- Queensland Fire and Emergency Services

Transcription

A publication of the Department of Community Safety
February 2010
Inside:
2010 Australia Day
Achievement Awards p6
Emergency Alert launched p13
Goondiwindi SES revival p19
QFRS Wellness program p23
www.emergency.qld.gov.au
Emergency February 2010
1
From the
Minister
Awards for upholding
community safety
D
epartment of
Community Safety
(DCS) staff and volunteers
from across Queensland
were honoured for their outstanding
contributions to the community as part
of Australia Day Achievement Awards
ceremonies held throughout the state last
month.
These awards were our chance to say
thank you to the frontline, support and
administrative personnel whose efforts
uphold community safety in Queensland.
One of the many great things about the
Department is its dedicated and committed
team of staff and volunteers, who devote
enormous effort to a range of services
including frontline emergency assistance
to Queenslanders and working behind the
scenes to enhance service delivery.
I congratulate the 258 DCS personnel and
volunteers who received Achievement
Medallions in recognition of their work,
along with the entire DCS team, for your
efforts in making Queensland a safer place.
Recent severe weather experienced in much
of Queensland has again reinforced the need
to be prepared and have an appropriate
emergency plan in place before disaster
strikes.
More than 20 local government areas in
central, southern and western Queensland
have been badly affected by heavy rain and
flooding, prompting activation of the joint
State and Commonwealth-funded Natural
Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements
(NDRRA).
The flood-affected local governments now
included in the NDRRA cover an area of more
than one million square kilometres, which is
comparable in size to all of South Australia.
While I understand members of these
communities have welcomed this recent rain,
the councils will be able to access funding to
cover the cost of restoring essential public
infrastructure and undertaking counterdisaster operations.
In the past month, tropical cyclones have
threatened the state’s northern coastline,
though thankfully, at the time of writing,
local communities have been spared any
major damage.
I thank Emergency Management Queensland
personnel, including our State Emergency
Service volunteers, for your dedication and
commitment during these recent severe
weather conditions, and urge you to keep up
the excellent work throughout the remainder
of the storm and cyclone season.
Last month, a public awareness campaign to
inform Queenslanders of the new national
Emergency Alert telephone-based warning
system was launched.
Emergency Alert can send text messages
to mobile phones and automated voice
messages to landlines warning people of
severe and imminent emergencies and
providing clear recommended actions
and advice on where to go for further
information.
Emergency Alert is another tool in an
existing suite of measures we have to warn
Queenslanders before and during critical
incidents. For the foreseeable future, radio
and TV broadcast messaging will remain the
foundation of our emergency warning and
advisory reports.
Neil Roberts MP
Minister for Police, Corrective Services
and Emergency Services
Emergency is published bi-monthly by the Queensland Department of
Community Safety’s Media and Corporate Communications Branch. Articles,
photographs and feedback from emergency services personnel and volunteers
are welcome. Editorial staff reserve the right to edit any contributions.
Web:
www.emergency.qld.gov.au/publications
Editorial:
Peter Callaghan, Chantelle Rule, Lisa Grundy, Helen Ainsworth,
Peter O’Halloran, Elizabeth Buckler, Brodie Bott and Brad Muir.
Address:
Advertising: Leah Hornibrook
Graphic design:
DCS Design Studio
On the cover: EMQ Helicopter Rescue Crew Officer Ben Bourne (left) and Paramedic Brad Garvey prepare a teenage patient for helicopter retrieval after he fell from a waterfall on Hinchinbrook Island. For the full story see p12. Photo by Dr David Cooksley.
Emergency magazine
Media and Corporate Communications Branch
Department of Community Safety
GPO Box 1425
Brisbane Qld 4001
Editor:
Peter Callaghan
Phone:
07 3247 8113
Email:
[email protected]
Facsimile: 07 3247 8779
Emergency is available online at www.emergency.qld.gov.au
2
Health matters
O
ver the coming year QAS will continue
to improve its service delivery and to
pursue best practices. But we cannot do
so without looking after our most valuable
assets – our people.
The QAS has a unique culture and I am
proud to be part of an organisation which
is made up of so many people who have a
strong belief in helping others.
The QAS would not be what it is today
without the skills, commitment and
dedication of our people. Many of these
people work long hours in sometimes
stressful environments to provide aroundthe-clock service to the community.
Those of us who enjoyed a break over
Christmas would have returned to work
recharged, but it is important to remember
that our physical and mental wellbeing
requires ongoing care throughout the year.
Organisational health is something we
should all be working to actively embed,
promote and encourage throughout QAS.
Let us invest in the power of prevention to
be a stronger, fitter and healthier service
to care for our community in 2010.
I would like to acknowledge a group of
people who have made a significant
contribution as QAS volunteers – the
members of the Queensland Local
Ambulance Committee Advisory Council
(QLAC). Our QLAC members take on the
responsibility of representing the Local
Ambulance Committee (LAC) members for
their region, and thereby providing LAC
input to the service at a state-wide level.
Every two years sees a change in our
QLAC members. I wish to thank Alastair
Anderson (Northern Region), Keith Kimlin
(South West Region), Linley Macleod
(North Coast Region), Alan Burchill and
John Blacow (both Brisbane Region) for
their years of effort and dedication. Their
contribution and commitment has been
inspiring and produced many results for
the benefit of the QAS and the community.
I also wish to welcome the new QLAC
members who are: Merelyn McIntosh
(Northern Region), Peter Stewart (South
West Region), Kenneth O’Connell (North
Coast Region), Brian Daley and Daryl
Gould (both Brisbane Region).
Planning for the future
I
’d like to thank all QFRS staff who
worked through the holiday period,
sacrificing valuable family time to help
protect their community.
The New Year brought welcome rain,
which allowed QFRS to lift the fire bans
that had been in force in many regions.
The rain has alleviated the fire threat and
helped bring one of the most intense
bushfire seasons in Queensland’s history
to a close, but we must be mindful what
the future holds.
The rain brings with it the potential for
another serious fire season later this
year, and it is important that all regions
commence their planning and mitigation
activities as soon as possible.
Just before Christmas 18 new firefighters
graduated from the Queensland
Combined Emergency Services Academy
at Whyte Island. These firefighters were
the third group of recruits to graduate in
2009 and they have commenced duties at
stations throughout Queensland.
It is clear from the diversity of these
recruits that our fire service offers an
attractive and interesting career path for
people from all walks of life.
What is also clear is the quality of training
our new firefighters receive. We are very
proud of our recruit training process and
this is supported by the positive feedback
I get from operational firefighters about
how well prepared the recruits are when
they arrive at stations around the state.
This training means QFRS firefighters are
well placed to deal with the changing
nature of our service. The effects of
climate change have brought for us a
greater involvement in weather-related
emergencies and disaster management
operations.
The role of QFRS is to resolve problems
and issues that confront our communities.
The broadening nature of our ‘all hazards’
emergency management role is matched
by an increasing public expectation of the
services QFRS will provide.
The trend is that these broader rescue
and emergency tasks will form a large and
important part of our future operations.
I look forward to working closely with the
new and existing members of QLAC in the
coming year, and I am sure there will be
many exciting achievements made by this
group during their term.
It is vital we focus on incident
management and communication
systems, local planning, risk management
and ongoing training and exercises to
ensure we are well prepared to cope with
whatever might be thrown at us.
David Melville APM
QAS Commissioner
Lee A Johnson AFSM MIFireE
QFRS Commissioner
On show to the world
T
he New Year has arrived and we are now
well into the storm and cyclone season.
Prior to the start of the season, a great
deal of training has taken place around the
state to familiarise SES volunteers with RFA
Online.
Otherwise known as Requests for
Assistance Online System, this is an
electronic tasking system that can handle
thousands of activities at one time, and
enables the SES to effectively assign
and monitor jobs and manage teams by
ensuring those with particular skills can be
assigned to relevant tasks.
We have put a lot of effort into rolling out
RFA Online training to the regions, and the
state is now very much better equipped in
terms of its ability to report on and manage
tasks that the SES carries out.
EMQ has also instituted short post-event
notification reports to key members of the
Government and the disaster management
community following up on the routine
notifications of Bureau of Meteorology
warnings issued by the State Disaster
Coordination Centre.
These reports outline the nature of a
weather event and note any damage that
might have occurred in the first 90 and 180
minutes after the event.
I would also like to acknowledge the
tremendous effort that has gone into
tsunami planning. The regions have
contributed greatly to this planning and
it is important that this work is followed
through in coming months so we can
guarantee that all relevant local and district
disaster management groups have tsunami
considered in their plans.
Finally, filming of the second series of
Chopper Rescue commenced in December.
Chopper Rescue is a documentary series
following the work of EMQ Helicopter
Rescue and the first series proved to be a
hit for the ABC.
Series Director Jan Cattoni is an ex aeromedical retrieval nurse and her knowledge
of rescue helicopter services coupled with
her and the producers’ resolve to produce
a true observational documentary has
ensured that the series provides a unique
look at the service, its dedicated crews and
their compassion at its most natural and
intense.
Filming of Chopper Rescue commenced at
the Brisbane air base and has now moved
on to the Townsville and Cairns bases. The
second series will be run on the ABC in
Australia and on the UK Discovery Channel
and provides a marvellous opportunity to
showcase the service on a world platform.
Frank Pagano AFSM
EMQ Chief Officer
3
Report
on government services
highlights Department’s
achievements
Excellent QAS patient satisfaction rates, an increase in smoke alarms and the efficient running of
prisons across Queensland were among key performance indicators identified in an independent
report compiled for the Federal and State governments in January.
T
he Report on Government Services
revealed that the Department of
Community Safety recorded a number
of positive trends in service delivery last
year when compared to its interstate
counterparts.
Minister for Police, Corrective Services and
Emergency Services Neil Roberts said the
areas of improvement were vast and made
a positive impact on the quality of life and
services provided to Queenslanders.
‘Queenslanders who have had reason
to use the QAS reported a 98 per cent
satisfaction rating with the service,
which was the highest rating recorded for
paramedic services in Australia,’ he said.
than 90 per cent of dwellings now have
smoke alarms,’ he said.
‘This is an increase of 18 percentage
points over the last five years.
‘In the 2008-09 financial year QFRS
responded to fewer accidental structure
fires per 100 000 households than last
financial year.
‘QFRS dedicates a substantial amount of
time to partnering with the community
and mitigating risks through education
and fire safety activities,’ Mr Roberts said.
The report also highlighted that the
Queensland correctional system continues
to run safe, secure and efficient prison
and Probation and Parole operations.
