Elliott, CFA

Stephen Doran, CFA

Allan Foster, SAMFS

Allan Foster, SAMFS

Benjamin Hughes Brown, FRNSW

Gary Gilby, QFRS

Gary Gilby, QFRS

Jeff Knight, TFS

Christine Jenkinson, AEMI

Julien Nicholas, AEMI

Stephen Keel, FESA

Maryanne Martin, DSE

Glenda Ramage, NTFRS

Rob Llewellyn, AFAC

Rob McNeil, FRNSW

Scott Sargentina, NZFS

Paul McBride, Airservices Australia

Maryanne Martin, DSE

Suellen Shea, FESA

Steven McKee, QFRS

Glenda Ramage, NTFRS

Elena Sione, ACT ESA

John Oliver, NTFRS

Scott Sargentina, NZFS

Jim Smith, FRNSW

Amy Seppelt, SAMFS

Suellen Shea, FESA

Rob Taylor, MFB

Cihan Soylemez, MFB

Jim Smith, FRNSW

Tanyia Tuckey, NSW RFS

Rob Taylor, MFB

David Webber, NSW SES

Tanyia Tuckey, NSW RFS Dave Webber, NSW RFS

Data Management Sub Group Community Safety

Fire Investigation and Analysis Project Group Chair: Adam Dalrymple, MFB AFAC Manager: Rob Llewellyn

Chair: Nick Nicolopoulos, (FRNSW) AFAC Manager: Jill Edwards

Bob Alexander, FRNSW

Glen Benson, NSW RFS

Steve Edwards, ACT ESA

Keith Adamson, MFB

Helen Bow, NSW SES

Nicole Harvey, CFA

Mick Ayre, NTFRS

Gloria Caruso, MFB

Ian Hunter, MFB

David Caporn, FESA

Chris Cowley, CFA

Mark Klop, TFS

Christine Jenkinson, AEMI

Ann De Piaz, SACFS

Chris Lewis, FRNSW

David Kemp, SAMFS

Anthony Griffiths, DSE

Bob Mathieson, NSW RFS

Damien Killalea, TFS

Grant Hamon, NT FRS

Bernard Nunn, QFRS

Maryanne Martin, DSE

James Lonergan, OEH NSW

Shaun Ruxton, SAMFS

Leigh Miller, SACFS

Roxene Murphy, FESA

Peter Van Boxtel, NTFRS

Beth Moloney, NTFRS

Selena Stanley, QFRS

Les Vearing, DSE

Steve Opper, NSW SES

David van Geytenbeek, TFS

Craig Waters, FESA

Chair: Paula Beever, NZFS AFAC Manager: Rob Llewellyn

Mark Ciantar, TFS

Mark Roche, QFRS

Peter Wilding, NZFS

Rob Rogers, NSW RFS

Richard Woods, ACT ESA

Jim Smith, FRNSW Andrew Stark, ACT RFS Lisa Sturzenegger, CFA Corrine Taton, AFAC

Employee Management Sub Group Chair: Iain Mckenzie, QRFS AFAC Manager: Judy Gouldbourn Conrad Barr, ACT ESA Paul Cortese, ACT ESA Phil Robeson / Narelle Koteff, NSW RFS Janine Hearn, NZFS Larry Cocker, NZFS Karen Roberts, FESA Mary Kinsella, FESA Laura Dewson, NTFRS David van den Berg, CFA Robyn Pearce, TFS Danielle Byrnes, MFB Sean Hogan, MFB

20 | Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council

Annual Report 2011

AFAC Group Members...

Fleet Group

Hazardous Materials Sub Group

Landscape Performance Measures Work Group

Chair (New): Gavin Freeman, TFS Chair: Rob McNeil, FRNSW AFAC Manager: Paul Considine

