DELTRA Australia News

Check out the new DELTRA Australia website

2009-01-22T10:05:00.003+10:00

Now accepting on-line bookings for training in our Fire Safety Advisor course, PM20406 Cert ii in Asset Maintenance (Fire Protection Equipment), Emergency Control Organisation (Warden) Training, Emergency Response Training, Blue Card 30215 QLD General Safety Induction, First Aid Training and more. All of this training is conducted in accordance with the relevant legislation and Australian Standards, such as AS3745, AS4083, AS1851, AS2444, The Queensland Building Fire Safety Regulation (2008), the Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Act and Regulation.

The site also has Emergency Response Training News and Updates.

Check out the DELTRA Australia Website at:

www.deltraaustralia.com

ATM robbery ends with a bang

2008-11-25T10:37:00.002+10:00

Readers may remember our story about the Bank of Queensland at Aspley being blown up earlier this year by thieves attempting to steal the ATM. This story shows that Sydney thieves aren't any smarter...

Thieves blow up ATM, damage own car

November 25, 2008, 9:00 am

Four thieves who blew up an ATM in Sydney's eastern suburbs were forced to flee on foot after the explosion damaged their getaway car, police say.

The four males set off the explosion at the Bendigo Bank street-front ATM in Clovelly Road, Clovelly, at about 1.45am (AEDT) on Tuesday.

The bank was extensively damaged with debris spewed out across the street.

The thieves had to abandon their Audi getaway car and escaped the scene on foot.

Bomb squad officers were called in to ensure several gas cylinders found in the car were safe.

The incident was one of three ATM-explosions across Sydney during the night.

About the same time, three males were seen blowing up an ATM on Waldron Street, Chester Hill, in Sydney's west, damaging the front of a bank.

Police believe the bandits fled in a late-model silver Audi .

In the third incident, an ATM on Guildford Road at Guildford was blown up at about 2.15am.

The area of Guildford Road between Cross Street and Station Street has been cordoned off due to a large amount of debris.

Police did not yet know whether any cash was taken in the three incidents.

(Source: Yahoo News)

Wild Weather

2008-11-21T09:06:00.003+10:00

A couple of posts back we discussed External Emergencies (also known as Code Brown). This post has turned out to be sadly prophetic considering the recent wild weather. Our thoughts are with those who have lost homes and had property and lives destroyed.

Paul (our resident expert in First Aid and Security), as some of you may know, is an officer with St John ambulance. Paul will be assisting the disaster relief effort in this capacity.

Read more about the recent storms below:

PM likens Brisbane's storm areas to war zone

BY DAVID BARBELER

19/11/2008 1:00:00 AM

Soldiers, prisoners, the Red Cross and more than 1000 volunteers have joined forces to clean up the devastation left by Brisbane's worst storm in 25 years, amid warnings of more severe weather.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd visited the worst hit north-western suburb of The Gap at first light yesterday and despite more than 24 hours of mopping up, he was shocked by the evidence of the storm's fury.

''It looks like a war zone and feels like a war zone,'' Mr Rudd said after diverting to Brisbane on his way home from Washington where he had attended a G20 summit on the global financial crisis.

''What is good about it is the people pulling together and neighbours looking after each other.''

The Prime Minister announced extra Centrelink help for families and named Human Services Minister Joe Ludwig as cabinet's point-man for the clean-up operation.

Brisbane City Council said the State Emergency Service had cleared 923 calls for help in the past 24 hours, bringing the number of outstanding jobs to about 200.

Overall, 4000 homes were damaged, with about 240 seriously damaged and at least 85 deemed unlivable.

SES members, whose hotline received 17,000 calls, were again out in force yesterday, with 310 volunteers from Queensland and NSW putting tarpaulins on roofs and clearing debris in The Gap, Upper Kedron, Arana Hills and Keperra. Another 190 SES volunteers were to arrive in Brisbane by this morning.

Seventy Queensland police recruits and more than 750 personnel from the Australian Defence Force were also helping to clear trees and debris.

RACQ Insurance chief executive Bradley Heath estimated claims worth at least $25 million would be lodged. A spokesman for the Insurance Council of Australia said 6000 claims had been made by yesterday morning, with numbers likely to double later in the week.

The Queensland Government has donated $500,000 to kick-start a new disaster fund to help those affected.

The Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal, announced by Premier Anna Bligh yesterday, will supplement other government support packages. Ms Bligh said times would be tough for families leading up to Christmas and encouraged others to donate money at any Commonwealth Bank branch.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said the disaster was unparalleled and defended the time it took to respond after angry calls from residents to talkback radio.

''If you go back to Sunday night, the power was out, streets were dark, there were 560 cables down across the greater Brisbane area, the mobile phone network was affected and landlines were also out in this area,'' he said. ''Could we have done things better? Well, if we all had cell phone implants in our ears or something like that and could have got the message out, maybe.''

Queensland's Gold Coast hinterland, hit hard by Sunday's storm, was in the path of another severe weather event last night, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

The weather bureau issued a severe weather warning for heavy rain and flash flooding for coastal areas south of Brisbane. More storms were expected to lash south-east Queensland tomorrow.

(Source: Canberra Times)

North Lakes ABC child centre to re-open in four months after fire

2008-10-21T09:28:00.002+10:00

By Robyn Ironside

October 21, 2008 08:00am

THE parents of children who attend the ABC Learning Centre at North Lakes have been told it will be four to five months before the centre reopens.

The meeting was called last night to discuss arrangements following yesterday morning's devastating fire which destroyed the babyworld area and damaged the pre-schoolers' building.

Parents were told children could be accommodated at other ABC Learning Centres in the area but they would have to re-enrol their kids and groups of friends may be split up.

ABC Learning could also offer no assurance the children would remain with their current teachers.

The company said it was investigating the possible use of a vacant childcare centre in the area but this would take some time.

Parents said they would be happy to drive further to keep their children together and with the same carer.

Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the fire which looks to have been deliberately lit.

A firebug struck in North Lakes just a few weeks ago, starting fires in wheelie bins and a portaloo.

Source: The Courier Mail

External Emergencies - Code Brown

2008-09-23T09:58:00.004+10:00

The area of external emergencies is one that seems to cause some confusion more than fire or bomb threats. The reason for this is that External Emergencies mean different things to different sites. For those who have attended DELTRA Australia's Fire Safety Adviser course it comes as no surprise that a site risk assessment needs to be completed to identify which emergencies are most likely to occur at that site. If you live on a mountain, then flooding is not usually an issue. By the same token Bush fire is unlikely to occur to a building in the middle of the CBD. So likely external emergencies are dictated by our surrounds.

External Emergencies (aka Code Brown) can include any emergency coming from outside our site which causes us to have to initiate an emergency response. External Emergencies can include flooding, fire, bomb threat, chemical spill, storm, earthquake and many others. Obviously our emergency response will differ slightly with each of the types of emergencies. The reason is that we need to move people to safety and our 'point of safety' will differ for each of these emergencies. We cannot always send people to the external Assembly Area, as this may actually place people in greater danger than if they were to 'shelter in place'.

Hospitals have their own unique understanding of 'external emergency'. To a hospital a code brown means that an incident has occured off site and casualties will be arricing shortly. For this reason the emergency response undertaken by a hospital will be vastly different to other sites.

The story below is an example of an recent external emergency, in this case a 'dust storm'. How would an incident such as this affect your site?

Dust storm coats part of Snowy Mountains

September 22, 2008, 8:41 pm
Source: AAP

Parts of the Snowy Mountains are reportedly covered in "dirty snow" after dust storms from the Riverina and lower west deposited topsoil as a massive storm system crossed NSW.

The storm, which is heading for the NSW eastern seaboard, including Sydney, has kept State Emergency Service (SES) crews busy in western NSW with winds over 100 km/h tearing roofs off buildings and felling trees.

More than 150 requests for help have been made to the SES because of wind damage, abut 100 of them coming from the Broken Hill area.

Strong winds and some rain caused a large tree to fall and crush a car at Broken Hill, SES spokesman Phil Campbell said.

He said the Terminus Hotel at Hay and Tattersalls Hotel in Goulburn had been damaged in the storm.

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) duty forecaster Peter Zmijewski said the storm brought wind gusts of more than 100 km/h through the state's southwest and left a coating of thin dust over the skifields.

"Some of the dust has settled over the Snowy Mountains so I imagine, where there is snow, it would be dirty," he said.

A severe weather warning has been issued for damaging winds and severe thunderstorm warnings are current for most of the state.

The Bureau said damaging winds had been recorded west of the Great Dividing Range.

Wind gusts of 115 km/h were recorded at Fowlers Gap, near Broken Hill.

Rain and thunderstorms are forecast for the northeast of the state.

The severe weather is expected to move to the southeast of the state and affect the Illawarra, southern Sydney suburbs and Central Tablelands on Tuesday before easing later in the day.

Hail is expected in the northwest of the state and gale warnings have been issued for Sydney, the south coast, the Hunter and the mid-north coast.

Mackay Bioterror Scare

2008-09-23T09:49:00.002+10:00

Powder scare sparks post office evacuation

ABC - September 23, 2008, 8:22 am

A building was evacuated in Mackay last night and eight people were treated for skin irritations after a powder was found in a mail package.

Police say the powder was found by staff at an Australia Post office on Bridge Road in west Mackay, in north Queensland, about 9:00pm AEST.

Senior Constable Gavin Burnett says scientific testing of the powder revealed it was not a dangerous substance.

"Arrangements were made for an investigative chemist to attend the scene. Some tests were conducted on the substance and it was found to have been an ammonia salt which I understand is a type of fertiliser," he said.

"As a result of that, that was taken down to the Mackay Base Hospital and disposed off."

Note from DELTRA Australia: Although for most businesses this type of incident is not common, certain businesses such as courier or transport companies and postal services deal with this type of emergency on a weekly basis. What would you do if you received a package like this?

Brisbane Transport Bomb Threat

2008-09-15T11:51:00.001+10:00

Threats made against Brisbane buses

September 13, 2008, 5:42 pm

Brisbane's public transport network is on high alert this weekend after police received threats against Brisbane's buses.

Police received a phone call at 4.15pm (AEST) on Thursday from a man at a Brisbane location making threats against services.

Acting chief superintendent Peter Crawford said police did not believe the threats were "credible" but warned people to be vigilant and report any suspicious packages or luggage.

"Police do not believe this is a credible threat," Supt Crawford said.

"We do not want people to be alarmed and we would like people to go about their normal business over the weekend."

The threats come as Brisbane hosts several activities this weekend including the Bledisloe Cup game and Valley Fiesta.

"What this incident does is highlight to us the importance of being alert in public places and on public transport for suspicious activity and suspicious articles.

