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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-02-28 Daily Xml
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FIRE HYDRANTS

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (11:32): I move:

That this house calls on the state government to commit to implementing:

(a) a fire hydrant identification system for country areas in this state; and

(b) a regular program of operational maintenance checks on fire hydrants throughout this state.

Since I first came into this place nearly two years ago, the issue of the lack of a thorough maintenance program for fireplugs in country areas has been one of my most constant concerns. Before I go on to explain the extent and seriousness of the problem, I must make two important points. First, I believe that, given the constraints within which they operate, the CFS does a fantastic job in dealing with fires and bushfires in country areas. Secondly, I wish to state my disappointment with what I suspect was a deliberate lack of assistance by SA Water staff in refusing my initial request for historical information on this subject, and in not returning subsequent information. This made my task in preparing this motion much more difficult than it needed to be, and I stress that I do not believe I was asking for any sensitive or confidential information.

I acknowledge that in mid-2007 the government announced a program to improve the identification of, and access to, fireplugs in regional townships—and note the reference to regional townships. This was an important step in assisting firefighters to perform their often dangerous and at times life-saving roles efficiently and effectively. However, as far as the country is concerned, the program goes only halfway to ensuring maximum effectiveness.

For one thing, many of the fireplugs around country South Australia are not in the townships, and they are the ones that are most often overgrown or inaccessible. There was no mention of these more remote fireplugs in the minister's letter to me of 27 November 2007 in response to my request for a thorough maintenance program. Moreover, my motion today calls on the government to finish the job properly and ensure that all fireplugs are operable as well as accessible. In other words, it is all very well to know where the fire engine is parked and have the keys, but if it does not start when you need it, it is not much use to you.

I have repeatedly raised this matter in this place, and repeatedly it has been ignored. I first raised it in June 2006, when I described in some detail a personal experience I had as a CFS volunteer with the local brigade at Coomandook. In January that year I attended a fire so large that brigades were called in from all over South Australia—from places like Lucindale and Clayton. Well trained and with capable crews, but people who were unfamiliar with the area, they were attempting to respond quickly to headquarter demands but were having to phone around for help to locate fireplugs. At a time of urgency this is a source of frustration and delay.

I am pleased that the search and find program will overcome that problem with some, but not all, country fireplugs; however, it does little or nothing to promptly ensure the serviceability of the fireplug itself. Minister Maywald's announcement of 31 July included the following statement:

Quick access to water is obviously essential in combating fires and so this project will be a boost to our state's fire-fighting efforts.

Well, minister, that overlooks an obvious point: quick access to water is not just about location, it is also about availability. It is like getting directions to a public toilet only to find that the door is locked; it leaves you in the proverbial.

In estimates on 3 July 2007, I asked the Minister for Emergency Services which agency was responsible for maintenance of fireplugs, and whether the CFS and MFS were of the view that plugs were adequately maintained. I was advised that SA Water was considering its position with regard to a memorandum of undertaking signed in October 2005 between the South Australian CFS and SA Water. Within weeks of this came minister Maywald's announcement of 31 July 2007 which, as I have said, only goes halfway.

Also present at that budget estimates session was Euan Ferguson, Chief Officer of SACFS. Mr Ferguson stated that brigades pass on to SA Water regular reports, for action, on fireplugs in need of attention. The information I have is that it can take a couple of months before a maintenance crew deals with the problem. Mr Ferguson added that he was not able to say whether SA Water required additional resources. Is that because he does not know, or is it because he has been told not to say?

In her response to my written request for action on this matter last September, minister Maywald stated that a concentrated program to locate and identify country fireplugs would 'include checking for accessibility and, if necessary, clearing debris. Any faults will be reported to SA Water for maintenance action.' As I have just explained, that alone will not fix the problem promptly. There is no reference to the plug being tested, and it leaves us guessing as to just which faults will be identified in the program as announced. Certain equipment and expertise are needed to physically test the operation of the fireplugs. Is this part of the program announced and, if not, why not? Interestingly, in the estimates committees, Mr Ferguson commented:

Fire services acknowledge that it is partly a fire service responsibility to practise setting up hydrants and fireplugs so there is an element of sharing and making sure that the fireplugs are operational.

I take it from this comment that Mr Ferguson is referring to the country volunteer crews' training activities, which occasionally involve attending and activating a fireplug as part of their training. However, this does not systematically ensure, by any means, that all fireplugs in a region are checked for serviceability.