Chair: Neil Cooper, ACT PCS AFAC Manager: Gary Featherston

Gavin Brown, MFB

Barry Byrne, MFB

Justin Cook, Forestry SA

Andrew Canderle, RFS

Bob Crockford, SAMFS

Carole Dowd, FESA

Tia Christenson, OEH NSW

Brian Whittaker, MFB

Anthony Griffiths, DSE

Peter Fanning, FRNSW

Craig Brownlie, CFA

Michael Joyce, ACT ESA

Keith Harrap, RFS

Danny Brighenti, ACT ESA

Gary Lockyer, NZ NRFA

Ken Hare, CFA

Dave Ellis, NTFRS

Stuart Midgely, NSW RFS

Carl Hollis, OEH NSW

Jeff Harper, QFRS

Gregg Paterson, CFA

Richard Kowalewski, QFRS

Lloyd Bailey, FESA

Selena Stanley, QFRS

Graham Milton, FESA

Malim Watts, SACFS

Bruce McDonald, NSW RFS

Martin Braid, MFB

David Taylor, Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania

John McLeod, NTFRS

Matthew Daniels, CFA

Tim Norris, ACT ESA

Michael Logan, QFRS

Hue Pham, FRNSW

Paul Bailey, FRNSW

Ron Preston, VIC SES

Ron Weston, ACT ESA

Sandy Paterson, SACFS

Scott Perry, NTFRS

Andrew Purvis, QFRS

Stephen Johnston, FESA

Robert Rankin, CFA

Stuart Males, TFS

Nigel Robertson, DSE

Warren Glover, CFA

David Schmerl, SAMFS

Wayne Atkins, SACFS

Chair: Garry Kravainis, FESA AFAC Manager: Russell Shephard John Allardyce, NZFS Brad Burgess, FESA

Wayne Willimott, ACT ESA Geoff Williams, SAMFS

Chair: David Guard, NZFS AFAC Manager: Sandra Lunardi Tim Rhodes, ACT PCS Naomi Gilders, Airservices Australia

Robert Walker, QFRS Rob Wilson, MFB

Learning and Development Group

Julie Nolan, ACT ESA

Leon Smith, TFS Garry Watson, MFB

Grant Allan, Bushfires NT

Knowledge Management Group

Tony Duckmanton, SA CFS Stephen Clayton, DENR SA Cameron Leary, DEC WA

Chair: Mick Ayre, NTFRS AFAC Manager: Amanda Leck

David Rawet, DEC WA

Fatima Abbas, FRNSW

Liz Hamilton, EMQUAL

Gloria Caruso, MFB

David Evenis, FESA

Andrew Comer, TFS

Michael Ryan, FRNSW

Mark Dawson, SAFECOM

Brendan Angwin, MFB

Ann De Piaz, SACFS

Stephen Glassock, NSW RFS

Andrew Edwards, NSW SES

Dave Owen, NSW SES

Elizabeth Hides, FESA

Mark Spain, NTFRS

Christine Jenkinson, AGD

Alison Edwards, NTFRS

Dylan Kendall, ACT PCS

Andrew Short, QFRS

Liz Tasker, OEH NSW

Steve Crouch, QFRS

Cameron Wade, Forests NSW

Lee Watson, SA CFS

Glenda Warren, NSW RFS

Deborah Parsons, SAMFS

Tim Watkins, QFRS

Mike Pryjma, Forests, NSW

Andrew Wilson, DSE

Suzanne Bacon, TFS

Andrew Buckley, DSE

Greg Butters, TFS Loretta Orsini, VIC SES

Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council | 21 Annual Report 2011

AFAC Group Members...