‘Queensland also has more ambulance
officers and paramedics serving the
community than any other state or
territory in Australia.
Report highlights included the fact that
Queensland had no escapes from secure
custody. The last escape from secure
custody was in February 1998.
‘For every 100 000 people, we have
55.9 ambulance officers/paramedics,
which is well ahead of the Australian
average of 43.2 and ultimately means
that Queenslanders have better access
to paramedics than anywhere else in the
nation.
Mr Roberts said although comparisons
between states and territories were not
always straightforward due to different
structures and reporting methods, the
Report on Government Services provided
the department with solid benchmarks
and feedback.
‘The boost in QAS staffing levels has been
achieved by putting more than 500 extra
ambulance officers on Queensland roads
during the past two years.
‘I am confident that the Department
of Community Safety will continue
to record impressive improvements
in service delivery as we continue to
provide a quality service to the people of
Queensland in 2010,’ he said.
‘Queensland’s 50th percentile response
time to code 1 incidents remains the
fastest in the nation at 8.4 minutes and
means our paramedics are getting to
patients quicker which is saving lives,’ Mr
Roberts said.
QFRS also reported a number of positive
trends including an increase in the
prevalence of smoke alarms in homes.
Households with smoke
alarms or smoke detector
installed (percentage)
2008-09
90.1
87.6
79.0
76.4
72.6
2007-08
2006-07
2005-06
2004-05
Queenslanders households continue to
install smoke alarms
Ambulance officers
Per 100 000 people
AUST
43.2
51.9
30.4
40.7
42.9
23.1
55.9
43.4
NT
ACT
TAS
SA
WA
QLD
VIC
NSW
More ambulance officers per 100 000 people than
any other state
Ambulance code 1 response times
(minutes) Statewide 50th percentile 2008-09
9.5
10.3
10.9
9.4
9.5
8.4
9.9
10.3
NT
ACT
TAS
SA
WA
QLD
VIC
NSW
Queensland recorded the fastest code 1 response
times in the 50th percentile
‘People are taking more safety
precautions around the home and more
4
QCS top donors in Battle of
the Services
Q
ueensland Corrective Services (QCS)
is the inaugural Battle of the Services
blood challenge champion after 5.5 per
cent of its staff donated the vital red stuff.
The friendly competition was run over
nine weeks finishing on 19 December.
Under the challenge, staff from the
various divisions of the Department
of Community Safety (DCS), and the
Queensland Police Service donated blood
to the Red Cross.
The blood challenge boosted vital
supplies of blood products during the
lead up to the busy holiday season.
The number of donations by staff
from each service was divided by that
division’s overall staff numbers, to judge
which service – on a percentage basis –
won the inaugural Battle of the Services
Shield.
A total of 1011 donations were made
across all divisions, with the Queensland
Police Service emerging as the top donor
by number with 573 donations, although
that figure represented only 3.8 per cent
of its 14 700 staff.
QCS was on top with 165 donations,
representing 4.9 per cent of its 3365 staff,
while the Corporate sector was the next
most successful division of DCS with 22
donations from 572 staff (3.85 per cent).
Of the operational services, QAS recorded
62 donations from 4137 staff (1.6 per cent)
to beat EMQ with 42 donations from 6737
staff (0.62 per cent) and QFRS with 143
donations from 37 860 personnel – a total
that included RFS volunteers.
It is planned to run the challenge annually,
so all DCS and Police staff will have the
chance to challenge QCS’s generous
donor record later this year.
Staff from all services rallied to donate blood at a
special mobile clinic which visited Brisbane
Women’s Correctional Centre at Wacol during the
Battle of the Services challenge
Kilcoy’s firies first in the State
K
ilcoy’s firefighters have set a new
standard by becoming the first
Auxiliary station in the state to achieve full
attainment of Certificate II in Public Safety
(Firefighting and Emergency Operations)
qualifications as a group.
After six months of hard work, all 10
members of the Kilcoy station were
presented with their certificates in a
ceremony at the station on 17 December.
‘Auxiliary firefighters obtain most of
these competencies during their required
skills acquisition, however the Auxiliary
personnel at Kilcoy decided to conduct
extra study and complete some extra units
to allow them to attain the Certificate II,’
Lance said.
‘The certification provides a nationally
recognised qualification to Auxiliary
personnel, the extra training has increased
their knowledge base, and it would give the
Auxiliary firefighter one of the qualifications
that is a requirement of full-time employment
with Urban QFRS.’
The additional training required to attain
Certificate II qualification can be made
available to any eligible Brisbane Region
Auxiliary firefighter on request.
QFRS Rural Operations Brigade Training
and Support Officer and Auxiliary
Lieutenant Graham King worked closely
with QFRS Brisbane Region Training to
provide the required course units for
Kilcoy’s firies to obtain the Certificate II
qualification.
‘I am proud of this team of firefighters
who are always willing to go the extra mile
accepting any challenge and completing
everything that they do with 110 per cent,’
Graham said.
‘This additional training supports each
firefighter’s ability to perform their duties
in all aspects of the Auxiliary firefighter’s
role within the community.’
City West Command Area Director Acting
Superintendent Lance Duncan, who
helped coordinate the Kilcoy crew’s
studies, said the Certificate II in Public
Safety (Firefighting and Emergency
Operations) is a qualification obtained
by Urban firefighters during their training
at the Queensland Combined Emergency
Services Academy at Whyte Island.
Kilcoy’s firefighters show off their certificates. Back row (l to r): Captain Mark Edwards, Robbie Christie, Lt David
Baigrie, Brenton Deaves; Supt Graham Hanlon and Peter Kruger. Front row (l to r): Alicia Retschlag, Ashley King,
Stanley Vallance, Lt Graham King and Peter Cobbin
5
The Australia Day Achievement Awards are a proud tradition of the Department
of Community Safety. They provide the Department with an opportunity to
commemorate and recognise significant contributions by staff, volunteers and
supporting businesses, organisations and individuals.
T
Director-General’s Certificate
of Recognition
Queensland Ambulance Service
Joanna Baird
Manuela Andreatta
Medallions and 25 Appreciation
QFRS/QAS USAR Team
QAS Team
QFRS USAR Team
Jeff Bickford
Troy Dryden
Katrina Booth
Olivea Urban
Benjamin Carroll
Diane Considine
ZEROHarm Excellence in
Safety Leadership Award
Dennis Cock
Tanya Knowles
Graham Colby
Michael Ewing
Ramon Morsch,
State Emergency Service Goomeri
Andrea Harvey
Stuart Cutajar
Christopher Hodge
Natasha Bennett
Peter Marten, Townsville Fire Station,
QFRS Northern Region
David Hogan
Steven Wagner
Vivienne King
Stephen Allan
Achievement Medallion
Wendy Lowes
Paul Beswick
Corporate Support Division
Donna Marwick
Kym Ogden
Janet Born
Wayne Mitchell
Gene Marwick
Sidney Cramp
Derrick Jones
James Smith
Alan Mountford
Daniel Wissmann
David Sell
Colin Romeo
Sharon Smith
Bryce Kenny
Donna Staib
Doug Packer
Winston Streatfield
John Lynn
Dominik Suschinsky
Gavin Bennett
Joanne Waters
Simon Mitchell
Kath Wilson
Ian Growcott
Peter Wood
Neil Bawden
he awards are generously supported
by QSuper. This year 258 Achievement
Certificates were presented in ceremonies
held in Brisbane, Beenleigh, Cairns,
Gympie, Rockhampton, Toowoomba and
Townsville.
At the Brisbane ceremony held at the
Parliamentary Annex on 21 January
Director-General’s Certificates of
Recognition were presented to three
teams for their work following natural
disasters in Sumatra and Samoa.
ZEROHarm Excellence in Community
Safety Leadership Awards were presented
in Brisbane and Townsville.
Acting Minister for Police, Corrective
Services and Emergency Services Andrew
Fraser commended the efforts of frontline,
support and administrative personnel
when presenting the awards in Brisbane.
Australia Day Honours
Jarred Lue
Wayne McCoombe Siaosi Kupu
Amanda Renton
Lloyd Axelsson
Gabrielle Foley
Keith Alcock
David Kerr
Mark Roberts
Anthony Trembath
Loretta Hickey
Matthew Hodder
Lisa Marini
Emergency Management Queensland
Tony Hodgkinson
Brenda Worth
Dean Wardell
Michelle Baxter
Five DCS staff members were
Rebecca Morsch
Warren Kellett
recognised in the 2010 national
Mervyn Porteous
Kathleen Graham
Australia Day Honours for excellence
Gerard Williamson
Trevor Hulbert
Doug Meng
Colin Purton
in service and devotion to duty.
Alex Johnson
Ronald Smith
Peter Gracie
Charles Khan
Trevor Jardine
Jeffery Skipper
Ronald Cary
Jon Rolley
Adrian Gillies
Ian Venables
Gary Olive
Russell Cooke
Gary Donald
Richard Brown
Peter Ruddick
Ian Thompson
Michael Dunkley
Patrick Brown
Jeffrey Aniba
Paul Ryan
Valerie Evans
Megan Poppi
Jeffrey Anderson
Margaret Dean
Brad Harrold
Marko Isokangas
Helen Greaves
The Ambulance Service Medal
was awarded to Peter Cahill, Gary
Gillies and Lucinda Clarke, while the
Australian Fire Service Medal was
awarded to Ibis Rural Fire Brigade First
Officer Don Alexander.
Brett McDonaugh
Jessica Mason-Hamilton
David Dennis
Chief Officer Frank Pagano received
Anthony Watts
Andy Bickerton
Ben O’Donoghue
the Emergency Services Medal.
