Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NTFRS Deputy Chief Fire Officer Stephen Sewell says 32 firefighters and 5 planes were needed to bring a severe bushfire under control yesterday

Transcript

NTFRS Deputy Chief Fire Officer Stephen Sewell says 32 firefighters and 5 planes were needed to bring a severe bushfire under control yesterday · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now we know that there is obviously the twenty four
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: hour fireban period in place for today. It is for
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Darwin and Adelaide River fire for weather forecast areas. Now
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: joining me in the studio to talk further about this
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: and also some of those fires that our firees have
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: indeed been fighting to control over the last few days.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Is the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service Deputy Chief
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Fire Officer Stephen Seool.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Steven, Good morning Katie. How are you?
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, very well, Thank you so much for your time
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: this morning. I know it's a pretty busy time for
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: you guys for our fires.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: Just talk us through.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Firstly, obviously we've got this twenty four our fireban period
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: in place. What are the conditions looking like today?
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: Yeah, continue to be the same as yesterday's situation and
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: that will continue on for Wednesday and Thursday. It's highly
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: likely that conditions will ease on Friday.
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: Okay, Well, that is good to hear, and is it
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: mostly that wind that sort of makes it more difficult.
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: Wind always makes it difficult, but yeah, there's a lot
• 1:04
  Speaker 3: of dry air that's coming up with that.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: So that fire for today, it includes Darwin, Adelaide River
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: and Bachelor emergency response areas, as well as the Litchfield
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: Municipality and Kumali Shire, and so for our firefighters and
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: also for our volunteers, I'm assuming out there with bushfires
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: into anticipating that that's going to probably continue for most
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: of the week.
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: Correct. Yeah, Like I said Thursday, we can pretty much
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: put our thumb on it and say that it will
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: definitely be severe conditions and they will ease on Friday seven.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: It's been a really busy few days for our fieries.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: I know it is always busy, but yesterday there was
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: that situation as well on Kirkland Road and Tiger Brennan.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: It was a fairly significant fire, wasn't it.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: Correct, Once a fire takes hold and it starts to
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: burn with wind, then it will run. And that's exactly
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: what we saw yesterday.
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: Do we have it? The idea is sort of how
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: big an area it was impacting.
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: Well, it went all the way from Durak down Kirkland
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: and Tiger brewn And Corridor. It then crossed wish Art
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: Road and it took out all that area there that
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: locals know as Barrama Hill where the bomb infrastructure is
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: Barama fire Station right the way to Barrama Road and
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: it even crossed Barrama Road heading towards Hidden Valley.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: Wow. Was there much damage? Cause much any structures damaged?
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: I likeily No.
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: So we did order an evacuation for those President premises
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: along wish Art Road, all those factories and that there,
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: just because we were concerned for their safety and we
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: weren't entirely sure if we could get crews there.
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: Is that something that you have to do very often.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: I sort of can't recall an area being evacuated for
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: quite some time.
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: No, that's correct, Katie, but just without the eyes on
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: to actually do it. With those conditions, it was extremely
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: thick smoke and we couldn't guarantee their safety.
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: How many fieries did it take to be able to
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: get that one under control?
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: So we had thirty two firefighters on the ground. So
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: we had the assistance of Bushfires in t and they
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: came to the rescue. Once again, they had their aviation support,
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: so there was five planes flying and two helicopters that
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: were observing the fires and they also assisted with ground crews.
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: So six ground crews came in.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: And how long did it take you to get that
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: one under control.
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: It went until approximately nineteen hundred last night.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: Oh goodness me, that is a busy day. I mean,
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: it's tough conditions for you guys out there, isn't it. Yeah?
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: Correct. And then obviously we have to relieve crews and
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: everything like that. Our volunteers all came in as soon
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: as they could, either from knocking off work or what
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: have you. All were released from work and they attended
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: as soon as they could.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: So when you say there was thirty two firefighters, does
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: that include those volunteers or is that yep?