Furthermore, when the original fireplug maintenance program ceased some time ago, local crews were expected to take on the task—unofficially, I suspect. CFS crews initially did take on that extra task in their own volunteer time. Their endeavours as volunteers, usually at a cost to themselves and their families, were already well consumed with general training, fundraising and attending public events, as well as fires. I know for a fact that, during this time and through the following years, many of them asked repeatedly for a maintenance program to be reintroduced, all to no avail. These selfless, community-minded volunteers were pleased to hear of the identification project. One story related to me told of a time when a CFS crew searched in vain for a fireplug, only to later discover that it had been buried under three inches of road metal.

Given the current problem with dwindling numbers of volunteers, perhaps part of the problem lies with this issue. How much are we asking our volunteer firefighters to do? Does it turn some of them off that they are expected to perform for free a task that the community has already paid for: the supply of functioning fire hydrants? In part 4 of the Fire and Emergency Services Act 2005, under 'Functions and Powers', appear the following points in relation to the SACFS:

1(a) to provide services with a view to preventing the outbreak of fires, or reducing the impact of fires in the country;

1(b) to provide efficient and responsive services in the country for the purpose of fighting fires..

It also states:

3(c) provide and maintain appliances and equipment for SACFS organisations.

I cannot see how the proper maintenance of fireplugs does not fall under the requirements of these functions. Readily serviceable equipment will reduce the impact of fires and provide efficient responsive services in the country. Presumably, fireplugs are not classified as equipment because they belong to SA Water. Here, I must reiterate the point that I do not blame the CFS for this shortcoming. This equipment is clearly not theirs, but the government has an undeniable responsibility to ensure the serviceability of this equipment. In legal terms, it must be 'fit for purpose'.

We have heard a great deal from this government and others recently urging householders and landowners to be bushfire ready. We have even seen photographs of the Premier, in full CFS garb, clearing gutters. The Premier is a volunteer with the Salisbury CFS, and I applaud him for that. However, I wonder how his fellow crew members would feel if, in responding to an emergency, they were to turn up at a fireplug and discover that it did not work. Of course, that cannot happen in the city and suburbs, where plugs are fully maintained; it is only in the country, where volunteers are expected to give even more of their own time to do the job. The Premier was reported in the Murray Pioneer of 18 January 2008 as saying:

Our volunteers have been sorely tested recently by a number of fires...they have demonstrated their commitment in spades and now property owners should do the same.

Mr Rann, commitment and preparation is a three-way deal. The volunteers are ready, and we trust householders are responding to your urging and that of the fire services. But what about the government? Should it not also commit to planning and preparation? Your best laid plans with the identification system will come to nothing if the fireplug does not work, no matter how quickly it is located. In the same article from which I quoted earlier that showed Mr Rann cleaning gutters, it states:

The last thing our firefighters need is to have to rescue people who have made an ill-thought-out decision.

Well, Premier, let me add to your statement: the second to last thing firefighters need is to find that a vital fireplug does not work because of your ill thought out decision not to reinstate a proper fireplug maintenance program.

Here are some more quotes that show the government's one-way attitude to commitment. These come from the CFS website and are sound advice. Under 'General housekeeping for fire safety', the public is implored to 'remove rubbish', keep relevant things in 'good repair', have garden hoses that reach the extremities of the garden and, most ironically, make sure equipment is 'cleaned and checked'. They are all excellent suggestions. However, for the government it is a case of 'Do as I say, not as I do.'

Businesses are required not only to have appropriate fire extinguishers on station and accessible, but also to have them checked for operation regularly, at their own cost. More of this 'Do as I say, not as I do' syndrome! Premier, how about some real leadership on this issue and showing the same commitment you demand of others! In a document entitled 'Safety in the public sector', dated 18 August 2004, to launch the 'Zero harm vision', the Premier proudly proclaimed the following:

As the government of South Australia, we have a responsibility to set a best practice example in safety performance that will influence and encourage others.

He goes on to state:

The government takes responsibility for ensuring all risks to public sector employees' health and safety arising from work activities are, as far as reasonably practicable, eliminated or properly controlled.

Premier, are the 11,000 active CFS volunteer firefighters excluded from this promise? I suggest that the potential failure of a remote fireplug—or any fireplug—places the firefighters at substantially increased risk.

The ability of the CFS CO Euan Ferguson to deliver on his promise, as stated in his Strategic Directions document of 2007-09, that he is fully committed to achieving the Premier's Zero Harm Vision is no doubt hobbled by the government's refusal to immediately reintroduce a proper fireplug maintenance program. A review required under section 149 of the Fire and Emergency Services Act 2005 is currently under way, as I was advised in a letter from minister Zollo's office last September. The following requirement for the review appears in that section of the act. It provides that the review:

...include an assessment of the extent to which the enactment of this act has led to...increased efficiencies and effectiveness in the provision of fire and emergency services within the community.