John McVeigh
Kristy Heitmann
6
Bill Neumann
Cameron Boyd
Christine Pauli
Queensland Corrective Services
Shannon Atkins
Melissa Fitzgerald
Paul Bales
John Mackay
Phillip Dodds
Phillip Eastment
James Leahy
Barrie Gerbich
Catherine Franklin Hannah Page
Kate Petrie
Kevin Stevens
Gary Wilson
Jane Thirnbeck
Tygh Field
Arna Van Eyssen
Neville Hunsley
Cherie Zahra
Vanessa Nielsen
Allan Van Eyssen
Appreciation Certificate
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service
Stephen Smith
Anthony Chicco
Helen Hughes
Barry Steele
Corporate Support Division
Anthony O’Neill
Aerron Patterson
Judith Hutchinson
Craig Nolan
MobileIP Pty Ltd
Wayne Brown
Anthony Trinca
Peter Hyland
Brendan Ridgwell
Selwyn Barr
Paul Womersley
Michael Kearney
Linda Ryan
Helen Keen-Dyer
Dean Tucker
Alison Leeson
Judith Irwin
Brian Smith
Alan Downey
Denese McKenzie
James Ryan
Kevin O’Sullivan
Robert Lukritz
John Murdoch
Gary Meredith
Anthony Shaw
Shaun Moloney
Mark Murphy
Arn Weirman
Ricky May
Gregory Tomlinson
Matthew Murphy
Andy Stemmler
Anthony Eggins
John Bowles
Shirley Oakman
Raymond Duncombe
Keith Packenas
Wayne Cook
Peter Pamment
Ian Tuppack
Queensland Ambulance Service
Brenden Flynn
Nicole Dobbin
Ian Pike
Col Neal
Julia Creek Fire Station
Scott Dun
Gwilyn Griffiths
Margaret Porter
Alan Payne
Julia Creek Police Station
William White
Bert Headland
Pamela Rappard
David Townsend
Dr James Curtis
Stephen Kranenburg
David Limburg
Hank Rappard
Bevan Moore
Brett McIlwaine
Nancy Smith
Paul Smeath
Robert Morris
Lynette Scott
Paul Martin
William Purvis
Erica Bell
Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote
Health
Nicole Wright
Andrew Rose
Everard Smith
Queensland Corrective Services
Brett Finnis
Bernadette Spittal
Brad Stockwell
Lifeline Supa Shop, Woolloongabba
Leisa Thomas
Ray Caddies
Dale Toby
Peninsula Animal Aid
John Fearnley
Redcliffe Lions Recycle For Sight
Leigh-Anne Sorensen Glenn Brooker
Extravision Australia Pty Ltd
Towers Motorcycles
Charters Towers Regional Council
Optus
CQ Video and TV Repairs
Total Safety Service
Wayne Lashmar
Strategic Policy Division
Luanne Chapman
Dell Gavin
Janine Taylor
Russell Watson
Robert Carr
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service
Cheryl D’Silva
Wesley Bruce
Ronald White
Carindale Hotel
Michael Cossens
Matthew Meister
Barry Semple
Queensland Trucking Association Ltd
Ron Cover
Christine Case
Neil Dunphy
Ipswich City Council
Peter Lollo
Christopher Beer
Robert Downey
Foodworks Beaudesert
Andrew MacNicol
Joanne Brentin
Lionel Jackson
Cooloola Christian College
Bill Ryan
Michael Campbell
Colin Olive
Philip Barry
Barry Vella
Bill Fisher
Ronald Church
Anita Rowland
Ian Melody
Les Gane
Ian Travers
Autobarn Bundaberg
Dana Melody
Fonda Gibbs
Lindsay Tyson
Moore Trailers
Reg Henshall
Kay Gibson
Ivan Western
Michael Quinn
Kenneth Guse
Renier Van Raders
Kenneth Johnson
Lorraine Heyes
Barry Keal
Philip Paff
Philip Higgs
Stephen Tognolini
Proudly supported by
®
7
BRISBANEREGION
ZEROHarm Excellence in
Safety Leadership award
winner Ramon Morsch with
EMQ Executive Deputy
Director Bruce Grady and
DCS Director-General Jim
McGowan (right)
From top right:
Achievement Medallion
recipients Helen Keen-Dyer,
Trevor Jardine, Joanna Baird
and Gabrielle Foley
Director-General’s Certificates of Recognition were awarded to the
QFRS and QAS USAR teams that assisted recovery efforts following
the Samona tsunami and Sumatran earthquake disasters in 2009
8
CENTRALREGION
SOUTH WESTREGION
Achievement Medallion and Appreciation Certificate recipients at the Rockhampton ceremony
NORTHERNREGION
Margaret Dean and Colin Neal receive their awards
from QFRS Commissioner Lee Johnson
Minister for Main Roads Craig Wallace presents awards to
(l to r) Manuela Andreatta, Barry Vella and Peter Marten
9
Women’s
Reference Group: strength
in numbers
Q
AS South East Region Assistant
Commissioner Jayne Barnes is
encouraging women in all divisions of
DCS to join the Department’s Women’s
Reference Group (WRG).
The WRG was established in 2001 to
enhance the participation of women
in DCS, and it provides advice and
recommendations to the Executive
Management Team on employment
matters relevant to women in the
Department.
The group also works to promote equity
and empower women by: removing
barriers that may inhibit employment,
development, progression and retention;
enhancing communication; giving
recognition and reward; demonstrating
commitment; and providing information.
Jayne is a Co-Champion of the WRG, and
as the only woman to previously serve as
a commissioner of a British ambulance
service, she has first-hand knowledge of
the challenges that confront women in the
workplace.
‘I’ve always said that the main thing you
need is a real passion for what you do,
and my view on the best way forward is to
never give up on something,’ Jayne said.
‘If you believe in it and you think it is the
right thing to do then you should really go
for it – if at first you don’t succeed, then
go back and try again.
‘You can get knocked back quite easily
and I have first-hand experience of this
throughout my career – you’ve just got to
keep ploughing through and you will get
there in the end.’
Like many women in DCS, Jayne is well
acquainted with juggling simultaneous
demands of career and family. She went
back to full-time work when her daughter
Francesca, now 17, was three months old.
‘I often laugh and say I’ve got a PhD in
guilt as a mother,’ she said. ‘I don’t think
that ever goes no matter how well you
balance it – I think you always have that at
the back of your mind.’
‘But Francesca has certainly not suffered
by me working at all.
‘You have to do what’s right for you and
your own personal circumstances, but
never be afraid to say that you have
commitments and you need to meet them,
because you’re still going to work as hard.’
Jayne is keen to reinvigorate the WRG
10
and believes the best way forward is to
encourage DCS women to join the group
to network with their colleagues and talk
about their ideas and concerns.
She also wants the WRG to be a platform
for her and other senior women in
DCS to act as mentors by sharing their
experiences.
In addition to quarterly steering
committee meetings, in 2010 the WRG
will hold an International Women’s Day
Forum on 8 March featuring a range of
speakers and activities.
The WRG is also conducting an online
survey to gather information on the
issues surrounding women in the DCS
workplace.
‘Traditionally the emergency services
have been quite male-dominated. It’s
getting better in some of the services
in DCS, but some I think would agree
they’ve still got a way to go.’
‘It was a real honour to be asked to join
the group [as Co-Champion]. It’s about
bringing my expertise as a woman and
as a senior executive within the QAS to
help develop the group and move it on in
the future.
‘I’m there for the mentorship of other
women – if they want to, they can ring
me up and discuss any issues that they
face,’ Jayne said.
GET INVOLVED!
Women from all areas of DCS will
share their stories at the Women’s
Reference Group’s International
Women’s Day Forum on 8 March.
The forum will be held in the Kedron
Auditorium from 9am to 4pm and
all DCS staff members are invited to
attend. Register your interest by 28
February with WRG co-chair Megan
McConnell on 07 3406 2867 or
[email protected]
The WRG’s next quarterly meeting will
be held as part of the International
Women’s Day Forum.
Megan McConnell said the WRG was
working on a mentoring program to
be rolled out in early April, which
would provide members with
formal and informal mentoring
and networking with other women
throughout DCS.
‘We want to get the WRG energised –
not only as a conduit to management,
but also as a conduit between
women,’ Megan said.
‘We want the mentoring program, and
the WRG as a whole, to provide day to
day assistance for women in DCS, as
well as broader career mentoring.’
Palm Island stinger project
claims national award
T
he Marine Stinger Prevention Project
pioneered on Palm Island by QAS
paramedics Ian Day and David Kain has
been recognised at the national Safer
Communities Awards ceremony held in
Canberra on 2 December.
David and Ian travelled to the nation’s
capital to receive their Highly Commended
award in the State/Territory Government
Agency category of the national Safer
Communities Awards.
In October, the project was given top
honours in the Queensland finals of the
Safer Communities Awards.
Ian said the national Highly Commended
award was the ‘icing on the cake’ for the
project that has reduced the number of
marine stinger envenomations on Palm
Island from 25 in 2007-08 to just five in
2008-09.
‘To be representing the state of
Queensland after winning the state
competition was great,’ Ian said.
‘Our little project here on Palm Island has
grown and grown.
‘I think all ambos strive for healthy
communities with less trauma and
medical conditions and the only way is
prevention.
‘Our project is just that – prevention. We
don’t have a swimming pool – the ocean
is our pool, and within that ocean there
are dangers, so to be able to reduce that
danger is a great achievement and that’s
why we do what we do,’ he said.
Paramedics David Kain (left) and Ian Day proudly
display their Safer Communities Highly
Commended Award in front of Parliament House
in Canberra. (Photo by Jo Mason)
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11
EMQ chopper saves
waterfall plunge
victim
A
Townsville teenager was counting his blessings
and thanking his mates after tumbling 50m down a
waterfall at Mulligan Bay on Hinchinbrook Island on 24
November.
The EMQ Rescue Helicopter crew of Pilot Russ Pyers,
Aircrew Officer Garry Wybenga, Rescue Crew Officer
Ben Bourne, Dr David Cooksley and Intensive Care
Paramedic Brad Garvey retrieved and airlifted the 18year-old man to Townsville Hospital.
He suffered a fractured wrist and extensive bruising and
grazing, but the size of his fall meant things could have
been much worse.
Garry Wybenga handled the helicopter’s winch during
the rescue and said the injured man was very lucky he
struck rocks on the way down, which helped break his
fall and probably reduced the severity of his injuries.
He was also fortunate that his six friends acted quickly
to pull him from the water as he lost consciousness
from the fall.
‘It had been raining and his friends wedged the patient
under some rocks to keep the water off him,’ Garry said.
The winch rescue was complicated by the injured man’s
location on a small rock ledge, with little space around
him for the EMQ crew to safely work in.
‘It was probably a little bit more difficult than normal
because it was quite a high winch,’ Gary said.
‘When it’s a high winch the pilot doesn’t have a great
reference on anything so it makes it a little bit harder for
all the crew on board.’
Rescue Crew Officer Ben Bourne was the first man down
the wire.
‘I went down first with the winch stretcher and med
bags then I sent the hook back up and Garry winched
the doctor and paramedic down.
‘When we found the casualty he was initially
unresponsive,’ Ben said.
‘The doc was hesitant to move him too much, but we
got him out from the rock ledge he’d been placed
under. We were able to put a collar and pelvic splint on
him and get him into the winch stretcher quite easily.’
EMQ Helicopter Rescue Crew Officer Ben Bourne
(left)and Intensive Care Paramedic Brad Garvey
treated the injured man before he was winched up to
the helicopter. (Photo by Dr David Cooksley)
‘He came out very lucky in the end. The major thing that
worked in his favour was that he was more than likely
unconscious on the way down.’
