NATIONAL STATEMENT OF Department of Home Affairs CAPABILITY FOR FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES 2021 EDITION
1 Disclaimer
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Cover images (clockwise from top right): 1-2 Country Fire Authority, Matthew Wren, Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service , Fire and Rescue NSW, VIC SES, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, NASA
2 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...... 2 PURPOSE...... 4 CAPABILITY OF FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES...... 5 NATIONAL CAPABILITY...... 7 FIREFIGHTING (BUSHFIRE)...... 8 FIREFIGHTING (OTHER)...... 10 SEARCH AND RESCUE...... 12 SEVERE WEATHER RESPONSE...... 16 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS (HAZMAT)...... 18 DAMAGE AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT...... 20 INCIDENT MANAGEMENT...... 22 AVIATION ...... 28
1 INTRODUCTION
The provision of fire and emergency services is a matter for states and territories under Australia’s constitutional arrangements. Fire and emergency service agencies are structured, funded and resourced to meet the needs of the state or territory in which they are based. The Australian government funds Airservices Australia to provide civilian Aviation Rescue Firefighting services at Australian airports. But there is no national fire and rescue service for states and territories to call on.
That does not mean that resources cannot be shared when necessary. Statement of Capability of Fire and Emergency Services (the NCS) to Since 1994, Australian and New Zealand fire and emergency services provide a consolidated picture of the capabilities that enable Australia have shared resources in time of need, and it has been said that no state to respond to the challenges posed by the increasing frequency and or territory can maintain fire and emergency services large enough to intensity of disasters. meet any possible contingency. The 2020 Royal Commission into National The NCS was updated by AFAC in 2017 and again in March 2021. It provides Natural Disaster Arrangements found that “Extreme weather has already a snapshot in time of capability and this can change as time goes by; become more frequent and intense because of climate change; further the nature of fire and emergency services and the relatively long lead global warming over the next 20 to 30 years is inevitable” and identified times involved in changes to personnel and fleet mean that figures do not the need for “greater sharing of resources across jurisdictions”. A first change dramatically from year to year, and still provide a good guide to step towards that goal is to assess and record national capability in the absolute and relative capability between updates. fire and emergency services sector. Australia’s fire and emergency service capability is provided by a range In 2015, Emergency Management Australia in collaboration with state and of agencies as listed: territory fire and emergency services agencies and the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) developed a National
2 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 NEW SOUTH WALES SOUTH AUSTRALIA WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Fire and Rescue NSW Department for Environment and Water, SA Department of Fire and Emergency Services, WA (National Parks and Wildlife Service) Forestry Corporation of NSW Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Forestry SA Attractions WA, Parks and Wildlife Service NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australian Country Fire Service NSW Rural Fire Service TASMANIA South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service NSW State Emergency Service Sustainable Timber Tasmania South Australian State Emergency Service Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania VICTORIA AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY Tasmania Fire Service Country Fire Authority, Victoria ACT Emergency Services Agency Tasmania State Emergency Service Forest Fire Management Victoria - Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning ACT Parks and Conservation Service AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT Emergency Management Victoria NORTHERN TERRITORY Airservices Australia Fire Rescue Victoria Bushfires NT Department of Home Affairs, Emergency Parks Victoria Management Australia Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service Victoria State Emergency Service Parks Australia Northern Territory Emergency Service QUEENSLAND
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
3 PURPOSE
The nature of Australia’s climate and geography means that the continent has experienced the effects of severe meteorological and geological events for many millennia. Indigenous Australians understood and historically, were used to living with these phenomena. In more recent times the consequences of such events have increased, with the changing way in which we inhabit Australia. Economic growth, population shifts to areas exposed to more extreme and frequent weather events, and increased urbanisation have all combined to increase Australia’s exposure to natural hazards.