In the terms of reference there is a requirement to assess whether there have been improvements in the provision of services in terms of, among other things, 'preparedness and response'. I suggest that the government has seen fit to excuse itself from the same scrutiny.

This review is due by 1 April 2008—April Fool's Day! It is hoped that this government does not make a fool of itself and ignore this most obvious fact: knowing where the fireplug is does not necessarily give quick access to water. In terms of my motion, I acknowledge the government's fireplug identification project, and now call on the government to commit to a regular program of operational maintenance checks on all fire hydrants throughout the state. I commend the motion.

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (11:47): It is my pleasure to rise to speak briefly in support of the motion from the member for Hammond. It is obvious from the research that he has done that this is a passionate issue for him. I am aware that he has spoken on this matter several times in this house in our relatively short careers here, and I have no doubt that the member for Hammond will continue to make sure that the government is held accountable in this area.

Within the Goyder community there are 70 towns, 54 of which have access to a potable reticulated water supply; so, presumably, those 54 communities also have fireplugs, involving maintenance issues that need to be taken care of. It might seem an insignificant matter to people, but the reality is that, in time of an emergency, when a fire occurs the last thing anybody wants is to be unable to access water supply once the first tank-load of water has been used to combat the fire. It is important that the government, and we on this side, recognise the importance of this motion and ensure that we do something about it.

We are very lucky, though, that in most areas the instance of fires is quite low. Certainly, in my electorate I cannot remember a house fire within the past few years. Whilst I was growing up in Yorketown I lived down the street from a house that burnt down, which was exciting for a seven year old to go down and watch the fire. But now I respect the fact that, all of a sudden, it put a family at risk and it very much put at risk the people who were fighting the fire. I have a different perspective on it now, after seeing it as a seven year old, and it is important that we are able to do something about this problem.

There was quite a large fire on the outskirts of Edithburgh in early December last year at about the same time as we had the fires near Warooka and on Kangaroo Island. I am aware that, certainly, the fire teams that went to the Edithburgh fire were not just from the Edithburgh Brigade; other brigades responded. An issue for them would have been ensuring that they were able to identify the location of the fireplugs and to ensure that they could get water, because they certainly would have needed more than one tank-load of water.

I have noticed, though, driving around my electorate, particularly in the Mallala area, that a lot of work seems to have been undertaken. The work being done by SA Water and the government is now evident. When I am driving around these unsealed road networks, I see that there are quite a few plugs identified with blue plastic—so it must be working a bit. You drive past and think, 'Okay; there's a fireplug', so you remember that for future use, but that is the only area in which I have noticed this. I have tens of thousands of kilometres of unsealed road network in my electorate, but it is only in that small, confined area, which probably makes up about 15 per cent of the electorate, that I have noticed that the program of maintenance must be working.

The Hon. R.G. Kerin interjecting:

Mr GRIFFITHS: The member for Frome indicates that it might be one dedicated volunteer. That is another thing that I want to talk about. It seems that in the past 25 years there has been an enormous reduction in the number of people within SA Water who work in the regions. Obviously, the fewer people there are and the increasing delays in responding to not only breaks in the mains but issues such as important maintenance work on fireplugs means that we need more staff to come out to do these jobs.

The Hon. R.B. Such interjecting:

Mr GRIFFITHS: The member for Fisher mentions that we could use trusted prisoners; that would be a very good employment program. Yes; community work orders could be implemented. Let's be innovative about it; let's actually get people out there who can do these things. They are a part of the government system; let's make sure that we use them. In driving around, it is obvious that the mains network is suffering also. There is the fireplug issue with which the member for Hammond has dealt very well in connection with this bill, but there is also, for me, the greater concern of mains network maintenance. It all comes down to a lack of staff and resources provided to ensure that the network of mains, which supplies the water that feeds into the fireplugs, is also operable.

For hundreds of kilometres of the mains network in the Goyder electorate, we have the above-ground pipes, and you can easily see as you drive past that they are in a poor state of repair; they are very rusted in many places. I know that leaks occur, and it takes far longer than we would all like to get maintenance staff out there to do that work and to patch up or replace that section of pipe.

A person from Paskeville came to me, probably two months ago, and we went out and took some photos. We drove around and he showed me some badly rusted main pipes just waiting to burst. At Port Vincent in early 2000, as a result of a mains burst, the community did not have a water supply for two days in January—the peak time. I commend the member for Hammond for bringing this motion before the house. While it might not be in a lot of people's thought processes, this motion certainly identifies an important issue, because being able to identify the location of fire hydrants and getting water out of them quickly in an emergency will save lives and property.

