To serve the diverse communities in which they live and work, our people train hard to ensure they can be there when they are needed. To support them, we are committed to providing a workplace where all staff and volunteers are valued and respected.
Case study
A large fire threatened the Argyle community, near Donnybrook. Because the fire moved quickly and access was difficult, many homes were damaged before the fire crews arrived. Their brigade Captain, Scott explained, ‘the most difficult part of this fire was the resources we had to expend trying to ascertain if people were home.’
Since this incident, the Argyle Irishtown Bush Fire Brigade has worked more closely with their community to help them prevent fires and become more prepared should they happen. This included working with residents to develop property assessment checklists and supporting street meets. These efforts have united residents and empowered individuals and families to take control of their safety.
Scott explains, ‘we have two really dedicated support officers and they learnt about the DFES Bushfire Ready program. They’ve created a Bushfire Ready Group and we work hand in hand with the street coordinators.’
An obvious benefit from these efforts was demonstrated during their next major incident when more residents were prepared to make the decision to go, and crucially, let the brigade know. This meant the Brigade could effectively focus on saving the properties. As Scott observes, ‘it just reinforces that all the training, the preparation we do, to be able to provide the service we do, is worth it.’
We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible work environment, and to ensure our operations consider the requirements and challenges of people with a disability when emergencies occur.
Achievements this year include:
At 30 June 2018, the diversity representation at DFES was:
|
Diversity Group |
2017-18 Target |
2017-18 Actual |
|
Employees from a culturally diverse background |
4.9% |
4.3% |
|
Employees identifying as Indigenous Australians |
3.4% |
3.0% |
|
Employees with a disability |
2.5% |
0.43% |
|
Women |
19.38% |
19.43% |
|
Youth (under 25 years) |
3.9% |
1.7% |
Case study
Over the past few years, Esperance SES unit has attended a variety of incidents, including missing person searches, bush fires, assisting at the scene of a fatal shark attack and other rescues along the State's southern coastline.
Their tireless efforts during severe flooding in the region in 2017 involved high risk search and rescues for people missing in the floodwaters.
In the lead up to the floods, some areas received over 300mm of rain. James, a member of the unit recalls, “We knew that we were looking for a missing person and a vehicle. Then when we attended it was a full blown running river. The water was 10 metres above its normal flowing area. It was incredibly tough country.”
The prolonged search went through several stages and drew a significant time and emotional commitment from the unit. They performed many roles, including ground search activities and air observation.
The dedication and the combined skills and knowledge of the members, enabled them to respond efficiently and pro-actively - which they do in a courageous and dignified manner for the emergency response agencies and for the families involved.
Emergency response can be physically and mentally challenging. That’s why we are committed to helping our staff and volunteers maintain their physical and mental wellbeing.
Our Wellness Branch won the IPAA Award for Best Practice in Health and Wellbeing for our Mental Health First Aid program. The program teaches how to provide immediate help to a person who is:
We offer a suite of programs and services to help staff and volunteers manage their mental and physical health including:
Case study
Coral Bay, a remote WA coastal town has only around two hundred permanent residents yet has a significant tourist population driven by the natural beauty of Ningaloo Reef. Ten permanent residents are volunteers of the Coral Bay Volunteer Sea Search and Rescue Group which provides an essential emergency service for marine related incidents.
In 2017, the VSSRG went above and beyond in their efforts during an extended multi-agency search for a missing recreational fishing boat.
The search continued for five days with the Group leading local search and rescue teams made up of emergency service volunteers, commercial operators, locals and tourists. They helped coordinate up to fifteen recreational vessels to assist in the search -supplying search crews, staffing the radios and organising local spontaneous volunteers both on water and land.
Their local knowledge and expertise was critical in assisting the WA Police gather intelligence throughout the operation.
As it became clearer, that sadly in this instance, the outcome was not going to be favourable, the unit provided support through the transition to a recovery stage. The Group's sustained and dedicated effort in coordinating and providing a conduit between the community and WA Police was key to supporting the families, friends and those involved.
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Because of Kambalda's remote location the local VFRS Brigade is called on to attend accidents, fires and traumas across a large area. As Bianca, a brigade member explains, ‘being such a remote town, a lot of our stuff is out on the highway and we will travel quite big distances to get to our call outs.’
Brigade members provide a skilled and highly practised operation when called to respond. They attend car accidents on the highway within their large area, working alongside WA Police and St John Ambulance.
Given the sometimes traumatic nature of the work, there have been incidents that have pushed the brigade physically and emotionally. In looking out for one another and through their team and peer support networks, they ensure all team members are cared for and able to return to the Brigade.
A feeling of wanting to be part of the community is at the heart of what drives the Brigade, establishing a mutual respect with the community. Godfrey, another of the Brigade’s members highlights, ‘they appreciate you looking after their hydrants and their town and that sort of thing. So there’s a huge amount of pride that we have out and about.’
Our staff and volunteers regularly respond to emergencies in hazardous environments. This is why we continuously look for ways to refine and enhance our health and safety systems and procedures, to help keep our people safe.
For example, we are developing a medical health screening program designed to help manage occupational risks such as exposure to hazardous substances and noise. We have also developed a blood testing program for all past and present firefighters and volunteers concerned they may have been exposed to polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Case study
Lynette, a member of the brigade said, ‘It’s like a family orientated unit which is really good because you know that when you come down here, everyone is welcome… We have eighteen members and all the people who are in the brigade all get on really well together. Our brigade is a dedicated team and we have across the board training from road crash rescue, storm damage and fire… We train every Wednesday and everyone is devoted to make sure that they’re up to the highest standard that we can possibly give the community.’
The brigade’s work with local residents takes many forms, including fire safety displays at local events and school visits. These and other events, reinforce the importance of safe fire behaviour and preparing an evacuation plan with your family. The Morawa VFES volunteers are vibrant and enthusiastic in both their approach to spreading their message and responding operationally when called upon, and as Lynette proudly points out, ‘it’s only a small community but we like to get involved with everything.’
We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible work environment, and to ensure our operations consider the requirements and challenges of people with disability when emergencies occur.
Notable achievements and improvements during 2017-18 include:
Case study
Career firefighters work with the community to prevent, prepare for and respond to a diverse manner of emergency scenarios. This involves maintaining a state of preparedness to respond at all times, as well as pro-actively engaging with the community to fortify its own resilience.
In June, firefighters from several local stations successfully freed the driver of a truck, following an incident at a primary school in Perth’s southern suburbs. The crews used specialised rescue equipment including cutters and spreaders, to perform the extraction. The firefighters remained calm under pressure and demonstrated specialised technical skills despite the rescue process being particularly complex due to the cramped and potentially unstable environment.
During another rescue operation, in a different context, but with similarities in complexity, DFES’ firefighters helped rescue a boy who was stuck in sand following a two metre fall into a ditch.
The incident was described as delicate and technical given the instability of the sand in the trench. The risk of further sand collapse was significant, with the operation requiring extensive planning and taking almost four hours to complete. The Officer in charge told of the crucial specialised skills that the firefighters used in shoring up the trench before attempting to get the boy out leading to a successful outcome.