"If you see unattended packages or unattended luggage or suspicious activity ... report to police or public transport officials."

Police are working closely with the Brisbane City Council and Translink to ensure security is increased this weekend.

A "significant number" of police are already manning Brisbane streets due to the public activities, Supt Crawford said.

A major incident room has been set up and a team of detectives are working on the incident.

Supt Crawford said the crime was "very serious" and carried a penalty of 14 years of imprisonment.

"The offender involved will be prosecuted," he said.

Brisbane's public transport network was shut down after several bomb threats were made to bus and train services on the same day in late 2005.

Those threats were found to be a hoax.

Anyone with information should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Source: Yahoo7 News

Personal Threats at Work

2008-09-15T11:37:00.003+10:00

"Attention, Attention...We have a Code Black in progress at reception."

Would your staff know how to cope with a situation in which their life was being threatened? Do you have procedures in place? It is an obligation of employers to ensure the safety of their employees under both federal and state law (Qld). See the story below for an example of how common these threats really are...

Centrelink staff receiving death threats

September 15, 2008, 8:15 am

More than 80 per cent of Centrelink employees say they have been threatened by a customer at work, with some even receiving death threats.

One Centrelink staff member had a customer threaten to cut them up with a chainsaw, while another was given a cartoon which depicted them hanging from a noose, a national survey released on Monday reveals.

The Community and Public Services Sector Union (CPSU) says its report proves the government must act together with Centrelink management to tackle the causes of customer aggression, such as long queues and waiting periods.

"Staff tell us while local managers are doing their best to protect and support frontline workers and customers, senior management need to do more to make offices safe," CPSU deputy president Lisa Newman said in a statement.

"The federal government needs to bring together Centrelink management, ComCare, the union and welfare groups to review the issue."

Around one in three Australians are Centrelink customers and the agency has 27,000 staff, mostly women, employed at over 1,000 locations, the union says.

Its survey of 330 staff members found 81 per cent reported being threatened by a customer, 32 per cent had received a death threat and 29 per cent had been physically assaulted at work.

The types of assault included customers jumping over desks to attack staff, tipping objects off desks and throwing office chairs, computers, garbage bins, food, telephones, pens, paper and magazines at employees.

Knives were brandished at staff who were sometimes slapped, hit and punched by customers.

The CPSU says on average one Centrelink employee is subject to serious workplace violence each week.

But Centrelink general manager Hank Jongen disputes the union's findings.

"Our figures indicate nowhere near that level of abuse, either verbal or physical, across our network," Mr Jongen told ABC Radio.

"On average we are required to call the police to our offices on about three occasions per year. That's about three call-outs per year, per office."

Intimidation of staff wasn't accepted, and Centrelink took any such incidents "very seriously".

"There's a whole process where we provide affected staff with free support.

"There's assistance and safety and security advisers. On top of that we've been working with the federal police."

Source: Yahoo7 News

Explosion danger at Vic housing estate

2008-09-12T12:21:00.001+10:00

Methane gas leaking from a closed landfill into neighbouring houses is a problem almost without precedent on a world scale, fire authorities have told a public meeting.

Residents of a the Brookland Greens housing estate at Cranbourne, south-east of Melbourne , have been urged to leave their homes because of the leak, which is creeping through the ground to the surface in an area beside the old tip, which has been capped.

Dangerous concentrations of methane have been detected in confined areas including the wall cavity of a house, under the kitchen sink of another and in stormwater pits around the estate.

At a public meeting before a rowdy crowd of more than 500, Country Fire Authority assistant chief fire officer Stephen Warrington said there had been very few similar incidents.

"Unfortunately for us, this is quite unique for Australia and most of the world. We don't know the ramifications of it," he told the meeting.

An earlier incident in England had revealed a 250-metre cordon should be drawn around an affected house to ensure the safety of all nearby.

Following that rule, much of the northern section of the estate was in the highest risk zone, he said.

He warned the crowd of the "very real risk" of explosion but said there were ways to reduce the danger if residents decided to stay.

"The only 100 per cent sure way to eliminate this risk from residents is for them to relocate from their homes," Mr Warrington said.

"Should you choose not to relocate, and I suspect that would be a large majority of people in this room... then there is a range of actions you can take on your property to increase your safety.

"We are not saying panic and run for the hills, but we cannot give you a gilt-edged guarantee. We can give you enough information to mitigate the risk."

Tips included adequately ventilating all confined spaces to allow a build-up of methane to escape, reporting gas build-up quickly and avoiding the use of ignition sources in confined spaces, Mr Warrington said.

Checks revealed no houses had dangerous levels of methane but the situation could change any time, Mr Warrington said.

More than 70 monitors have been installed in houses, with a further 300 ordered for the neighbourhood.

The Victorian government had allocated $3 million to buy new monitors and assist with building vents and other engineering solutions.

The local council, the City of Casey, originally rejected parts of the residential proposal by developer Peet Ltd, but the decision was overturned by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in September 2004.

The president of the Cranbourne and District Residents Association, David Banner, told The Age: "Developers are getting their own way ... but once they've built it, once they've sold it and once they've moved on they've got the profit and the community and local council has to clean up the mess."

But in a statement, Peet Ltd said it had been advocating on behalf of residents for about two years, urging the council to improve management of the site to eliminate the risk of gas leaking.

Residents already angry that the meeting was hastily relocated because of a larger-than-expected turnout, were not satisfied.

Home owner Peter Turner said: "The Premier should have been here for a start. Peet should have been there. It was a waste of time."

Teresa La Paglia said: "Where is the machine to take home to make sure we are safe? Do we have to sleep with all the doors and the windows open?"

Police and Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron said emergency grants of up to $1,067 each would be given to affected families.

Temporary accommodation and other support would also be provided as needed, he told parliament.

Source: Yahoo7 News

Fierce fire forces Channel tunnel evacuation, 14 injured September 12, 2008, 8:09 am

2008-09-12T12:19:00.000+10:00

CALAIS, France (AFP) - Rescuers evacuated dozens of truck drivers from the Channel Tunnel on Thursday after an explosion and fire on a freight shuttle injured 14 people and forced the closure of the undersea link, officials said.

Six people suffered smoke inhalation and eight were slightly injured after the blaze took hold on a truck being carried from Britain to France, officials said.

It took about three hours to bring 32 people -- mostly truckers who moved from the burning train into a parallel service tunnel -- to safety at the Calais entrance on a special train. The fire was still burning more than five hours later though emergency services said it was under control.

The tunnel suffered serious damage in 1,000 degree Celsius (1,830 Fahrenheit) heat, a French government minister said.

Thousands of people were stranded in London, Paris and Brussels and huge traffic tailbacks built up on either side of the Channel after the tunnel was closed.

A statement on Eurostar's website said the company "does not expect to operate a service" on Friday, with a question mark placed over Saturday and Sunday schedules too.

It is the third major fire in the tunnel since it was opened in May 1994.

The train was about five kilometres (three miles) from the Calais exit on the French side of the 50.5-kilometre (31.4-mile) long tunnel when it caught fire, according to Francois Malhanche, director of the regional prefect's office.

"The fire appears to be accidental. It started in a truck brake system that overheated and spread to a tyre and then to two other trucks," Malhanche said.

One of the other trucks on the shuttle was transporting phenol acid, but this did not catch fire, officials said.

"There are six persons suffering from slight smoke inhalation and eight others who have minor injuries such as from shattered glass."

Helicopters and ambulances were waiting at the entrance to the tunnel on the French side to take the injured to hospitals in the region.

French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie went immediately to the site in northern France.

"Two of the drivers said they heard an explosion and this was followed by flames," Alliot-Marie told reporters. "They tried to get out and could do so because of the structure of the tunnel which allows a rapid evacuation.

"It is probable that the damage is major as the firemen told me that the heat from the fire probably reached 1,000 degrees Celsius," the minister added.

The multi-billion dollar tunnel carries Eurostar express trains between London, Paris and Brussels, as well as freight and passenger shuttles between Folkestone and Calais.

There are two tunnels for passenger trains and shuttles and a service tunnel for maintenance and safety operations.

In the first serious incident on November 18, 1996, a fire broke out on a late-night shuttle train carrying trucks. Eight people were injured and the service was disrupted for several months.

On August 21, 2006, the tunnel was closed for several hours after a truck engine caught fire, sending smoke through the tunnel. Passengers, mainly drivers, were evacuated through the service tunnel which runs parallel to the main train route.

Long traffic tailbacks rapidly formed on the British end after the tunnel was closed.

Kent Fire and Rescue service, on the British side of the tunnel, said it sent seven fire engines to help French counterparts at the scene. A spokeswoman called it a "serious incident."

Kent police implemented "Operation Stack," which allows trucks to park along the main M20 motorway running down to the tunnel terminal from London.

The SNCF French state rail firm said four high-speed express trains had to return to Paris or London because of the tunnel closure.

Thousands of passengers were left stranded at the Gare du Nord rail station in Paris and the new St Pancras station in London.

Passengers waiting for the 5:13pm (1513 GMT) train from Paris to London were told by loudspeaker announcements that there would be no more trains for the rest of the day.

There was a rush for any remaining plane seats between London and Paris and for available hotel rooms.

Source: Yahoo7 News

Fire Safety Adviser Course

2008-09-11T08:57:00.011+10:00

DELTRA Australia would like to congratulate all of the participants of our Fire Safety Adviser course which ran in August. DELTRA Australia will be running this course on a monthly basis in order to meet the demand created by the new Qld Building Fire Safety Regulation (2008) which has recently come into force.

High Occupancy Buildings are required to appoint a Building Fire Safety Adviser to look after areas such as fire training, evacuation diagrams, emergency response procedures and emergency plans. The Building Fire Safety Adviser is required to possess 8 Workplace Emergency Response units derived from the nationally recognised Public Safety Training Package. This units cover emergency prevention, establishment of an Emergency Planning Commitee and Emergency Control Organistion, training of Chief Warden and other Wardens, use of Fire Fighting Equipment, Compliance Auditing and the establishment of Emergency Plans and response procedures.

If you require further information on Fire Safety Adviser training, please contact us:

info@deltraaustralia.com

Evacuation as fire breaks out in Myer

2008-09-11T08:57:00.007+10:00

Evacuation as fire breaks out in Myer

Andrea Petrie
September 10, 2008

THOUSANDS of people were evacuated from Myer's Melbourne store yesterday when construction workers sparked a fire in an area of the Bourke Street building being renovated.
More than 50 firefighters rushed to the scene about 3.30pm after workers in neighbouring buildings reported smoke from Myer's top floors.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade commander Wayne Garrard said about $20,000 damage was done. Construction workers had been cutting through metal pipes on the fifth floor in a services duct where the building's utilities pipes were located, he said.
"Over the years they've become clogged up with a lot of rubbish and the construction workers have been in there using cutting equipment and, of course, once the fire started up it was like a big chimney," he said.