As the 2020 Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements understanding what resources other jurisdictions have as well as sharing noted, the demands placed upon fire and emergency services agencies the same information about their own resources. to contribute to mitigating the effects of these events through prevention, The NCS provides an opportunity to ensure that Australia’s fire and preparation and response activities has increased and may be expected to emergency service resources can be quantified with a view to appropriately increase further with a changing climate. The severe weather events of the directing requests for assistance during large scale and or multiple severe last three decades, in which the principles and practice of resource sharing to catastrophic disasters, as well as providing a platform for state and between states and territories have been developed, can not only be expected territory governments and the Australian Government to better plan future to repeat - they may intensify, and their effects worsen, in the future. capabilities. The Royal Commission clearly established that a national, cooperative The NCS is not designed as a ‘catalogue’ of resources that can be requested, approach is required in future to plan for, manage, and recover from these and inclusion of resources In the NCS does not mean that they are hazards. The effort must be a whole-of-nation one. Although the resources necessarily available for sharing. An inquiry has to be made of relevant catalogued in this statement belong to - and are funded by - their respective organisations to confirm both up to date figures for capability, and the ability jurisdictions, Australian fire and emergency services recognise that there is of organisations to release resources. a mutual national interest in sharing resources when they are available, and
4 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 CAPABILITY OF FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES
Australia’s fire and emergency service agencies are a critical component of the nation’s disaster risk reduction and emergency management system. They are a major contributor to supporting disaster resilient communities and provide expert advice on a range of hazard-based risks across the built and natural environments. In dealing with residual risk, fire and emergency services are responsible for responding to a range of human caused hazards and are the natural hazard lead response agencies for: fire • flood • storm • cyclone • earthquake • tsunami • heatwave (in some jurisdictions).
The services outlined in this document represent a selection of the nature into National Natural Disaster Arrangements found that ‘volunteers are and type of services provided by fire and emergency service organisations. the core responders for rural areas and provide the surge capacity needed The extent to which these services are delivered within each state to respond to large or concurrent natural disasters’. The 2020 Report on and territory, however, is dependent upon government and legislative Government Services published by the Australian Government Productivity requirements, risk profiles and community expectations. In addition, models Commission recorded: of service delivery vary, as does the workforce profile of agencies. Nationally in 2019-20, 22,492 full time equivalent (FTE) paid personnel were It is important to recognise that, if a jurisdiction does not maintain a particular employed by fire service organisations, with the majority (77.8%) firefighters. capability, there is not a ‘gap’ in capability. The capability may not be required A large number of volunteer personnel (201,662 people) also participated in that jurisdiction, or it may not be operationally effective to maintain a specialist in the delivery of services in 2019-20. For State and Territory Emergency capability in a particular location that can be obtained from another jurisdiction Services, the majority of personnel were volunteers, with 24,948 state and if required. territory emergency services volunteers and 717 paid staff in 2019-201.
The Australian fire and emergency service workforce is made up of paid Australia’s fire and emergency service organisations use their expertise and full-time, paid part-time and volunteer members. Australia has a strong experience to respond to emergencies and to assist others build resilience tradition of volunteer fire and emergency services. The Royal Commission and prepare for, mitigate and manage risk before, during and after an
1 Figures from Report on Government Services 2021, Productivity Commission
5 emergency event. Within the context of their legislative responsibilities, fire • Conduct community briefings – provide outreach support and information and emergency services provide this support in areas such as: to affected people and communities, before, during and after crises.
• Managing the incident/emergency events – responding to residual risk • Gather, analyse and validate critical information: and inevitable events. » impact and consequence assessments • Education and engagement – expert hazard advice and support to » rapid damage assessment communities, school children, vulnerable members of the community, business and other stakeholders. » personnel deployment
• Assembly and dissemination of risk information – intelligence gathering, » resource deployment. analysis and understanding of complex and technical data to inform, • Conduct after action reviews, post-incident analyses and investigations educate and warn. – evaluate the effectiveness of incident management performance to
• Delivery of hazard reduction programs – use of fire and other ensure continuous improvement. mechanisms to manage the landscape and minimise the risk to life, • Manage comprehensive transport and emergency service vehicle property, critical infrastructure and the environment. fleets and communications infrastructure – fire and emergency
• Specialist advice on land use planning applications – specific hazard services collectively manage one of the largest vehicle fleets and advice to mitigate risk at the planning stage. communications networks in the nation.
• Manage emergency calls – receipt of calls for assistance and dispatch of • Perform as Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) – providing emergency services. specialist training and professional development for emergency workers.
• Provide warnings and public information – critical safety and survival Notwithstanding the broad suite of activities undertaken by fire and information during times of emergency situations. emergency services as outlined above, the NCS focuses on the specific role of managing incident/emergency events and the response capability that • Crisis leadership – provision of leadership, warnings, comfort and exists to perform that role. support before, during and after emergencies.
6 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 NATIONAL CAPABILITY
The primary focus of the National Capability Statement is to quantify the capability of state and territory agencies across Australia to deal with emergency events. The National Capability Statement does not report on or assess capacity of agencies. The hazard classes below represent leading risks to Australian communities and so the structure of the NCS is built around them.
