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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-11-27 Daily Xml
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Motions

Bushfires and Emergency Services

Adjourned debate on motion of the Hon. S.S. Marshall:

That the house expresses its sincere thanks to South Australia’s emergency services personnel and the community organisations which support our emergency services for their efforts to protect life, property and the environment on 20 November 2019 and subsequent days when much of the state was facing catastrophic fire conditions.

(Continued from 26 November 2019.)

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (15:37): I rise to make a contribution on the CFS-MFS emergency response when South Australia was once again impacted by fires. The number of those fires really has brought home the importance of preparation for the approaching fire season and what we have currently seen. I think some of the statistics are important.

We cannot understate the importance of our emergency services and the protection they give us. More importantly, it is about a sense of community. It is the volunteering and it is the reckoning after an event like this that bring a community together and give them a much closer understanding of the importance of communities working together and of being underpinned by a very, very robust and worthy emergency service sector.

The CFS volunteers are a great fabric in our regional communities, as are the MFS and the SES. Living in a regional community, I know full well that the commitment those volunteers give is paramount—saving lives, preventing further damage to our lands, to our buildings and to our communities but, more importantly, to the fabric of South Australia.

Some of the stats for that period of 19 November to 24 November show that 219 separate incidents were responded to across the state, including rural fires, vehicle accidents, structure fires and the like. There were 357 support responses to 219 incidents, and multiple brigades attended the Yorketown incident. We know that the Yorketown incident had a severe impact, as it was the largest. Those smaller fires have personal impacts on individuals or small communities, so we do not take for granted that one large fire is any more important than a small fire. Fires threaten life and bring into question the vulnerability of any of the regional communities, regional properties and regional families that are impacted.

I have learnt that the current recorded hours for these turnouts, 576 in number, listed 33,312 hours attributed to protecting us throughout those five days of catastrophic weather events. At the peak of activity on Wednesday 20 November, the CFS had 600 personnel and 150 fire trucks committed across the state in anticipation of the forecast conditions for that day. The CFS Chief Officer took the unusual step of establishing a statewide fire ban to deter unsafe acts and behaviours, and I think it was a very good leadership call.

Living in the regions, we know full well that incidents happen that can be caused by machinery, business practice or people out there travelling. Fires start for different reasons, and we would like to think that they start through unintended consequences and not because of the behaviour of arsonists, as we have seen in some of the other fires around the nation.

On Wednesday 20 November, the state faced catastrophic fire ratings in almost half its districts, with all the others having a severe or extreme rating. These severe conditions normally indicate extremely serious outcomes. On that day, we saw the CFS respond to more than 60 fires, with large fires recorded at Price, on Yorke Peninsula; Appila, in the Mid North; Beaufort, in the Mid North; Yorketown, on Yorke Peninsula; Finniss, on Fleurieu Peninsula; and Angaston, in the Barossa. As we all know, the Yorketown fire was the largest and most dangerous of these fires, with over 250 firefighters committed. Eleven homes were destroyed and significant stock losses were reported.

Volunteers, CFS staff and MFS staff were supported by their colleagues from the SES and other government departments. We need to recognise that some of those other government departments are there—trained firefighters and logistical experts on the rollout of monitoring those fires. Aerial surveillance is critically important in how we manage the fires and how they are fought, but also in how we put up barriers to save towns, to save homes and to save life. Again, they are very important levels of operation.

Many of these fires were attacked by aerial bombardment with the state's own resources, with one bombing run from a large aerial tanker from New South Wales to protect the town of Coobowie. A total of 14 aircraft were deployed across the state and, despite the terrible loss of several homes, these outcomes demonstrate how successful the joint response across the state was with no loss of life, and that is really important.

I want to give a small report, particularly from the Department of Primary Industries, on the losses. Animals were lost and areas were burnt. Nearly 6,000 hectares were burnt. Large numbers of sheep were lost: 444 sheep. Chickens were destroyed, horses were injured and there are also missing deer. This shows that we now have very good capacity for monitoring and ensuring that we understand the impact of fires.