12
Emergency Alert gets
the message out
Q
ueensland has a new tool to help
prepare communities for the impact
of natural disasters such as bushfires
and storm surges with the launch of
Emergency Alert.
The telephone-based warning system
sends text messages to mobile phones
and recorded voice messages to
landlines in areas at risk of serious or
life-threatening events.
Emergency Alert could be used to
inform communities about serious and
imminent threats including bushfires,
storm surges and hazardous material
and chemical incidents.
Sophisticated mapping-based software
designed by Telstra enables emergency
services staff to select an area to
receive messages based on the billing
addresses of mobile phones and the
physical location of landline handsets.
The Emergency Alert system has
the capacity to send 18 000 text
messages per minute and
1000 voice messages per
minute and recipients in a
selected area will get the
messages regardless of
the telephone carrier they
use.
EMQ Director of
Disaster Management
Mike Shapland said
Emergency Alert was
an important tool for
sending messages to
the community, but he
stressed that it would not
replace existing warning
systems.
‘It doesn’t reduce the
need for our engagement
with local radio; it doesn’t
make doorknocking
– if that’s the most
appropriate method – any
less relevant than it is at
the moment,’ Mike said.
‘Emergency Alert is an
extra mechanism, and
we’ll continue to use all
those other methods as
appropriate.
‘Emergency Alert is only a
warning and a short one. It
doesn’t reduce the need for
people to have their own
plan of what they are going to do after
they receive a warning.’
Extensive testing has been undertaken
to ensure the Emergency Alert system
operates reliably. The first trial took
place in Esk on 13 December and
although it was marred by a software
glitch, subsequent tests in the town
during January were successful.
A survey of Esk residents following
the January trial found that 87 per
cent in the trial area received an
Emergency Alert message. Of those
who received a message, 96 per cent
of those surveyed said they would
follow directions to help friends and
neighbours.
Tests were also run over several days
in late December and early January
at the Emergency Services Complex
in Kedron, with many staff receiving
voice and text messages on their desk
landlines and mobile phones.
A proponent of Esk as a location for
the Emergency Alert trials, Somerset
Regional Council Mayor Graeme
Lehmann said the system ‘gave people
a fighting chance’ when it came to
responding to emergencies and natural
disasters.
‘As we’ve seen from the fires down
south, it’s crucial that people have
as much information and as much
warning as possible about these sorts
of emergencies.
‘These systems need these tests to iron
out the inevitable glitches and ensure
they are working properly when they
are really needed,’ Mr Lehmann said.
‘That’s why we didn’t hesitate to put
Esk forward as a location for the trial.’
Funded by $15.65 million from the
Federal Government, Emergency Alert
has been established in all states
and territories with the exception of
Western Australia, which operates its
own telephone-based warning system.
Queensland has been working with
the Federal Government and other
states and territories on a nationally
consistent telephone warning system
for several years.
The project received added impetus
when such a system was recommended
in the Royal Commission’s interim
report following the devastating
Victorian bushfires last February.
13
Preparedness
makes a difference
E
xtensive rainfall across
Queensland’s central west and north
early this year was welcomed by locals,
filling dams and rivers and providing
much needed relief to cattle and
sheep farmers.
While the weather event did not
result in a large number of State
Emergency Service (SES) activations,
it demonstrated the positive outcome
‘being prepared’ can have on a
community.
EMQ Regional Director for Central
Region Robbie Medlin said residents
across the affected communities were
notified in advance of the upcoming
weather events and he commended
them on their efforts to be prepared.
‘As soon as the long awaited rainfall
was declared residents took advice
from emergency services authorities,
stocking up on important emergency
kit items including food and medical
supplies,’ he said.
‘The SES received just 10 requests for
assistance across the Longreach and
Isisford communities.
‘This weather event served as a
timely reminder to all Queensland
communities to ensure they are
also prepared for storm and flood
emergencies,’ Mr Medlin said.
14
Central Region EMQ/SES personnel (from left) Training Officer Peter Ruddick, Group Leader Gary
Olive, Deputy Local Controller Vicki Walters and Regional Director Robbie Medlin by the banks
of the Fitzroy River
60
year fire safety
crusade
A
retired North Queensland
firefighter was presented
with a Department of
Community Safety Australia
Day Achievement Medallion in
January in recognition of his
work educating seniors on
safety around their home.
Reg Henshall said firefighting had been his life.
The 77-year-old served 40
years with the Queensland
Fire Service before retiring with
health problems in 1990.
‘I had a few heart operations, but
as soon as I got my strength back
I volunteered to get back into the
field to spread the home safety
message to seniors,’ he said.
‘I’m a bit old for putting fires out
these days, but I love helping
people prevent them.
‘It may save a life or their property.’
Reg regularly tours community
centres and seniors events to spread
the safety message.
‘We talk about how to maintain
smoke alarms, safety switches, home
security, fire evacuation plans and
other safety tips around the home,’
he said.
‘I play a couple of DVDs, including one
showing how fast a fire can spread
and get out of control.
‘I leave them with pamphlets to read
and, where required, hand out smoke
alarms or fire blankets supplied by
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service.
DCS Achievement Medallion recipient Reg Henshall
has been spreading the word about fire safety in
Queensland for 60 years
I’m a bit old for putting
fires out these days, but
I love helping people
prevent them.
‘Fire prevention is only half the story, so I
also teach them to be prepared should a
fire occur.
‘We talk about the most suitable fire
extinguisher or fire blanket and how to
use them safely and effectively,’ Reg said.
He started his firefighting career as a 17year-old junior cadet, before working his
way through to the role of Station Officer
before retiring.
‘I’ve fought a lot of big fires in my time.
We saved the Townsville Town Hall back
in the 1980s, but the most dangerous was
a fire at a Rockhampton hardware store
back in the 1950s.
‘There were gas cylinders and all sorts
of things exploding and falling around
us and a cavity brick wall was blown
out metres away from where we were
standing.
‘I wish we had some of the equipment
they have these days,’ Reg said.
His son Jason followed in Dad’s footsteps
and now serves as a Senior Firefighter at
Kerwin Station in Townsville.
‘I used to drill him in the drill yard,’ Reg
said.
‘He keeps me up to date now.
‘Whether it’s two people or 80, I’m
not fazed. I also set up a stall during
the annual Picnic in the Park event [in
Townsville] where we talk to a wider
audience.
‘We worked together, but never turned
out at the same fire.
‘Some people simply need a
gentle nudge to install a smoke
alarm or replace the battery. Only
working smoke alarms save lives. Jason and his family accompanied his
parents to the Australia Day awards
ceremony where Main Roads Minister
Craig Wallace presented Reg with his
Achievement Medallion.
‘I’ve seen how quickly a fire can engulf a
house, so they understand that I speak
with some authority.
‘It’s great that he’s keeping the family
name associated with the service,’ Reg
said.
‘It was an honour to be nominated, but I
get pleasure giving the talks,’ Reg said.
15
DCS
Values
The Department of Community Safety has
launched a campaign to promote its core
business values to departmental staff.
The campaign features several initiatives
to remind staff of the importance of our
values and to prompt discussion.
These initiatives include reinforcement
of the importance of values through the
Director-General’s regular newsletter,
a series of frequently asked questions
ACCOUNTA
to be posted on staff intranets, and a
poster, displayed below, which will be
distributed via the intranets and internet
to be displayed in DCS workplaces around
the state.
Managers are encouraged to lead staff
discussions about the DCS values and
how each value relates to the daily duties
performed by each work unit by focusing
on appropriate workplace behaviours that
actively demonstrate the suite of values.
BIL
ITY
We are acc
ountable fo
r our decis
and our pe
ions
rformance
TEAMWOR
K
COMMUN
ITY SERVIC
Ou
E
We encoura
ge
on teamwo a work environment
based
rk, mutual
sup
purpose, tr
ust, and re port, common
spect for th
history an
e
d cu
safety and lture of community
volunteer
services
SUSTAINA
r people h
ave a stro
ng commit
to the com
ment
munities w
e service a
communit
nd
y safety
DIVERSITY
BIL
ITY
We are effi
cient
energy and with our use of
water and
our
managem
ent of was
te
Depar tm
We encoura
ge a workp
lac
culture tha
t has safety e
as an
absolute p
riority
LEADERSH
e n t o f Co
mmunit
w w w .c o m
SAFETY
IP
m u n it y s a
We value a
nd foster le
adership b
on our com
ased
mon vision
, str
direction a
nd high sta ategic
ndards of
ethical be
haviour
16
We recogn
ise the valu
e and the
inclusion o
f people fr
om a wide
variety of b
ackground
s in
everything
we do and
foster an
environme
nt where p
eople
feel safe fr
om harass
ment
and discri
mination
fe ty .q ld .g
y Safety
o v .a u
INTEGRITY
LEARNING
We act eth
ically, hon
estly,
impartially
and in the
best
interest of
the comm
unity
We value c
reativity, in
novation,
and contin
flexibil
ual improv
ement in th ity
pursuit of
e
excellence
Indigenous recruitment
builds community capability
>>
‘Fortunately, the Department’s
Indigenous support helped a lot
and I was soon up to speed in all
areas.
‘It was character building, but I
wouldn’t want it any other way.’
Landon and his fellow recruits
are helping the Queensland
Government reach its 2.6 per cent
Indigenous employee target within
its total workforce by 2012.
T
he push to encourage more Indigenous
people to work in the Department
of Community Safety has received a
welcome boost for the New Year with two
Indigenous recruits joining QFRS.
Landon Querro [pictured above] is one of
those recruits now working to keep the
community safe.
He took up his post at the Acacia Ridge Fire
Station in January after graduating from
three months of intense QFRS training.
‘Among reasons I chose to become a firie
is the physical nature of the job and the
community service aspect,’ Landon said.
‘I find the role challenging and enjoy the
different situations that come about each
day, from fires to road rescue.
The 26-year-old graduated with 18 other
recruits from Course 76 on 16 December
at a ceremony at QCESA’s Whyte Island
campus.
DCS Director-General Jim McGowan
has stressed the importance of
recruiting more Indigenous people
into the department.
‘Improving the capability of people
through programs and training is
the key to improving employment
opportunities,’ he said.
‘Similarly, our programs in Rural
Fire and the SES, particularly in
isolated communities, have to
focus on capability development.
The Nunukul Yuggera Dance
Troupe performed at the
graduation ceremony for the
members of Recruit Course 76.
