afac annual report 2011-2012

Annual Report 2011-2012

AFAC Vision

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

Themes and Priorities for 2012 - 2014In 2009 the AFAC Council endorsed the current Strategic Plan. In February this year the AFAC Board, other senior member agency personnel and senior AFAC staff met to plan the work priorities for the next two years. A review of our current operating environment was undertaken and risks and opportunities for the fire and emergency management industry were examined.

To assist and broaden the perspective, three people aligned with our industry but independent of member agencies of AFAC, were invited to address the group to bring their own perspective and insights.

The planning group recognised while the description of our operating environment contained in the AFAC Strategic Plan is still largely relevant, some issues have crystallised requiring more urgent focus. The group noted particularly the impacts of new technologies, specifically social media, has been even greater than predicted three years ago, driving increasing expectations from communities and media.

The five themes endorsed by the Council in April 2012 and which will guide AFAC for the next two years are:

• Leadership and Advocacy

• Standards and Performance

• Interoperability and Consistency

• Data, Information and Knowledge

• Capability and Capacity

ContentsPresident’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

CEO’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

AFAC Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

AFAC Board Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

AFAC Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

AFAC Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

AFAC Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Statement of Financial Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Statement of Financial Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

AFAC 2011 Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Executive Command Forum 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

AFAC Workshops, Groups, Networks and Professional Development Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Award 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Laurie Lavelle Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Motorola Knowledge Innovation Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

AFAC Group Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

AFAC Members and Affiliates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

SponsorsAFAC sincerely acknowledges and thanks our corporate supporters:

From the President

Lee A Johnson AFSM MIFireE, Commissioner Queensland Fire and Rescue Service AFAC President

Significant flooding in the eastern States and major fire activity in central and the ‘top end’ of Australia were the major events this year. Add in a cyclone or two in the West and summer storm activity in large metro areas with ensuing hail-stone damage and you have to agree, we are indeed a diverse country with substantial challenges in emergency management, no matter what the season.

The year also saw the conclusion of important and long running inquiries into floods, fire and other events. Our sector continues to respond to the challenges of implementing the recommendations of these inquiries.

In February, AFAC staff and a number of Council Members met to review the AFAC strategy and determine the key themes and priorities for the next few years. Key areas of focus are our need to determine the drivers shaping emergency management in our increasingly global and networked world, and understanding how success or good performance is measured and shapes community and stakeholder expectations.

We are making good progress in having our voice and experience heard in the areas of standards development, building and planning, but there is still much work to do. Our reliance on and ability to utilise research to inform good policy development and shape our practice areas continues. I am pleased to advise that the Bushfire CRC will continue to 2014, while work continues to transition into an all hazards Research Institute.

While our themes and areas of priority may have moved a little in response to our environment, our vision of building capability and capacity across the sector have not. AFAC and the Bushfire CRC staged a very successful annual conference in Sydney in August/September 2011, setting a new benchmark in terms of attendance and quality of program for future years. A number of other highly successful knowledge sharing and professional development events and programs were also held throughout the year.

AIIMs 3rd edition (revised) which acknowledges the elevation of the public information role was released and the AIIMS Steering Committee is well progressed in its comprehensive review and recommendations for the overall AIIMS doctrine. I thank the steering committee for guiding this critical work.

The new AFAC collaboration model was implemented earlier this year and I am pleased to see a number of workgroups have now transitioned into networks and all are using a variety of technologies to minimise the need for face to face meetings. The current economic environment will significantly challenge our ability to work collaboratively to achieve better industry outcomes. It is beholden on us all to find innovative and cost effective ways to continue our communication and information sharing.

As many of you know, Naomi Brown will be leaving AFAC at the end of 2012. I would like to sincerely thank Naomi on behalf of the Council for the vision, foresight and professional way she has steered the ship of AFAC over the past six years. Naomi has been well supported by a highly skilled and experienced team and I also acknowledge and thank them for their commitment.

From the CEO

Naomi Brown, CEO AFAC

AFAC holds an important place in the emergency services sector as the national body representing fire, emergency service and land management agencies throughout Australia and New Zealand. A real strength for us is that every eligible agency is a member of AFAC allowing us to represent approximately 250,000 paid and volunteer practitioners.

It has been interesting to cast back over the last few years to contemplate changes to the environment in which member agencies are operating and, by extension, AFAC.

The work of the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre is inextricably linked with the work of AFAC and has been successful on a number of levels. Most obvious and expected is the emergence of a large body of new knowledge that has been used to inform policy and practice at jurisdictional and agency level. Less obvious has been the subtle change in the culture of many of the partner agencies which has seen the search for evidence as a first response to a problem. Added to this has been the relationship that has developed between the practitioners and the researchers which has greatly enhanced the usefulness of the research being undertaken and has helped build a strong cohort of researchers for fire and emergency services for the future.

The number of inquiries after events is having a noticeable effect on AFAC members. There is always a large body of work in preparing for them as well as the implementation of multiple recommendations afterwards. Such inquiries always have a significant effect on the individuals involved and often the agency as well.

It is noticeable that expectations of fire and emergency services from the community and media continue to escalate, driven in no small part by the advent of recent technology that is owned not by agencies but by the public. This continues to test agencies’ ability to give information in rapidly changing circumstances and has completely changed previous notions of being in charge of events. Such expectations and thinking were behind the first of a number of changes to AIIMS, this being the elevation of public information to a function in its own right.

Severe financial constraints are being felt by the majority of AFAC members resulting in significant changes to agency structures and loss of jobs. This situation will challenge our ability to work collaboratively, at least face to face. In anticipation of this, AFAC last year reviewed its model of collaboration and this is taking more of the Groups into using web based technology to communicate. This trend will be enhanced by the use of video and other tools.

Despite these difficulties, the AFAC and Bushfire CRC Conference continues to go from strength to strength. We continue to be impressed and grateful for the support from our members and the exhibitors and the sponsors of this event.

As I will finish as CEO in December this year, I would like to thank all of the Council members and particularly those who have served on the Board for their support of AFAC and me personally over the last six years. Huge thanks and compliments also to the AFAC staff who are a dedicated, professional and very enjoyable team to work with.

Best wishes to you all.

Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council - Annual Report 2012 | 1

President

Lee A JohnsonCommissioner 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).

Elected October 2005

Deputy President

Greg Mullins, Commissioner Fire and Rescue NSW AFSM, M. Management, FIFireE, FAIM

Greg was appointed Commissioner of Fire and Rescue New South Wales (formerly NSW Fire Brigade) in July 2003. He is the first person to be appointed as both Chief Fire Officer and CEO. He commenced his career in firefighting joining the agency in 1978 after serving for six years as a volunteer firefighter with the NSW Bushfire Service (now Rural Fire Service).

In addition to his roles 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 has been the recipient of numerous awards and commendations including the Australian Fire Service Medal.

Elected September 2007

Treasurer

Bob ConroyExecutive Director – Conservation Projects Division – NPWS Office of Environment & Heritage, NSW

Bob Conroy is Executive Director of the Conservation Projects Division, NPWS, within the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. He has been a member of the AFAC Board for three years and was appointed Treasurer last financial year.

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. He has also been awarded the National Fire Medal.

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

Elected September 2009

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

While most directors are elected from Council, the AFAC constitution allows for the election of an independent director.