Australian fire and emergency service agencies respond to and mitigate • search and rescue a much broader range of individual hazards, using transferable skills and • severe weather response capabilities from the areas set out in the NCS. • hazardous materials (HAZMAT) Capability is the collective ability and power to deliver and sustain an effect within a specific context and timeframe. Capacity is the key determinant of • damage and impact assessment how long a capability can be sustained for at a particular level of ability. The • incident management level of capability is determined by the combination of ability and capacity • aviation. across the following core elements: people, resources, governance, systems and processes. (Australian Disaster Preparedness Framework).
The NCS does not attempt to report on every capability, function and resource type that exist in fire and emergency service agencies across the country: rather, it focuses on those capabilities that are most commonly looked to for interstate mutual aid. Core capabilities are listed in the following areas:
• firefighting (bushfire)
• firefighting (other)
7 Firefighting (Bushfire)
Bushfire firefighting is a specialist capability involving a range of technical skills and techniques, including predicting likely fire progression; ensuring any surrounding people or property are protected from exposure to fire or relocated If they can not be protected; containing any further spread of the fire, and ultimately making certain the fire is extinguished.
Fighting bushfires can occur in a range of contexts, including:
• Forest, bush and grass – these are fires in the landscape and involve a variety of different fuel types. Fire behaviour is a product of fuel types, weather conditions and topography which influence incident management strategies and the level of capability fire and emergency services deploy to be prepared and ready to respond.
• Urban-Rural interface - these are fires burning in areas where the built environment meets grassland, bushland or other vegetated land. Fires at the Urban-Rural interface pose particular risks for firefighters and the community. Human resources deployed to incidents at these locations require specific skills.
Bushfire firefighting vehicles are specially designed to be able to operate effectively in rural environments, and the training required for bushfire firefighters is specific to the particular hazard. Bushfire is a very significant risk in Australia and national capability and expertise in this area has been developed over many decades.
8 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 FIREFIGHTING (BUSHFIRE)
State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Ultralight Tankers (4WD approx. 350-800 litres) 3,598 454 807 1,321 10 414 112 348 132 Light Tankers 4WD (approx. 800-1,600 litres) 2,694 147 162 1,355 15 397 2 546 70 Medium Tankers 2WD (approx. 1,600-3,000 litres) 256 - 250 6 - - - 0 - Medium Tankers 4WD (approx. 1,600-3,000 litres) 2,148 166 836 273 15 368 15 325 150 Heavy Tankers 2WD >3,000 litres 40 2 - 24 - 13 - - 1 Heavy Tankers 4WD >3,000 litres 3,097 31 501 1,744 21 12 27 319 442 Bulk Water Carriers >8,000 litres 253 1 2 117 1 28 2 29 73 Arduous firefighters. Firefighters have met agency 2,914 116 1,340 954 198 17 - 96 193 medical requirements and have successfully completed an annual, arduous level pack hike fitness test. Contain and Extinguish Remote area firefighters. Firefighters who are 1,692 91 - 1,498 60 17 - - 26 Forest, Bush and Grass arduous firefighters with specific training to enable Fires them to operate independently on a fireground Forest, Bush away from base camp for an extended duration. and Grass Firefighters hover exit deployable. Arduous or 919 272 - 573 60 - - - 14 remote area firefighters who are accredited to perform helicopter hover exit onto a fireground. Firefighters helicopter winch and rappel 1,258 (W) - 22 (R) 1,198 60 (W) - - - - deployable. Arduous or remote area firefighters 22 (R) (W) who are accredited to winch (W) or rappel (R) from helicopter onto a fireground. Advanced tree faller/ Level 3 chainsaw1. 417 13 29 154 27 124 1 62 7 Qualified and accredited advanced tree faller. Mobile basecamps Number of deployable basecamps 6 - 3 1 - - - 1 1 provide accommodation, Number of persons capable of being - - 500 400 - - - 90 70 catering and sewage accommodated in each basecamp. facilities.
1 FWPFGM3217 - Fell trees manually (advanced)
9 Firefighting (other)
All forms of firefighting require a range of technical skills and techniques, including search and rescue where people are in danger; protecting exposures; fire suppression and potentially, salvage of property and environmental protection. Specialist training and equipment is required to allow for management of fire in different contexts, including:
• Aviation – fires on and off airport property that involve aircraft and any other people or property affected.
• Combustible liquids and gases – a range of chemicals, fuels and flammable liquids and gases are used by communities and business in their day to day activities. Such liquids may be found in bulk storage or being transported via road, rail, pipeline and on the water.