(These photos by Trish Kitas/
www.phoenixrisingk5.com)
‘Volunteers not only make a
valuable direct contribution
to their community, they also
enhance their employment
prospects, which in turn builds
overall community capability,’ Mr
McGowan said.
– Brodie Bott
‘Having Indigenous people working in
recognisable and respected positions will
hopefully motivate others to rise above
negative youth stereotypes,’ Landon said.
The road to becoming a firefighter recruit
wasn’t an easy one for Landon.
He began training to become a paramedic
two years ago through the Emergency
Services First Step traineeship program.
Among reasons I chose to
Landon said working as a student
paramedic was rewarding, but he wanted
to try his hand at being a firefighter.
nature of the job and the
‘I had the experience and medical
training, but struggled in some other
areas,’ he said.
become a firie is the physical
community service aspect.
>>
17
Guiding our corporate image
T
he Department of Community Safety
(DCS) has reached another milestone
with the release of a new Corporate
Identity Guide. The guide has been
compiled by the Design Studio team
within the DCS Media and Corporate
Communications Branch (MACC).
It is a key document in the development
of a consistent corporate image across all
divisions of DCS.
Department of Community Safety
The Qu
and th eensland Go
e supp
ve
in all
orting rnment co
pr
Meta ofessiona typeface Ro rporate typ
lly
is
sub he to be used produced tis Serif m eface Met
a
us
and pr
body aders and for all mai
to us
inted t be used
n
signa
copy.
e
ge. Ro headings materials.
When
use, th
typefa Arial rather
an
tis
M
ce for
th
be su e secondar eta and Ro Serif is su d headers,
Arial
readab an Times
bs
gg
y
sh
tis Se
headin tituted re typefaces
rif are ested for
as Po ould also ility in el , as Arial is
sp
of
ec
unavai
werPoi
be
a
used gs and sub ectively. Ar Arial and
la
nt pres used for tronic envi better
ble to
Text m
for bo
Times
electro
ro
entatio
ust co
dy co headings in ial should
sh
ou
nic m nments.
of
ns.
py
nform
ld
It is de
the Qu
text. Tim be used
within
edia
fo
such
large
Manua eensland to the man
in mos partmenta
print es should r
l.
da
Gove
l
based
be
rnmen tory requ
the el t documen style to us
He
do
ad
cumen
ire
t Corp
ectro
er
e Aria
ts prod
ni
ts.
to be
orate ments
l
rather s and text
open c nature of uced in-h as the text
Identit
m
ed or
ouse
rather than capita ust be fo
y
docu
read
becaus font
m
rm
th
ls
en
at
,
an ju
on sc
ts. If
e of
stified and set flu ted in se
reen,
do
nten
.
sh left
it is re cuments
Note:
ar
comm
ragged ce case
In orde
ende e
must
right,
be pu r to use the
d
rch
fro
se
MACC Director Phil Nickerson said it was
important that agency staff understand
and use the guide when preparing any
material, product or sign to be printed,
broadcast or distributed.
aA a
A
aA a
A
ase thr
m appr
fonts
on
ou
opria
te fon gh your ICT your syste
t sites
m, lic
eg: Fo Procurem
en
ent Of ces
nt Facto
ficer
ry
Staff should contact the Design Studio for
assistance if they are unsure when to use
a logo on signage or have other enquiries.
Meta
prima
The new guide was made necessary by the
creation of DCS as part of the Machinery
of Government changes that followed the
State election in March 2009.
The amalgamation of the former
Department of Emergency Services and
Queensland Corrective Services under
the DCS banner, combined with changes
to the way the Queensland Government
logo is presented and used, meant a new
style guide was needed to help define and
manage the Department’s new corporate
identity.
Fonts
Corporate Identity Guide
Agfa
Ro
serif tis
ry typ
face
prima
ry sup
portin
g typfa
ce
Arial
secon
Times
dary ty
peface
secon
dary su
page
6
pport
ing ty
pfa
ce
Depart
ment
of Co
mmun
ity
Safety
>>corp
orateid
entityg
uide
The guide covers the correct styles and
usage of the Queensland Government
logo, which is now to be included on all
stationery items, badges, identity cards,
uniforms, flags and in all publications,
100
posters, displays, signage, livery, banners
and promotional materials.
100
95
95
Divisional logos for QAS, QFRS and EMQ
are also addressed, as are those for75
the
Rural Fire Service and the SES. To help
preserve their individual identities it
is important that divisional logos are
25
retained, however, they must be used
alongside the Queensland Government
logo. Please refer to the guide for 5
examples and further information.
75
25
5
0
0
100
Sections of the guide are devoted to100
building signage, plaques, apparel,
95
advertising, banners and displays, and
there are chapters dealing with specific
75
divisional examples for QAS, QFRS, EMQ,
RFS and SES.
95
75
The use and formatting of fonts are
also covered – specifically the official
25
Queensland Government typeface Meta
and the supporting typeface Rotis Serif.
5
25
5
The guide is available in electronic format
only, to ensure that it is updated as 0
required, and can be found on the staff
intranets and on the network G-drive with
other reference documents.
18
0
Enthusiasm
ensures Goondiwindi is in
good hands
Renewed enthusiasm and a recruitment drive led by Local Controller
Graeme de Britt (centre, kneeling) has brought Goondiwindi’s SES group
back from the brink of closure
R
ekindled community spirit and
determined leadership have brought
Goondiwindi’s SES Group back from the
brink.
In early 2009 the SES group in the southwestern Queensland town had dwindled
to just two active members and was in
danger of folding.
By the end of the year, though, the
situation had been reversed with the
group now boasting more than 30
members.
The driving force behind the group’s
revival is Graeme de
‘I don’t ring people, I just go and front
them,’ he said. ‘I explain to them what
we do and what the benefits are to the
community and what the benefits are to
them, such as in getting training in first
aid and traffic control, and how it helps
the community.’
‘We look after traffic control and it takes
that headache away from them – they can
do whatever else they’ve got to do.
‘I’ve got seven members from the one
business, which is the Railway Hotel.
Goondiwindi Regional Council
Administration Manager Neil Kratzke
works closely with the SES, and said
Graeme’s infectious personality had
helped attract volunteers from all sections
of the community.
‘I signed the hotel manager up because
he used to be in the SES up in the Gulf of
Carpentaria and he had a talk to a few of
his staff members.
‘It would be
very difficult if
the group
had to
close – we
would
have to
rely on units
from other
areas and
this would
add significant
time to any
emergency
response,’
he said.
Britt, a former
interstate truckie
who took on the
task of rebuilding
Goondiwindi’s SES
after responding
to a newspaper
advertisement for a
Local Controller.
A Rural Fire Service
volunteer for 15 years
and deputy captain
with the Boggabilla
brigade just over the
border in NSW, Graeme
knows the importance
of community support when it comes to
delivering emergency services in rural
and remote areas.
‘The group here in Goondiwindi has been
going for quite a few years, but it died
right down. I think a lot of the members
lost interest because they weren’t doing
any training or any activities,’ Graeme
said.
‘Wayne Jones, who is now the Deputy
Controller, kept the place running before
I was appointed.
‘If the group had have folded, it would
have been a great loss to Goondiwindi,’
Graeme said. ‘I doubt if they would have
got it going again.’
Graeme has several methods of
recruiting new volunteers, from simply
speaking to people in the street to
running an information stall at the
local market. He also uses the town’s
newspaper, the Goondiwindi Argus, to
spread the word.
‘We actually did a fair dinkum land search
last Sunday (13 December). The outcome
was really good: we found the elderly
gentleman.’
‘The profile of the
group is much higher than it has been,’
Graeme said.
‘We’ve been running bit of stuff with
the Argus, it’s getting the SES out in
everybody’s face, and it’s coming along
pretty well. We’re starting to get a fair
bit of support from a few of the local
businesses now.’
‘The community has been
very supportive of the SES,
and they have received wonderful support
from the local press as well.’
‘It’s a comfort to know the SES is there,’
Neil said. ‘Council is very happy and has
agreed to increase the group’s budget –
it’s very cheap for the service they provide
to the community.’
Of the new recruits, the Goondiwindi
group has a fairly even mix of male and
female volunteers aged from 16 to 65,
with the majority between 20 and 35.
The group meets and trains regularly,
and is frequently called out to assist
the town’s other emergency services –
which Graeme credits with helping the
members stay interested and on the ball.
‘The Goondiwindi police, ambulance and
fire brigade have been terrific towards
the SES – they’ve really helped us
with giving us call-outs to keep people
motivated and of course it’s a great
assistance to them,’ he said.
If the group had have
folded, it would have
been a great loss to
Goondiwindi.
19
Queensland rural
firefighters support
neighbours in need
By Liz Buckler
Above (l to r): Narangba RFS member Graham Smith, NSW RFS Group Captain
Dennis Tully and Queensland Strike Team leader Tony Shaw discuss tactics
during the northen NSW fires. Right: The Queensland RFS Strike Team
A
dedicated group of 35 Rural Fire
Service volunteers came to the aid of
their interstate counterparts in December
to battle bushfires which had broken out
in northern New South Wales.
The group was led by Caboolture Group
Officer Tony Shaw, who oversaw the
Queensland crews’ work alongside the
NSW Rural Fire Service to arrest the spread
of several fires within the Armidale region.
Ripley Valley Rural Fire Brigade volunteer
George Ganzenmuller said the deployment
created a great opportunity for the QLD
and NSW crews to share knowledge, learn
new skills, understand equipment options
and develop closer ties.
‘Firefighters are a huge family and
whether we come from rural or urban
stock, or in this case, interstate, we all
band together to help one another out,’
George said.
He said the new experiences and skills
gained from the deployment allowed
him to build his knowledge bank for
firefighting back home, especially in
regard to tackling fires in inaccessible
terrain.
20
‘Going to NSW gave us the opportunity
to work with the NSW Remote Aerial
Firefighting Teams (RAFT). These firies
get winched in with equipment such as
chainsaws, axes and hand tools and then
work closely with water-bombing aircraft
to bring fires burning in areas which
are extremely difficult to access, under
control.
gain practical experience in developing
firefighting action plans.
‘We were able to operate in a truly
collaborative environment and gain a
great insight into how the NSW RFS as
well as their Parks and Wildlife Services
operate,’ he said.
‘The principles of RAFT proved a great
way of quickly containing a fire before it
became a large incident; which is a big
plus in terms of managing firie fatigue
throughout a season.
‘The QLD team was able to operate
autonomously at the Aberdeen Road fire
with NSW Group Captain Dennis Saunders
there in the background offering great
support in terms of knowledge relating to
the local area and the equipment.