"It's started on the fifth floor and it's gone right up to the roof which is on the ninth floor."
Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes said only the store's basement, where youth products were sold, and its ground floor cosmetics section were open to customers due to the refurbishment, which began in June.
About 2000 customers, 500 staff and construction workers were evacuated as soon as the alarm was raised.

Mr Brookes said while Myer's Lonsdale Street store stayed open during the emergency and would open as normal today, the Bourke Street store would remain closed until the fire brigade, WorkSafe and building inspectors declared it safe.

While the fire might have caused a setback to the renovations, he said he was confident the store's reopening would go ahead as planned in November next year.
The fire disrupted peak-hour traffic. Little Bourke Street between Swanston and Elizabeth streets was closed for several hours, as were parts of Swanston and Bourke streets, affecting 12 tram routes.

Probuild Constructions, the company doing the renovations, declined to comment yesterday.

Source: The Age

Brisbane Bomb Threats

2008-09-11T08:57:00.005+10:00

Alsco Linen Factory received a bomb threat on 20th of August. Police used their robot to investigate the device:

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&vid=1bcbe25d-251a-49b9-9a9d-c76b724fbe04&fg=rss

Home Grown Terror Recipe Book

2008-09-11T08:57:00.002+10:00

Sydney man guilty of compiling DIY terror guide

Bellinda Kontominas September 10, 2008 - 3:48PM

A Sydney man who compiled a book described as a "do-it-yourself guide to terrorism" has been found guilty of a terrorist-related offence.

Belal Saadallah Khazaal, 38, from Lakemba, was found guilty of knowingly making a document connected with assistance in a terrorist act , after he compiled a 110-page book promoting violence against Christians, Jews and non-Muslims, and had it posted on the internet.
The jury has gone home this afternoon and will return tomorrow to deliberate on a second charge of attempting to incite a terrorist act.

The book, known as The Provisions On The Rules Of Jihad - short judicial rulings and organisational instructions for fighters and mujahideen against infidels, was compiled by Khazaal under the name Abu Mohamed Attawheedy.

It described methods of assassination, including shooting down planes, striking motorcades and booby trapping rooms.

Earlier, Crown Prosecutor Peter Neil, SC, had told the jury that there had been well-known terrorist attacks across the world and Khazaal's book was "urging [and] attempting to urge others to go out and do similar things".

Mr Neil said the book had "considerable antipathy" towards non-believers and singled out, in order of preference, countries to target. These included the United States, Britain and Australia.
Khazaal's barrister, George Thomas, had argued that, as a journalist, his client had compiled the book from material already publicly available on the internet and had written only three introductory paragraphs of the document.

Source: Brisbane Times

Hilton Fire

2008-09-11T08:57:00.000+10:00

Hilton Hotel evacuated after fire

Shannon Molloy September 9, 2008 - 11:44AM

Up to 1000 people were evacuated from a Brisbane hotel this morning after an electrical switchboard malfunctioned and sparked a small fire.
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service crews were called to the Hilton Hotel at about 10am after receiving reports of smoke on the building's ninth floor.

They eventually located the small fire and used a dry powder to extinguish it, however all hotel guests and staff were evacuated as a precaution.
An Emergency Services spokesman said an estimated 1000 people poured out onto Elizabeth and Queen Streets when the fire alarm sounded. About half of the crowd was people from a business conference being held inside.

No one was injured and people were able to return to the building just before 11am.

Source: Brisbane Times

A case in point

2008-07-31T09:22:00.002+10:00

As a trainer for DELTRA Australia, I have been speaking for a while now about Queensland leading the way in Australia for the illegal use of explosives. The statistics I base this on are from the 'Bomb Data Centre' of the Australian Federal Police. In these various training sessions (emergency response and bomb threat) I've been telling the wardens and emergency officers that often this illegal use of explosives is to aid in the commission of a crime or in the destruction of evidence. This week I'm vindicated by the following news story:

Bank robber may be injured by Qld blast

July 26, 2008 - 4:07PM

At least one of the robbers still at large after a bank heist on Brisbane's northside may be injured from his gang's own explosion, police say.

The Bank of Queensland Aspley branch, on Gympie Road, was gutted and charred by an explosion around 3.15am (AEST) Saturday.

The bank's automatic teller machine was thrown onto the footpath by the blast.

After initial investigations at the crime scene, police believe one of the men was standing near the explosion.

North Brisbane Police District acting superintendent Jeff Kelly said a paper delivery operator also saw a man dressed in dark clothing "stagger" from the bank.

"The gentleman staggered over to a late `90s model Holden sedan, dark colour, which was parked adjacent to the bank where two other persons dressed in similar clothing were standing behind the vehicle," Superintendent Kelly said.

"That vehicle was then seen to drive off at a high speed in a west direction towards Albany Creek."

Police said they were appealing to hospital staff and medical practitioners for assistance.

Any medical practitioners with information about a man or men with injuries consistent with an explosion, such as burns or shrapnel injuries, were asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service senior operation co-ordinator Paul Simmons said firefighters brought a resulting blaze under control within 30 minutes of the explosion.

It is not known if anything was stolen from the bank.

No bystanders or bank staff were injured.

The fire also damaged a neighbouring business and parts of the Fountain Shopping Centre bounded by Gympie and Albany Creek roads remain closed, but all roads are open.

Scientific officers remain at the scene to investigate the cause of the fire.

The Bank of Queensland has advised that the branch will be closed until further notice.

Anyone with information which could assist police with their investigations should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Source: AAP

Victory Hotel Fire

2008-07-28T14:04:00.003+10:00

Fire authorities sift through Victory hotel ruins

Further checks will be carried out on the fire-ravaged ruins of the Victory Hotel in Brisbane's city centre today to determine if it should be demolished.

Around 700 patrons fled the hotel at around 3am AEST when a blaze broke out in the basement and spread to upper floors.

The walls of the Victory are still standing but it is not known how long they will stay that way.

The fire service says the exterior survived relatively intact.

Fire investigator Brett Finnis says this morning their first job will be to clear parts of the first floor that collapsed into the basement where the fire is believed to have started.

"So we've got to be able to move that material aside before we can determine where did this start, what caused the fire," he said.

He says their risk assessment of the site revealed there is severe damage.

"Part of our normal process to make sure that not only the public but the investigative teams, the police and the like are working in a safe as can be environment," he said.

"At this point it appears the building ... the structure ... has survived reasonably well but of course that is going to be determined further.

Source: ABC News

It is fairly certain that as a result of this Fire, the Qld Fire and Rescue Service will step up the number of inspections carried out on Hotels and Clubs. Now is a good time to make sure that all Evacuation Plans, Evacuation Diagrams, maintenance of fire equipment and staff training is up to date. Additionally, as the new Queensland Building Fire Safety Regulation has just been released, you will need to ensure compliance with this regulation. This may include the appointment of a Building Fire Safety Advisor, who must possess the 8 Workplace Emergency Response Qualifications that form part of the Public Safety Training Package. DELTRA Australia offers this training over four days, call us on 3274 6199 for more information.

Recent Gas Explosions highlight the need for regular emergency response training

2008-07-25T13:01:00.004+10:00

Gas bottle explosion injures two at Mondo Organics, West End

Alex Dickinson

July 23, 2008 07:51pm

TWO men have suffered serious burns in a gas explosion at a Brisbane West End restaurant. The incident happened at a Hardgrave Rd business.

The two staff are believed to be a chef and a kitchenhand. The pair smelled gas in the kitchen that opens to the street shortly before the explosion which knocked them off their feet.

Neil Shaw was working at a neighbouring bottleshop and said one of the men ran into the street screaming.

"The walls shook and the next thing we know there's flames licking the sidewalk and a man out in the street yelling he was burnt," Mr Shaw said.

The men were taken to Royal Brisbane Hospital in a stable condition with burns to the torso, hands and arms.

Roma St fire station officer David Sutch said the explosion could have been a lot worse.

"Luckily we got there quickly and got it under control," he said. "Because it occurred early in the night the restaurant wasn't busy and there weren't as many staff in the kitchen as there would be later.

"The gas was still leaking when we got there but if the bottle itself had exploded there could have been some serious injuries."

It is believed there were two diners in the restaurant at the time.

The blaze was contained to the kitchen but the restaurant suffered extensive water damage. The street was blocked for several hours.

Source: Courier Mail

This is by no means an isolated incident, on 17/6/08 an Eagle Boys pizza shopped was damaged in an explosion believed to be caused by leaking gas. Additionally on the 9/6/08 a gas explosion at a gas plant in WA led to a 30% reduction in gas output for the entire state.

Training in responding to internal emergencies, such as gas leak, can lessen the incidence of death and injury. Also knowing that a gas fire/ leak is best handled by switching off the gas main.

Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008

2008-07-11T10:17:00.002+10:00

The new Qld Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 is now in effect. There are changes from the old regulation which will affect all commercial buildings. This new regulation has provided more specific guidelines for Evacuation Plans, Building Evacuation Arrangements, Evacuation Procedures, Evacuation Instructions, Practice Evacuations, Door Locking policy, Approval Documents, Occupancy Limits for Buildings, Critical Defects, Maintenance of Fire Safety Installations and the creation of a new role, the Fire Safety Advisor. This new role is compulsory for certain building types and requires a person with specific Workplace Emergency Response Qualifications.

For more specific information contact DELTRA Australia on 07 3274 6199.

Workplace Health & Safety in focus

2008-06-27T12:32:00.002+10:00

Workers Fell to their Deaths

Lately there have been a spate of deaths related to 'working at heights'. In April a Qantas worker fell to her death from a plane at Brisbane Airport. This month at least 3 Qld workers have fallen to their deaths. Safety while working at heights is no joke! The Qld 'Blue Card' or Course in General Safety Induction (Construction Industry) aims to ensure all workers in the construction industry are aware of the obligations of all parties under the Qld Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995.

DELTRA Australia offers the Blue Card course. Call us on 07 3274 6199 for more information on this.

For more on the dangers of working at heights, see the story below:

Horrific 26-storey death fall

SUELLEN HINDE
and KAY DIBBEN

June 22, 2008 12:00am

TWO building workers screamed for help just seconds before they plummeted 26 floors to their deaths on a Gold Coast high-rise construction site yesterday morning.

The men slid off an outdoor swinging stage as one side slumped and left them dangling from harnesses before the platform collapsed and they fell.

Shocked workers at the almost-completed Meriton Pegasus apartment block at Broadbeach looked up as the men cried out for help, and saw them fall.

