Incompatible emergency communications systems raise bushfire fears
Incompatible emergency communications systems raise bushfire fears
29 September 2013
published by www.heraldsun.com.au
Australia — A LOCAL government submission to the Tasmanian Bushfires Inquiry has raised concerns that emergency radio systems were unable to adequately communicate with each other during the catastrophic January wildfires.
The Local Government Association of Tasmania says there is a need to “review and address” the incompatibility of radio systems among agencies that responded to the emergency.
The long-awaited Tasmanian Bushfires Inquiry report will be handed to the State Government this week.
Premier Lara Giddings announced the inquiry in April and appointed former South Australian Police Commissioner Malcolm Hyde to head it.
It is expected to report on the cause and circumstances of the January fires, all aspects of the emergency response, the recovery, planning for the 2012-2013 fire season and the effectiveness of community alerts.
Criticising communication during the fires, the local government submission says: “Connectivity issues between emergency management radio systems were experienced.
“The inability of the various agency radio systems to operate together in a multi-agency response (Tasmania Fire Service, State Emergency Service, police, Parks and Wildlife Service, council and the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority) is of critical importance and can impact the quality and timeliness of information and can compromise the operational environment. This should be reviewed and addressed.”
The submission raised concerns about the inadequacy of mobile phones because of power outages and the danger emergency workers faced as they tried to transport fuel to mobile-phone tower generators.
“During the January fires, SES personnel had to refuel the mobile tower generators on a two-hourly basis 24/7 in high-risk environments. This is not acceptable and should be addressed,” the report says.
The Local Government Association suggests that, in case of bushfires and power outages, generators for mobile phone towers should have fuel capacity for at least 12 hours.
“The impact of the loss of power during the events of January 4 was significant and sustained and caused an ongoing community impact.”
-4The association said the State Government needed to become more “efficient and compassionate” in recovery efforts after emergencies.
There was also a need for a process to deal with management and storage of donations and communication with the public.
The report says an “abundance of acronyms” used by agencies were also a concern, and the fires highlighted the importance of agreed and understood terminology for the various forms of emergency centres.