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 Board

Lee Johnson, QFRS, President

Greg Mullins, FR NSW, Deputy President

Bob Conroy, OEH NSW, Treasurer

Mary Barry, VIC SES

Greg Nettleton, SA CFS

Mark Crosweller, ACT ESA

Grant Lupton, SA MFS

Wayne Gregson, FESA

Ross Dickson, Forests NSW

Neil Cooper, ACT PCS

Murray Dudfield, NRFA NZ

Paul Baxter, NZFS

Tony Blanks, Forestry Tasmania

Shane Fitzsimmons, NSW RFS

Murray Kear, NSW SES

Mike Brown, TFS

Rebecca Williams, DERM QLD

Steve Rothwell, NT FRS

Chris Beattie, SA SES

David Nugent, Parks Victoria

Adrian Pyrke, Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania

Greg Saunder, ForestrySA

Andrew Lea, TAS SES

Andrew Werner, Airservices Australia

Murray Carter, DEC WA

Lloyd Bailey, FESA SES

Bruce Grady, EMQ

Stephen Sutton, Bushfires NT

Peter Davies, NT ES

Ewan Waller, DSE VIC

Grant Pelton, DENR SA

Nick Easy, MFB

Mick Bourke, CFA VIC

Tony Graham, ACT SES

Peter Channels, Attorney-General’s Department

AFAC Council

2 | Annual Report 2012 - Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council

AFAC Directors

Mary BarryChief Executive Officer, Victoria State Emergency Service

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.

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.


Mark CroswellerCommissioner ACT Emergency Services Agency AFSM FAIM

Mark was appointed Assistant Commissioner of the Rural Fire Service NSW in 1998, commencing with the agency in the mid-eighties. In 2010 he was appointed Commissioner for the ACT Emergency Services Agency, responsible for the ACT - Fire Brigade, Ambulance Service, Rural Fire Service and State Emergency Service.

Mark is also a Director on the Board of the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC) and the ACT & South East NSW Aeromedical Service Ltd. He is a foundation Chair of the Coffee4Kids Foundation and is the recipient of numerous commendations and awards, including the Australian Fire Service Medal in 2003. He has a Masters of Management from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Elected August 2011

Greg NettletonChief Officer, South Australian Country Fire Service

Greg was appointed Chief Officer of the South Australian Country Fire Service in 2011 and is the Public Officer for the CFS Foundation.

Prior to joining SACFS, he was the Director and Chief Fire Officer for the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service. During 1998, as an inaugural Regional Director, he helped with the formation of the Fire & Emergency Services Authority, WA.

Greg holds a Degree in Engineering (Civil), a Masters’ Degree in Engineering Science and a Masters’ Degree in Business.

Elected August 2011

Grant LuptonChief Officer & CEO South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service AFSM, B.GS, MIFireE, CPMgr, FAIM

Grant Lupton was appointed Chief Officer and CEO of the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) in March 2002 and was recently reappointed for a third five-year term.

Prior to this appointment, Grant held a number of senior command roles with the Fire Services in Canada and is the recipient of a number of service citations and medals including the Canadian Fire Services’ Exemplary Service Medal. Both the South Australian Emergency Services Medal and Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) were awarded in 2007.

Grant has served and continues to serve on the Board of a number of Associations. He is the 2013 IFE International President Elect.


AFAC Staff

CEO

Naomi Brown

Naomi Brown joined AFAC as Chief Executive Officer in 2006, from the CFA where she was Director of Community Safety.

Claire Brentnall Project Officer, Strategy

Paul Considine Manager Operations, Urban Fire & SES

Jill Edwards Manager, Strategy

Trevor Essex Manager, Finance

Gary Featherston Manager, Rural & Land Management

Judy Gouldbourn Manager, Human Resources

Amanda Leck Manager, Knowledge Innovation

Rob Llewellyn Manager, Community Safety

Sandra Lunardi Manager, Learning and Development

Kent MacCarter Coordinator, Online Services

Sue Pigdon Manager, Marketing & Sponsorship

Shesiedo Ringdahl Coordinator, Communication & Events

Russell Shephard Manager, Standards

Ben Smith Project Officer, Learning & Development

Margaret Staples Reception / Accounts Assistant

Corinne Taton Project Officer, Administration

Kate Twentyman Officer, Finance

Lynette White Executive Assistant to CEO

Paul Whiting Manager, Info & Comms Technology


Statement of Financial Performance For the Year Ended 30 June 2012

2012 $

2011 $

REVENUEMembers Subscriptions 1,645,332 1,642,832

Gross Margin From Trading Activities 728,769 562,723

Other Revenue 1,154,686 815,384

Total Revenue 3,528,787 3,020,939

EXPENSESSalaries & Related Expenses 2,407,245 1,898,209

Travel & Meeting Expenses 164,659 199,506

Office Expenses 567,567 544,034

Other Expenses 362,520 362,367

Total Expenses 3,501,991 3,004,116

Surplus/(Deficit) 26,796 16,823

Statement of Financial Position As at 30 June 2012

CURRENT ASSETSCash & Debtors 7,199,963 6,466,957

Others 314,520 221,825

Total Current Assets 7,514,483 6,688,782

NON CURRENT ASSETSIT & Office Equipment 243,014 278,280

TOTAL ASSETS 7,757,497 6,967,062

CURRENT LIABILITIESTrade Creditors 1,740,295 1,974,604

Revenue in Advance 2,269,424 1,737,629

Special Project Funding 1,799,794 1,368,138

Total Current Liabilities 5,809,513 5,080,371

NON CURRENT LIABILITIESDeferred Revenue - 19,388

Others 175,862 121,977

TOTAL NON CURRENT LIABILITIES 175,862 141,365

NET EQUITY 1,772,122 1,745,326


Highlights StandardsAFAC has representation on 51 standards committees either through AFAC staff or Member representation. AFAC views are frequently upheld in the development of standards from building codes through to public safety guidelines and personal protective equipment. This year AFAC was successful in ensuring our members’ views were incorporated into the following published standards:

• AS 3959 Construction of Homes in Bushfire Prone Areas

• AS 5414-2012 Bushfire Water Spray Systems

• ASNZS 4067 Helmets for Structural Firefighting

RepresentationAFAC has representation on 28 external committees across diverse areas including: Mobile Broadband, Radio Communications, Government Skills Australia, Attorney-General’s Department Deployment Working Group and The Productivity Commission.

SubmissionsDuring the year AFAC completed 13 submissions on behalf of the industry including:

• Submission - COAG Review of Protocols for Australian Defence Force (ADF) Assistance following a Disaster

• Review of the Bureau of Meteorology (the Review) by Senator the Hon Don Farrell, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water

• Impact of Model Work Health & Safety Act Regulations and Codes of Practice

Positions and GuidelinesThis financial year the Council endorsed AFAC Positions on:

• Endorsement of Level 3 Incident Controllers

• Public Safety Mobile Broadband

Guidelines were also signed off on:

• Responding to Incidents Involving Landfill Gas Leaching

• A Guide to Resource Sharing (Mutual Aid) 2011

• Safety Considerations for Damaged Photovoltaic Arrays

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Specifications

Collaborative Procurement During the year the NSW National 292 contract was awarded. This body of work was the culmination of 18 months of collaboration by the AFAC Collaborative Procurement Group and covers some 100 line items of commonly used firefighting equipment; these include such items as hose, couplings, thermal imaging cameras and personal protective equipment.