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (11:52): I rise to support and congratulate the member for Hammond on a very good, commonsense motion, as has been this member's wont since he has been here. I commend him for the work he has done and the way he has presented it here this morning. I think it is a very important issue. Being a country person and a property owner, and having gone to many hundreds of fires during my life, I have a fair bit of personal interest in this matter. The member highlighted the search and find programs that are underway. I think that the motion he has moved this morning is common sense, and most of us would assume that it had already been done, but, obviously, we have a problem.

I think that the fire hydrant identification system for country areas in the state is the most important part of this motion. I assumed that all this information would have been documented but, apparently, that is not so.

Mr Pederick: Not for release.

Mr VENNING: It is not for release. I think it ought to be public knowledge so that everybody who knows where these fire hydrants are can get access to them in times of emergency. I cannot understand why, particularly with the technology that we have today, this list is not published. Also published with the list should be the GPS coordinates of the hydrants so that, if you have the list in your fire truck or fire utility, you can quickly put in the coordinates and, bang, you know where the hydrant is—in the middle of a forest or on a dirt road with smoke and haze.

Many vehicles in rural areas now have GPS and I think most fire trucks would have GPS systems. That is a commonsense thing to do. Why would we want to keep these things a secret? Why is it not published? Why is it not available as part of our journal for fire preparedness? We are all told that we need to have fire plans. I have done several press releases in the last few weeks urging people to do their fire plans, asking 'What happens if you have a fire? What have you done about it; are you ready? It is too late when the fire is coming. You should have done all this.' Is it not critical that we furnish a list of the location of hydrants in zones and put in the coordinates, too? It is common sense.

The second part of the member for Hammond's motion relates to operational maintenance checks on hydrants throughout the state. I am quite horrified, because often when you rock up to the hydrant you find that it cannot be turned on because it is jammed and it will not work. If it does work, you have water going everywhere because the tap is leaking—the washer has had it because it has never been replaced and also the flange around the hose has usually perished or it is not there. Also, when people come to the hydrant they need to have the relevant gear. Some hydrants have different fittings.

Adding to what the member for Hammond said, the identification should say whether the hydrant has a standard CFS fitting, but some of them do not. Some have quite different fittings. The old-style ones have a different fitting, a different flange and a different size. If that is the case, it should be identified or, at least, a simple PVC adapter should be supplied to enable any hose to fit on that particular hydrant. I think it is a very commonsense move in an emergency situation, as well as in relation to efficiency of our services because, after all, we are talking about saving lives and property.

I join the members for Hammond and Goyder in saying that our volunteers and CFS do a fantastic job. It is all very well for us to stand here and commend them, but you leave your work and go out to the fire front on a hot day. We congratulate them but, gosh, do we congratulate them enough? Do we really understand and appreciate their commitment?

As I said, this is very much a commonsense matter. Yes, we do need to have fire extinguishers checked regularly. Fire extinguishers are already checked regularly in government buildings such as schools and hospitals. They are regularly checked and tags are placed on them. We have all seen that. Why don't they do the same with fire hydrants? As I said, periodical checks can be done by a local person by simply checking that it works and replacing the tap washer or the flange. Also, as I have said, I cannot see any problem with checks being done by low risk detained citizens—which is a nice way of putting it. It would be a nice annual drive for them to come and check the hydrants and tick off whether or not they work. I believe that the washers in hydrants should be changed whether or not they are worn. What is the cost of a washer—40¢? They should be changed irrespective of whether or not they are worn so that you know they will work at any time of the year.

I pay particular tribute to the CFS and the volunteers in my electorate, and there are many. I have the lot in my electorate: not only the plains around the Barossa Valley and Mid Murray councils—that includes Mannum, plains and river—but also the number one premium fire areas of Gumeracha, Birdwood and Kersbrook (the Adelaide Hills area) where it is certainly dangerous to fight fires. These are the people you really want to take your hat off to. I have fought a lot of fires but it has usually been on plains country. It is dangerous in the hills, and we need to do everything possible to help these people, particularly as access to water is so critical.

Many volunteers make huge commitments for our safety. I will name just one out of hundreds I know: Mr Jim Mitchell. Not only does he head up the Angaston brigade and the local region, but, most importantly, he always gives me very good, sound advice and, sometimes, it is not exactly what I want to hear. When we were in government, he was very good to me, and I was able to give the then minister excellent advice. I am sure all members would have people like Jim in their electorate. I have more than one, but I cite Mr Mitchell because he gives me very good advice. It is not just about being a mate: it is about telling your local member how it is and what to do. He is the man between us (the legislators) and the volunteers who are out there, and he has to try to keep the peace. They get pretty frustrated with the system. It is up to him to let us know what we can do to make sure that our volunteers are kept in the loop and kept involved. We should appreciate them. I commend the member for Hammond on the motion, and I hope that the house will as well.