Yorketown saw significant crop damage and loss of crop. The economic impact was significant. We saw upwards of nearly 1,600 hectares lost, whether it be wheat, lentils, canola or barley. Nearly 5,500 tonnes of yield has been burnt at a cost of about $1.648 million. Again, that highlights that, when fires come through, people are impacted, whether it is their homes, whether it is their livelihood or whether it is their community that is put at risk. I urge all those community people, property owners and the like to be fire ready. Have a plan so that you can protect yourselves, your families and your businesses in the case of an emergency evacuation.

I think it is critically important that we remember the great effort of our emergency services through this very early fire season. We know that we are in drought. We know that the ground fuel is extremely dry. We know that there is limited to almost no soil moisture. When we see a build-up of weather, a build-up of wind and high temperatures, it is a recipe for fire.

Again, I commend our emergency services and the coordination that they worked with, and I commend all those volunteers who went above and beyond, as well as those people who volunteer to help our volunteers, making sure that they are fed and watered and that any injuries are dealt with. SAPOL and ambulance officers are all part of that team. That said, I commend this motion.

Mr GEE (Taylor) (15:46): I also wish to say a few words in support of the motion thanking emergency services, moved by the Premier and seconded by the Leader of the Opposition. Last Wednesday was a day with record temperatures and gale-force winds that saw multiple fires at emergency warning levels and numerous firefighters going from one emergency to another. Almost every other occupation requires people to move away from danger, but these men and women have been highly trained to deal with situations that would be beyond the capability of most of us.

The dedication shown by members of the CFS and our other emergency services volunteers is immense. This was the case for the volunteers from the Dalkeith, Salisbury, Two Wells and Virginia CFS brigades, which had many members initially on active stand-by, who were then called to fires both in their local areas and across Yorke Peninsula.

The dedication I just mentioned was highlighted in the Sunday Mail, which acknowledged the work of Dalkeith CFS member Jamie Pugh. Jamie had just returned from two deployments assisting the Rural Fire Service in New South Wales. He was then on active stand-by at the Dalkeith station for most of the day on Wednesday. His active stand-by ended and he was deployed to the Yorketown blaze at 8pm to relieve other Dalkeith volunteers who had been out on the fireground. Jamie arrived at 11pm and was then relieved by somebody else at 10am the following morning. Jamie's story is just one of many stories of selflessness across the state. I cannot imagine the conditions that the CFS volunteers would have faced at the Yorketown fire and the terror that residents and animals would have felt, facing the dangers that fire brings with it.

I attended the Dalkeith CFS open day only a few weeks ago, on 27 October. Even then, several units were called away in the middle of the day to attend an emergency. I could feel the closeness of the people at that event. They were like a large family, united by their commitment to serve. My heartfelt sympathies go out to all those directly affected by the fires, whether they lost homes, had property damage or lost their pets or livestock.

I know the effect that the Sampson Flat and Pinery fires had on the local communities in the north and Mid North. I toured the aftermath of the Pinery fire with the parliamentary Natural Resources Committee. We met with residents and farmers who had been impacted by that hellish event. One of the feelings I was left with after that day was the way in which all those people played down the personal impact of that fire. I thought at the time that they were thinking, no matter how badly they were affected, there were others who were worse off.

I remember visiting the evacuation centres and the unofficial community centre that was set up at the One Tree Hill Institute, where I was trying to direct people arriving toward the different support agencies on site. I noticed a woman who looked a bit confused. I spoke to her and she was eager to get back to her husband who was recovering from major surgery. The water at home was gone, so she had come in to get some bottled water.

She said she had to fight the fire with a broom as it got close to her house. I called a first aider and got a drink for her, and I noticed her right foot was burnt. The blister looked as if all her skin had been inflated like a balloon. She had been working on that fire in thongs. She was in shock and she was unaware of the burns on her foot. She just wanted to get back to husband and to her home.