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: Correct? So everyone that was available to assist was there.
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: The only crews that we didn't have there was Darwen
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: crew so and those six firefighters were solely responsible for
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: looking after the rest of dar one.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: Now, how so six of them, did you say? Yeah?
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: Goodness may it's a big job for them as well.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: Luckily it doesn't sound like there was anything else that
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: they had to be too concerned about.
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: Luckily.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: No.
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: But it only takes one accident or a fire alarm
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: to go off because of all the smoke that was produced,
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: and then those crews are then tied up with that.
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah wow.
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: Now, in terms of that fire at Kirkland at Kirkland
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: Road and along Tiger Brenner and yesterday, is it still
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: smoldering at the moment?
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: Correct? It is, and it will probably off gas like
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: well through the day. And there is chance that there
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: will be sparking from some of those logs or whatever
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: in there. You've passed us by or whatever, see a
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: plum of smoke or whatever, just to call.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: It in to the cool center, Okay.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: So realistically, if they if they see some fire out there,
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: they need to get in contact with you guys.
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: If it's in fresh area, if it's inside the burnt area,
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: then that's okay. Yeah, Orus will be monitoring.
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: I know there was also a watch and act today
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: for Litchfield Park.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: Now that doesn't fall under your area, does.
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: That no bushfires NT will be all over that okay?
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: So bushfires NT obviously onto that one. Now, then when
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: you talk about the Warehouse fire that we've spoken about
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: pretty extensively this morning with the Department of Health, how
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: things going there?
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: Is it still smoldering yep?
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: So Cruiser is still maintaining a firewatch on that fire.
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: The excavators should be in to start to pull part
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: that structure. So that we can get to the seed
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: of the fire and make sure that there is nothing
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: still burning under there, and investigators we'll still pick through
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: the road.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: Okay, So is that expected to probably happen today?
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: Is that correct?
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah?
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: Are you able to tell us, because I know we've
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: had a few people asking, and I don't know whether
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: you can, but whether that warehouse had had a adequate
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: fire retardant or whether there was sprinklers inside there. I
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: know that that's been a question that some of our
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: listeners have been sort of raising.
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: I don't know whether you have any insights.
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: I have no insight.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, So it does sound as though it's a busy
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: time at the moment for our fieries. Are the conditions
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: that we're experiencing at the moment out of the ordinary
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: in any way? Or is it what we usually would
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: anticipate at this time of the year.
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: This is normal territory conditions, yes.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: And just having to having to manage it all.
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: I spos Well, we really appreciate your time this morning, Steve,
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: and I appreciate you coming in.
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: I know it's probably been.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: Incredibly long few days for you and for the fieries
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: out there fighting those fires. So thank you very much
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: for coming in and having a.
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: Chat with us.
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: No worries, Katie. And if I can just say right
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: from the community, from like everyone within the in TFRs, like,
• 7:07
  Speaker 3: we appreciate the work that our firefighters do, our volunteers,
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: and also the assistants that we get from Bushwise, inta.
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: So they do a great job. I do think sometimes
• 7:18
  Speaker 3: it goes a little bit unrecognized, but yeah, if passes
• 7:22
  Speaker 3: by or whatever, I can make sure that they've got
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: their lights on, that they slow down, they don't enter
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: any smoky conditions and cause further accidents. That'd be a
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: great benefit to my crews.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, good advice and really sage advice, I think for
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: everybody listening this morning, because there has been so much
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: smoke about. You know, there's so much happening for our
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: firefighters and our volunteers. So a big thank you to
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: all of you for the work that you've done in
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: terms of keeping the community safe as well. I mean
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: that fire yesterday, it did seem like a you know,
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: to a normal person like me, it seemed like a
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: pretty frightening situation. And our firefighters and volunteers have to
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: enter those days dress situations to make sure the rest
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: of us can stay safe, So thank you
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: Thanks very much for your time this morning.