Occupational Health and Safety Sub Group

Personal Protective Equipment Group

Rural and Land Management Group

Chair: Robyn Pearce, TFS AFAC Manager: Judy Gouldbourn

Chair: Arthur Tindall, SACFS AFAC Manager: Russell Shephard

Chair: Murray Dudfield, NZ NRFA AFAC Manager: Gary Featherston

Alison Donohoe, FRNSW

Andre Belterman, Melbourne Water

Andrew Stark, ACT RFS

Andrew McKay, MFB

Mike Brown (Council Sponsor), TFS

Andrew Sullivan, CSIRO

Alan Harris / Derrick Oliver, NSW RFS

Gerry Byrne, FRNSW

Chris Arnol, FESA

David Kemp, SAFECOM, rep SA CFS

Stephen Caust, ACT ESA

Craige Brown, Melbourne Water

Gary Zuiderwyk, NSW SES

Tia Christenson, OEH NSW

Darryl Dunbar, FRNSW

Ian Leaves, MFB

John Duggan, Park TAS

Dave Stevens, ForestrySA

Janine Webb, DSE

Keith Harrap, NSW RFS

David Nugent, Parks Victoria

Jeff Green, CFA

Carl Hollis, OEH NSW

Ewan Cayzer, QFRS

John Bartholomew, QFRS

Hugh Jones, TFS

Ewan Waller, DSE

Julian Hughes, NZFS

David Mack, SAMFS

Gary Morgan, BCRC

Karen Roberts, FESA

Paul McBride, Airservices Australia

James Lonergan, OEH NSW

Leah Parlour, FESA

Bruce McDonald, NSW RFS

Mark Chladil, TFS

Micah Spedding, VIC SES

Albert McLean, QFRS

Murray Carter, DEC WA

Mike Pryjma, Forests NSW

Mike Pryjma, Forests NSW

Neil Cooper, ACT PCS

Phil McInerney, MFB

Tim Rhodes, ACT PCS

Peter Leeson, DREM QLD

Richard Woods, ACT ESA

Ian Ridge, NSW RFS

Richard Alder, NAFC

Peter Stephenson, Airservices Australia

Michael Somers, DSE

Robin Hicks, BoM

Steve Pavlich, SAFECOM, rep SA MFS

Graham Swift, FESA

Shane Wiseman, DENR SA

Mark Tarbett, CFA

Stephen Warren, VIC SES

Robert Trewartha, NTFRS

Steve Rothwell, QFRS

Bill Weir, MFB

Tim McGuffog, Forests NSW

Craig Wilson, ACT SES

Adrian Pyrke, Parks Tasmania

Keith Whale, NZFS

Chris Smith, SAMFS

Pacific Islands Liaison Officers Group Chair: Grant Lupton, SAMFS AFAC Manager: Jill Edwards Glenn Benham, SAMFS Darren Conlin, MFB Tony Davidson, TFS Adam Dewberry, FRNSW Richard Griffiths, FRNSW David Guard, NZFS Mark Roche, QFRS David Schmerl, SAMFS Steve Warrington, CFA Gary White, FRNSW

22 | Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council

Annual Report 2011

Grant Allan, Bushfires NT Kerry Hilliard, DOC NZ Leigh Kleinschmidt, Forestry Plantations QLD Mario Malovic, Melbourne Water Rob Rogers, NSW RFS Rob Sandford, SACFS Steve Warrington, CFA Tony Blanks, Forestry Tasmania

AFAC Group Members...

SES Community Safety Group

Urban Operations Group

Chair: Steve Opper, NSW SES AFAC Manager: Paul Considine

Chair: Greg Nettleton, NTFRS AFAC Manager: Paul Considine

Andrew Gissing, VIC SES

Dan Meijer, NSW RFS

Bob Stevenson, SA SES

Dave Ellis, NTFRS

Chair: David Guard, NZFS AFAC Manager: Sandra Lunardi

Clare Barker, NTES

Gavin Freeman, TFS

Stephen Walls, CFA

David Caporn, FESA

Ian Mitchell, QFRS

Rick Parkes, FRNSW

Colleen Ridge, TAS SES

Lloyd Bailey, FESA

David Evenis, FESA

Mark Dole, EMQ

Malim Watts, SACFS

Mark Swiney, MFB

Paul Cortese, ACT SES

Mark Brown, FRNSW

James Coyne, VC

Suellen Shea, FESA

Michael Morgan, SAMFS

David Brooks, ASA ARFF

Michael Walker, MFB

Andrew Short, QFRS

Paul McGill, NZFS

Danny Brighenti, ACTFB

SES Operations Group

Paul Swain, ACT ESA

David Key, (URG Rep), NZFS

Chair: Tony Graham, ACT SES AFAC Manager: Paul Considine

Steve Warrington, CFA

Peter Button, SA MFS

Trevor Arnold, SA SES

Clare Barker, NTES Elke Brown, TAS SES Gary Gifford, FESA Keith Fitzgerald, NSW SES

USAR / Technical Rescue Sub Group

Vector Command Strategic Management Reference Group

Volunteer Management Sub Group Chair: Mark Groote, SAFECOM, SA AFAC Manager: Judy Gouldbourn