• Marine – fires associated with on-water vessels, ports and coastal hazards.
• Structures – ranging from single dwellings to complex and multi- purpose constructions including high-rise towers, very large commercial buildings, and tunnels and underground structures.
10 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 FIREFIGHTING (OTHER)
State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Contain and extinguish fires Specialised aviation firefighting 90 5 11 11 4 31 9 15 4 Aviation involving aircraft on airport vehicles with Class B foam equipment. property Extinguish combustible liquid Specialist vehicles specifically 18 - 3 - - 1 - 11 3 fires within fixed and mobile constructed or adapted for Class Combustible property, i.e. vehicles ranging B foam operations (including foam liquids from large freight carriers. support tenders) Includes road, rail, land transport, bulk fuel transport or storage. Generates compressed air foam All vehicles whose primary purpose 134 19 - 38 10 63 - - 4 Compressed air for fire suppression operations is the production of compressed air foam systems (CAFS) foam Vessels constructed or Firefighting boats – inland/inshore 28 - 1 24 - - 1 1 1 permanently adapted to contain (partially smooth or smooth water and extinguish fires involving operations) Marine vessels or fight fires from the Firefighting boats – offshore (capable 3 - 2 - - - - - 1 water of operating in open sea off the mainland) Extinguish fires within structures Minor aerial appliance (up to 18m) 28 - 9 11 - - 2 - 6 ranging from single dwellings to Major aerial appliance (18m to 44m) 53 3 9 15 1 16 1 5 3 large multi-level buildings and Urban pumper under 2500 LPM 311 14 - 67 - 206 - 5 19 special structures, e.g. tunnels Urban pumper between 2500-3500 467 - 161 244 - - 4 43 15 Structures LPM Urban pumper between 3500-4500 554 14 189 166 14 96 10 - 65 LPM Urban pumper over 4500 LPM 70 - 2 7 - 12 2 47 - Lay extended lines of hose for Vehicles specifically constructed or 5 - 3 1 - - - - 1 Hose laying water transfer and delivery adapted as hose layers vehicles purposes
11 Search and rescue
Search and rescue is a capability designed to detect, locate and rescue people who are trapped, in imminent danger or lost. A range of capabilities exist ranging from front line first responder to United Nations International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) accredited USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) teams.
In this context capabilities exist across the following areas:
• Cliff, cave, mine and confined spaces – locate, access and extricate people from complex and difficult to access spaces.
• Land search – assisting with the location of lost or missing people in all types of terrain, both rural and urban.
• Road accident rescue – stabilise vehicles and sites, undertake extrications of victims.
• Industrial and domestic rescue – undertake a range of rescues and extrications in industrial and domestic environments
• Swift water/flood rescue – use of devices, aircraft and vessels to locate and reach people in distress.
• Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) – location and rescue of people from collapsed structures or other entrapments, using multi-functional personnel and specialised equipment.
• Vertical/high angle rescue – access and extrication of victims from heights or depths.
12 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 SEARCH AND RESCUE
State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Risk assess, access and extrication Qualified2 and equipped 1,976 130 200 489 370 323 13 320 162 Confined of individuals from confined spaces1 personnel space in conjunction with other rescue techniques as required. Access and extrication of individuals Qualified3 and equipped 34 30 ------4 Cave rescue from natural underground personnel (non-diving) complexes. Access and extrication of individuals Qualified4 and equipped 26 - 18 - - - - - 8 Mines rescue from working mine sites. personnel Undertake a range of rescues and Specialist rescue vehicles with 798 17 52 231 14 323 - 15 146 Industrial extrications of entrapped persons in additional equipment to undertake and domestic industrial and domestic environments industrial and domestic rescue rescue (not road rescue). Mountainous and alpine search and Qualified and equipped personnel 529 320 - 56 1 16 16 20 100 rescue. Ability to deploy a self- contained search team, equipped with rope and rigging capability, for up to Land Search 24 hours. Remote area search and rescue. Qualified and equipped personnel 1,350 36 87 952 7 - 16 20 232 Ability to deploy self-contained search teams for up to 24 hours into areas where logistic support may be limited. Heavy rescue vehicle carrying 126 5 29 19 5 21 - 15 32 inventory for heavy vehicle, tram, train incidents Standard road crash rescue 962 82 181 204 9 320 21 200 130 Road Accident Stabilise vehicles and sites, vehicle carrying inventory for Rescue undertake extrications of victims. personal and light commercial vehicle incidents (for fire services may include rescue pumper if they carry a RCR inventory)
