May 12, 2018

Volunteer firefighters Perth

THE advice that Western Australia’s division of Fire and crisis Services should take control of the state’s volunteer bushfire brigades has-been criticised because of the volunteers and Liberal federal government MPs.

DFES suggested the alteration in its submission on separate inquiry to the bushfire at Yarloop within the state’s south in January, which killed two men, destroyed 181 properties and burnt over 69, 000 hectares.

WA is the only condition where volunteer bushfire brigades are managed by neighborhood governing bodies.

Fire Commissioner Wayne Gregson features reportedly stated the relationship amongst the two ended up being often not-good.

Association of Volunteer Bushfire Brigades president Dave Gossage informed ABC radio he had been perhaps not amazed by Mr Gregson’s view.

Volunteer Bushfire Brigades president Dave Gossage

Fire Commissioner Wayne Gregson

“They (DFES) believe that the centralised model is the better design but when you operate in a command-type environment that really works on providing directions, that’s always going to be their particular place, ” Mr Gossage said.

He stated volunteer firefighters were among the first teams to consider the Australasian Inter-service Incident control System, but government departments were slower to have onboard.

“The unified method which he (Mr Gregson) labeled is already there when they comprehend and employ the AIIMS system whilst was intended, ” Mr Gossage said.

He said the commissioner’s call to leave bushfire risk management in the possession of of volunteers but take control of their particular reaction activities eliminated their just kind of federal government capital in crisis providers levy.

Liberal MPs took to Twitter to decline the commissioner’s telephone call, with all the member for regional chair of Murray-Wellington, Murray Cowper, saying: “Haven’t seen conceal nor hair of Wayne Gregson since Yarloop. Today he wants to set policy!!”