ID :
68750
Thu, 07/02/2009 - 20:16
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/68750
The shortlink copeid
CFA chief neglected his duty: commission
Embattled Country Fire Authority (CFA) chief Russell Rees had neglected his duty to
protect the lives of Victorians in the Black Saturday fires and failed in other
crucial areas of his job, the bushfires royal commission has heard.
The man with ultimate control of the state's bushfire defences had also not
acquainted himself with expert predictions relating to fires which potentially
threatened human life.
In a scathing assessment of Mr Rees' handling of the response to the February 7
fires in which 173 people died, counsel assisting the royal commission recommended
his job description be rewritten.
Mr Rees had earlier given evidence to the royal commission that his role on Black
Saturday had not been an operational one.
But commission lawyer Jack Rush said it should have been.
"The coordination role adopted by Mr Rees on 7 February, 2009, was divorced from
fundamental aspects of the responsibilities of the chief officer," Mr Rush said in
his interim submission to the commission delivered on Thursday.
Those responsibilities included overseeing fire prediction, the provision of warning
information to communities and the protection of life.
The findings concerning Mr Rees are among a raft of observations and recommendations
following the first two months of commission hearings.
The commission also recommended amendments to the CFA's controversial "stay or go"
policy, a review of fire warning systems, including sirens and messages to mobile
phones, and the construction of a network of fire refuges, which had been phased out
by the state government.
The "stay or go" policy should have provision for senior CFA officers to advise
communities in imminent danger to leave before it became too late.
The policy came under question after it was revealed that 113 of the 173 Black
Saturday victims had died in their homes.
According to the commission lawyers, the fires produced one example after another of
poor co-operation, poor communication and poor management.
Counsel assisting pointed the finger at a variety of agencies and institutions
including the Victorian and federal governments, local councils and individuals.
The strongest criticism, however, was reserved for Mr Rees, who has received the
backing of premier John Brumby and the CFA which announced he would again be in
charge during the coming fire season.
Mr Rees gave evidence that his role on Black Saturday was non-operational and did
not involve direct control of fire fighting.
But in his submission, Mr Rush said it should be a reasonable expectation that the
chief officer should be responsible for a wider range of direct functions including
issuing "accurate and timely" warnings to the community.
"It is a core responsibility (of the chief officer) to warn communities of the risk
of fire," Mr Rush told the commission.
Mr Rush said warning sirens, which have been stopped by the CFA because they can
disturb communities, were "effective warning systems" as had been proven by CFA
officers who had gone against the regulation on Black Saturday.
Commission lawyer Rachel Doyle said there was no evidence to support the
government's proposition that refuges lead to complacency and encourage people to
evacuate later than they should.
Local and state government submissions questioned the value and the prohibitive cost
of refuges but commission head Bernard Teague demanded the issue be addressed.
"There is a need for refuges," Mr Teague said.
"The state should accept it and get it done."
Ms Doyle pointed to state and commonwealth co-operation as an area in need of
attention.
She said it was "extraordinary" Emergency Management Australia (EMA), the
commonwealth agency responsible for co-ordinating the operational response to all
hazards, was not involved because it wasn't asked by the Victoria government.
Ms Doyle also questioned the federal government's failure to disclose a high-level
report commissioned in 2005 which identified gaps in Australia's ability to respond
to almost any disaster or hazard, including bushfires.
The government had kept the report secret, until it was subpoenaed by the royal
commission, on the grounds that it might cause public alarm.
protect the lives of Victorians in the Black Saturday fires and failed in other
crucial areas of his job, the bushfires royal commission has heard.
The man with ultimate control of the state's bushfire defences had also not
acquainted himself with expert predictions relating to fires which potentially
threatened human life.
In a scathing assessment of Mr Rees' handling of the response to the February 7
fires in which 173 people died, counsel assisting the royal commission recommended
his job description be rewritten.
Mr Rees had earlier given evidence to the royal commission that his role on Black
Saturday had not been an operational one.
But commission lawyer Jack Rush said it should have been.
"The coordination role adopted by Mr Rees on 7 February, 2009, was divorced from
fundamental aspects of the responsibilities of the chief officer," Mr Rush said in
his interim submission to the commission delivered on Thursday.
Those responsibilities included overseeing fire prediction, the provision of warning
information to communities and the protection of life.
The findings concerning Mr Rees are among a raft of observations and recommendations
following the first two months of commission hearings.
The commission also recommended amendments to the CFA's controversial "stay or go"
policy, a review of fire warning systems, including sirens and messages to mobile
phones, and the construction of a network of fire refuges, which had been phased out
by the state government.
The "stay or go" policy should have provision for senior CFA officers to advise
communities in imminent danger to leave before it became too late.
The policy came under question after it was revealed that 113 of the 173 Black
Saturday victims had died in their homes.
According to the commission lawyers, the fires produced one example after another of
poor co-operation, poor communication and poor management.
Counsel assisting pointed the finger at a variety of agencies and institutions
including the Victorian and federal governments, local councils and individuals.
The strongest criticism, however, was reserved for Mr Rees, who has received the
backing of premier John Brumby and the CFA which announced he would again be in
charge during the coming fire season.
Mr Rees gave evidence that his role on Black Saturday was non-operational and did
not involve direct control of fire fighting.
But in his submission, Mr Rush said it should be a reasonable expectation that the
chief officer should be responsible for a wider range of direct functions including
issuing "accurate and timely" warnings to the community.
"It is a core responsibility (of the chief officer) to warn communities of the risk
of fire," Mr Rush told the commission.
Mr Rush said warning sirens, which have been stopped by the CFA because they can
disturb communities, were "effective warning systems" as had been proven by CFA
officers who had gone against the regulation on Black Saturday.
Commission lawyer Rachel Doyle said there was no evidence to support the
government's proposition that refuges lead to complacency and encourage people to
evacuate later than they should.
Local and state government submissions questioned the value and the prohibitive cost
of refuges but commission head Bernard Teague demanded the issue be addressed.
"There is a need for refuges," Mr Teague said.
"The state should accept it and get it done."
Ms Doyle pointed to state and commonwealth co-operation as an area in need of
attention.
She said it was "extraordinary" Emergency Management Australia (EMA), the
commonwealth agency responsible for co-ordinating the operational response to all
hazards, was not involved because it wasn't asked by the Victoria government.
Ms Doyle also questioned the federal government's failure to disclose a high-level
report commissioned in 2005 which identified gaps in Australia's ability to respond
to almost any disaster or hazard, including bushfires.
The government had kept the report secret, until it was subpoenaed by the royal
commission, on the grounds that it might cause public alarm.