13 State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Level 2 - perform complex rescue Qualified and equipped personnel 1,875 12 479 368 56 358 - 350 252 Vertical/High from height or depth with high Angle vertical mobility and advanced rigging systems. Water based swiftwater rescue Qualified5 and equipped 785 - 104 209 28 409 - - 35 requiring the need for rescuers to personnel enter a swiftwater environment to facilitate rescue. May include use of Swiftwater inflatable platforms, ropes and rigging. rescue Motorised rigid inflatable boats 120 - 49 43 - 26 - - 2 appropriate for deployment into Motorised swiftwater rescue boats a swiftwater environment (not flood boat capability) Category 2 qualified and 888 2 218 202 30 265 14 73 132 Urban Search Deploy USAR personnel and equipped USAR rescue and Rescue - equipment to search for and release technicians. Domestic people from collapsed structures. Canine and handler 24 - - 8 - 14 - - 2 Light INSARAG classified task 4 - - 2 - 2 - - - force (17-21 pax) Urban Search Deploy an INSARAG classified USAR Medium INSARAG classified task 4 - - 2 - 2 - - - and Rescue - task force with the capability to be force (50 pax) International self- sufficient in the field Heavy INSARAG classified task 4 - - 2 - 2 - - - force (70+ pax) Canine and handler 24 - - 8 - 14 - - 2
1 Australian Standard 2865-2009 Confined spaces 2 PUASAR025 - Undertake confined space rescue or predecessor unit 3 SISOCVE415A - Perform cave rescues or equivalent 4 Cert III Mine Emergency Response and Rescue or equivalent 5 PUASAR002 Undertake swift water and floodwater rescue and recovery or equivalent
14 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 15 Severe weather response
Severe weather including high winds, thunderstorms, cyclones, hailstorms and other phenomena can result in the need for a range of specialised responses to protect life and minimise the impact on property, including:
Flood
• Water inundation and flood – involves deployment of mechanisms to contain or divert flood water, create flood barriers, move water in varying volumes to mitigate flooding and use boats, aircraft or other vehicles to move people and property.
Storm and cyclone
• Fallen trees and debris – render safe conditions which may cause accidents and injuries to emergency workers or the public.
• Structural damage and collapse – temporary repair of structures to mitigate against further damage, assist with rescue and support of affected people.
16 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 SEVERE WEATHER RESPONSE
State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Deploy flood barriers for property Temporary barriers 1,790 - - - 250 1,300 - - 240 protection. (lineal meters) Capacity to deploy sandbags, sand 1,929,000 8,000 570,000 750,000 1,000 60,000 14,000 26,000 500,000 bagging machines and personnel Sand bag cache to contain or divert flood water for 123 1 10 90 - - 3 5 14 property protection. Sand bag filling machines Water Inundation Boats to move people entrapped Flood boats (swift water 673 0 45 347 2 235 5 20 19 and Flood by floodwater or resupply isolated rescue boats are counted areas. separately in the Search and Rescue tables) Advanced tree fallers Level 3 chainsaw1. 23 1 - - 6 - - 16 - Qualified and accredited advanced tree faller.
1 FWPFGM3217 - Fell trees manually (advanced)
17 Hazardous materials (HAZMAT)
Technical specialist advice and response capabilities to detect, identify, contain, decontaminate and render safe dangerous and hazardous substances that may harm people, property or the environment, including land-based or inland waterway spillages of materials such as:
• Chemical – compounds or substances that are toxic or harmful.
• Biological – living things or products of living things that could cause illness and disease.
• Radiological – uncontrolled release of radioactive material that can harm people or damage the environment.
• Nuclear – substances or nuclear-powered items that may harm people, property or the environment.