One of the dead workers, New Zealander Chris Gear, 36, was a father of two who sang in a Gold Coast band.

The other man, Steve Sayer, 52, had a partner and had just bought a house.

The two men had been patching concrete on outside walls, working from a swinging stage suspended from the top of the building, anchored by counterweights.

Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union state secretary Michael Ravbar said it appeared the counterweights had somehow come over the top of the building.

"The blokes screamed out and a lot of people turned around and saw them hanging from the harness and the next minute the counterweights have come over the top," Mr Ravbar said.

Three ambulances were sent to the scene but the men died instantly about 9.30am.

About 100 workers were on the site when the accident occurred, working on the 181-apartment resort-style building which is due to open in September.

A worker who witnessed the tragedy said: "I'm going to have nightmares for the rest of my life".

Work was suspended immediately, with many men leaving the site visibly upset.

"Everyone is really a mess," worker Bradley O'Carroll said.

Meriton's Sydney-based owner Harry Triguboff hired a private plane to get to the site yesterday after learning of the accident.

He said the cause of the fall was puzzling because there had been no wind, the workers were very experienced and they had "the best materials".

It was the first work site fatality for the company which had built more than 60,000 units, the billionaire said.

"I'm deeply shocked. It has never happened to us before," Mr Triguboff said.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd began his speech at the Queensland Labor conference at the nearby Gold Coast Convention Centre by mentioning the tragedy.

"As Labor people, our thoughts are with the families of those men and this terrible accident reminds us all . . . of the dangers which continue to affect so many of the work sites of Australia," Mr Rudd said.

Union delegate Garry Partridge said he knew the two men well.

"They were both such happy fellows. That makes it even harder to deal with.

"I spoke with both of them just yesterday, and Chris yelled out: 'It's a beautiful day'."

Source: Sunday Tasmanian

Hosptial is a Fire Trap

2008-06-27T12:27:00.000+10:00

Mareeba Hospital a 'fire trap'

Saturday, May 24, 2008

AN audit of Mareeba Hospital and its nurses' quarters has exposed a litany of fire safety breaches that could force it to close.

The Weekend Post can reveal Queensland Health has been given until June 20 to make urgent repairs on the buildings described as fire hazards.

Safety problems identified by the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service include faulty smoke doors in the hospital and inadequate fire safety signs, problems with locks and the lack of a fire safety management plan at the nurses quarters.

Of most concern is the nurses’ quarters, with a source telling The Weekend Post maintenance problems in the 60-year-old building breached the Building and Other Legislation Amendment Act, which was brought in as a result of the Childers Backpackers fire in 2000.

Fifteen backpackers were killed in a horrific arson attack after they were unable to exit the burning building.

"The accommodation for the nurses was not up to regulation," the source said.

"It’s a fire hazard."

QFRS assistant commissioner Mark Roche said a meeting was held with Queensland Health yesterday to review progress and to make sure outstanding issues were being
addressed.

"During a recent inspection at the nurses’ quarters at Mareeba Hospital a number of items relating to the safety of occupants were assessed, with a specific focus on safe egress in case of fire or emergency incidents," he said.

"Following (an) inspection, a number of issues were identified which require minor maintenance and upgrades."

The Weekend Post can reveal Queensland Health has been given until June 20 to make urgent repairs on the buildings described as fire hazards.

Mr Roche said the department was confident the problems would be fixed shortly.

A Queensland Health spokesman said the Tableland Health Service was working closely with QFRS to ensure all fire safety problems were addressed properly.

"An action plan has been developed to address the issues in the nurses’ quarters," he said.

"Some of the items, including problem locks, already have been rectified."

The spokesman said in the hospital, the routine fire inspection had identified some issues with the smoke doors not functioning properly.

"These smoke doors and their operating mechanisms were upgraded only two years ago at a cost of around $34,000," he said.

"The initial estimate of the cost of the work needed to rectify the problem with the doors is around $28,000.

"The Tablelands Health Service has been in contact with the company that did the upgrading work and is awaiting a response."

WWII bomb found in London's East End

2008-06-06T11:02:00.004+10:00

06:18 AEST Fri Jun 6 2008

Bomb disposal experts have been called to the site of an unexploded World War II device found in a river in London's East End.

Businesses within a 200-metre area were evacuated and part of the London Underground system disrupted after the bomb was discovered at Sugar House Lane, near Bromley-by-Bow Tube station and the 2012 Olympic site, on Monday.

Police commander Simon O'Brien said the device was the size of a man and weighed about 1,000kg.

"This is the largest World War II bomb to be discovered in the past three decades," he said.
"Royal Engineers and partner agencies have been incredibly heroic and have worked extremely hard to defuse the bomb.
"We're all working to resolve this issue with minimum disruption to Londoners as soon as possible."
The bomb had started to tick and ooze liquid at one stage, but stopped when treated by disposal experts.
A police spokesman said it was expected the bomb would be disarmed on Friday or Saturday.

source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=575660

Jamie Olivers Melbourne HQ Gutted by FIRE

2008-06-06T11:02:00.002+10:00

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's Melbourne headquarters have been gutted in a blaze that forced the evacuation of 700 people.

The office of Oliver's Fifteen restaurant, which featured in a reality television series when it was launched two years ago, was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived after 8.30pm last night.

About 50 firefighters took 40 minutes to control the blaze at 101 Collins Street, which destroyed the Fifteen office and two other offices on the first floor of the building.

Some 700 people were forced to evacuate other buildings and restaurants surrounding the fire, the Herald Sun reported.

Nightspot and live music venue The Cherry Bar was also damaged in the blaze.

However the fire did not reach the Fifteen restaurant, which is at 115-117 Collins Street.
The Fifteen office also runs the Fifteen Foundation, which gives young people with tough backgrounds an opportunity to train and be employed as apprentice chefs.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade commander Lou Mele said the damage bill could reach $1 million.

"Pretty much the whole first floor is gutted," Mr Mele said.
"That's where the fire started, on the first floor."

The blaze started on the first floor, gutting the interior of the three offices and collapsing part of the iron roof, but leaving the building otherwise structurally intact, Mr Mele said.

He said the The Cherry Bar suffered smoke, heat and water damage.

Fire investigators are working to pinpoint where and how on the first floor the fire started.
No other buildings were damaged in the blaze.

source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=575748

A Salute to the Fallen

2008-04-08T15:19:00.002+10:00

Possibly the worst fire in New Zealand history occurred in Hamilton this week. One fire fighter has made the ultimate sacrifice and his a number of his colleagues remain in hospital. This story highlights the bravery of fire fighters everywhere:

Tragedy in Hamilton fire

Apr 6, 2008 9:48 PM

One of the biggest fires in New Zealand's history is still smouldering.

A shocked Hamilton community is trying to come to terms with the deadly explosion and blaze that has left many reeling.

"You can definitely feel it, in there. Yeah, like in your body, you hear an explosion but you hear it and feel it in this case," recalls eyewitness Ryan Gibbs.

Firefighters were initially called to a fire at the Icepack cool store on Devine Road in the suburb of Tamahere when there were multiple explosions, around 4pm on Saturday afternoon.

Earlier on Saturday evening there was a report of a gas leak and eight firefigters were sent to investigate.

"(I) Saw a fire truck go in there, thought nothing of it, just a bit of a fire. Next minute heard a massive explosion and the whole roof just blew off, probably 10-20 metres in the air - all the tin," says Gibbs.

The firefighters were inside barely two minutes when an enormous fire ball cut a swathe through the warehouse.

"We live probably a kilometre away, and it was a huge explosion that shook the house and the shed we were working in. Items fell off our shelving, it was that loud," says Ross Campbell, eyewitness.

Dozens of engines and 80 firefighters were called in from around the region; locals ran to help; doctors and nurses at the school fair across the road attempted to patch up the wounded.

The fire gained momentum and thick walls started crumpling like paper.

"Whole first two crews that arrived were literally blown up, the building exploded as they come to a stop," says Roy Breeze, Senior Fire Officer.

Huge flames leapt into the sky. After seven hours, the flames are still raging.

By Sunday morning the blaze was still burning.

Black smoke hangs thickly in the air, and the loss of one of their own hangs heavy on those still fighting the blaze.

"A national disaster"

Firefighters are mourning the loss of a well known and respected colleague after a huge fire in East Hamilton.

Firefighters were initially called to a fire at the 'Ice-pack' cool store on Devine Road in the suburb of Tamahere when there were multiple explosions, around 4pm on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Station Officer Derek Lovell, a 25-year veteran of the Fire Service, died from his injuries after being caught in a massive explosion.

Lovell was one of eight firefighters who initially responded to an alarm at the facility.

The seven other officers were also injured in the blaze - one is now in Middlemore Hospital's Burns and Plastics Unit, while five others remain in Waikato Hospital. One was allowed home on Saturday night.

Hamilton fire crews are being stood down for the day in order to deal with the aftermath of the explosion, replaced by teams from Auckland and Rotorua.

Hamilton's Deputy Mayor Clint Baddeley says the death has sent shock waves through the tight-knit community.

He says the size of the fire and the effects on fire staff will stay with them for some time.

Flags are being lowered to half mast at fire stations up and down the country, as a mark of respect for Lovell.

Waikato Hospital also mourns Lovell. He was well known and well liked amongst both medical and emergency staff.

Manager Hayley McConnell says his death has been a traumatic event for everyone involved.

Meanwhile, a director of Icepak Coolstores is calling Lovell's death 'a grave concern'.

For more than 25 years Lovell was a senior station officer that colleagues say would never let you down.

A keen hunter and fisherman, Lovell spent time outside of the station with his workmates. Some say they could not help but think things might have been different if they had been there.

"The reason I feel guilty is that I couldn't help him this time, and I'm not quite sure how to get around that," says Blair Fothergill, Senior Firefighter.

Twenty-nine-year-old Cameron Grylls was driving the fire truck and he was the only man left standing when the building blew.

"I found Derek, he was standing really close to me at the time of the explosion. He'd been blown back a fair distance and I found him to be unresponsive so started CPR on him," says Grylls.

Grylls, the youngest member of Redwatch, tried to save his mate. His actions praised by his seniors.

The Fireservice says Lovell's death is a national disaster.

Inner Sydney office block on FIRE 7 April 2008

2008-04-07T10:21:00.003+10:00

Hi All,

Another tragic story involving fire, chaos and evacuations:

Fire crews have rushed to an inner-Sydney office block where a building is well alight, a brigade spokesman says. About 6am (AEST) on Monday fire crews were called to a fire on the third floor of a building on the corner of Pitt and Market streets in Sydney city.