Through the Collaborative Procurement Contracts area of the Knowledge Web, members will be able to access the outcomes of these significant tenders, deriving major benefits from the standard terms and conditions across price, quality and service delivery.

National Burning ProjectThe National Burning Project is a joint venture between AFAC and the Forest Fire Management Group (FFMG) and is a 10 year undertaking which commenced in 2010. The project consists of 10 sub-projects that are linked to form a framework of coordinated actions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of prescribed burning in meeting public policy objectives.

This body of work aims to use a national approach to reduce bushfire risk by the comprehensive management of prescribed burning, seeking a balance between the operational, ecological and community health risks.

Four sub-projects received funding from the Australian Government through the National Emergency Management Program (NEMP). These funds were used to compile the science review and a review of current practices to inform the preparation of a best practice guide.

A glossary and fuel assessment guide was added to The Bushfire Fuel Classification System. This work, undertaken by the CSIRO, involved a national workshop to get practitioners and experts together to inform the consultants of their needs from the system. The funds also paid for the preparation of a risk management framework for two of the four major risks, Fuel and Smoke. The remaining risks that are proposed for analysis are Operational and Ecological.

AFAC Strategic Command ProgramThe need for a high-level strategic command program was identified by senior incident managers and evolved through discussion at the 2010 and 2011 AFAC Executive Command Forum.

This program is designed for senior leaders responsible for managing operations at Zone, Region and State level. With a focus on strategic operational command, participants are given the opportunity to examine and challenge fundamental assumptions around their own leadership and control of operations, providing opportunities for further personal development.

Senior operational staff who can oversee multiple incidents concurrently, assess the competence of Incident Controllers while they are ‘on the job’ and gauge the effectiveness of incident response and information operations are vital to our agencies. These leaders need to anticipate and manage the critical interplay of political and strategic concerns at key times during incident response, and maintain a credible and vital personal leadership approach that ensures their teams are working to the best of their ability.

Representatives from 14 AFAC member agencies attended the inaugural AFAC Strategic Command Program ‘Leading into the Unknown’ held at the Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM) at the end of July 2012.

Executive Leadership Program, Australasian Institute of Police Management (AIPM)Since the inception of the first AFAC Executive Leadership Program in 2003, a suite of additional courses has been developed, covering leadership, developing leadership, volunteer leadership and executive command and strategic command.

A total of 1,200 AFAC members and personnel through affiliate or aligned organisations and agencies have been though these courses in the past decade. 79 participants registered and attended the programs this year.


Fire Aviation Training and Assessment FrameworkThe AFAC Council endorsed the Fire Aviation Training Framework in August 2011 resulting in a national approach to the training, assessment and certification of personnel performing an AIIMS or other fire aviation role. This endorsement supports a consistent approach to the development of personnel operating within aviation, and supports the sharing of resources and expertise.

An agreed approach to training and assessment will inform recognition arrangements for current and future personnel performing these roles. In the future, deployment of personnel inter- and intra-state will be based on confirmation that they have the requisite certification to perform one or more of the defined aviation roles.

Consistent with an all hazards approach, future versions of this document are intended to encompass the use of aviation beyond fire. The Framework builds on the Aviation Training and Certification Program, originally developed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria (DSE).

AIIMSA revised edition of ‘The Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System’ (AIIMS) was released during the year. This revision includes the elevation of the role of the Public Information function.

The AIIMS doctrine is widely recognised across the emergency management sector and is the standard for Incident Management in Australia, being widely adopted in the mining, energy and chemical/hazardous materials industries.

In recognition of the revisions to AIIMS, AFAC has reaccredited through the Victorian Recognition Qualifications Authority the 22202VIC Course in The Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System. The AIIMS Training Resources Kit has been revised to reflect the changes to AIIMS. Additionally, the new material within the TRK encompasses findings from the Bushfire CRC research, specifically human factors, situational awareness and decision making and leadership, how these have the potential to impact emergency management efforts, and how to mitigate their effects, where these are deleterious.

AFAC Capability Development Strategy 2011 - 2016In April 2011 the Council endorsed the AFAC Learning and Development Capability Development Strategy for 2011 - 2016. In September 2011 the AFAC Learning and Development Group prepared and endorsed an Annual Work Plan to progress the projects and actions specified in the Strategy. The 2011/2013 Annual Work Plan forms the basis of activity for the AFAC LDG during the specified period.

The AFAC Learning and Development Capability Development Strategy for 2011 - 2016 and LDG Annual Work Plan are based on extensive research undertaken in 2011. The research was designed to gauge the current state of learning and development within the fire and emergency services, and to identify emerging trends, challenges and opportunities.

Public Safety Training Package2012 marked the culmination of an intensive and comprehensive five-year project to review and update the seven firefighting qualifications within the Public Safety Training Package (PSTP) and to develop two new qualifications for emergency communications operators and supervisors, and one for specialist fire investigators.

Encompassed within this body of work has been the development and endorsement of national competencies for command and control, for the role of safety advisors and officers, and additional competencies have been completed to reflect the work of Urban Search and Rescue Category 1, 2 and 3 and swiftwater rescue personnel.

AFAC/VectorCommand Tactical Command Trainer Exercise Delivery SurveyThe pilot survey, designed to gather information on the quality of command and control exercise delivery using the VectorCommand Tactical Command Training (TCT) Simulation system by AFAC’s members, was conducted from June – November 2011. 444 participants across five agencies were surveyed.

The final report was tabled in May 2012, however the preliminary report tabled at the March Strategic Management Reference Group (SMRG) meeting proved sufficient indication of the usefulness of the information gathered, for the group to endorse the preparation of the survey tools on an annual basis. This will provide agencies with opportunity to participate on an as needs basis, whenever they have training initiatives which they wished to gauge against performance on the TCT simulation package.

Practitioner ToolsAFAC has assembled a Moderation Kit to support compliance of training and assessment across the Fire and Emergency Services sector. The Kit has been prepared to support trainers in the design, moderation and validation of assessment activities. It is currently being piloted by a number of AFAC member agencies.

Knowledge Web The AFAC Knowledge Web provides new and existing members the opportunity to share their expertise, research and operations. It also provides an online collaboration space for AFAC’s Groups, Technical Groups & Project Teams. All personnel of our member and affiliate agencies are eligible to join the Knowledge Web.

Overall site traffic on the Knowledge Web has increased by 15% on last year and the number of unique visitors has increased by 9%. Over 400 new members have registered in the past year bringing the total number of registered users to just over 2,800. There are now 37,500 unique visitors with 55,000 site visits, culminating in 170,000 page views throughout the past year. Significant growth in site user interaction is projected for the next year as we move to a new web and member platform which will deliver tailored content for members.

AFAC Communications The monthly e-newsletter AFAC-news was re-launched in October 2011 and is distributed to over 2,500 subscribers with an impressive open rate averaging approximately 36%. This newsletter is distributed to all registered users of the Knowledge Web, past AFAC and Bushfire CRC conference delegates and trade exhibitors and other subscribers.

The following information products have been developed and launched to keep members informed of the work and projects being undertaken within AFAC and are distributed to Council and representatives on the AFAC Groups and Networks:

• Council Communique: provides a summary of the outcomes of the AFAC Council meeting including decisions made by Council and Positions and Guidelines endorsed.