18 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 HAZARDOUS AND DANGEROUS MATERIALS (HAZMAT)
State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA The use of handheld or mobile detection Vehicles carrying specialist 219 16 9 38 2 89 14 8 43 and monitoring equipment to allow detection/ monitoring equipment1 Detection/ presumptive detection results for monitoring products encountered at HAZMAT/CBRN incidents. The process of collecting a Qualified and equipped personnel 1,480 30 250 246 52 502 4 5 391 representative amount of gas, liquid, or Field Sampling/ solid for analytical purposes. Includes Identification Vehicles carrying specialist field 83 3 9 15 1 17 1 1 36 the ability to accurately identify an sampling/identification equipment unknown product(s) at the incident site. The ability to provide specialist or Qualified specialist scientific 67 - 4 2 - 58 - 1 2 scientific advice based on research to personnel Research/ provide accurate input into incident Scientific Advice objectives and strategies in response to a HAZMAT/CBRN incident. The actions necessary to ensure Qualified advanced response 475 - 250 5 52 152 2 6 8 confinement and containment, which is personnel the first line of defence, in a manner that Specialist vehicles carrying 106 3 6 38 2 17 1 3 36 Mitigation will minimise risk to both life and the inventory in support of HAZMAT environment in the early, critical stages mitigation operations of a spill or leak. The ability to take actions that will make Specialist vehicles carrying 76 3 9 38 2 17 - 3 4 the incident site safe for reoccupation advanced inventory in support of Render safe and provide a site which may be handed render safe operations over for recovery to the site owner. Ability to fully decontaminate personnel Vehicles carrying dedicated 238 3 6 38 4 17 1 128 41 following entry to a contaminated decontamination equipment Decontamination environment with specialist Services decontamination equipment including Deployable, specialist HAZMAT 80 6 1 38 4 18 7 3 3 wet and dry processes, including mass decontamination equipment decontamination following a terrorist event.
1 ‘Specialist’ means a level of sophistication beyond standard 4-head gas detectors carried on urban appliances
19 Damage and impact assessment
Specific skills, techniques and equipment to gather information using standardised terminology and analytical techniques so that the impact of an emergency event can be evaluated and strategies deployed to facilitate relief, recovery and reconstruction. Small, self-contained and multi- disciplined teams are deployed.
20 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 DAMAGE AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT
State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Provide imagery by means Remotely piloted aircraft systems 93 - 12 36 - 38 5 - 2 of remotely piloted aircraft to (number of units) contribute to understanding of incident impact and to develop a common operating picture. Personnel to pilot remotely piloted Licensed and endorsed personnel 135 - 18 76 - 33 4 - 4 Damage aircraft systems to undertake Assessment damage and impact assessments. Personnel to collect sharable Personnel with advanced training in 1,133 82 174 390 20 265 - 70 132 property damage and impact damage assessment methodologies assessment data using a standard and use of standard data collection data collection platform and the platforms AFAC data dictionary. Multi-disciplinary teams that Qualified and equipped teams 7 - 2 2 2 1 - - - undertake assessment of impacted Burned area areas following a fire and analyse assessment information gathered to make teams recommendations on rehabilitation and recovery activities from the short to long-term
21 Incident Management
A crucial component of national capability, incident management is those Incident management requires the effective management of two key aspects: processes, decisions and actions taken to resolve an emergency incident and 1. Dealing with and rendering safe the hazard. to support recovery that will enable the community to return to normality. 2. Managing information so that informed decisions can be made by those Depending on the scale of the emergency event, incident management dealing with the emergency and the public with confidence and effect. may be performed by a skilled and competent individual, or by accredited multi-functional and specialised teams. In all cases, incident management Nationally recognised training provides competencies across all areas of is performed in accordance with the Australasian Inter-service Incident AIIMS, leading to a consistent assessment of individual and organisational Management System® (AIIMS) or its predecessor, the nation’s Incident capability to sustain incident management over an extended period if required. Management System adopted by all fire and emergency services and designed for management of all incidents occurring in the natural or built environment.
