CFA)(CFA) Forregion 23 and Am Am Based at Wangaratta.Wangaratla
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
WIT.3004.001.0032 2009 VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES ROYAL COMMISSION Letters PatentPatent issuedissued 1616 FebruaryFebruary 20092009 WITNESS STATEMENT OF STEWART KRELTSZHEIMKRELTSZHEIM Date of Document: 20 May 2009 Solicitor's Code: 7977 RledFiled on behalf of:of: The The State of Victoria Telephone: +61 386843 8684 0444 Prepared by: Facsimile: +61 3 8684 0449 Victorian GovernmentGovemment Solicitor's OfficeOffice OXDX 300077 Melbourne Level 25 Ref: PAC 944884 121 Exhibition Street Attention;Attention: John Cain MelbourneMelboume VICViC 30003000 I,I, Stewart DuncanDuncan Kreltszheim,Kreltszheim, OperationsOperations Manager,Manager, Country FireFire Authority, can say asas follows: PART 1: INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTiON 4th 1. My name isStewart DuncanDuncan KRELTSZHEIMKRELTSZHEIM and my date of birth is the 4th April 1965. 11 am an Operations Manager for the CountryCountry FireFire AuthorityAuthority (CFA)(CFA) forRegion 23 and am am based at Wangaratta.Wangaratla. I have been working forthe CFA CFA since 1993 and commenced my position as Operations Manager in August 2007. 2.I am qualified in various incident management roles having completedcompleted thethe course inin Australian Inter-Service Incident ManagementManagemenl System (AIIMS)(A1IMS) in AprilApril 1998.1998. I have completed training in Wildfire-Firefighter, Low Structure FireFire Fighting, Fighting, StructureStructure Fireflghting,Firefighting, Structure-Wildfire Firefighting, Crew Leader-Wildfire, Strike Team LeaderLeader- wildfire, Sector Command-Wildfire, Logistics Officer, Planning Officer and Operations Officer Level 3. 3. I have worked in a number of Levellevel 3 Incident Control Centres (ICC)(ICC) with respectrespect toto structural, hazard material and wildfire. I waswas the Deputy Operations Officer - Wildfire inin the 2002/03 fires at at Corryong, thethe DeputyDepuly IncidentIncident ControllerController andand OperationOperation OfficerOfficer inin the the 2006/07 fires at Mansfield (Great Divide North Complex). Annually,Annually, I I assumeassume the role role of 173925_1\C WITWIT.3004.001.0033.3004.001.0033 2 Incident Controller oror supportsupportI / mentormentor IncidentIncident ControllersControllersas as partpart ofof mymy dutiesduties asas a Regional Duty Officer.Officer. 4. In AugustAugust 2006,2006, I waswas nominated by CFA andand sent toto Washington StateState in in the the United United States forfor fivefive weeks as part part ofof thethe Australian/NewAustralian/New ZealandZealand ContingentContingent NumberNumber #2#2 to to assist withwith thethe USA FireFire ServicesServices inin commandcommand andand controlcontrolareas. areas. In 2006/2007 I waswas partpart of aa CFAlDepartmentCFA/Department of SustainabililySustainability andand Environment (DSE) program with respectrespect to accrediting Level 3 IncidentIneldent Controllers and OperationsOperations OfficersOfficers whichwhich involvedinvolved psychometric testing, a mentoring program and scenario assessments. 5.5. On 7 FebruaryFebruary 2009,2009, 1I was the the IncidentIncident ControllerController atat the the KilmoreKilmore ICCICC from from approximatelyapproximately 4.30pm untiluntil approximately 1111pm. pm. GregGreg Murphy was the IncidentIncident ControllerController prior to me and GrahamGraham HealyHealy tooktook overover from me on on thethe nightnight shift.shift. From From approximatelyapproximately 7pm7pm until until 11pm11 pmGraham Graham HealyHealy workedworked closelyclosely withwithme me toto ensureensure an efficientefficient ongoing and sustainable incident management structure. AfterAfter 1111pm, pm, I Iprovidedprovided assistanceassistance to GrahamGraham when he was the the IncidentIncident Controller.Controller.Between Between12am 12amand and 1amlam on Sunday 8 February 2009 I left KilrnoreKilmoreICC ICC and andspent spent approximatelyapproximately anan hourhour makingmaking notesnotes of the day in my log. 66.. I havehave beenbeen asked byby CFA CFA to provide a statement toto the the 20092009 VictorianVictorian BushfiresBushfrres Royal Commission (Royal Commission). InIn a a letterletter dateddated 77 April April 2009, 2009, the the Royal Royal Commission requested thatthat aa statementstatement bebe providedprovided toto addressaddress thethe subjectsubject ofof informationinformation and warnings relating toto the the occurrence,occurrence, location,location, threatthreat oror riskrisk ofof bushfiresbushfires withinwithin Victoria,Victoria, including information about firefire weatherweather disseminated withinwithin VictoriaVictoria duringduring thethe2008 2008 - 2009 fire seasons. This statement will provide information of the warningswarnings disseminateddisseminated on 7 February 2009 by Kilmore ICC and my role as Incident Controller. 