News: Govt under pressure to set up rural fire service

[vk6hgr]

The Barnett Government will be under pressure to set up an Eastern States-style rural fire service in line with a major recommendation from the investigation into January’s Yarloop disaster.

The West Australian can reveal the keenly anticipated report makes the case for WA to follow NSW, Victoria and South Australia in having a specialist body to handle bushfire management outside the metropolitan area, including mitigation.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/ ... -services/

[Infernal]

Thats all very well and good, however SA, VIC, NSW all have CFS/CFA/RFS and all we still had massive fires in the Eastern States, like Pinnery and Wye River.

[ConnorM]

Looks like this happened eventually..

[vk6hgr]

Sort of. I think what people really wanted was a completely independent rural service like the BFS used to be but this arrangement appears to be, I dunno, a DFES advisory group..?

[ConnorM]

I dunno, a DFES advisory group..?

I actually thought it was an independent rural service when I first got subject line 'Important Announcement from DFES - New Rural Fire Division' but yeah you're right it does look more like an advisory group.

What I really don't understand is the need for a Rural Fire Division to improve volunteer relations?

[Zebedee]

Sort of. I think what people really wanted was a completely independent rural service like the BFS used to be but this arrangement appears to be, I dunno, a DFES advisory group..?

ONE volunteer association wanted a completely independent RFS but that's it. Three other volunteer associations plus groups like the Pastoralists and Graziers Association, WA Farmers Federation and other groups had a different idea, where there would be three main "branches" of DFES - urban fire, rural fire and natural hazards.

Having a brand new department was never realistic, it would be far too costly to set up. The sensible idea was always to keep DFES as a single entity but make sure that urban fire and rural fire are treated differently.

The RFD is certainly not just an advisory group. They're putting a lot of money where it's needed most - into mitigation. DFES has been focused on the response part for some time and mitigation hasn't been given the resourcing it needs. Preventing fires is always preferable to putting them out

The new "Bushfire Centre of Excellence" is an interesting idea. It'll be part research, part training. Looking into bushfire matters, developing best practice training for career and volunteer firefighters, industry, etc.

At the moment volunteers have advisory committees that meet three or so times a year and are a conduit from the respective volunteer service to the Commissioner. They're going to be keeping that but also adding a similar concept where there will be lines of communication to the Minister also, something that hasn't been done in any structured way for quite some time.

And one other change that will affect mostly volunteers in regional and rural WA - the RFD will be out there in the regions with specific people to work with volunteers and provide support.

On a personal level, I think it's a mixed bag - there's some really good stuff in the RFD announcement. I'm impressed that they're doing stuff with mitigation, it's been badly needed for quite a while. But I think there's some things they could have done, or done better.

Bush fire brigades are being left under the management of their respective local governments. I'm sure people will have views on that - some will want to keep things the way they are, others won't. Personally I think bush fire brigades should have been rolled into the DFES RFD but that's not the decision the government went with.

[Infernal]

That particular volunteer association is so detached from what goes on in the real world.

It was a 50/50 outcome on weather or not LG's wanted to keep their BFB's, From what ive seen, there is or may be an option for BFB's to become apart of the RFD, if they so desire, what that association doesn't do well is deal with BFB's as a whole group under their LG, for instance there are 5 Brigades in my LG, the Association seems to speak to and treat each BFB as its own entity. I think that my LG does well with its fire services, probably why the association doesn't get involved in out area, as much as we are a urban fringe Brigade we are still a BFB.

[Zebedee]

It was a 50/50 outcome on weather or not LG's wanted to keep their BFB's, From what ive seen, there is or may be an option for BFB's to become apart of the RFD, if they so desire,

If individual BFBs or even potentially entire shires want to be run by DFES, there's definitely a way for that to happen. But it's not the default option.

They won't be joining the RFD as such, DFES-managed brigades come under the Operations section not the RFD.