Mr GOLDSWORTHY (Kavel) (12:00): I, too, am happy to speak in support of the motion the member for Hammond has brought to the house in relation to the state government's committing to implement an identification system for fire hydrants around the state and a regular program of operational maintenance on these fire hydrants.

I represent an electorate that, arguably, takes in part of the highest bushfire risk area in South Australia, namely, part of the Adelaide Hills region. We have just heard the member for Schubert describe how serious the bushfire risk is each and every year, as the driest seasons approach through summertime and well into the new year, particularly the high bushfire risk that is ever present in the Adelaide Hills region.

With climate change upon us (and I know there are varying opinions on the rate at which the change in our climatic conditions is occurring), and with the expected periods of dry seasons to increase, the level of bushfire risk will increase, too. So, it is vitally important that the government acts on the member for Hammond's concerns.

To my knowledge at least, this issue goes back 18 months, when I had the responsibility of representing emergency services on behalf of the Liberal opposition. The member for Hammond raised this specific issue with me some 18 months ago, not terribly long after the March 2006 election. I undertook some work, made some inquiries and got some reasonable media coverage on these rural and regional issues.

What came to the fore was the significant confusion within government agencies about whose responsibility it was to maintain and check on fireplugs and hydrants in rural and regional areas. Someone told me that it was the responsibility of the CFS. It is all very well to point the finger at the CFS, but we must understand that the vast majority of the CFS is made up of volunteers, those men and women within our community who selflessly and tirelessly give their time and effort for the benefit of the community. So, I think it is a bit rich for the government to say that it is the responsibility of the volunteers.

I think it is the responsibility of the Minister for Emergency Services in the other place (Hon. Carmel Zollo) to act on this issue and make a decision on whose area this is. If the truth be known, it is probably SA Water's. If it is underresourced for the carrying out of regular checks and maintenance, it is the responsibility of the minister to ensure that satisfactory resources are applied to this area.

Sadly, we commemorated the 25th anniversary of Ash Wednesday just the other weekend, I attended a ceremony at the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden along with a number of my parliamentary colleagues, including the member for Morialta, the Hon. Stephen Wade, the Leader of the Opposition, the Premier, past premiers, the Governor and a whole range of dignitaries, as well as community members and representatives of the community.

It was a timely reminder that we need every resource available to us at those crucial times when a bushfire or a wild fire erupts. CFS volunteers need to hold accurate information on where fire hydrants are because, if they arrive at a hydrant or a fire plug that is not operational and if they have that information in an emergency situation, they can go off to the next point to draw water. In an emergency situation that could mean the difference between life and death. People might say that I am overdramatising the situation, but I can tell you that I am not. Where fire is involved, in an emergency situation the difference between life and death can amount to minutes.

If a CFS unit arrives at a location that is under extreme threat and has to go from one fire plug that has not been maintained properly to another to fill up the truck and then get back to the fire, that could be the difference between life and death. This is not a trivial issue. The member for Hammond does not bring trivial issues before the house—

Mr Venning: Never has.

Mr GOLDSWORTHY: He never has and he never will. This is a most serious issue to which the government must pay attention. The member for Hammond has written to the Minister for Emergency Services. What has he received? A totally nebulous response, with no information, no direction and no plan for action—no nothing. When I have written to ministers on various issues of late, it has been my experience that that has been the normal response—a nebulous response, with no action and no plan for the future; nothing has been proposed. What will happen in this case is that there will be a tragedy resulting from the lack of attention the government is paying to this issue.

We have just had the devastating fires on Kangaroo Island where a young person lost his life. Thousands upon thousands of hectares of bushland country were destroyed. Those fires raged for days and days; they basically had to burn themselves out down to the sea. The fires had to go through the native vegetation until they got to the sea before they burnt themselves out. What sort of a situation is that? The member for Finniss has brought that issue to the fore in the house with the motion that he has moved in relation to the Native Vegetation Council.

The government has the responsibility of getting hold of these issues and acting on them, not just sweeping them under the carpet, not ignoring them and hoping they will go away, because they will not go away. The government is putting the lives of community members at risk and also the lives of CFS volunteers by not paying attention to this particularly important issue. I commend the member for Hammond for bringing this motion to the house and I support it.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mrs Geraghty.

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