1h 7. From 7pm on the 7t',7 , 1I instructedinstructed AnnAnn CartwrightCartwright Finance andand AdministralionAdministration ManagerManager - North EastEast Area to actact as my scribe and prepareprepare aa log log forfor me.me. Ms Ms CartwrightCartwright had arrivedarrived with the night shift Incident ManagementManagement Team.Team. PriorPrior to that time, due toto thethe franticfrantic nature ofof thethe day, day, I I had had not not preparedprepared aa log. log. A Acopy copy of of my my log log fromfrom 7pm7pm toto 11 11pm pm is attached as Annexure 11 to to my my statement.statement. 88.. Other than mymy log,log , my reference to events ofof thethe dayday is is takentaken fromfrom my my recollection.recollection. It is important to note that II acted in various Incident Management rolesroles at at Yea Yea and and AlexandraAlexandra after the 71'7 U1 andand waswas activelyactivelyinvolved involvedwith withthe the firesfires inin the theState Statefor for atat leastleastfour fourweeks. weeks. It is therefore somewhatsomewhat difficultdifficult toto exactly recallrecall thethe 77hlh in isolationisolation fromfrom thethe otherother days,days, notwithstanding the magnitudemagnitude ofof the firefire on the the 7th71h and its impact. 173925_1\C WIT.WIT.3004.001.0034 3004.001.0034 3 9. II havehave alsoalso been asked by Victoria Policeto make make a a statement withwith respect to role on 7th. II signedsigned aa statementon 2e24 lhofof April April2009. An An unsignedunsigned copy of my my Victoria Police statement is attached asas AnnexureAnnexure 22 to my my statement.statement. 1010.. My statement is set out as follows: follows: 1. Introduction 2. Background 3. Role as Incident Controller 4. Warnings issuedissued by by KilmoreKUmore 1CC.ICC. PART 2: BACKGROUND 11. I am one of a number of people in the North East Area that has been signed off byby the Chief Officer of CFA to be a Level 3 Incident Controller at a Level 3 Incidents. Fire incidences areare categorisedcategorised fromfrom LevelLevel 1I to to Level Level 3, Level Level being the least and Level 33 thethe most complex. Level 3 fires are major incidents due to their duration and complexity. 12. In thethe weekweek leading upup to 7 February 2009, it was decided that I I was to be based at Mansfield Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) office on Saturday 7 February 2009 and may be in control of any fires that broke out in the North East Area or another area requiring a Level 3 Incidentincident Controller. This This was was a a jointjoint decisiondecision made made by by the North East AreaArea Operations Managers and the General Manager for the North North East East Area, Alan Davies, in consultation with DSE Fire Management Officers.Officers, I I cannot cannot recall recall . when the decision was made but it is likely it was on Thursday 5 February 2009 as our preplanned Incident Management Team rosters are are usually usually prepared prepared for for ThursdayThursday toto Thursday. 111 13. During the week leading leading up up to to the the 71h7 of ofFebruary Februarywarnings warnings aboutabout thethe highhigh riskrisk for 7 February 2009 issued by CFA were sent to all relevant local print media in my Region by our media teams within the North East Area and Operations StaffStaff werewere contacted contacted periodically by radio and print media farfor comment. 14. Leading up to the 7°i,t", I was involved in a number of teleconferences with Operations Managers and Regional Duty Officers thatwere facilitated by by the the State State Co-ordinator.Co-ordinator. During these teleconferences I was advised of bureau forecasts for the 7m 71hand the days leadingleading up to thethe t"7`".. The Chief Officer was involved in some of the teleconferences.teleconferences. InIn all the teleconferences we were advised that it was forecasted thatthat we we would would experienceexperience unprecedented fire weather conditionsconditions on on the the 7th.7th. I ensured that at a regional level we were planning for the 7th 7th and days days around around the the 7'"i h becausebecause the the North North East East often often 173925_1\C WIT.3004.001.0035 4 experiences weather conditions a day after Melbourne due to the effect of the Great Dividing Range. 1h 1515.. II arrivedarrived at Mansfield DSEDSE office office at at approximatelyapprox'mately 1.00pm1.00pm on on the the 71h7 and logged onto onto to to CFA's Incident Management System (IMS) to access information about the fires. IMS is an internal management system, it contains a range range of informationinformation whichwhich includes preliminary incident reports, messages between RegionsRegions and CFA Headquarters, resourceresource availabilityavailability and movements, deploymentdeployment of aircraft and