• AFAC Activity Updates: provides an overview of the work being undertaken by AFAC Groups and Networks that have recently met.

• Standards Watch: provides a snapshot of some of the activities that have occurred over the past six months with respect to Standards in which AFAC plays a significant role.

Highlights continued...


AFAC National Database – Incident Activity Reporting, Australian Fire and Rescue ServicesIn September 2011, the AFAC office assumed responsibility for the management of the AFAC National Database and has been building capability to provide data management, analysis and statistical reporting on industry trends, and emerging issues. Supported by Fire and Rescue NSW who previously managed the database, the AFAC office has been able to investigate and pursue greater alignment with the AIRS Standard and investigate areas where quality of the data could be improved. Additionally, we have been able to assist organisations with requests for access to the data.

AFAC will be providing a suite of standard industry statistical reports as well as ad hoc reporting services. The AFAC Data Management Group continues to work on re-establishing national consistency of the AIRS Standard, progressively reviewing each of the 10 data dictionary blocks. Three have been reviewed during 2011/12.

Firefighter Health StudyTwo years ago, AFAC commissioned Monash University to assess the feasibility of conducting a cohort study of cancer, mortality and other possible health outcomes in Australian firefighters. The feasibility phase has concluded and this study is now being undertaken by Monash under contract with AFAC.

A group of current and former firefighters has been identified by extracting data from existing computerised records held by the nine participating firefighting agencies. This representative group of approximately 215,000 firefighters will include men and women, career, part-time and volunteer firefighters.

Cancer and mortality outcomes will be measured through data linkage with the Australian Cancer Database and the National Death Index. Existing historical occupational and incident data will be used to investigate links between occupational firefighting and later cancer and death outcomes.

The duration of active firefighting in years will be used as an exposure metric for most employees and volunteer firefighters. Career and volunteer firefighters will be analysed separately. For many firefighters, it will be possible to compare risk by grouping firefighters by the number and types of emergency incidents attended after 1997, and perhaps the frequency of exposure to some hazardous materials.

No previously published study has undertaken analyses based on contemporary incident data, so the use of such data is likely to result in more refined exposure assessment methods than previously used. The study will give insight into differences of the overall cancer and death rates in Australian firefighters compared to those of the general population, and it will allow comparison of cancer incidence and death rates for subgroups within the cohort. Such findings can then be used to inform preventive strategies to better protect the health of future firefighters.

The study is expected to take three years. An Advisory Committee of participating agencies and other key stakeholders including the United Firefighters Union, Fire Brigade Employees Union, United Voice and Fire Volunteer Associations has been formed. This group met twice during 2011/2012 and regular status updates are distributed to participating agencies. The final report will be publicly available. A website has also been established which posts regular updates http://www.coeh.monash.org/ausfireftr.html

Occupational Health and Safety Regulation

Model Work Health and Safety Legislation

Model Work Health and Safety Legislation was developed over 2008 – 2011 by Safe Work Australia. New South Wales, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory implemented new laws to reflect the model legislation on 1 January 2012, with other jurisdictions to follow. The new legislation poses some challenges for emergency services, particularly in relation to responding to emergencies and the often unknown hazards that workers encounter. AFAC has developed an ongoing relationship with Safe Work Australia to address the concerns of emergency services organisations.

In December 2011, AFAC worked with Safe Work Australia to develop a set of questions and answers to address some of the key issues. This was published on the Safe Work Australia website in January 2012. Development of guidance materials for emergency services is continuing.

Research UtilisationAFAC has a strong strategic alliance and working relationship with the Bushfire CRC. This has facilitated alignment between the needs of our AFAC members with the Bushfire CRC research projects, allowing our Groups and Networks to efficiently and effectively use and integrate this research resulting in clear industry and community benefits.

There have been many active and ongoing exchanges of information and engagement with Bushfire CRC research. Some key AFAC involvement and examples of this research transfer are:

AIIMS Steering Committee – Effective Incident Management Organising, a project led by Dr Christine Owen, which is seeking to better understand how multi-agency co-ordination above the IMT can be improved.

Community Engagement Technical Group – a forum on developing consistent messages for national curriculum incorporated the insights of recent Bushfire CRC graduate, Dr Briony Towers, who explored children’s understanding of bushfire safety.

Community Safety Group – is revising the national position on Bushfires and Community Safety based on agency experience and Bushfire CRC research, including that by Dr Jim McLennan of Latrobe University, who has conducted extensive research on human behaviour and decision making under stress.

Learning and Development Group – has included into the AIIMS Training Resource Kit (TRK) human factors information developed in fire circumstances by the Bushfire CRC on:

• self, team and situational awareness

• improving communication skills

• effective incident planning

• the conduct of briefings and debriefings

• leadership and teamwork skills

Occupational Health and Safety Group – is strongly engaged in the research on the operational readiness of rural firefighters in relation to air toxins and also on the combined effects of fatigue, smoke and heat.

Rural and Land Management Group – is actively supportive of research into the effect of fire in the landscape in relation to smoke and greenhouse gas emissions, and also the impact of fires on water quality and hydrology.

There has also been a strong partnership in Knowledge Management, with many co-hosted events between AFAC and the Bushfire CRC. The use of guidelines to support effective use of events is being widely advocated as a capacity building initiative for industry and researchers, to improve the way that we run events to support research utilisation.


With more than 1400 registrations and 117 trade exhibitors,

the AFAC & Bushfire CRC annual conference held in Sydney

was a resounding success.

The conference theme, “New World, New Thinking” explored the impacts of innovation and development for the fire and emergency management sector with the plethora of new technologies including social media, spatial technology and the information revolution.

A total of 81 sessions running across four streams made up the conference program involving more then 100 speakers. The program included eight keynote presentations and eight panel sessions. A Q&A panel was the final session of the main two day conference program. In addition, eight professional development events were held on the day preceding the conference and a Fire Weather Workshop followed the Science Day.

The Dräger Knowledge Lounge made a return with 90% of delegates rating it highly.

The trade exhibition was the largest in the history of the conference and this component of the event has now become the largest trade exhibition of its kind in the southern hemisphere. The Trade Expo was well attended by delegates with 98.5% rating the exhibition as good, very good or excellent.

In keeping with the ‘new technology’ theme, the use and impact of social media was a popular topic of conversation. The twitter hashtag #afac2011 was used for the first time to add to the ‘buzz’ of the conference and SMS was used for instant feedback and poster voting.

A conference mobile phone app for smartphones and tablets was introduced with around one third of conference delegates downloading the app.

Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration

“Good themes and excellent speakers, to the extent that it was often difficult to choose between presentations being held at the same time.”

Delegate

Survey Snapshot Delegates provided the following feedback:

• 96% rated the overall conference as good, very good or excellent

• 94.5% said the conference met or exceeded their expectations

• 98.5% rated the Trade Expo as good, very good or excellent

• 96.5% rated the networking opportunities as good, very good or excellent

• 90% said it represented value for money

• 87% said they would recommend the conference to others

• 82% agreed or strongly agreed that within their area of interest, there was enough to maintain their engagement across the conference program


Executive Command Forum 2011The third Executive Command Forum was held in Melbourne in August 2011, attended by 35 of the most senior Commanders of our member agencies, who came together to work collaboratively in addressing the unique challenges faced by our industry.