22 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Incident Controller L2 PUAOPE018 Control a Level 2 Incident or an 1,747 21 547 575 77 276 12 131 108 equivalent qualification and agency endorsement as an Incident Controller L2 plus adequate practical experience Incident Control Incident Controller L3 PUAOPE019 Control a Level 3 Incident or an 343 10 99 165 23 5 1 28 12 equivalent qualification and agency endorsement as an Incident Controller L3 plus adequate practical experience. Strategic Safety Advisor PUAOPE026 Provide strategic safety advice at an 420 7 123 229 1 - 2 51 7 (IMT based) incident or an equivalent qualification and agency Safety endorsement as a Strategic Safety Advisor (IMT based) plus adequate practical experience Planning Officer L2 PUAOPE025 Manage planning for a complex 1,104 16 209 563 18 150 11 72 65 incident or an equivalent qualification plus qualification and agency endorsement as Planning a Planning Officer plus adequate practical experience Planning Officer L31 As above with agency endorsement as a 496 6 130 280 2 - - 54 24 Planning Officer L3 Intelligence Officer PUAOPE004 Manage the Intelligence Function 82 2 51 5 1 - - 9 14 at an Incident or an equivalent qualification and agency endorsement as an Intelligence Officer plus adequate practical experience Intelligence Officer L32 As above and agency endorsement as an 47 2 21 5 1 - - 7 11 Intelligence Intelligence Officer L3 Fire Behaviour Analyst PUAFIR508 - Develop and analyse the behaviour 112 11 24 41 7 10 - 10 9 and suppression options for a wildfire or an equivalent qualification and agency endorsement as a Fire Behaviour Analyst plus adequate practical experience
23 INCIDENT MANAGEMENT State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Mapping Officer Agency endorsement as a Mapping Officer 394 38 135 88 54 19 - 36 24 plus adequate practical experience including competence in operating common GIS platforms Intelligence Air Observer Qualified for the role in accordance with the 402 9 99 121 8 35 7 103 20 (cont.) National Fire Aviation Training and Assessment Framework plus agency endorsement as an Air Observer Public Information Officer L2 PUAOPE003 Manage the public information 617 20 60 252 4 185 - 59 37 function at an incident or an equivalent qualification and agency endorsement as a Public Information Officer plus adequate practical experience Public Public Information Officer As above with agency endorsement as a 248 6 61 110 4 - - 52 15 Information L31 Planning Officer L3 Media Officer PUACOM016 - Manage media requirements at 454 1 107 275 5 28 - 25 13 major incident or an equivalent qualification or experience working in the media industry plus agency endorsement as a Media Officer plus adequate practical experience. Division Commander3 PUAOPE023 Manage operations for a level 2 4,097 52 536 2,897 22 131 14 45 400 incident or PUAOPE016 Manage a multi-team sector or an equivalent qualification and agency endorsement as a Divisional Commander plus adequate practical experience Operations Officer L24 PUAOPE023 Manage operations for a level 1,801 21 524 608 66 399 12 162 9 Operations 2 incident or an equivalent qualification plus agency endorsement as an Operations Officer L2 and adequate practical experience Operations Officer L3 PUAOPE024 - Manage operations for a Level 3 824 6 261 289 3 - 1 18 246 incident or an equivalent qualification and agency endorsement as an Operations Officer L3 plus adequate practical experience
24 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 INCIDENT MANAGEMENT State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Plant Operations Manager The plant operation manager function includes: 469 4 67 301 2 - 1 62 32 (IMT based) • managing the Plant Operations Unit to support the incident • provision of specialist plant advice to the Incident Management Team • preparation of the Plant Operations input to the Incident Action Plan (IAP) Staging Area Manager3 The staging area manager function includes: 2,822 13 173 2,550 56 - - 28 2 • establishing and managing the Staging Area • receiving and managing resources prior to their deployment at the incident • receiving and managing resources during changeovers and demobilisation. • formal training plus adequate practical experience and agency endorsement as a Operations Staging Area Manager (cont.) Air Attack Supervisor Qualified for the role in accordance with the 214 6 71 59 7 14 2 42 13 National Fire Aviation Training and Assessment Framework plus agency endorsement as an Air Attack Supervisor Air Base Manager Qualified for the role in accordance with the 274 29 97 101 8 2 2 20 15 National Fire Aviation Training and Assessment Framework plus agency endorsement as an Air Base Manager Air Operations Manager Qualified for the role in accordance with the 81 1 13 26 3 1 1 8 28 National Fire Aviation Training and Assessment Framework plus agency endorsement as an Air Operations Manager Aircraft Officer Qualified for the role in accordance with the 152 6 81 40 3 - 1 16 5 National Fire Aviation Training and Assessment Framework plus agency endorsement as an Aircraft Officer
25 INCIDENT MANAGEMENT State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Investigation Officer PUAOPE001 - Manage the investigation function 54 - - 46 - - - - 8 (IMT based) at an incident or an equivalent qualification plus agency endorsement as an Investigation Officer (IMT based) and adequate practical experience Structural fire investigation PUAFIR501 - Conduct fire investigation and 421 60 94 185 1 52 6 20 3 analysis activities and PUAFIR604 Determine origin and cause of structure fire or an equivalent qualification plus agency endorsement as a Investigations Structure fire Investigator and adequate practical experience Bushfire investigation PUAFIR501 - Conduct fire investigation and 283 22 49 116 1 50 3 36 51 analysis activities and PUAFIR603 Determine origin and cause of wildfire or an equivalent qualification plus agency endorsement as a Bushfire Fire Investigator and adequate practical experience Logistics officer PUAOPE022 - Manage logistics for a complex 976 3 218 434 28 171 5 66 51 incident or an equivalent qualification plus agency endorsement as a Logistics Officer L2 and Logistics adequate practical experience Logistics officer L31 As above with agency endorsement as a Logistics 508 10 111 283 - - - 26 78 Officer L3 Finance Officer Hold a professional qualification in finance or 130 6 16 66 - - - 21 21 (IMT member) PUAOPE002 Manage the finance function at an incident or an equivalent qualification and Finance 22459VIC course in AIIMS or equivalent plus agency endorsement as a Finance Officer (IMT member) and adequate practical experience.