I was asked to join the fire squad at Holden on a new night shift that was put on in plant 1. I spent three years on the fire squad and I trained every other week. Fortunately, I never had to use those skills. Whenever the call goes out, we know that the men and women from the CFS always answer, whether it is to attend a fire, a road accident or any other emergency. These men and women do not think when they get the call, they just act, putting their lives on the line, leaving their families and workplaces.

I acknowledge the volunteers from the State Emergency Service, Salvation Army, farm fire units, service club volunteers, SA Ambulance Service and St John volunteers, plus so many other people who contribute to our welfare on a day like last Wednesday and the days that followed. I want to take a moment to thank all the families of the dedicated volunteers who support them in their work. It cannot be an easy life and I am sure they worry about the safe return of their loved ones. It would be remiss of me not to thank the employers of all the volunteers who release them from work to attend to their volunteer duties.

I also acknowledge those members who take time away from their own businesses to give their time to protect our community. We should be very proud of all these volunteers, and I hope that the remainder of summer is quieter for them and that they all remain safe. With that, I commend the motion to the house.

Ms LUETHEN (King) (15:52): Today, I wish to speak about the recent fires and the outstanding contribution by our emergency services and volunteers. In anticipation of the forecasted conditions for Wednesday 20 November, the CFS Chief Officer took the unusual step of establishing a statewide fire ban to deter unsafe acts and behaviours. All the state's 15 fire ban districts had total fire bans already declared. Seven of the 15 districts had the highest level of fire danger rating applied (catastrophic), which means they had a fire danger index of greater than 100, effectively going off the charts.

There were 69 fires started on that day, responded to by the CFS and the Metropolitan Fire Service, along with significantly more responses to other callouts, including everything from trees being knocked down to car crashes. At the peak of the activity on Wednesday 20 November, the CFS had 600 personnel and 150 fire trucks committed across our state. Significant fires started on the day: Beaufort near Port Wakefield, Price, Appila, Angaston, Finniss and, of course, Yorketown. There were also two urban fires on the day which were attended by the MFS: a wine distribution centre at Hilton and a large rubbish/waste fire at Wingfield.

At 3.20 on 20 November, the first crews were dispatched to the Yorketown fire. Given the conditions, crews were unable to halt the forward rate of spread of fire under the prevailing conditions and the flanks of the fire continued to expand. Strike teams were progressively called in from other parts of the state to assist the local crews. The fire burned its way south to the ocean near Troubridge Point, where it could burn no further.

The CFS knew that a wind change was expected and that what was the eastern flank of the fire could become the new head of the fire. It worked to put in an eight-metre containment line and extinguish any hotspots near that edge of the fire before the wind change was expected. Unfortunately, in the early hours of the 21st the wind change came and was much stronger than expected. The worst happened. An ember jumped the containment line and a new fire started in the worst possible location, starting a fire that was heading straight for Edithburgh. Crews were tasked with asset protection and asked to work in horrendous conditions.

Seventy kilometres away in Adelaide, everyone will remember the strong smell of smoke when they woke up that morning. As the Premier said, just imagine how bad it was being right there. The wind pushed the smoke right into town and CFS crews were left with almost zero visibility as they fought the fire. Through their efforts, many of the houses and sheds in the town and just out of it were saved, which is a testament to the commitment and skills of so many of our volunteers.

In total, the fire burnt 5,000 hectares of land, much of it agricultural; destroyed 11 houses; and left 33 people with minor injuries. The Premier told us that so far a total of $13,440 has been granted through 18 Personal Hardship Emergency Grants to the community, jointly funded through the commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. The grants of up to $700 per family are for immediate temporary relief for South Australians directly affected by the Yorketown fire and are intended to pay for essential items, such as food, toiletries and clothing. A local recovery coordinator has been appointed to assist those affected by the Yorketown fire.