The Forum provides the most senior fire, emergency service and land management leaders the opportunity to discuss contemporary command and control doctrine and systems of high level coordination at jurisdictional and national levels, and share and discuss lessons learned and ways to develop or adapt strategic operational doctrine.

The key issues identified from the 2010 Forum are all now developed and implemented:

1. To develop a Strategic Command Program as quickly as possible.

2. To re-form the Group of senior AFAC and other external bodies to oversee the maintenance and new developments with AIIMS

3. To put forward the first step of an AFAC agreed approach to accreditation of Level 3 Incident Controllers

AFAC Workshops, Groups, Networks and Professional Development Events Through its 33 member Groups and Networks, AFAC continues to provide opportunities for our members to work collaboratively to achieve the industry aim of improved public safety. A total of 56 meetings and workshops were held involving around 430 representatives from member agencies.

AFAC’s Professional Development Events program continues to grow with a total of 57 events conducted involving 1826 participants from across AFAC member agencies, and some events also open to non AFAC members from aligned organisations.

These workshops saw senior and subject matter experts from our member agencies, and where appropriate external specialists, join to discuss significant issues and national projects.

During the year significant workshops were held in the following practitioner areas:

• Community Education – Developing consistent safety messages for national adoption

• Rural and Land Management – National Burning Project

• Chief Information Officers – Emergency Communications: Challenges, lessons learned, emerging technologies and effectiveness following large scale emergencies.

Highlights included:

• The Doctrine and Organisational Learning Master Class series

• The third Executive Command Forum

• Firefighting in Urban Highrise Buildings Series, sponsored by Motorola

AFAC has a strategic partnership with the Bushfire CRC to work collaboratively to deliver high quality events for the purpose of research utilisation. Events held included Human Factors Workshops, Seasonal Outlook Workshops, Fire in the Landscape Clinics and a workshop on Sharing Responsibility for Disaster Resilience.

Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration

“Good themes and excellent speakers, to the extent that it was often difficult to choose between presentations being held at the same time.”

Delegate


Awards 2011

Pictured L-R Laurie Lavelle with the 2011 joint recipients Quinlan Webster and Leon Smith

Laurie Lavelle AwardThe Laurie Lavelle Achiever of the Year Award was introduced in 1997 to recognise individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to emergency services. The award was named after Laurie Lavelle, OAM, a long-standing former Chief Fire Officer of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Fire Brigades Board and inaugural CEO of AFAC, in recognition of his lifelong commitment to emergency services in Australasia.

Quinlan Webster, Senior Station Officer for the New Zealand Fire Service and Leon Smith, Manager Engineering Services at the Tasmania Fire Service were joint winners of this prestigious award which was presented at the joint AFAC and Bushfire CRC Conference.

Quinlan was presented the award in recognition of his outstanding achievements in advocating and improving fire safety and awareness for the deaf and hearing impaired through programs and projects in these communities. Of significance has been Quinlan’s development of the Emergency ‘111’ Deaf Text Service, providing the deaf and hearing impaired community access to the emergency services.

The New Zealand Fire Service has been publicly acknowledged for Quinlan’s work with two major awards; the ‘Public Service Award’ from the Deaf Aotearoa and the ‘Excellence in Working Together Award’ at the 2011 Institute of Public Administration Excellence Awards.

Leon, was recognised for his pivotal role in the development of the Tasmania Fire Service’s (TFS) rolling and sustainable quality fire truck replacement program, resulting in other member agencies seeking Leon and TFS’ assistance in the design and building of fire trucks.

The TFS is the only Australian fire service to build its own tanker and tanker/pumper trucks. By developing the rolling and sustainable replacement program, Leon has been able to make significant savings for TFS through the development of the program and demonstrate to other AFAC member agencies that this program is sustainable.

Alan McDougall, State Emergency Management Training Officer with the SA State Emergency Service, was also honoured the Highly Commended Award, 2011 for his central role in the training of hundreds of South Australians in the key principles of emergency management, including emergency risk management.

Pictured (Right) Liam Fogarty accepted the award from Dr Michael N’Guyen from Motorola Solutions on behalf of DSE Victoria at AFAC 2011.

Motorola Knowledge Innovation AwardIn 2010, AFAC designed and implemented an annual awards program in relation to knowledge management. The objective of the awards is to recognise the efforts of an individual and agency that has contributed significantly to developing and implementing knowledge management initiatives either within their own agency or across the broader AFAC membership.

AFAC are pleased to collaborate with Motorola Australia on this initiative and build this program into a unique industry program that is now in its third year.

Individual

The Motorola Knowledge Innovation Award (Individual) was made to Andrew Hinton, Fire & Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA), for his preparation of the principle capstone document outlining the fundamental functions and philosophies of the Operations portfolio. This project included the development of FESA’s Knowledge Management Framework, ensuring it aligns with FESA’s higher goals for knowledge management. Andrew is the Manager of Operations Doctrine at FESA.

Agency

The agency award winner was The Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria (DSE) for their development of the Future Fire Management Project and The Otway Bushfire Management Planning Pilot.

The Future Fire Management Project involved using the cutting-edge bushfire modelling tool, PHOENIX-Rapidfire, to simulate bushfires and model their potential impacts on communities. Similarly, the Otway Bushfire Management Planning Pilot involved addressing the challenges faced in bushfire management.

Both awards were presented at the Sydney AFAC and Bushfire CRC Conference by Dr Michael N’Guyen from Motorola Solutions.


AFAC Group MembersThe work of AFAC is effected through a number of Groups

which meet once or twice a year to collaborate on a wide

range of issues and topics. As outlined in last year’s annual

report and elsewhere, AFAC is transitioning to a new

Collaboration Model to give greater flexibility, accountability

and efficiency to the work of our Members. Where Groups

have transitioned to a Network prior to 30 June 2012, this has

been highlighted.

In appreciation of the current economic climate and the budgetary pressure all our Members face, AFAC has and will continue to explore more efficient ways of working, embracing technological solutions as they present and are found to be effective. A number of AFAC Groups and Networks are trialling “virtual” or video-conferencing options and AFAC will continue to seek innovative options for collaboration, to minimise the cost of face-to-face meetings.