26 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 INCIDENT MANAGEMENT State Quantity Function Function statement Resource description total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Mobile forward command - light. 4WD vehicle 3,252 11 1,206 1,315 26 - 6 392 296 equipped with multiple radios that can access Multipurpose vehicles most places on a incident ground. May be used to perform a number of roles. Mobile forward command - light. 2WD 214 - - 214 - - - - - Command and Mobile forward command – specialist vehicle. 157 3 29 45 5 - 1 24 50 communications Vehicle fitted with specialist command (general and equipment. Primary purpose is command and specialist) Dedicated command and communication. communication facility Mobile forward command – modular. 27 - 3 14 1 - 1 - 8 Modular unit fitted with specialist command equipment. Primary purpose is command and communication.
NOTE: An individual will not usually hold more than one qualification. Consequently, the numbers recorded in the table Incident Management represent the numbers available to deliver each individual capability. A person cannot perform more than one role at a time.
1 The NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA (DFES WA) make no distinction between Level 2 and Level 3 accreditation in this role 2 The NSW RFS makes no distinction between Level 2 and Level 3 accreditation in this role 3 These capabilities are accredited to all persons in the NSW RFS ranked Group Captain or higher 4 The DFES WA train Operations Officers using PUAOPE023 Manage operations for a level 2 incident and endorse them as an Operations Officer L2/3
27 Aviation
The National Aerial Firefighting Fleet is made up of 163 contracted aircraft Each aircraft has a selection of service functions that it can perform to which are contracted by AFAC through the National Aerial Firefighting Centre produce the following effects. (NAFC) on behalf of state and territory governments to provide firefighting These functions include: services typically for the duration of the local fire season. The total number can change slightly as contract start and end dates vary reflecting local • Aerial detection conditions. • Aerial coordination
The National Aerial Firefighting Fleet ranges from very large air tankers • Aerial intelligence gathering through to light helicopters. Further details on the fleet can be found on the • Aerial attack NAFC website at
28 NATIONAL CAPABILITY STATEMENT | 2021 AVIATION - NATIONAL CONTRACTED AIRCRAFT1
National Quantity Aircraft Type Total TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Fixed Wing Supervision Reconnaissance 14 - 5 4 - 2 - 1 2 Fire scanning 5 - 2 2 - - - 1 - Type 1. Large Air Tanker 6 - 2 2 - 1 - 1 - Type 4. Single Engine Air Tanker 54 4 18 9 - 2 5 2 14 Rotary Wing Type 1. Heavy 9 - 5 2 - - - 1 1 (helicopter) Type 2. Medium 39 5 13 8.5 1.5 3 - 8 - Type 3. Light 35 3 14 4 1 2 2 1 8 State Total 162 12 59 31.5 2.5 10 7 15 25
AVIATION - STATE CONTRACTED AND STATE OWNED AIRCRAFT2
State Quantity Aircraft Type contracted TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Fixed Wing Type 4. Single Engine Air Tanker 6 - - 6 - - - - -
Rotary Wing Type 3. Light3 9.5 1 1.5 2 - 2 - 2 1 (helicopter)
State Quantity Aircraft Type owned TAS VIC NSW ACT QLD NT WA SA Fixed Wing Type 1. Large Air Tanker 1 - - 1 - - - - - Supervision Reconnaissance 12 - - 2 - - - 10 - Rotary Wing Type 2. Medium 4 - - 4 - - - - - (helicopter) Type 3. Light 3 - - 3 - - - - - State Total 35.5 0 0 16 0 0 0 10 0
1 The table Aviation - National Contracted Aircraft lists aircraft that are available for firefighting operations 2 The table Aviation - State Contracted and State Owned Aircraft lists aircraft that are available for firefighting and Search and rescue 3 Primay function: Search and rescue
29 AFAC (ABN 52 060 049 327) a Level 1, 340 Albert Street, East Melbourne Victoria 3002 v +61 3 9419 2388 a [email protected] P afac.com.au