Mark Morrow, NSW SES

Chair: John Denny, FRNSW AFAC Manager: Paul Considine

Trevor White, VIC SES

Bill Drysdale, MFB

Christine Jenkinson, AGD

Matt Maywald, SA SES

Colin Lindsay, SAMFS

Janine Hearn, NZFS

Craig Brownlie, CFA

Karen Roberts, FESA

Glenn Benham, SAMFS

Ken Burns, TFS

Grahame Parker, AG

Kerrie Purcell, QFRS

Greg Kent, ACT ESA

Lucas van Rijswijk, TFS

Jim Dance, AG

Narelle Koteff, NSW RFS

Mark Dobson, TFS

Tony Parkinson, NTFRS

Mark Dole, EMQ

Unwanted False Alarm Sub Group Chair: Neil Reid, QFRS AFAC Manager: Paul Considine Chris Wyborn, CFA Christine Herridge, FRNSW Grant Hamon, NTFRS Jo Rosenhain, MFB John Streets, TFS

Charles King, CFA

Michael Hutton, NTFRS Stephen Johnston, FESA Stephen Smith, QFRS Timothy Fox, FRNSW Trevor Arnold, SA SES

Mark Phillips, ACT ESA Rod Bahr, SAMFS Ron Haines, MFB Russell Dickson, NZFS

Vector Command User Reference Group

Trevor Wigg, FESA

Chair: David Key, NZFS AFAC Manager: Sandra Lunardi

Warwick Isemonger, FRNSW

Danny Brighenti, ACT Fire Brigade

Sophie Doukas, MFB

David Brooks, ASA ARFF Aaron Stockton, CFA Wayne Miller, FRNSW Steve Matthews, FESA Paul Rowe, MFB Kevin White, QRFS David French, SAMFB James Coyne, VectorCommand

Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council | 23 Annual Report 2011

AFAC Group Members...

Wildfire Aviation Technical Sub Group

AFAC Standards Committees Representatives

Chair: David Cant, South Australia AFAC Manager: Gary Featherston

AFAC Managers: R Llewellyn

R Shephard

Richard Alder, NAFC

P Beever, NZFS

Paul Baker, NZ

P Beylerian, FR NSW

Wayne Bates, QLD

S Bilsborough, FR NSW

Hayden Biggs, ViIC

J Black, FR NSW

Maryanne Carmichael, NSW

R Bott, QFRS

David Crust, NSW

G Buckley, FRNSW

Anthony Ferguson, NSW

M Castelli, FRNSW

Janet Inman, SA

M Chladil, TFS

Raymond Jasper, VIC SES

A Dalrymple, MFB

Tim McGuffog, ACT

B Davey, NZFS

Terry Maher, WA

S Davis, NZFS

Andrew Matthews, VIC

R East, MFB

Ian Millman, NZ

J Edwards, MFB

David Pearce, SA

M Eelman, FRNSW

Matt Plucinski, CSIRO

J Ferguson, MFB

Peter Saint, WA

J Firestone, NZFS

Paul Salter, TAS

T Fox, FR NSW

Barry Scott, VIC

B Fradd, CFA

Paul Simakoff-Ellims, ACT

M Gleeson, FRNSW

Brian Smith, QLD

S Gupta, FRNSW

Jeremy Smith, TAS

J Harper, QFRS

Andrew Stark, ACT

S Harvey, FRNSW

Andrew Turner, NT

T Hayes, CFA

Doug Whitfield, WA

B Hughes-Brown, FRNSW W Isemonger, FRNSW T Jackson, FESA

Workforce Management Group

M Kidd, NZFS

Chair: Iain Mackenzie, QFRS AFAC Manager: Judy Gouldbourn

R Llewellyn, AFAC

Conrad Barr, ACT ESA

S McKee, QFRS

Danielle Byrnes, MFB

R McNeil, FRNSW

Darren Husdell, FRNSW

S Moore, MFB

David Rawet, DEC WA

N Nicolopoulos, FRNSW

David Rae, NSW SES

P Nugent, FRNSW

Frank Pasquale, FESA

J Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien, NZFS

Janine Hearn, NZFS

S Parkins, FRNSW

Mark Groote, SAFECOM, SA

J Parrot, CFA

Mick Ayre, NTFRS

M Porter, FRNSW

Narelle Koteff, NSW RFS

M Potter, CFA

Paul Garvey, CFA

M Ridgway, QFRS

Robyn Pearce, TFS

P Ryan, SA CFS

M Klop, TFS J Knight, TFS M Logan, QFRS

I Shephard, QFRS R Smith, FESA C Soylemez, MFB R Spiteri, FRNSW J Stuart-Black, NZFS T Styring, MFB M Tarbett, CFA K Whale, NZFS S Xia, FRNSW 24 | Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council

Annual Report 2011

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