AIIMS Steering CommitteeChair: Lee Johnson, AFSM QFRS

Chris Arnol, FESA

Mark Brown, FRNSW


John Cawcutt, QFRS

Tony Graham, ACT SES

Damien Killalea, TFS

Andrew Lawson, SA CFS

Cameron Leary, OEH NSW

Paul McGill, NZFS

Stuart Midgely, NSW RFS

Greg Mullins, AFSM FRNSW


Steve Warrington, CFA

Trevor White, VIC SES

Built Environment Technical Group (formerly Built Environment Sub Group)

Chair: Mark Whybro, FRNSW

AFAC Manager: Rob Llewellyn

Andrew Andreou, CFA

Rod Bahr, SA MFS

Greg Buckley, FRNSW

Adam Dalrymple, MFB

Simon Davis, NZFS

Steve Edwards, ACT ESA

Tony Flaherty, ACT ESA

Terry Jackson, FESA

Paul McBride, Airservices Australia

Phil Oakley, TFS

Allan Oates, NTFRS

Colin Paton, SA CFS

Neil Reid, QFRS

Paul Ryan, FESA

Lew Short, NSW RFS

Bushfire Standards Technical GroupChair: Lew Short, NSW RFS


Andrew Andreou, CFA

Mark Chladil, TFS

Leigh Miller, SA CFS

Mark Potter, CFA

Ralph Smith, FESA

Andrew Stark, ACT ESA

Business Management GroupChair: Michael Gallagher, TFS

AFAC Manager: Jill Edwards

Stephen Glassock, NSW RFS

John Gregor, NSW RFS

Audrey Ko, NTFRS

Russell Neuendorf, QFRS

William Norfolk, QFRS

Kevin Pallier, NSW SES

Frank Pasquale, FESA

Kevin Stacey, NZFS

Neville Stephenson, SAFECOM

Adam Summons, FRNSW

Glenda Warren, NSW RFS

Harry Wiedemann, MFB

Michael Wootten, CFA

Chief Information Officers Network (formerly Chief Information Officers Group)

Former Chair: Mike Hall, NZFS


Paul Bunker, VIC SES

Andrew Edwards, NSW SES

Andrew Ferrarese, VIC SES

Michael Foreshew, CFA

Alma Hong, NZFS

Richard Host, FRNSW

Iain Larner, TFS

Robbie Lefroy, FESA

Gary McKinnon, FRNSW

Femina Metcalfe, DEC WA

Matthew, Smith, NSW RFS

Glenn Walker, QFRS

John Weippert, NTFRS

Neil Wheeler, MFB


Collaborative Procurement Group (formerly Collaborative Purchasing Sub Group)

Chair: Mike Gallagher, TFS

Former Chair: Mike Pearce, SAFECOM

AFAC Manager: Russell Shephard

Robert Allen, OEH NSW

Mick Ayre, NTFRS

Ian Barnes, MFB

Stephen Caust, ACT ESA

Rowland Goldsbrough, Forests NSW

John Grech, CFA

John Hacking, NSW RFS

Matthew Kay, Airservices Australia

Peter Kiernan, NZFS

Audrey Ko, NTFRS

Russell Neuendorf, QFRS


Tim Rhodes, ACT PCS

Michael Somers, DSE VIC

Paul Springett, NSW RFS

Owen Swanton, DSE VIC

Guy Tesoriero, FRNSW

Arthur Tindall, SA CFS

Community Engagement Technical Group (formerly Community Education Sub Group)

Chair: Andrew Stark, ACT ESA


Sandra Barber, TFS

Gwynne Brennan, CFA

Sally Chesterfield, NZ NRFA

Fiona Dunstan, SA CFS

Allan Foster, SA MFS

Gary Gilby, QFRS

Neil Head, AGD

Christine Jenkinson, AGD

Maryanne Martin, DSE VIC

Glenda Ramage, NTFRS

Andrew Richards, NSW SES

Edward Salinas, FRNSW

Scott Sargentina, NZFS

Suellen Shea, FESA

Rob Taylor, MFB

Tanyia Tuckey, NSW RFS

Community Safety GroupChair: Paula Beever, NZFS


Greg Bawden, MFB

Glenn Benham, SA MFS

David Caporn, FESA

Grant Hamon, NTFRS

Terry Hayes, CFA

Neil Head, AGD

Damien Killalea, TFS

Leigh Miller, SA CFS

Jennifer OBeirne, DSE VIC

Steve Opper, NSW SES

Alan Rhodes, OFSC

Mark Roche, QFRS

Rob Rogers, NSW RFS


Mark Whybro, FRNSW

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Sub Group (Disbanded)

Chair: Con Patralis, MFB

Chair: David Weir, FRNSW


Sandra Barber, TFS

Fiona Dunstan, SA CFS

Christine Elliott, CFA

Allan Foster, SA MFS

Gary Gilby, QFRS

Judy Gouldbourn, AFAC

Peter Middleton, TFS

Catherine Moyle, NSW SES

Julien Nicolas, AGD

Glenda Ramage, NTFRS

Andrew Richards, NSW SES

Scott Sargentina, NZFS

Suellen Shea, FESA

David Sutch, QFRS

Rob Taylor, MFB

Tanyia Tuckey, NSW RFS

David Webber, NSW SES

Data Management Group (formerly Data Management Sub Group)

Chair: Nick Nicolopoulos, FRNSW


Helen Bow, NSW SES

Gloria Caruso, MFB

Chris Cowley, CFA

Ann De Piaz, SA CFS

Anthony Griffiths, DSE VIC

Grant Hamon, NTFRS

James Lonergan, OEH NSW

Jose Montemayor, NSW RFS

Roxene Murphy, FESA

Selena Stanley, QFRS

David Van Geytenbeek, TFS

Employee Management Forum (Employee Management Sub Group)

Chair: Iain Mackenzie, QFRS

AFAC Manager: Judy Gouldbourn

Conrad Barr, ACT ESA

Danielle Byrnes, MFB

Larry Cocker, NZFS

Peter Cordova, CFA

Dave Ellis, NTFRS

Lorna Grange, NSW SES

Janine Hearn, NZFS

Sean Hogan, MFB

Darren Husdell, FRNSW

Mary Kinsella, FESA

Derrick Oliver, NSW RFS

Robyn Pearce, TFS

Karen Roberts, FESA

Jason Skiba, CFA

Chris Wells, NZFS

AFAC Group Members continued...


Fire and Emergency Aviation Technical Group (formerly Wildfire Aviation Technical Sub Group)

Chair: David Cant, South Australia

AFAC Manager: Gary Featherston

Richard Alder, NAFC

Paul Baker, NZ

Wayne Bates, QLD

Hayden Biggs, VIC

Maryanne Carmichael, NSW

Glen Crombie, NSW

David Crust, NSW

Anthony Ferguson, NSW

Peter Higgins, VIC

Janet Inman, SA

Raymond Jasper, VIC SES

Terry Maher, WA

Ian Millman, NZ

David Pearce, SA

Matt Plucinski, CSIRO

Peter Saint, WA

Barry Scott, VIC

Paul Simakoff-Ellims, ACT

Jeremy Smith, TAS

Andrew Stark, ACT

Andrew Turner, NT

Doug Whitfield, WA

Fire Engineering Network (formerly Fire Engineering Work Group)

Chair: Greg Buckley, FRNSW


David Boverman, NSW RFS

Jeffrey Dau, ACT ESA

Stephen Doran, CFA

Stephen Keel, FESA

Jeff Knight, TFS

Paul McBride, Airservices Australia,

Steven McKee, QFRS

Bill McTernan, ACT ESA

John Oliver, NTFRS

Amy Seppelt, SA MFS

Cihan Soylemez, MFB

Jamie Vistnes, FRNSW

Fire Investigation Network (formerly Fire Investigation and Analysis Work Group)