"We have 10 utilities (trucks) either at the scene or on the way," the fire brigades spokesman told AAP.
Market Street is closed to traffic between Castlereagh and George streets while emergency crews work to extinguish the fire.

Paramedics are on standby outside the three-storey building but it is not known if anyone is inside, an ambulance spokesman told AAP.

Smoke continues to come from the building, where a men's clothing store occupies the ground floor, as fire crews hose the blaze from two cherrypickers above.
Reports suggest the building is a frequent home to squatters, however fire crews say they have not found anyone inside. They have not yet determined the cause of the fire.

Neighbouring buildings, including the Hilton Hotel, have been evacuated, ABC Radio reports, although NSW Fire Brigades are now saying the fire is under control.

Police have now also closed Pitt Street between Park and Market streets, with the road closures expected to cause significant inner-city traffic delays for the start of the working week.

Fresh fire crews to battle SA blaze

2008-03-14T09:15:00.001+10:00

March 14, 2008 07:41am

Article from: AAP

FRESH fire crews are being brought in to take over from exhausted firefighters who battled through the night to contain a huge bushfire south of Adelaide.

Nine firefighters were injured and a house was destroyed yesterday in the fire near the historic town of Willunga, 47km south of Adelaide.

More than 200 firefighters worked around the clock to bring the 100-plus hectare blaze within control lines, but authorities warned it would continue to burn for some time as the region faced a prolonged heatwave.

Emergency services were also ramping up air cover with additional waterbombing aircraft being moved into strategic positions around the Eyre Peninsula, Mount Lofty Ranges and lower south-east, Country Fire Service (CFS) spokeswoman Kate Husband said.

"We have fresh crews starting this morning when they will take over from firefighters that have worked through the night at Willunga," Ms Husband said.

"This is a very tense situation for the CFS and for the community with the prolonged drought and heatwave conditions.

"Today will also be one of the hottest days in terms of the fire danger right around the state.

"We're imploring residents in all areas to be extremely careful and to adhere to the regulations of the total fire bans across the state, especially with respect to those who might work with high-risk machinery like angle grinders, or people lighting campfires, that kind of thing."

The fire started about 3.30pm (CDT) yesterday on the edge of the winegrowing region of McLaren Vale.

The Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH) took the extraordinary step of closing all parks in the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Fleurieu Peninsula because of the extreme fire risk and ongoing heatwave.

Residents around Willunga are being warned to activate bushfire plans and note there are roadblocks in place.

"This is not going to settle down in one day. We've got quite a few days of these conditions still ahead," Ms Husband said.

Source: news.com.au

CODE BLACK - Personal Threat & Illegal Occupancy

2008-03-06T12:35:00.002+10:00

In DELTRA Australia's Emergency Response Training we cover a number of different topics, including Fire, Evacuation Procedures, Bomb Threat, First Aid and Medical Emergencies, Internal Emergencies and External Emergencies. We also touch on those procedures to be used in cases of Personal Threat, Civil Disorder and Illegal Occupancy. The procedures used for each type of emergency will vary due to the different risks that each emergency poses.

A new DVD has been released that deals specifically with what to do during the first 60 seconds of an armed robbery in order to survive this ordeal. What is interesting about this is that the makers of the DVD have used former Armed Robbers as consultants for the DVD.

Fighting armed robberies with former robbers

By Phil Han
ninemsn

A DVD which instructs late-night and convenience store workers how to react when confronted with armed robbers has received the support of crime victim groups and a former police commissioner.

Crime statistics show that while armed robberies of "hard targets" such as banks and armoured cars have decreased by nearly 80 percent in the last decade, attacks on unguarded service stations and corner shops have increased.

The profile of armed robbers has also changed, with nearly one third of all robbery victims being confronted by a drug addict with a weapon.

"On average, a younger untrained person is faced with a junkie who has a weapon and a substantial percentage of these people are driven by an addiction to illicit drugs," DVD-creator and film director David Goldie said.

"My approach was to find something engaging for these staff. I've got armed robbers as the teachers."

Bernie Matthews, who robbed banks for nearly 30 years and has spent 17 years in prison, is seen in the video giving viewers a perspective of what goes on during an armed robbery.

"The professional criminal has gone into other areas of crime, whether its drugs or whatnot, so now you have the young up and comings moving through the ranks robbing these soft targets," said Bernie Matthews who admits to robbing 'substantial' sums of money.

"Before professional bank robbers didn't want to go in and inflict brutality or violence, but today with the advent of the drug culture, we have physical violence and the traumatising of victims."

Goldie said he created the DVD to help teens and staff in places with a high turnover citing a major gap in the market.

"There's nothing really that looks at these sort of people who are the potential victims of armed robberies, many of them kids, and temporary and casual staff," Goldie said.

"These people want to cling onto their jobs so they tend to react in a very dangerous way if someone tries to rob them."

The DVD, which costs $499, has been endorsed by several crime fighting organisations and many see it as the only product of its kind in the world.

"As far as I can see, it's entirely unique and it's definitely more engaging then anything I've ever seen," Andrew Paterson, who is a board member on the UN based International Centre for the Prevention of Crime said.

"I think the deal is that you need to prepare people and get them thinking about armed robberies and I think this video does the job."

Former NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney has also given the DVD his support.

Mass Car Crash kills 3 injures 277

2008-02-29T12:39:00.004+10:00

Fiery pile-up chokes UAE highway
Wednesday Mar 12 11:14 AEDT

Three people have been killed and 277 injured in the United Arab Emirates when dozens of cars and buses collided in thick fog in what could be the country's biggest traffic accident, police said.
Up to 20 cars burned in the pile-up during the morning rush hour on the main motorway between the UAE trade hub of Dubai and the capital Abu Dhabi, police said. So many cars were hit that police had yet to count them all.

The death toll could rise as other casualties were in serious condition, at least one of them critical, police said. Pictures showed charred wrecks, broken glass and metal strewn across the road, which was blocked for most of the day as police and rescue workers evacuated casualties and removed cars. Television footage showed vehicles ablaze in the road.

"I saw lots of ambulances, fire engines and smoke coming out of cars," said Jenny Bateman, a British witness.

The crash, which took place on a road where the speed limit is 120km/h, was made worse by the fact that several buses carrying labourers to work were on the road.
Police said 12 buses carrying some 300 workers in total were involved in the crash, which took place at 1pm (AEDT) yesterday (6am local time).

And the winner is...

2008-02-29T12:39:00.003+10:00

Congratulations to DELTRA Australia trainer Paul Neuendorf for leading the Ipswich Combined Division to victory in the St John Ambulance State First Aid Titles.

June will see Paul and his team heading off to the National Titles in Adelaide.

1 Dead, 35 Injured in Shopping Centre Gas Blast

2008-02-29T12:39:00.001+10:00

Fireman dead, 35 injured in France gas blast
Friday Feb 29 06:34 AEDT

An explosion caused by a gas leak has rocked the French city of Lyon, killing a firefighter and injuring 35 people, two of them seriously, police said.

A large number of firefighters were dispatched to the scene on the Cours Lafayette shopping street in the heart of Lyon where the blast occurred around midday during maintenance work on an underground gas pipe.

Fire engulfed several buildings in the centre of France's third biggest city and police evacuated close to 1,000 people from the area.

A 35-year-old firefighter, father of two children, who was investigating a leak of gas into the basement of a building, was killed in the blast, said Lyon Mayor Gerard Colomb.

Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, who travelled immediately to the scene, told reporters that lax security was partly to blame.

She said she was sorry that "all the security procedures were not sufficiently taken into account" and pledged to find ways to boost safeguards for gas maintenance work.

Two people were seriously injured in the blast, including an employee of gas utility GDF, who suffered lung damage, medical officials told AFP.

The other injured, most of whom suffered minor scrapes, were evacuated to nearby hospitals, according to the local prefecture.

The explosion occurred less than an hour after the gas leak was reported to firefighters, officials said.

Source: AFP

External Emergencies

2008-02-20T13:39:00.002+10:00

DELTRA Australia as part of our Emergency Response training often talk about various types of emergencies which may force an evacuation of a site or area. The External Emergency (Code Brown) is a category of emergency which includes fire, gas leak, hazardous material incident or bomb threat at a neighbouring site. External Emergency also includes Bush Fire and FLOODS. How prepared would you be if your site flooded today?

Floods, as we've seen lately in Northern and Central Queensland, are often unpredictable. Communication failures often leave little time to prepare even if warnings are issued. The Mackay floods were caused by 625mm of rain in three hours! See the story here and pictures here. The Mackay Hospital, Airport and Phone Services were all greatly affected.

If you have a large number of people at your site, how are you going to evacuate them in a flood situation? If you are an aged care facility or respite centre, how would you care for your residents if you became cut-off from the outside world? How are you going to rapidly move non-ambulant residents?

There is an unfortunate irony in a drought-affected country being subject to sudden and violent storms and flooding. Sadly, predictions are for more of this type of weather in the immediate future.

A complete Emergency Response plan should consider not only Fire and Bomb Threat, but also Medical Emergencies, Internal and External Emergencies.

Australian Embassy Bomb Threat Evacuation

2008-02-20T12:57:00.003+10:00

In Australia we tend to think of ourselves as being insulated from all of the troubles of the world. We tend to think of Terrorism as something that happens somewhere else, like the USA, Israel, Iraq or Indonesia.

This type of thinking is faulty, people thinking like this are living in the past. We have had terrorist style plots and attacks (see my previous post on home grown terrorism). In Queensland in 2005 there were 93 successful bombings (Source: Australian Federal Police - Bomb Data Centre).

Because of this perception of Australia as free from these troubles, many people are complaicent when it comes to Emergency Response Training, particularly Bomb Threat training. This is a mistake which in the future will be paid for in blood. Sticking your head in the sand will not save you from a bomb blast, only correct training can maximise your chance of survival.

How long is it since your site and staff had Bomb Threat training?

This news story shows that Australia is increasing targeted for it's support of certain social and political causes.

Australian embassy in Croatia evacuated
Wednesday Feb 20 06:36 AEDT

Staff at Australia's embassy in the Croatian capital of Zagreb were evacuated for two hours on Wednesday after an anonymous bomb threat.
Local media reports said police and embassy officials were unsure if the threat was connected to Australia's decision to recognise Kosovo's independence from Serbia.
Police spokeswoman Aleksandra Ljuba said the embassy's third-floor offices in the city's Kapton Centar were evacuated after an anonymous call warning of a bomb was received about 12.30pm local time.

Bomb squad officers with police sniffer dogs trained to track explosives searched the property.