‘After all, we were down there to give the
locals – who had been tackling many fires
for weeks – a well deserved breather.’
‘Being able to develop our own action
plans was a good ‘hands on’ way to learn.’
‘Working with RAFT was the first time I’d
been to a fire with two choppers at our
beck and call, which made quick work
of controlling the fires. Applying several
thousand litres of water over the course
of several days – without touching a hose
– was quite a unique experience,’ George
said.
George said the deployment enabled
him and his fellow RFS volunteers to
‘We all brought a few lessons home from
down south and, of course, we were also
proud to be able to show the New South
Welshman the way Queensland firies can
operate.
‘After all, it was only a few months prior
that they helped us out with fires in Rocky.
‘In each situation everyone’s initially
chucked in the deep end, but everyone
takes it with a grin and the camaraderie
just follows,’ he said.
Paramedics and firefighters put
their skills to the test
By Helen Ainsworth
A
mbulance and fire personnel are the
calming faces people rely on at the scene
of an emergency, so it is vital to ensure they
are prepared for any situation.
On Saturday 12 December, Wanless Truck
Wreckers at Coopers Plains in Brisbane’s
south became the site for a multi-casualty
training day where about 50 emergency
services personnel took part in a serious
crash scenario.
Advanced Care Paramedic Anneke Triebels
and Station Officer Col Woods of Durack
Fire and Ambulance Station organised the
operation, rounding up personnel from QFRS
and QAS to put their skills into action.
‘The scenario was not an everyday incident
but one which we could potentially come
across – in this case a truck had collided
with a bus leaving one patient deceased, as
well as seven with serious to critical injuries,’
Anneke said.
‘QFRS provided means for QAS to carry
out their duties, using hydraulic cutting
equipment to free patients from the wreckage
and make the scene safe for paramedics to
assess and stabilise the casualties.
‘Every day QAS and QFRS work together at
many emergency situations and this exercise
provided a means for both organisations to
become familiar with the different types of
equipment, and learn different methods of
reading and handling situations as a team,’
Col said.
Anneke said the scenario touched on all
levels of patient care and provided an
insight and understanding into QFRS training
and capabilities – essential knowledge
for emergency services staff dealing with
vehicle accidents, difficult extrications and
entrapments.
‘Paramedics were put to the test, stabilising
and treating patients for injuries ranging from
a leg fracture to serious head injuries,’ she
said.
‘We also sought support from the QAS
Special Operations Response Team to provide
an expert multi-casualty management
briefing to QAS responders, something all
personnel were able to put into good practice
when the scenario began.
‘Based on the success of this scenario and
the support received from QAS and QFRS
staff, educators and management, further
joint agency exercises are already in the
planning stage for next year.’
QFRS and QAS would like to extend their
gratitude to Wanless Truck Wreckers at
Coopers Plains for providing the facilities to
make the exercise possible.
The combined QAS/QFRS multi-casualty training day gave paramedics and
firefighters valuable experience in working together to extricate and treat patients
injured in a severe road crash
21
Paramedics
learn to stay SAFE on the job
U
p to 2500 QAS paramedics will
undertake self-defence training in
2010 following the successful completion
of a pilot program at the QCESA training
complex at Whyte Island in December.
Ten paramedics took part in the twoday Situational Awareness for Everyday
Encounters (SAFE) pilot course, which is
designed to enhance
the safety and security
of QAS paramedics
by teaching them
self-defence and deescalation techniques.
presence/image/attitude and behaviour’.
‘The two-day pilot was instrumental in
finalising the content and length of the
training,’ Mr McNamara said.
‘We have had some very positive
feedback that the lessons, both theory
and practical, will have clear benefits to
paramedics on the road.’
This training program
will enhance how
paramedics deal with
difficult patients or
bystanders.
The SAFE training
program has been
created in response to
growing concerns over
the number of assaults
and threats made
against paramedics in the field.
QAS Acting Deputy Commissioner Leo
McNamara said the SAFE program would
complement existing training given to
paramedics by giving them insights into
situational awareness and environmental
risk assessments, defensive awareness,
tactical communication and workplace
safety.
It will focus on maintaining a professional
approach – specifically a ‘professional
Mr McNamara said
assaults and threats
on paramedics were
‘abysmal, and we
certainly have no
tolerance for it at all’.
‘Our paramedics are
there to look after the
sick and injured, and
not to be assaulted or
attacked.’
However, he stressed
that the SAFE program was not about
teaching paramedics to fight back –
instead it is designed to give them the
skills to recognise threats and deal with
difficult situations before they become
dangerous.
‘This training program will enhance how
paramedics deal with difficult patients or
bystanders.
‘The training is about situational
awareness and tactical communication,
and will alert the officers much earlier to
potential situations so they can remove
themselves safely,’ he said.
QAS has worked with former Queensland
Police Service Chief Instructor Bill
Turner to develop the SAFE program.
He said the training was focused on
simple techniques of awareness and
disengagement to help keep paramedics
safe on the job.
‘If you know what’s going on around you,
you can take positive steps to negate
assaultive behaviour. If you’re not doing
threat assessments and you’re not aware
of your surroundings and the people
around you, you could be open to being
assaulted.
‘So what we’re looking at is continuous
threat assessments, and then we’re
looking at putting strategies in place to
reduce the risk of assault – teamwork
strategies, stance, balance, body
positioning – these type of strategies to
reduce any assaultive behaviour.
‘We feel that with this additional training,
ambulance officers can now identify risks
and take preventative measures to reduce
those risks, so this assaultive behaviour
isn’t given a chance to occur,’ Bill said.
Former Queensland Police Service Chief Instructor Bill Turner (centre) guides paramedics through scenario training as part of the SAFE program
22
Staff
health a priority for QFRS
Q
ueensland Fire and Rescue Service
is mounting a new challenge to
improve the health and wellbeing of its
firefighters.
‘In other words, as one risk factor
increases, we must lower other risk
factors in order to address our overall
risk,’ John said.
While there is a perception internally
and in the wider public that firefighters
are required to be or are fit and
healthy, internal data suggests that this
may not be the case.
The internal data shows QFRS personnel
are potentially at an increased risk
of developing chronic diseases such
as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, arthritis, osteoporosis and
depression.
Workplace Health Safety and Wellness
Manager John Bartholomew said the
QFRS workforce was facing a number of
health risks.
‘These had been identified partly
on incidents and claims reported to
QFRS, but also from findings from
1763 voluntary health assessments
conducted across the organisation,’
he said.
‘The findings of the voluntary
assessments suggest that the health
of QFRS personnel was similar to
that of the general Australian adult
population. While this may be the
‘norm’, it is neither a ‘healthy’ norm
nor is it ideal for QFRS personnel,
especially firefighters who regularly
face physically demanding and diverse
situations.
John said in 2010 the QFRS Wellness
program would incorporate a
combination of educational,
organisational and practical activities
and information to benefit firefighters
and other QFRS personnel.
‘It is about encouraging QFRS staff
and their families to take ownership
of their health by making positive and
sustainable lifestyle choices,’ he said.
‘The campaigns we have organised for
this year have been selected to address
the health risks our workforce is facing
and we are trying to reach everyone
through a Wellness Road Trip.
‘The campaigns, events and activities
focus on issues including weight,
diabetes, heart disease, stroke
prevention, bowel cancer and kidney
disease, responsible drinking, bone
health, hydration and shift work health.
‘The average age within QFRS is
currently 42, but like the Australian
population as a whole, the average age
within QFRS is increasing.
‘With an increase in age, the risk of
developing chronic diseases also
increases. Whilst age is one risk factor
that we cannot change, what we can
do is address any other risk factors
such as low activity levels and poor
nutrition.
These chronic conditions may be
managed with relatively simple lifestyle
modifications including moderate
exercise, improved nutrition, quitting
smoking and responsible drinking of
alcohol. These modifications have been
found to improve cholesterol, blood
pressure, brain chemistry, glucose
metabolism and bone density.
Did you know:
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the
leading cause of death for males
and females (37.6 per cent of all
deaths) in Australia. This equates to
approximately one death every 10
minutes. Australian Institute of Health
& Welfare statistics indicate that onefifth of Australians have CVD problems
and about 1.1 million have a disability
as a result. Eighty per cent of adult
Australians have at least one risk
factor for cardiovascular disease.
CVD is largely preventable. Besides
family history and age, contributing
risk factors that are lifestyle-related
include:
• Risky and high alcohol use
• Tobacco smoking
• Physical inactivity
• Poor diet and nutrition
• Excess weight
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
Hitting the road for health
T
he QFRS 2010 Wellness Program
will kick off a number of
initiatives including the travelling
Wellness Road Trip which will reach
every region.
Regional visits by the Wellness
Program throughout the year will
include workshops on a variety of
health-related topics and health
and fitness assessments.
One of the program’s major
campaigns, the Fighting Fit
Challenge, kicks off on February 8.
Fighting Fit is a 12-week challenge
for QFRS staff who want to quit
smoking, lose weight, make
healthier lifestyle choices, improve
fitness and improve blood pressure.
In 2010 the Wellness Program will
also continue to provide fitness
equipment to eligible stations and
to educate staff on how to use this
equipment safely and effectively
via face-to-face mentoring and
distribution of the Wellness
Information Package. To date, 71
stations have received fitness
equipment from the Wellness
Program.
The Wellness Program will also
continue to keep staff updated on
the QFRS Workplace Health and
Safety and Wellness Teamsite.
The health, nutrition and fitness
pages of this teamsite are regularly
updated with the latest information
on various wellness topics. This
site can be located on the DCS
Portal at: Our_Organisation/QFRS/
Office_of_the_Commissioner/
Workplace_Health_and_Safety
Approximately 55 per cent of people
presenting to a GP are overweight or
obese, 17 per cent are daily smokers
(4 per cent occasional), 26 per cent
drink ‘at risk” levels of alcohol, 65 per
cent report doing less than 150min
moderate exercise per week, 30 per
cent have high blood pressure and 51
per cent have an unacceptable cardiac
ratio (the ratio of total cholesterol to
HDL (good) cholesterol).
23
Moreton Bay SES gets connected
S
ix new laptop computers with wireless
internet cards have been donated
by Energex to the recently amalgamated
Moreton Bay Region (MBR) SES Unit.
‘I’d like to thank Energex for its generous
support of our volunteer groups,’ said
Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan
Sutherland.
‘The computers will improve
communication between council, SES and
Energex during times of emergency.’
MBR SES Unit Local Controller Mark
Thornton accepted the laptops on behalf
of the unit.