Chair: Adam Dalrymple, MFB


Bob Alexander, FRNSW

Nicole Harvey, CFA

Ian Hunter, MFB

Mark Klop, TFS

Bob Mathieson, NSW RFS

Bernard Nunn, QFRS

Shaun Ruxton, SA MFS

Peter Van Boxtel, NTFRS

Les Vearing, DSE VIC

Craig Waters, FESA

Peter Wilding, NZFS

Richard Woods, ACT ESA

Fire Weather Technical GroupChair: Robin Hicks, BOM


Fergus Adrian, QFRS

John Bally, BOM

Paul Brockhoff, DSE VIC

Mark Chladil, TFS

Malcolm Cronstedt, FESA SES

Luke Heagerty, CFA

Simon Heemstra, NSW RFS

Rick McRae, ACT ESA

Rob Sandford, SA CFS

Fleet Technical Group (formerly Fleet Sub Group)

Chair: Garry Kravainis, FESA


John Allardyne, NZFS

Andrew Canderle, NSW RFS

Tia Christenson, OEH NSW

Stuart Collis, MFB

Hanut Dodd, DSE VIC

Peter Fanning, FRNSW

Rowland Goldsbrough, Forests NSW

Carl Hollis, OEH NSW

Van Pham Hue, FRNSW

Richard Kowalewski, QFRS

David Lloyd, QFRS

Peter Mason, SA MFS

Bruce McDonald, NSW RFS

Natalie McLean, NSW SES

John (Jock) McLeod, NTFRS

Mike Moran, NZFS

Sandy Paterson, SA CFS

Andrew Purvis, QFRS

Joel Read, DSE VIC

Nigel Robertson, DSE VIC

John Ryan, Airservices Australia

Tim Smith, CFA

Leon Smith, TFS

Peter Turner, MFB

Rob Walker, QFRS

John Welke, QFRS

Geoff Williams, SA MFS

Hazardous Materials Technical Group (formerly Hazardous Materials Sub Group)

Chair: Gavin Freeman, TFS

AFAC Manager: Paul Considine

Andrew Andreou, CFA

Wayne Atkins, SA CFS

Paul Bailey, FRNSW

Craig Brownlie, CFA

Barry Byrne, MFB

Jamie Cranage, SA MFS

Bob Crockford, SA MFS

Stephen Gibbs, ACT ESA

Warren Glover, CFA

Barry Gray, MFB

Jeff Harper, QFRS

Stephen Johnston, FESA

Tom Konieczny, NTFRS

Michael Logan, QFRS

Stuart Males, TFS

Dick Thornton-Grimes, NZFS


Knowledge Management GroupChair: Mick Ayre, NTFRS

AFAC Manager: Amanda Leck

Fatima Abbas, FRNSW

Lorne Butt, NSW RFS

Gloria Caruso, MFB

Andrew Comer, TFS

John Davis, NSW RFS

Mark Dawson, SAFECOM

Ann De Piaz, SA CFS

Andrew Edwards, NSW SES

Kym Fowlie, NZFS


Elizabeth Hides, FESA

Chris Jenkinson, AGD

Dylan Kendall, ACT PCS

John Schauble, OFSC

Heather Stuart, NSW SES

Liz Tasker, OEH NSW

Cameron Wade, Forests NSW

Tim Watkins, QFRS

Glenda Warren, NSW RFS

Andrew Wilson, DSE VIC

Learning and Development GroupChair: David Guard, NZFS

AFAC Manager: Sandra Lunardi

Brendan Angwin, MFB

Suzanne Bacon, TFS

Andrew Buckley, DSE VIC

Greg Butters, TFS

Peter Button, SA MFS

Sophie Chaney, OEH NSW

Stephen Clayton, DENR SA

Steven Crouch, QFRS

Cassandra Curtis, SA MFS

Michael Cuthbertson, FRNSW

Brad Delavale, FESA

Tony Duckmanton, CFA

Alison Edwards, NTFRS

Naomi Gilders, Airservices Australia


Liz Hamilton, EMQUAL

Daniel Hooley, EMQ

Tracey Kick, FRNSW

Cameron Leary, OEH NSW

Greg Mennie, SA SES

Julie Nolan, ACT ESA

Loretta Orsini, VIC SES

Dave Owen, NSW SES

Deborah Parsons, SA MFS

David Rawet, DEC WA

Tim Rhodes, ACT PCS

Andrew Short, QFRS

Mark Spain, NTFRS

Cameron Wade, Forests NSW

Lee Watson, SA CFS

Occupational Health & Safety Technical Group (formerly Occupational Health & Safety Sub Group)

Chair: Robyn Pearce, TFS


Julie Atkinson, Melbourne Water

Alison Barnes, NZFS

John Bartholomew, QFRS

Alison Donohoe, FRNSW

Jeff Green, CFA

David Heslop, NSW RFS

Terese Howlett, VIC SES

Julian Hughes, NZFS

Kym Kaptein, FESA

David Kemp, SAFECOM

Gerald Kutzer, TFS

Peter Langridge, CFA

Ian Leaves, MFB

David Letheby, NTFRS

Phil McInerney, MFB

Andrew McKay, MFB

Niicole Middleton, DSE VIC

Jeff Murrell, Airservices Australia

Leah Parlour, FESA

Steve Pavlich, SAFECOM

Mike Pryjma, Forests NSW

Karen Roberts, FESA

Janine Webb, DSE VIC

Richard Woods, ACT ESA

Gary Zuiderwyk, NSW SES



Pacific Islands Liaison Officers Network (formerly Pacific Islands Liaison Officers Group)

Chair: Grant Lupton, SA MFS


Glenn Benham, SA MFS

Darren Conlin, MFB

Tony Davidson, TFS

Adam Dewberry, FRNSW

Richard Griffiths, FRNSW

David Guard, NZFS

Joff Manders, MFB

Mark Roche, QFRS

Jeremy Smith, TFS


Personal Protective Equipment Technical Group (formerly Personal Protective Equipment Sub Group)

Chair: Arthur Tindall, SA CFS


Andre Belterman, Melbourne Water

Paul Brockhoff, DSE VIC

Mike Brown, TFS

Keith Harrap, NSW RFS

Carl Hollis, OEH NSW

Bruce Jones, FESA

Hugh Jones, TFS

Phil Klein, MFB

David Mack, MFB

Greg Mason, ACT ESA

Paul McBride, Airservices Australia

Bruce McDonald, NSW RFS

Albert McLean, QFRS

Niicole Middleton, DSE VIC

Gary Picken, FRNSW

Mike Pryjma, Forests NSW

Ian Ridge, NSW RFS

Michael Somers, DSE VIC

Mark Tarbett, CFA

Robert Trewartha, NTFRS

Harry Vertsonis, NSW RFS

Bill Weir, MFB

Keith Whale, NZFS

Rural and Land Management GroupChair: Murray Dudfield, NZ NRFA


Chris Arnol, FESA

Tony Blanks, Forestry Tasmania

Craige Brown, Melbourne Water


Mark Chladil, TFS

Justin Cook, ForestrySA

Neil Cooper, ACT PCS

Luigi Cucchiaro, NTFRS

Darryl John Dunbar, FRNSW

Neil Gallant QFRS

Andrew Graystone, Parks Victoria

John Haynes, CFA

Robin Hicks, BOM

Leigh Kleinschmidt, Forestry Plantations QLD

Peter Leeson, DERM QLD

Tim McGuffog, Forests NSW

Darrin McKenzie, DSE VIC

Gary Morgan, Bushfire CRC


Adrian Pyrke, PWS TAS

Islay Robertson, ForestrySA

Rob Rogers, NSW RFS

Rob Sandford, SA CFS

Chris Smith, SA MFS


Naomi Stephens, OEH NSW

Andrew Sullivan, CSIRO

Stephen Warren, VIC SES

Shane Wiseman, DENR SA

SES Community Safety GroupChair: Steve Opper, NSW SES


Clare Barker, NTES

Paul Cortese, ACT SES

Andrew Gissing, VIC SES

Jeremy Logan, ACT SES

Colleen Ridge, TAS SES

Suellen Shea, FESA

Bob Stevenson, SA SES

SES Operations GroupChair: Bruce Grady, EMQ

Former Chair: Tony Graham, ACT SES


Clare Barker, NTES

Iain Burns, TAS SES

Mark Dole, EMQ

Gary Gifford, FESA

Jeremy Logan, ACT SES

Mark Morrow, NSW SES

Trevor White, VIC SES

Graeme Wynwood, SA SES

Standards Network (formerly Standards Committee)