After two hours, police gave the building the all clear and allowed staff to return.
Australian ambassador Tracy Reid told local reporters she was unable to say if the bomb threat was linked to Australia's decision to recognise Kosovo as an independent state.
"We employed standard security precautions - as in all such cases," she said.
"We evacuated employees and informed Croatian and Australian authorities."

Croatia's neighbour Serbia has already expressed its disappointment in Australia's quick support for Kosovo's independence and is expected to soon recall its ambassador in Canberra, Milivoje Glisic.

Canberra was one of the first governments to recognise Kosovo's independence, joining the United States, Britain, France, Germany and other European nations in backing the move.
Belgrade has recalled its US ambassador, a move it flagged would be implemented in "all countries that recognise unilateral independence" of Kosovo.

Mr Glisic expects to be soon recalled from Canberra to Belgrade but does not anticipate a permanent cut in diplomatic relations between Australia and Serbia.

Source: AAP

If you need Bomb Threat training, call DELTRA Australia today on 07 3274 6199.

First Aid Guidelines

2008-02-15T11:45:00.003+10:00

Hi Everyone,

Medical Emergencies are statistically the most common emergency that we will encounter in our lives. In 2006 there were 16000 domestic fires in Qld, however during the same 12 month period the Queensland Ambulance Service attended almost 400 000 medical emergencies. This illustrates the importance of keeping our First Aid skills up to date.

At DELTRA Australia we pride ourselves with keeping our First Aid skills up to date. Paul is an Officer & Instructor with St John Ambulance Qld & Bryn is a former St John Instructor also. All of the First Aid training that DELTRA Australia offers to our customers (CPR, Basic First Aid, Senior First Aid, Low Voltage Rescue, Advanced First Aid & Occupational First Aid) is conducted in accordance with the latest guidelines from the Australian Resuscitation Council.

The ARC feature the latest guidelines on their website.

We do not teach outdated methodologies such as the Heimlich manoeuvre or Expired Air Resuscitation.

If you have any questions related to First Aid treatment or training, please feel free to give us a call on 07 3274 6199.

Home Grown Aussie Terrorism

2008-02-13T13:47:00.002+10:00

Group aiming for violent jihad: court

A group that was exclusively Muslim and male was set up in Melbourne to carry out a violent jihad, a Victorian court has been told.

The opening day of the Supreme Court trial of 12 men accused of being members of a terrorist organisation has been told that the group was instructed that killing women and children was permissible.

Crown prosecutor Richard Maidment SC told the court that Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 47, of Dallas in Melbourne's north, was the group leader.

"The organisation was exclusively male and exclusively Muslim," Mr Maidment told the court.

Benbrika was its director and the leader of that group."

Mr Maidment said Benbrika had suggested during taped telephone calls with another man that a bombing attack where the maximum loss of life could be inflicted, such as at football ground, was a suitable suggestion.

He said that Benbrika taught the group that it was "permissible to kill women, children and the aged".

The 12 men are appearing before Justice Bernard Bongiorno in the Victorian Supreme Court on Wednesday, where they each face a charge of being a member of a terrorist organisation.

They have all pleaded not guilty to this charge and to a string of other terrorism-related charges.

In addition to the charge of being a member of a terrorist group, the men's alleged spiritual leader Benbrika is charged with directing the group's activities.

Fadal Sayadi, 27, of Coburg, Ahmed Raad, 24, of Fawkner, Aimen Joud, 22, of Hoppers Crossing, Abdullah Merhi, 22, of Fawkner, Amer Haddara, 27, of Yarraville, Shane Kent, 30, of Meadow Heights, Majed Raad, 23, of Coburg, Hany Taha, 32, of Hadfield, Shoue Hammoud, 27, of Hadfield, Bassam Raad, 25 of Brunswick, and Ezzit Raad, 25 of Preston are all facing various terrorism-related charges.

More than 25 barristers and solicitors are representing the 12 men at the trial which is expected to go for nine months.

The Crown's opening is expected to go for several days.

Wednesday's hearing is being held in the Victorian County Court building, which allows for heightened security.

Mr Maidment told the court that each member of the group brought with them particular skills.

"Shane Kent had received paramilitary training at a camp overseas," Mr Maidment said.

He told the court that Kent's training included specialising in demolitions using explosives.

Mr Maidment told the court that Benbrika, in a conversation with an undercover Federal Police officer who infiltrated the group, asked if he could be shown how to make explosives using ammonium nitrate.

The undercover officer had told Benbrika he was an expert in removing tree stumps using explosives.

"(Benbrika) asked how much was required to destroy a house," Mr Maidment said.

"Benbrika then asked how much to destroy a larger building."

Benbrika also asked how to obtain up to 500kg of ammonium nitrate and how much it would cost, he said.

The prosecution also said that material, including literature on how to make bombs and video tapes with messages from Osama Bin Laden, were seized from the group by police.

"(It is) a revealing window into the kind of matters that interest the accused," Mr Maidment told the court.

Source: AAP

Bomb Threat Resources

2008-02-13T10:49:00.000+10:00

The Australian Federal Police have a bomb threat checklist on their website, which includes information on biological and chemical attacks, it can be viewed here.

This site also has some useful information on these types of attacks, this information can be found here.

Incidentally for those of you wondering how to do a Public Address announcement to notify staff that a Bomb Threat is occurring without causing public panic, remember that colour codes can be used. These codes are referred to in both AS3745 and AS4083. The colour code for a bomb threat is "Code Purple". As such an announcement could be made over the PA saying "Attention, Attention. We have a code purple situation, all Wardens please investigate".

For those of our valued clients who have recently had bomb threat training with us at Deltra Australia, the statistics related to the illegal use of explosives in Australia can be found at the Australian Bomb Data Centre website here.

Do You Have a Plant Room at Your Workplace?

2008-02-12T15:43:00.000+10:00

Hi Readers,

More and More we're seeing building fires and off the top of my head I can think of at least 6 buildings that have caught on fire within the last 6 months that have required some form of evacuation. These fires have burnt the building to the ground which obviously is devastating to both employers and employees.

I ask the question "Do you have a plant room at your workplace?" because there can be many plant rooms within a building. Maybe you work in a premises that is one tenancy of many, maybe you have a whole floor for your workplace offices. What risks do you have that could lead down the same devastating path?

More importantly I would prefer to know, that you know how to get out safely in an emergency situation. (Please read the attached Link - http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=378671 or previous blog)

If you're not sure of what your procedures are or you would like someone to come out and conduct an evacuation exercise (which includes a detailed report) please feel free to drop us a line or send us an email via our profiles.

Stay Safe,

Paul.

Sydney shoppers flee fire at Broadway

2008-02-12T14:58:00.000+10:00

Sydney shoppers flee fire at Broadway
Tuesday Feb 12 15:22 AEDT

Sydney's Broadway shopping centre was evacuated after a fire broke out this afternoon.
Fire Brigade Superintendent Craig Brierley said some people had to be rescued from elevators.
"Two elevators were stuck. We freed one lot (of people), we're working on the other one," he said.
Supt Brierley later said the second lift had been cleared and there were no injuries.
Flames and smoke were seen shooting from a low air vent at the centre, said eyewitness Catriona Bonfiglioli.
A fire brigades spokeswoman told AAP, a high-voltage electricity substation in the building had exploded, causing a large fire on the ground floor.
John Lewis, who works in the Bi-Lo supermarket on the first floor, said he had been working in the store's back room when he heard a large bang.
"I heard a big bang and then the lights went out," Mr Lewis said.
"It was like loud fireworks.
"I presumed it was a power surge because it looked like the fire was where the electricity room is.
"The lights kept coming on and off throughout the centre."
Other witnesses said many people in the shopping centre believed it was a fire drill when the building's alarms sounded and had not immediately evacuated the building.
"They were running fire drills all morning, some thought it was a drill," one shop worker said.
A man who had been at the Hoyts entertainment complex in the building said lights had flashed in the middle of a movie.
"There was a recorded voice saying evacuate, evacuate and the Hoyts people got us out quickly.
"We saw a fire engine with its hose split, apparently by a car going over it, and about 20 fire engines who could not get down a street to get down to the fire.
"It was too narrow."
Another witness told AAP: "Everyone just started running outside and you could see the flames.
The fire appeared to have been contained by 2.45pm (AEDT), with no signs of flames or smoke coming from the complex.

Source: AAP

Blue Card Courses Every Friday

2008-02-11T09:38:00.000+10:00

Deltra Australia is running the 30215QLD Course in General Safety Induction (aka the "Blue Card") every Friday 8am - 12 midday. Walk away with your card and a statement of attainment on the day, no difficult online assessments. No waiting 2 weeks. And if you have questions you can get the answers you need from a real person. The cost is $65. Call 07 3274 6199 to book now.

Make sure your smoke detectors are working on a regular basis

2008-02-11T09:13:00.000+10:00

Man suffers burns in house fire

February 11, 2008 04:09am

A MAN has been taken to hospital with burns to his arm suffered as he escaped a fire in his house early today.

The fire broke out in the single-storey timber residence in Hunter Street in inner suburban Richmond shortly after midnight (AEDT).

A Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) spokesman said the fire caused about $80,000 worth of damage to the house.

While the fire was contained to a bedroom, other parts of the house sustained heat, smoke and water damage, the spokesman said.

A smoke alarm was fitted to the house but was not working.

Fire crews controlled the blaze in nine minutes.

MFB fire investigators planned to examine the scene after daybreak to determine the cause.

Source: News.com.au

Nursing Home Fire Kills Eleven

2008-02-11T09:08:00.000+10:00

Austria in shock as fire kills eleven pensioners

The small Austrian town of Egg has held a minute's silence in memory of the victims of a fire at a nursing home.

Eleven elderly people died as the flames consumed much of the building.

Police launched a criminal investigation, but say the cause of the fire is not known.

Egg is a small town of some 3,500 people. Many of those knew the victims, and the whole town is in shock.

It is the worst disaster to hit Austria since 155 people died when a mountain train caught fire in a tunnel at Kaprun in 2000.

More than 250 firefighters tackled the fire overnight.

The victims were asleep when the fire started. Most are thought to have died from the effects of smoke. Six of the 23 elderly residents were injured, three of them are seriously ill in hospital.

Source: Euronews

Yet Another Shopping Centre Fire

2008-02-11T09:00:00.000+10:00

Shopping centre fire sparks evacuation

February 8, 2008 - 11:04AM

Shoppers were evacuated from the Westfield Shopping Centre at Strathpine this morning following a small electrical fire in the home maker centre.

Two Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) trucks were sent to shopping centre after an automatic alarm was set off, but arrived to find a security guard had extinguished the blaze.

The blaze began in an electrical transformer but was quickly contained, a QFRS spokeswoman said.

The centre was evacuated as a precaution.