‘The new laptops will streamline our
operational capability. They’re going
to help deliver a much clearer picture
of what’s happening across the region
and we can then make better use of
our available resources where they are
needed the most.’
Under the MBR banner SES groups from
Arana Hills, Bribie Island, Caboolture,
Deception Bay, Petrie and Redcliffe are
working together as a formidable team,
comprising more than 220 members, to
serve their community.
‘Pooling our resources has given us
greater ability and strengthened our
response to emergencies in the region,’
Mark said.
‘We have the ability to send out more
field crews in a given area and really
concentrate our efforts.’
Moreton Bay Regional Council Local Disaster Management Group Chair Cr Brian Battersby checks out one of the
Energex-donated laptops with members of the Moreton Bay Region SES Unit
The continued dedication of the region’s
volunteer members is highly appreciated,
particularly by Cr Brian Battersby.
‘These people train for countless hours
year round to be able to help the 355,000
residents in our vast region.’
‘While our residents are tucked up in
a nice warm bed at night, our SES men
and women are on damaged or leaking
rooftops,’ said Cr Battersby.
Last year MBR SES members contributed
more than 33 000 hours responding to
requests for assistance – an effort worth
an estimated $610 500 to the community.
Top executive appointed
to Noosa SES
Week in November, while the Tewantin
Unit was named Queensland Storm
Heroes Team Runners Up by SES major
sponsor NRMA Insurance.
By Gloria Bruzzone
R
etired executive Carol Watkins
[pictured] of Cooroy, has been elected
the new president of the Noosa SES
Financial Support Group.
The group plays an important role raising
funds for equipment replacement and
the provision of better amenities for the
volunteers.
Noosa SES received the North Coast
Regional Unit of the Year award during SES
Cairns-born Carol was the first woman
appointed to the Board of the State
Chamber of Commerce and Industry
in Sydney, was twice nominated for
Telstra Business Woman of the Year
when she owned ARS Recruitment in
Brisbane, and was awarded Business
Person of the Year by the Milton
Chamber of Commerce in Brisbane.
She joined Noosa SES four years ago
and has been Cooroy Group Leader
for two years, bringing great
organisational experience and
specialist skills to her role.
Carol recently helped coordinate a
week-long hinterland search for a
missing local resident when 63 SES
volunteers from Tewantin, Cooroy,
Pomona, Coolum, Maroochydore,
Kenilworth, Nambour, Gympie, Sandy
Straits, Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Tin
Can Bay and Imbil converged on Cooran
and Pinbarren.
‘Noosa SES has an extremely wide range
of talents among our volunteers and it is
a privilege to work with such a dedicated
team, willing to head out into all sorts of
conditions, even life-threatening, to help
their community,’ she said.
Carol’s new committee members are
Vice-President Steve Muir, Treasurer
Anne Summers and Secretary
Pauline Clough.
25
Public Safety Network upgrade
creates safer, stronger data links
A
major upgrade of data network
infrastructure is under way at
Queensland’s correctional facilities,
with Borallon and Woodford Correctional
Centres the first to benefit from a complete
overhaul.
The upgrade, a component of the Public
Safety Network (PSN) Project, will pave
the way for a multitude of emerging
technologies that will benefit facilities such
as video conferencing, voice over IP (VoIP)
and IP telephony – all of which rely on the
ability to use a highly secure and available
fixed data network.
A landmark collaboration between
the Department of Community Safety
(Queensland Corrective Services),
Queensland Police Service and the
Department of Justice and Attorney-General,
the PSN Project will enable all agency sites
and departments to benefit from a stronger,
highly protected, shared data network
service over the next 14 months.
The challenge for the PSN Project is to
install new cabling and network equipment
across entire facilities, while ensuring that
disruption to the daily business of sites is
kept to a minimum.
According to feedback gathered from
centres so far, the upgrades have been
resoundingly positive.
‘The PSN improvements mean we are now
able to achieve some long awaited network
connectivity solutions – across the centre,’
said Clint Bambrick, Assistant Director
of Security and Operations at Borallon
Correctional Centre.
‘Everything seems to have been thought
through by the project team – from the
positioning of data points in the visitors’
centre to providing a data link to our Dog
Squad.
‘Even our training centre now has network
connectivity enabled. This upgrade has
resulted in improved and safer operations
at Borallon.’
Much of the success of the implementation
can be attributed to strong collaboration
and clear communication between key
members of the Borallon and Woodford staff
and the PSN Project team.
(l to r) Clint Bambrick and Wayne Mackenzie of Borallon
Correctional Centre with PSN Project team members Russell
Roos (QCS Project Manager, PSN Implementation), Paul
Salter (PSN Ancillary Services Project Manager) and Birger
Jepsen (PSN Ancillary Services Network Designer)
Considerable effort was expended on
aligning project schedules with centre
rosters. The project also took steps
to ensure contractors were aware of
site-specific working conditions and
requirements.
Following the success of the work
undertaken at both Borallon and
Woodford, the project is on track to
progress upgrades of a further nine
correctional facilities early in 2010.
‘The upgrade work has been seamless.
There have been no security issues
whatsoever,’ said Wayne Mackenzie,
Borallon CC Security and Operations
Manager.
‘From an operational perspective, investing
in the planning and organisation work up
front resulted in some real time savings
throughout implementation.’
In line with the DCS Information
Communication Systems blueprint, the
Department has re-engaged with the PSN
Project to undertake a feasibility study for
the provision of a suitable connectivity
solution that will address the upgrade of
remaining DCS sites not currently in the
project’s scope.
For further information about the PSN
Project visit psn.govnet.qld.gov.au
Farewell to Coastguard stalwart
Described as the life and soul of
Coastguard Redcliffe, Malcolm joined in
1976 and held just about every position
in the organisation from maintenance
officer and purser to deputy commander
and commander, culminating in his
recent appointment as South Queensland
Squadron Deputy Commodore.
M
embers of the Australian Volunteer
Coastguard Association (AVCGA)
and the wider boating community are
mourning the death of Malcolm Olding,
who passed away on 29 October aged 61.
Malcolm [pictured] was the Deputy
Commodore of the AVCGA’s South
Queensland Squadron and a stalwart
member of the Coastguard Redcliffe,
which was his flotilla for 33 years.
26
Over his more than three decades of
community service, Malcolm received
numerous awards including the
Distinguished Service Award, the
Distinguished Administration Award and
an Australia Day Achievement Award.
through the years of struggle for financial
and manpower support, he ushered in a
whole new era of service.’
‘His long hours at the base are legendary
and his innovative fundraising and
motivation over the years has left Redcliffe
with an organisation second to none.
‘His competence, good humour and
friendly nature were recognised up and
down the coast. His knowledge and
experience is a great loss, but he has
certainly left us better than he found us,’
said Jon.
‘The list of offices and awards, though
long, do not do justice to the gentle man
who devoted his life to making Moreton
Bay a safer place for mariners,’ said
Coastguard Redcliffe colleague Jon Hayes.
Malcolm’s funeral was well attended with
100 AVCGA members paying their respects
alongside 30 police officers, members
from Volunteer Marine Rescue Bribie
Island and Sandgate and volunteers from
the Redcliffe SES group.
‘From the early days when Malcolm had
to use his own boat for training members,
Malcolm Olding is survived by his two
brothers, Stan and Eddie.
Scouts get prepared
for fire suppression
By Graham Davis
Q
FRS firefighters from Kippa Ring
joined forces recently with volunteers
from the Redcliffe SES to conduct a fire
suppression training session for 16 young
Scouts from the Oyster Point Group.
The training session was held at the
Redcliffe SES Group headquarters on
4 November, and began with a theory
session led by Kippa Ring Station Officer
Bob Abel, which included two video
presentations on fire suppression and fire
extinguisher use and identification.
Everyone then moved outside, where a
selection of fire scenarios had been set up
within a cordoned area.
With three Kippa Ring firefighters acting
as ‘safety officers’, Bob simulated a
kitchen blaze involving cooking oil and
invited one of the Scouts to demonstrate
the correct way to smother the blaze with
a fire blanket.
Bob then moved on to a barrel containing
flammable liquid, and in rotation with the
SES volunteers, the Scouts took turns at
quelling the flames with dry powder fire
extinguishers.
Senior Firefighter Andrew White
explains to Oyster Point Scouts some of
the equipment carried on his pumper.
(Photo by Graham Davis)
After the Scouts received a guided tour
of the Kippa Ring pumper appliance and
listened to a presentation on Redcliffe
SES’s new rescue tender and flood
boat, the training evening ended with a
question and answer session.
QFRS Firefighter Championships
T
he 2010 State Firefighting
Championships will be held at The
Strand in Townsville in August.
The competition began in the 1930s to
build comradeship among firefighters.
The championships showcase and help
refine the skills firefighters use on a
daily basis.
It is also an effective method of engaging
the community about fire safety
awareness.
The competition takes in all seven regions
across the state and was expanded
in 2003 to include all QFRS full-time,
auxiliary and volunteer operational
firefighters.
The regional competitions kick off on
5 March in Toowoomba and work their
way through the state, taking in the
Brisbane, South East, North Coast,
Central, Northern and Far Northern
regions before culminating in the state
championships in Townsville on 5-7
August.
All teams will be competing for the
coveted Minister’s Cup, which has
been won by the Monto team for the
last two years running.
27
in brief
IFE gains assessment
recognition
The Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE)
Queensland branch recently received
approval to practice as an assessment
entity.
Minister for Public Works Robert
Schwarten approved the IFE scheme for
the assessment of appropriately qualified
individuals to be registered to practice as
Professional Engineers in Queensland in
November.
The IFE assessment scheme was
scheduled to commence on 1 February
2010. Individuals who are appropriately
qualified at chartered engineer level and
wish to apply for assessment should
contact the IFE secretary by emailing
[email protected]
IFE also encourages those individuals
who wish to be recognised for their
qualifications in engineering, but not
at chartered engineer level, to apply for
registration as a competent person in their
field of expertise.
IFE provides professional recognition for
fire engineers across a broad spectrum
and has achieved recognition from a
number of professional bodies, including
Engineering Council UK (ECuk) which
regulates the engineering profession in
the United Kingdom.
2
Great cause, great
shave
David Lavell
New Director of Ethical
Standards
A new Director of Ethical Standards
for the Department of Community
Safety was appointed in January.
David Lavell has significant experience
as both an investigator and educator
in misconduct prevention and ethics
awareness. He most recently held the
position of Assistant Director of Ethical
Standards at the Department of Education
and Training. David will commence in
the position in early February reporting
through the Ministerial, Information and
Legal Services Executive Director. His
appointment follows the retirement of
Terry Christensen.