This house owes our emergency services volunteers and staff our thanks. All the agencies in South Australia can be proud of their actions over those days. To the CFS, the MFS, the SES, SAPOL, the SA Ambulance Service and National Parks South Australia, I say thank you. In addition, I wish to say a heartfelt thank you to the Para Group of CFS staff and volunteers who helped out tremendously with fire emergencies in November, both interstate and locally.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the Country Fire Service and the vital role that it plays in keeping our community safe, especially during the bushfire season. In recent days, we have been dealt a timely reminder of just how dangerous bushfires can be, with fires across South Australia, the eastern seaboard and earlier this month in Port Lincoln. I would like to echo the comments made by the CFS and remind everyone how important it is to be bushfire ready and of the steps that we can all take to ensure our families and our community are safe.

In my own electorate of King and in SA's north, we are fortunate to have the fantastic team of volunteers from the Para CFS Group keeping us safe this bushfire season. Specifically from King, we have the CFS brigades from Salisbury, One Tree Hill and Tea Tree Gully. We all know that these CFS members attend preparation training regularly. They then stop what they are doing and give up their own time to assist others day after day, week after week, year after year when an emergency happens.

Right now, after fighting SA fires this month, the Para Group are continuing to provide a contingent to New South Wales to help fight the bushfires over there and, at this stage, this is planned until Christmas. Our thoughts are with those volunteers and New South Wales firefighters as they battle the numerous uncontained and dangerous fires across that state.

Last Wednesday, under the leadership of Rob Styling, the Para CFS Group helped fight fires at Yorketown, Price and Port Wakefield. Rob Styling was appointed incident controller for the region and provided leadership for crews from Wednesday morning until 3.30am. Rob was up again at 6.15am the next morning to keep helping. I commend and thank Rob personally. He has been a dedicated CFS member for 47 years this year. Rob Styling told me that the fire at Yorketown was five kilometres wide and 29 kilometres in length and was travelling at 25 km/h. During the early hours, there were 100 km/h winds.

During these local fires last Wednesday, a catastrophic day, Rob told me that there were other challenges presented, such as truck failures, engines blowing up and a tree falling on an emergency vehicle at Yorketown. In recounting the day to me, Rob commended the CFS members; the police, who did a great job of evacuating people; the Salvos, who fed the CFS; and the rapid assessment team, who helped evaluate houses and sheds that had been lost.

Thank you to every person deployed and every person who helped behind the scenes. I also thank and commend our local CFS crews and our local councils, who have been vocal advocates for bushfire safety and who continue to help families learn the ways they can prepare to ensure that their properties are as safe as possible in this bushfire season.

In closing, it was a valuable experience to spend some one-on-one time with the One Tree Hill CFS recently, along with the Premier. I thank everyone involved for their efforts every day of the week, and I thank these volunteers' families for their support in freeing up their family members for these efforts to keep our community safe. Your contribution is invaluable and each person in this house and in our community thanks you.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay) (16:00): On Wednesday 20 November, fires started at Yorketown and spread across the region, affecting neighbouring towns, such as Coobowie and Edithburgh. Our fireys battled more than 65 fires across South Australia during the extreme heat, which topped 42° with strong winds, which was a catastrophic fire danger rating. As we know, the fires affected many properties and caused injuries to more than 33 people. It moved quickly, and many local residents were advised to evacuate. The Red Cross was activated to deliver the Telecross REDi services, based on forecast heat and the catastrophic fire danger rating.

In the early hours of Thursday 21 November, at around 1am the Stansbury Bowling Club became an emergency evacuation centre, taking in people evacuated from Edithburgh and the Yorketown fires. By around 6.30am, about 60 people had evacuated to the centre. By its peak at around lunchtime, there were about 150 people located there, people ranging from young babies to older residents. By sunset that Thursday evening, only a handful of people remained, as they were given the all clear to return to their homes.

The centre was operated by the Emergency Relief Functional Support Group from Housing SA at Port Pirie, and I thank them for their quick work in opening up that centre. President Trevor Urlwin of the Stansbury Bowling Club acknowledged the professionalism and compassion of the Emergency Relief Functional Support Group. The Housing SA employees did an exemplary job alongside the Red Cross volunteers and the chaplains located at the centre. Thanks to the generosity of the local community, the Stansbury Bowling Club was able to offer breakfast, lunch and snacks to the people seeking relief.