Source: Brisbane Times

If it can happen in NZ, it can happen in Oz

2008-02-08T09:21:00.000+10:00

'Two' pilots stabbed in NZ hijack drama
Friday Feb 8 07:22 AEDT
By ninemsn staffwith wires

A woman has been arrested after stabbing at least one pilot on an Air New Zealand flight in a foiled hijacking attempt.

Christchurch Airport was shut down as police bomb squad and sniper squads surrounded the twin-engine Jetstream plane.

Unconfirmed reports suggest both the plane's pilots were wounded when the woman attacked in a mid-air hijacking attempt.

The stabbed pilot was able to walk off the plane, but was rushed to hospital.

The woman was also taken away in an ambulance, after reportedly suffering police dog bites.

It is understood three or four people were taken from the airport by St John Ambulance.

An army spokesman confirmed the bomb squad had been called in to defuse a device.
It was reported to have been in the woman's bag.

Wayne Johnstone, a passenger on board another flight to Invercargill, said he was asked to get off his flight and he saw police surrounding the aircraft involved, Stuff website reported.
He said there was a sniper on the tarmac, and police rushed into the plane.
"I saw a dog go in, the passengers came out in a rush, then the woman came out, bundled to ground and searched by police and taken away."

Passengers at the airport who saw the woman being arrested by police described the woman as middle aged and dressed in black clothes.

All flights in and out of Christchurch airport were suspended this morning and the terminal building closed.

Air New Zealand confirmed that "an incident" had occurred on the scheduled commuter flight and said one passenger was taken into police custody when it landed.

It said the other seven passengers on board were all safe but gave no further details.

About 7am (AEDT), the plane — flight NZ2279 — remained cordoned off on the runway, and an eye witness told NZPA the area was in utter chaos, with traffic banked up hundreds of metres.
"Passengers are getting out of their cars and walking up to their flights, and staff are walking through to the airport," the man, who did not want to be named, said.

Police later said a mayday call was received via the NZ Rescue Co-ordination Centre about 7.40am (5.40am AEDT).

"The pilots on board reported that a female passenger had attacked them in the cockpit, inflicting some minor injuries before she was removed from the cockpit," police said in a statement.

They said the plane landed at 8.06am (6.06am AEDT) and all passengers got off the aircraft safely.

The plane was currently being searched.

Police will be holding a media conference at 10.30am (8:30am AEDT) to update the situation.

Toddler hurled from burning building

2008-02-05T10:31:00.000+10:00

Monday Feb 4 19:07 AEDT
By ninemsn staff and wires

A two-year-old child thrown from the window of a burning building by his frantic parents survived the 12m fall after he was caught by police officers waiting below.
The toddler was flung from the third floor of a building in the German city of Ludwigshafen as emergency workers crept along an outside ledge towards his trapped family, The Daily Mail reported.

The child was one of two hurled to safety. Nine other people, including five children, were killed in the blaze. A further 24 were taken to hospital, two of whom were in life-threatening condition, and it was possible that more bodies would be found at the property, police said.
It is not known whether the child's parents survived the blaze.

The building is so badly damaged it is in danger of collapse.

Ludwigshafen fire chief Peter Friedrich told The Times the building's wooden staircase that might have allowed people to escape from the higher floors "was a pile of ashes".
"People were escaping through the windows before we arrived at the scene," he said.
It was unclear what had caused the fire, police said, adding that 52 people, mostly Turkish citizens, were registered as living at the property.

The number of fatalities could have been higher had a group of police, firemen and other emergency service personnel not been gathered for a carnival nearby.

Sydney Blast Causes Mass Evacuation

2008-02-04T13:33:00.000+10:00

Man fights for life after takeaway blast

February 4, 2008 - 12:55PM

A man is fighting for his life in hospital after being critically injured in a major explosion at a takeaway food shop which forced hundreds to be evacuated from nearby homes.

At 1.18am (AEDT) today emergency crews were called to Mountain St in inner-city Ultimo, following reports of an explosion loud enough to be heard several kilometres away.

The man suffered serious burns after the explosion at Nando's chicken takeaway on the ground floor of a nine-storey building, and was rushed to Concord Hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

He has been linked to a car, parked near the building, which has been seized by police investigating the explosion and subsequent fire.

The man was not a resident of the Quadrant apartment block or a worker at the Nando's business, police Acting Commander Chris Keen told reporters.

"The person who was seriously injured, he was in the lift well beside the chicken shop," he said.

"We've seized a car ... we are unable to say whether it (the explosion) is linked to the car but it is linked to the person injured in the lift well."

Another man was rescued from the second floor of the building and taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a stable condition.

Detectives are investigating possible links between the explosion and an armed robbery at Nando's about 9pm (AEDT) on Sunday.

"Two males, one armed with a knife, assaulted the attendant and escaped with a sum of cash," police said in a statement.

"Inquiries are continuing. It is too early in the investigation to link the two incidents."

Triple-0 callers who reported the explosion said there was a strong smell of gas, but Commander Keen said that smell was not noticed by firefighters who were first on the scene.

The Nando's business, closed at the time of the explosion, was completely gutted and nearby offices also sustained damage.

Several hundred people were evacuated from Quadrant apartments, with two busloads taken to emergency accommodation at a hotel near Sydney Airport.

It may be days before residents - many of whom are university students - and workers in the area can return to their properties.

"This may be a crime scene for a number of days at this stage," Commander Keen said.

A resident named only as Glen told ABC radio the noise of the blast was terrifying.

"It was really scary," he said.

"I was awake and felt something and it was that loud, I jumped on the floor."

The blast blew plate glass doors off hinges and engineers have been called in to assess the structural stability of the building.

Police are yet to speak with either of the injured men.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Salisbury Fire

2008-01-31T14:06:00.000+10:00

Factory fire under control

Posted Thu Jan 31, 2008 0:23am AEDT

A factory fire is under control in an industrial estate on Brisbane's southside.

The fire broke out just after 9:00pm AEDT in a 65-metre building at Salisbury.

More than ten firefighting teams fought the blaze and three officers were injured.

One was taken to hospital while two officers were treated at the scene for heat exhaustion.

Senior fire officer Barry Pearce says it appears the factory contained a number of businesses, including a tyre company.

"We got multiple calls to a factory on fire at Salisbury," he said.

"We do have the fire under control. The factory is about 60 metres by 25 metres and we are in contact with the owner now to find out exactly what is in the factory."

Source: ABC News

Ipswich Fire Forces Evacuation

2008-01-22T10:11:00.000+10:00

Residents flee toxic Ipswich blaze

David Earley
January 21, 2008 11:00pm

HAZARDOUS fumes from a factory fire in Ipswich forced authorities to evacuate the residents from nine surrounding streets yesterday.Police established a 300m exclusion zone around the ruins of the window blinds factory in Saunders St, Flinders View.
All factory staff were safely evacuated before the building became fully engulfed about 11.30am yesterday, a Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said.
The exclusion zone was established during the afternoon, when air inside the zone was considered too hazardous to breathe.
A help centre was set up at Raceview State School, with police and the Salvation Army helping residents within the area to find temporary accommodation.
By last night, about 50 residents were still sheltering in the school's library when about 7pm police declared the air in the area to be safe, allowing them to return home.
Peter and Cassandra Gray were watching the fire from the home they share with their five children about 200m away when flames and smoke started billowing out of two tall vents.
"It started trickling out real slow, then I saw a flame and a lot of heavy smoke come out," Mr Gray said.
"It spread from the back to the front in about 10 minutes, and by the time the fire brigade got here you could see flames coming over the fence of the house that's alongside it as well.
"We were sitting on the back verandah watching it when it started, and then got told we had to leave – but we basically had a front row seat."
Paul Coelho and Hayley Glendinning were visiting the Grays at the time, and had to wait at the school with their three children until the streets were reopened.
The Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said 12 crews – about 50 firefighters – battled the blaze for hours but the 800sq m factory was almost completely destroyed by mid-afternoon.

Source: Courier Mail

Storms and Flash Floods - Are you prepared?

2008-01-17T11:22:00.000+10:00

Living in a drought has made many Queenslanders complaicent about the dangers associated with Storms and Flooding. The last major floods in Qld were in 1974 which seems a long time ago. However it is wise to remember the old adage: "Those who forget the lessons of the past are doomed to repeat them". Meteorologists are predicting flooding in Qld as a result of inland storms.

Is your business prepared to deal with these types of emergencies?

If not, don't worry DELTRA Australia is here to help. We are experts on Emergency Response Procedures and Training.

Whether it's Fire, Flood, Loss of Essential Services, Civil Disorder or Medical Emergency, we can help.

Call us now on 3274 6199 or email us.

Bushfire Safety Tips

2008-01-15T10:36:00.000+10:00

With all of the recent news about Bushfires around the country, we at DELTRA Australia have found some great tips for staying safe this bushfire season. Emergency Management Australia, a government body offers the following advice:

BUSHFIRE ACTION GUIDE

In bushfires, radiant heat, dehydration and asphyxiation are the main killers. Well-prepared houses resist brief exposure to fire, protecting occupants who can then save their homes.

BEFORE THE BUSHFIRE SEASON - Prevent/Prepare

Remove rubbish, leaf litter and native shrubs close to buildings.
Form a wide firebreak around your home, eg short, green grass (use mower, spade, rake), trim branches well clear of the house. Clear roof and gutters of leaves, twigs etc..
Fit wire screens to doors, windows and vents, and enclose all gaps, roof eaves and the area under your house.
Store wood, gas, petrol, paint etc well clear of the house.
Keep ladders handy for roof access (inside and out). Fit hoses to reach all parts of the house and garden. If mains pressure water is not connected, obtain a high pressure pump.
Fit wire screens to doors, windows and vents, and enclose all gaps, roof eaves and the area under your house.
Check you have adequate insurance cover for bushfire.
Agree on a household plan to leave early or stay to protect your home during a bushfire. If leaving, plan when, where, how you will go and what to take.

IF A BUSHFIRE APPROACHES - Leave or Protect

Prepare as above, unless you have decided to leave early or are ordered to do so. Stay in the house after taking these precautions:

Phone 000 - don't assume the fire service knows.
Turn off gas. Put door mats inside. Close vents, windows, doors, and block gaps from the inside with wet towels.
Fill baths, sinks, buckets and bins with reserve water.
Plug downpipes with rags and fill gutters with water.
Remove curtains, cross-tape windows and move furniture clear.
Wear long, woollen or heavy cotton clothing, solid boots or shoes, a hat or woollen balaclava, and gloves.
Hose down all walls, garden etc on sides facing the fire and watch for spot fires from flying sparks or embers.
As the main fire-front arrives, go inside with hoses, away from windows, while it passes (usually 5 to 15 minutes).
Quickly extinguish any fires which may have started in, near, or under the house or roof. Check inside roof too.
If the house is alight and can't be extinguished, move to burnt ground. Don't go - wait for help. Listen to battery radio for updates.