Paul Beylerian, FRNSW

Scott Bilsborough, FRNSW

Jonathon Black, FRNSW

Raymond Bott, QFRS

Mark Castelli, FRNSW

Mark Chladil, TFS

Adam Dalrymple, MFB

Rob East, MFB

Martin Eelman, FRNSW

Tim Fox, FRNSW

Bernard Fradd, CFA

Michael Gleeson, FRNSW

Jeff Harper, QFRS

Stuart Harvey, FRNSW

Mark Klop, TFS

Jeff Knight, TFS

Michael Logan, QFRS

Stuart Males, TFS

Steven McKee, QFRS

Rob McNeil, FRNSW

Stephen Moore, MFB

Nick Nicolopoulos, FRNSW

Peter Nugent, FRNSW

John Parrot, CFA

Mark Porter, FRNSW

Mark Potter, CFA

Michael Ridgway, QFRS

Andrew Sharrad, SA MFS

Ian Shepherd, QFRS

Ralph Smith, FESA

Cihan Soylemez, MFB

Richard Spiteri, FRNSW

Mark Tarbett, CFA

Keith Whale, NZFS

Shaohua Xia, FRNSW


Unwanted False Alarm Technical Group (formerly Unwanted False Alarm Sub Group)

Chair: Neil Reid, QFRS


Rod Bahr, SA MFS

Carolyn Blake, CFA

Peter Curran, FESA

Russell Dickson, NZFS

Ron Haines, MFB

Grant Hamon, NTFRS

Christine Herridge, FRNSW

Stephen Lowe, TFS

Phillip McDonough, SA CFS

Peter McMahon, Airservices Australia

Alan Merry, NZFS

Mark Phillips, ACT ESA

Jo Rosenhain, MFB

John Streets, TFS

Trevor Wigg, FESA

Urban Operations GroupChair: Paul Swain, ACT ESA


Trevor Arnold, SA SES

Lloyd Bailey, FESA

Mark Brown, FRNSW

Dave Ellis, NTFRS

Gavin Freeman, TFS

Jim Hamilton, FRNSW

Paul McGill, NZFS

Dan Meijer, NSW RFS

Ian Mitchell, QFRS

Michael Morgan, SA MFS

Brad Stringer, FESA


Malim Watts, SA CFS

David Youssef, MFB

Urban Search & Rescue and Technical Rescue Technical Group (formerly Urban Search & Rescue and

Technical Rescue Sub Group)

Chair: John Denny, FRNSW


Trevor Arnold, SA SES

Craig Brownlie, CFA

Greg Crossman, SA MFS

Mark Dobson, TFS

Bill Drysdale, MFB

Tony Flaherty, ACT ESA

Scott Hanckel, NSW SES

Stephen Johnston, FESA

Tom Konieczny, NTFRS

Colin Lindsay, SA MFS

Stephen Smith, QFRS

Peter Willett, AGD

VectorCommand Strategic Management Group (formerly VectorCommand Strategic Management Reference Group)

Chair: David Guard, NZFS


David Brooks, Airservices Australia

Peter Button, SA MFS

Brad Delavale, FESA

Dave Key, NZFS

Rick Parkes, FRNSW

Andrew Short, QFRS

Mark Swiney, MFB

Stephen Walls, CFA

VectorCommand Technical Group (formerly VectorCommand User Reference Group)

Chair: Dave Key, NZFS


David Brooks, Airservices Australia

Noel Dodd, SA MFS

John Manocchio, FESA

Wayne Miller, FRNSW

Paul Rowe, MFB

Leon Shepley, SA MFS

Aaron Stockton, CFA

Kevin White, QFRS

Volunteer Management Technical Group (formerly Volunteer Management Sub Group)


Madonna Day, QFRS

Mark Groote, SAFECOM

Kate Harrap, CFA

Janine Hearn, NZFS

Narelle Koteff , NSW RFS

David Pettit, NTFRS

Toni Richardson, SAFECOM

Karen Roberts, FESA

Alex Rofe, AGD

Lucas Van Rijswijk, TFS

Workforce Management Network (formerly Workforce Management Group)

Chair: Iain MacKenzie, QFRS


Conrad Barr, ACT ESA

Danielle Byrnes, MFB

Peter Cordova, CFA

Dave Ellis, NTFRS

Mark Groote, SAFECOM

Janine Hearn, NZFS

Darren Husdell, FRNSW

Lyn Lambert, SAFECOM

Derrick Oliver, NSW RFS


Robyn Pearce, TFS

David Rae, NSW SES

David Rawet, DEC WA

Karen Roberts, FESA



Members• ACT Emergency Services Agency

• ACT Parks and Conservation Service

• ACT State Emergency Service

• Airservices Australia

• Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department

• Bushfires NT

• CFA

• Department of Environment and Conservation, WA

• Department of Environment and Natural Resources, SA

• Department of Environment and Resource Management, QLD

• Department of Sustainability and Environment, VIC

• Emergency Management Queensland

• FESA State Emergency Service

• Fire & Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia

• Fire & Rescue NSW

• Forestry Tasmania

• ForestrySA

• Forests NSW

• Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board, Melbourne

• National Rural Fire Authority - New Zealand

• New Zealand Fire Service

• Northern Territory Emergency Service

• Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service

• NSW Rural Fire Service

• NSW State Emergency Service

• Office of Environment & Heritage, NSW

• Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania

• Parks Victoria

• Queensland Fire and Rescue Service

• South Australian Country Fire Service

• South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service

• South Australian State Emergency Service

• State Emergency Service Tasmania

• Tasmania Fire Service

• Victoria State Emergency Service

Affiliate Members• Australasian Road Rescue Organisation (ARRO)

• Bureau of Meteorology

• CSIRO Forestry & Forest Products

• Department of Conservation New Zealand

• EMQUAL

• Forestry Plantations Queensland

• Hong Kong Fire Services Department

• Melbourne Water

• Office of the Fire Services Commissioner Victoria

• Pacific Islands Fire Services Association (PIFSA)

• Papua New Guinea Fire Service

• South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM)

AFAC Members and Affiliates

Level 5, 340 Albert Street, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3002

T +61 3 9419 2388 F +61 3 9419 2389 E [email protected]

www.afac.com.au

Printed on paper which is

afac annual report 2011-2012

Documents

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afac vision

afac directors

afac workshops

afac strategy

afac group members

senior afac staff

afac strategic plan