I would particularly like to thank Tim Mackinlay from Stansbury Gourmet Meats, who donated meat to the centre; George Kokar from Stansbury Pharmacy, who provided asthma medication for those located there; Ron Turnbull of Port Vincent IGA, who donated bread, milk and other food; and many other private individuals who donated or offered food and other essentials. These groups operated behind the scenes to support the tireless efforts of front-line organisations like the CFS and SA Ambulance Service.

Register.Find.Reunite was activated by the Red Cross. It is a service that helps people get in touch with loved ones in a fire-affected area to make sure that they can be located and are okay. In fact, as fires burned around the country in New South Wales, WA, Queensland and South Australia, more than 190 trained Red Cross emergency services personnel responded at more than 40 locations, providing psychological first aid, personal support and information. In South Australia, the Red Cross made around 800 phone calls to check on elderly and isolated people during last week's heatwave, as well as providing practical support for those evacuated from their homes after the Yorketown fire.

The Para Group of the CFS, including volunteers from Salisbury, also deserve a mention. Given the forewarning of the catastrophic conditions on Wednesday, the Para Group was placed on active stand-by. This included the Salisbury CFS, the Dalkeith CFS, the One Tree Hill CFS, the Tea Tree Gully CFS, the Virginia CFS and the Para Reserve. Three appliances were manned at the Salisbury station, and from the Salisbury station two vehicles were tasked to Lyndoch and then assigned to Angaston. The strike team was led by Captain Robert Turnbull.

Once the strike team arrived in Angaston, the fire was contained, so they were then sent 90 minutes away to Yorketown to fight the out-of-control blazes. This crew stayed there until around midnight, when a changeover crew came to relieve them for the remainder of the night. This strike team fought past daybreak, until around 8:30am on Thursday, before making their way back to Adelaide. This crew was also involved in the fight to save Edithburgh early Friday morning around 5am, and more volunteers were sent out during the day on Friday.

We know that our volunteers do an extraordinary job in our community every day. However, in times of crises these are the moments when they become our heroes, putting the care and safety of others before themselves. In support of this motion, I want to thank each and every one of the volunteers across the emergency services and community organisations who came to the fore on the day.

I have some lived experiences in my time as minister for communities after both the Sampson Flat and Pinery fires, a role that involved the then department for communities and social inclusion providing relief and recovery efforts and, most importantly, providing ongoing support for those areas. While we often see a lot of attention paid then and there when the fire is happening and in the days afterwards, it is often ongoing work that is needed in the community for people who are suffering from trauma, who are looking to rebuild their lives and needing support.

I was very pleased to hear that Deb Richardson has been announced as the Local Recovery Coordinator for Yorke Peninsula. I would like to say that as a state, we think about people being affected by the fires. After the Sampson Flat and Pinery fires, my experience was that it often took many months for people to come forward and say that they needed support. Many people experienced significant trauma. They were not able to rebuild their lives as quickly as they thought. For some, who said, 'I am absolutely fine, no worries to see here,' they were struggling many weeks and months later.

I have to say this is something we do well in South Australia. I know that the member for Narungga will obviously be paying close attention to this. If I recall correctly, after the Pinery fire we had some suicide prevention programs that went out. In particular, we talked to many people in the local main streets—whether it be the local butcher, the hairdresser or the person in the post office—because often they were the ones who heard first from people that they were struggling. Often they were not aware of the government services and support that were being provided.

The one thing I would say is that, while I certainly rise to support this motion, this impact is significant. As the member for Narungga said in this house, and we also heard from the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, we know that attention will need to be paid and that this community will need to be supported over the long term. Obviously, the emergency grants are important, but I encourage the government to continue to provide services for recovery for people impacted by this fire. I support the motion.

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