IF CAUGHT IN A FIRE, DRIVING - Shelter in Car

Don't drive into or near bushfires. If caught in a bushfire don't drive through flames or thick smoke
Stop in an area of low vegetation. Leave motor running and airconditioner (recycle), hazard lights and headlights on.
Stay inside unless near safe shelter. Keep vents, windows and doors closed. Lie inside, below window level, under a woollen blanket for skin protection.
After the main fire-front passes, if car is on fire or heat and fumes inside are severe, get out and move to already burnt ground, keeping your whole body covered with the blanket.
The fuel tank is unlikely to explode in the period you need to stay in the car while being shielded from the deadly radiant heat of the main fire-front.

IF CAUGHT IN FIRE, ON FOOT - Seek Shelter

Don't panic - cover all exposed skin and hair.
Move across-slope, away from the fire-front, then down-slope towards the rear of the main fire-front.
Find open or already-burnt ground. Don't try to outrun fire, or go uphill, or through even low flames, unless you can clearly see a safe area very close by.
If you can't avoid the fire, lie face-down under a bank, rock, loose earth or in a hollow, or if possible get into a dam or stream, but not a water tank.

EMERGENCY SURVIVAL REQUIREMENTS

If faced with the dangers of body dehydration, smoke inhalation and radiant heat from flames, emergency protection is possible, even in high-intensity fires. Wrap yourself in a heavy, pure wool blanket and carry water to drink; use moistened blanket corner as a smoke mask.

Source: Emergency Management Australia

http://www.ema.gov.au/ema/emaInternet.nsf/AllDocs/RWP07C6046B98D07DB8CA256C5A00230553?OpenDocument

Canberra Bush Fire Contained

2008-01-15T09:22:00.000+10:00

Tuesday January 15, 09:31 AM

Namadgi fire contained but still burning

Efforts are continuing to put out a bushfire in Namadgi National Park south of Canberra.

Firefighters managed to contain the blaze yesterday, which has consumed five hectares of land in the park.

It is believed the fire was sparked by a lightning strike during a storm on Saturday night.

Darren Cutrupi from Emergency Services Agency says the fire was a long time coming.

"The season officially commenced on the first of October and this is the first bushfire we've had, which is very late in the season, but after this wet weather we had in the lead-up to Christmas, things are starting to dry out," he said.

"There's a lot of long grass which, as much as possible, is being attended to by TAMS as part of their cutting and fire prevention program."

Mr Cutrupi says firefighters are optimistic of putting out the fire soon.

"With the containment lines around there we're very confident that the fire will not extend to any further area," he said.

"So it'll remain within that perimeter and the fire crews will systematically go through the different parts of that five hectares, extinguishing all flames and all sites of fire and that's expected to take a couple more days."

Source: Yahoo News

Fatal fire costs millions

2008-01-15T09:15:00.000+10:00

Tuesday January 15, 09:08 AM

Fatal fire cost millions to fight: DEC

Authorities have revealed a fire in the Boorabbin National Park on the Goldfields, which killed three truck drivers is costing ten of millions of dollars to fight.

The fire began burning more than two weeks ago and has burnt 40,000 hectares of bush.

The blaze also blocked a major highway linking Western Australia and the eastern states for ten days.

The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) is adding up the cost to the numerous agencies and utilities affected by the fire.

The Department's Ian Kealley says it will take several months to get an exact figure.

"There are some preliminary figures floating around, I mean the cost of suppression alone would have been around $2 million," he said.

Overnight the Department declared the fire safe.

The last of the fire crews have now returned home but the Department says post-fire management will continue for months.

Source: Yahoo News

Russian Nursing Home Fires 6 November 07

2008-01-11T12:49:00.000+10:00

A fire tore through a nursing home in Russia, killing at least 23 people, an emergency official said - the latest in a series of deadly blazes that have underscored negligence and other problems plaguing state-run institutions.

The fire broke out in the two-storey nursing home in the Tula region, south of Moscow, and burned quickly through the 55-year-old brick building with wooden walls before the flames were extinguished, Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov said.

Fire inspectors earlier had asked courts to order the home closed because of fire safety violations, including the lack of an alarm system, he said.

More than 250 people escaped or were evacuated from the building and hospitalised, but emergency workers were finding bodies in the wreckage, Beltsov said. Nearly 24 hours after the fire broke out, the death toll stood at 23, he said, adding that it could rise further.

Most of the victims, and possibly all of them, were elderly residents of the nursing home in the town of Velye-Nikolskoye, about 250 kilometres south of Moscow, Beltsov said.
The fire was likely caused by a short circuit or carelessness, he said.

He said it appeared personnel at the home were to blame for the high death toll. Firefighters were only alerted of the blaze half an hour after it broke out, and employees "did not organise the effective evacuation" of residents, he said, citing preliminary information.

Twice in the past year following inspections, fire authorities appealed to courts to order the facility shut down because of "glaring violations" of fire safety rules, Beltsov said. He said the building had no fire alarm and no system that would automatically alert the fire department of a blaze.

Fires at hospitals, schools and other state-run facilities have served as grim reminders of official corruption and negligence, crumbling infrastructure and short life expectancy that plague Russia despite oil-fuelled economic improvements under President Vladimir Putin.

In March, a fire in a nursing home in southern Russia killed 62 people. A nearby fire station had been shut, and it took firefighters almost an hour to get to the site from a larger town after a night watchman ignored two fire alarms before reporting the blaze, authorities said.

A nursing home fire in Siberia in June killed 10 people.

In December, locked gates and barred windows prevented victims from escaping a blaze that killed 46 women at a drug treatment centre, pointing to conditions now common in post-Soviet Russia's state-run institutions. Inspectors had recommended its temporary closure earlier in the year because of safety violations.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/russian-nursing-home-fire-kills-at-least-23/2007/11/05/1194117959526.html

Deadlocks spark concern after fire deaths

2008-01-11T12:33:00.000+10:00

Deadlock creates fire deathtrap

Miki Perkins
January 1, 2008 - 7:27AM

A man in his 50s died in a fierce fire in a unit in Melbourne's north early today after a deadlocked back door prevented his escape.

The victim is the second man in three days to die after becoming trapped in his burning home, prompting a warning about deadlocks from a Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) officer.

Fire crews were called to the two-bedroom unit on the corner of Gardenia Road and Robert Street, Lalor, at 2.30am today to be told by neighbours that the occupant of the single-storey unit was unaccounted for.

Firefighters donned breathing apparatus and were forced to get down on their hands and knees to crawl through the intense heat and smoke, MFB Commander Mick Swift said.

Just inside the unit's deadlocked back door they found the man's body.

The unit and its contents were severely damaged by the fire, with a broken front window drawing air into the premises and making the blaze more intense.

The fire was brought under control in 15 minutes.

The MFB fire investigation unit and police are working to establish a cause.

A deadlocked front door also prevented the escape of a man from a fire in a Coburg North house on December 29.

Roland Nicholson, 53, rang emergency services to say he was trapped in his Sydney Road property and couldn't get out.

When firefighters arrived, he was unconscious on the floor just metres from his deadlocked front door. He died later in hospital.

The back door of the property was unlocked.

Commander Swift today urged people not to deadlock themselves inside their homes.

"It serves no purpose,'' he said.

Source: The Age - http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/trapped-man-dies-in-burning-unit/2008/01/01/1198949776384.html

Fire in South Korea kills 40

2008-01-11T12:27:00.000+10:00

A warehouse fire in the South Korean town of Icheon has killed 40 people.

Another 10 people were injured in the blaze, seven of them seriously.

Officials say the fire apparently started in the basement of the building during construction work.

Local media reports say a number of the victims were ethnic Koreans from China.

Hundreds of firefighters worked through the night to battle the blaze, which emitted thick toxic smoke.

Fire authorities also evacuated hundreds of residents from the nearby town.

The exact cause of the Icheon fire, about 80 kilometres south of Seoul, is not yet known.

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2133617.htm

Fire destroys Gold Coast Shopping Complex

2008-01-11T12:14:00.000+10:00

Fire destroys shopping complex

January 06, 2008 11:45pm

Article from: Agence France-Presse

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service crews were called to the building at the corner of the Gold Coast Highway and Pacific Avenue at Miami about 8pm (AEST).

“The building was fully involved when our crews arrived,” a fire service spokesman said.

The fire spread to all shops inside and destroyed the building, he said.

There are no reports of injury.

Fire investigators will examine the scene tomorrow.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23015643-29277,00.html

Certificate ii in Asset Maintenance (Fire Protection Equipment)

2008-01-09T12:15:00.000+10:00

Congratulations to everyone who graduated from the Certificate ii in Asset Maintenance (Fire Protection Equipment) that DELTRA Australia ran in December. This course was great fun for both the trainers and the students as we covered a variety of theory and practical subjects. Topics covered included Workplace Health & Safety, Correct Manual Handling, Identifying Fire Protection Equipment, Use of Portable Fire Fighting Equipment, Improving Productivity & Providing Quality Client Service.

This course also covered inspection, installation, testing and maintenance of a variety of Fire Suppression Equipment including Extinguishers, Fire Hose Reels, Smoke Alarms, Fire Blankets, Hydrants and Lay Flat Hoses.

The relevant Australian Standards were also referenced extensively, ensuring that our students are up to date with the latest developments in the Fire Protection Industry.

Our participants came from a variety of locations including Cairns, Townsville, Canberra and Brisbane.

For those of you who didn't know, this course is required for the Open License Class (Fire Fighting Appliances) through the Queensland Building Services Authority.

We wish all of our students the best of luck in their new career path.

The DELTRA Australia Team

What happens when you put water onto an oil fire

2008-01-09T11:59:00.000+10:00

Hi All,

Check out this youtube link, it's pretty scary to see what can happen if you throw a cup of water onto an oil fire on the stove.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRr_B5VRcCk

Imagine if this stove was in YOUR Kitchen...

Paul.

CONTACT US

2008-01-09T11:39:00.000+10:00

If you are interested in receiving Emergency Response Training, Manuals or Evacuation Signs; First Aid Training; Or Construction Induction Training (30215 QLD) then please give us a call.

DELTRA Australia can be contacted on 07 3274 6199.
Email us on info@deltraaustralia.com

Welcome to the DELTRA Australia Blog

2008-01-09T10:56:00.000+10:00

This is the Blog of DELTRA Australia, where you can find the latest news in the world of Fire Safety, Emergency Response, First Aid and Construction Induction Training.