T
he 2010 World’s Greatest Shave
is on from 11-13 March. Lose your
locks or colour your curls to show
empathy for blood cancer patients
and raise funds for the Leukaemia
Foundation of Queensland. Getting
involved in this fun community event
is simple – register online at www.
worldsgreatestshave.com. It’s even
more fun if you put together a team
of work colleagues or friends to show
support for patients and their families
living with leukaemia, lymphomas,
myeloma and related blood disorders.
Would you like to share your knowledge, skills
and experience with Australian Army Cadets?
mins
with
Elliot Dunn
Area Director, EMQ, Mt Isa
Location
Mount Isa
Length of service
Four years
Best part of job
Getting out to the
more remote parts
of Queensland and
working with the
people there
Favourite read
Anything to do with
the history of the area
Favourite movie
Mainly crime movies,
but I don’t watch a
lot of TV
28
Favourite music
Country, but will
listen to anything
Favourite pastime
Photography and
fishing
Favourite sports
team
North Queensland
Cowboys (ignoring
recent form)
Dream weekend
Fishing at some
remote spot with no
phone reception
The Australian Army Cadets is a leading youth development organisation providing
young people between the ages of 12.5 to 19 with leadership training that will last
them a lifetime.
Cadets learn field craft and survival skills as well as gaining a better understanding of
Australia’s history. Many cadets go on to leading roles in the Australian Defence Force
and the wider community.
We have positions available for suitable candidates to become an
Instructor or Officer of Cadets.
If you would like the opportunity to provide positive input to the
Australian Army Cadet organisation, we would like to hear from you.
Suitable candidates must be:
- An Australian citizen
- Able to attend weekly cadet activities
- In good health - Prepared to undergo a Police background check
Australian Army Cadet Staff are paid an attendance fee, receive appropriate uniforms,
and gain a lot of satisfaction from making a positive contribution to Australia’s youth.
Contact us to find out more about the Australian Army Cadets.
www.aac.adfc.gov.au
Tel: 1800 203 307
E-mail: [email protected]
profile
Maryborough Correctional
Centre
By Brad Muir
Maryborough Correctional Centre Industries Advisor Shane Dings, left, discusses the role of industries in
prisoner rehabilitation with General Manager Trevor Craig
L
ocated about seven kilometres north of
the city it was named for, Maryborough
Correctional Centre (MCC) is a multipurpose high-security custodial facility
designed for 500 male prisoners.
Trade instructors deliver integrated
Vocational Educational Training to
prisoners employed in the workshops to
provide them with the skills required to
obtain employment upon their release.
The centre accommodates mainstream
and protection prisoners in secure and
residential compounds.
Courses are accredited and aligned with
local industry needs.
As the remand and reception centre for
prisoners from Bundaberg to Gympie, it
also houses prisoners awaiting trial and
those given a custodial sentence.
Almost 290 people are employed at MCC
in a variety of roles including custodial
officers, psychologists, counsellors,
education officers, administration and
management.
Queensland Health employs nurses who
provide on-site medical services.
Prisoners participate in a range of
programs and employment opportunities
as part of their rehabilitation, including
programs to address issues that lead
to offending behaviour and to improve
prisoners’ literacy and numeracy skills.
The centre’s Transitions Coordinator
and several community agencies deliver
training modules to prisoners prior to their
release into the community.
The centre has several workshops
including woodwork, metalwork and a
light industries workshop.
MCC General Manager Trevor Craig said
benefitting the community through
prisoner rehabilitation was a priority.
‘The focus is on giving prisoners real
opportunities for reparation to the
community,’ he said.
‘Staff have cultivated a positive prison
environment conducive to encouraging
prisoners to address their offending
behaviour and break their cycle of
reoffending.
‘MCC is a very secure centre and staff are
proud of the fact that there has never
been an escape from the centre.’
MCC staff and management have worked
hard to develop a strong sense of
community.
Community links were first forged through
a charity fundraising event held at the
centre prior to its opening in 2003.
Those links have grown through the
centre’s involvement with a range of
community groups that contribute to
prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration
into society following their release.
The centre has a Community Advisory
Committee (CAC) comprised of local
councillors, chamber of commerce
members, Queensland Police Service
officers, QFRS staff and representatives
of various community organisations that
meets regularly to give the community
input into issues concerning corrective
services.
Indigenous communities are engaged
directly through an Indigenous Reference
Group, Elders groups who visit the centre
and a network of correctional centre staff
and community organisations who assist
offenders.
MCC’s Dog Squad regularly visits local
schools and has appeared at the annual
Fraser Coast Show demonstrating the work
of their General Purpose and Passive Alert
Drug Detection dogs.
Prisoners have also built model
aircraft and boats for donation to the
Maryborough RSL to commemorate ANZAC
Day.
MCC staff and management
have worked hard to develop a
strong sense of community.
29
profile
Cunnamulla Ambulance Station
Cunnamulla Ambulance Station OIC Paul Chapman – pictured here with his wife Angela, who is an Honorary Ambulance
Officer, and Paramedic Nathan Daley (right) – believes the area’s isolation is both a challenge and a charm
M
ustering on a motorcycle can be
dangerous, especially when it all
goes wrong while you’re chasing stock on
a remote station more than 100km from
the south-western Queensland town of
Cunnamulla.
But it’s the type of accident that
Cunnamulla Ambulance Station OIC
Paul Chapman and his fellow paramedic
Nathan Daley see regularly among the 40
call-outs they respond to in an average
month.
‘They were rounding up goats to send to
the abattoir and the bloke came off doing
about 40km/h,’ Paul said.
Paul and Nathan are Isolated Practising
Paramedics, a qualification they see
as essential for serving their far-flung
community effectively.
‘Our skills have to be up to a certain
degree to be able to help people –
because we’re it,’ he said. ‘A lot of our
jobs are Priority 1, and we may be away
from station for eight or 10 hours.’
‘We’re responsible for about 120,000 sq
km. That’s out to the SA border but, of
course, out that way we don’t transport
the patients in – it’s usually RFDS.’
‘I was about 12km out of the paddock and
couldn’t get any further in the ambulance.
We looked at bringing the Royal Flying
Doctor Service (RFDS) in, but they had a
plane broken down so we had to stabilise
him.
The Cunnamulla crew have a close
relationship with the town’s hospital: the
ambulance station is within the hospital
grounds and a wardsperson from the
hospital accompanies the paramedics
on call-outs, often driving the ambulance
back to town so the paramedic can
continue treating the patient.
‘I think that job took us five or six hours
before we eventually got him back to
Cunnamulla.’
‘QHealth, the hospital, the police, the
firies out here – it’s incredible how well
we all work together,’ Paul said.
Long hours, isolation and a need for selfreliance are just some of the challenges
that face Paul and Nathan at Cunnamulla,
but they wouldn’t have it any other way.
‘I’ve worked in other smaller towns before
and there’s not been the comradeship like
there is out here. It’s probably because
everyone is working for a good outcome.
Paul moved to Queensland from South
Australia with his wife Angela – who
serves as an Honorary Ambulance Officer
– seven years ago, and he describes it as
the best move they’ve ever made.
‘We get good support from the community
too. We’ve built up a good rapport with
the local Indigenous people, and that has
come through gaining the respect of the
elders and aunties.
30
‘You don’t look at colour or anything like
that – they need help so that’s how we
treat them.’
Paul is also grateful for the support he
receives from QAS area management staff
in Roma and Toowoomba, and from his
fellow paramedics throughout the South
West Region.
‘Our bosses in Roma and Toowoomba are
very pro-active with their support and the
role they play,’ he said.
‘They allow us to manage how we see
fit. It’s a whole different kettle of fish out
here and what works out here certainly
wouldn’t work in Brisbane, and vice
versa.’
‘This is how we work out here, and this is
how we have to work for it to be effective.’
QHealth, the hospital, the
police, the firies out here –
it’s incredible how well we
all work together.
profile
Wamuran Rural Fire Brigade
Members of the Wamuran Rural Fire Brigade show off the pride of their firefighting fleet
W
amuran Rural Fire Brigade is located
in the foothills of the Great Dividing
Range 10km north west of Caboolture and
one hour north of Brisbane.
The station comprises a three-appliance
engine bay, large parking apron, a
communications desk, workbench, stores
area, small kitchen and covered area.
‘We currently have 13 of our members
on the deployment register available to
go wherever needed, usually within 24
hours.
Wamuran First Officer Bill Pezdirc said
his brigade was one of the biggest in the
Brisbane Region.
A recently completed extension will serve
as an air-conditioned training and meeting
room.
‘We cover about 100 square kilometres,
from the Beerburrum Forestry in the north,
to the Caboolture River in the south,
Caboolture city in the east and D’Aguilar to
the west,’ he said.
Bill said the pride of Wamuran’s fleet was
their new twin-cab complete with diesel
pump.
‘Apart from the usual incident response
and fire suppression, we are very active
in community education and our Hazard
Reduction Burn (HRB)program.
‘We’re in the interface zone, where the
urban fringe meets the rural surrounds, so
we’re an IZone brigade.
‘This means we work regularly with urban
permanent and auxiliary stations.
‘Our brigade usually manages the
vegetation fires leaving the urban brigades
to look after the structural ones.
‘However, we do back them up on urban
structural and road crash rescue operations
when required.
‘Because we’re called on to provide such
a diverse range of services, our associated
training can be demanding at times,’ Bill
said.
Wamuran has 31 firefighters, four trainees,
six support members and two registered
juniors.
‘It means we can pump large volumes
quickly and can run multiple lines without
large pressure loss,’ he said.
‘It seats seven crew and with our other two
appliances enables up 13 firefighters to
respond an incident.
‘Wamuran have been keen competitors at
firefighter championships in the past few
years.
‘The knowledge we acquire during these
events combined with our regular training
keep us up to date with the equipment and
working of the local urban appliances.
‘We also regularly send crews on interstate
and intrastate deployments.
‘This fire season we have deployed crews
and individual members to a variety of
locations including Armidale in NSW,
Townsville, Childers, Kingaroy and
Rockhampton.
‘We try and make our HRB relevant to our
strategic objectives and not just get used
as a rubbish removal service.
‘However, we do occasionally help folks
clear up – it’s a community service and
pays off in PR.
‘It also doubles as a useful training
exercise,’ Bill said.
Wamuran also runs a Life Membership
program to retain access to the knowledge
and wisdom of its past members and
allow retired members to maintain contact
with the brigade.
Because we’re called on to
provide such a diverse range
services, our associated
training can be demanding at
times.
31

- Queensland Fire and Emergency Services

Transcription

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