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Katie Woolf spoke with Assistant Chief Fire Officer Joshua Fischer · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You are listening to Mix one oh four point nine
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  Speaker 1: and joining us in the studio is the Assistant Chief
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: of Chief Fire Officer Joshua Fisher.
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  Speaker 2: How are you great, Thank you, good morning.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks so much for joining us this morning.
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  Speaker 1: I think that everybody around the territory right now is
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  Speaker 1: wondering are we full steam ahead for fireworks on Sunday.
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  Speaker 4: Look from a Northern Territory Fin and Rescue Service perspective,
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  Speaker 4: we're planning for the event to happen as it's planned.
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  Speaker 4: So in terms of the current fire weather advice, we're
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  Speaker 4: looking like hi to very high fight angel right across
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  Speaker 4: the western top end and load and moderate throughout the
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  Speaker 4: rest of the areas in the NT, particularly down in
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  Speaker 4: Central Australia. So from our perspective, it's highly unlikely that
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  Speaker 4: there will be a fire being declared on Sunday at
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  Speaker 4: this time with the current advice. So for the Fine
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  Speaker 4: Rescue Service, we're busy now preparing for our enhanced green arrangements.
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  Speaker 2: To ensure that we can keep the Northern Territory community safe.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, because I reckon the community is probably pretty split
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  Speaker 1: on this one. There will be a lot of people
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  Speaker 1: who are super keen to get out some let off
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  Speaker 1: some of those fireworks, and then there'll be a lot
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  Speaker 1: of people who are really worried about that fire danger
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  Speaker 1: and about their properties. What are some of those additional
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  Speaker 1: measures which are being put in place to really make
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  Speaker 1: sure that things don't get dangerous.
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  Speaker 4: Look from our perspective, we've got about two hundred firefighters
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  Speaker 4: that will be on duty during the period that the
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  Speaker 4: crackers are allowed to be set off by the public.
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  Speaker 4: So it's around one hundred career firefighters and one hundred
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  Speaker 4: auxiliary and volunteer firefighters in our twenty six locations throughout
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  Speaker 4: the Northern Territory. So it's quite a significant amount of
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  Speaker 4: resourcing that's gone into it, as well as our incident
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  Speaker 4: management team, additional crewing at the Joint Emergency Services Communications Center,
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  Speaker 4: and our engagement with Northern Territory Police that obviously presented
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  Speaker 4: the public firework displays at Middle Beach and in other
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  Speaker 4: remote communities throughout the territory. So quite a large number
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  Speaker 4: of resources are going in around this event. But it's
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  Speaker 4: also a reminder that we are in the fire season.
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  Speaker 4: It's well in. We know that historically through August in
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  Speaker 4: September we can get the worst of our fired anger
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  Speaker 4: today coincides with twelve months where we experienced catastrophic fight
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  Speaker 4: anger in Bachelor last year and people will only be
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  Speaker 4: too familiar with what can occur during extreme to catastrophic
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  Speaker 4: fired anger.
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  Speaker 2: There is a fired anger period declared.
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  Speaker 4: For the area of the NT north of Elliott, so
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  Speaker 4: from Elliott out to west to Timber Creek to Borrow,
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  Speaker 4: Lula Upton, Allen Boy into the Islands. We're currently experiencing
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  Speaker 4: our top end fire season, so notwithstanding that we do
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  Speaker 4: only have hired a very high fired anger forecast for
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  Speaker 4: the weekend, we still have quite high grass curing, particularly
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  Speaker 4: around Catherine out into Arnham Land and in the southern
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  Speaker 4: reaches outside of Darwin. Yes, we have experienced some rain
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  Speaker 4: earlier this week, but by the weekend a majority of
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  Speaker 4: that will be dried out the grass fuel will be
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  Speaker 4: available again for fire to freely burn through it. So
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  Speaker 4: there is underlying risk to those areas. So it's really
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  Speaker 4: important that people that are choosing to use fireworks do
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  Speaker 4: so in a safe manner. A good way to enjoy
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  Speaker 4: fireworks this Territory data is to attend one of the
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  Speaker 4: Northern Territory government funded public fireworks displays throughout the territory,
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  Speaker 4: and they're a reminder there that private fireworks are not
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  Speaker 4: permitted at those Territory Day events where they're for the public,
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  Speaker 4: and people need to be mindful if they are going
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  Speaker 4: to be used in at home, that they do so
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  Speaker 4: in that safe way.
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  Speaker 2: They have a nice.
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  Speaker 4: Cleared area, they have water available to extinguish any fires
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  Speaker 4: if they do happen to start, and that they use
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  Speaker 4: some form of stabilizing device so that fireworks don't accidentally
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  Speaker 4: fall over and become a projectile or fly directly into
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  Speaker 4: grass rather flammable material.
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  Speaker 1: Now, are you still able to let your fireworks off
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  Speaker 1: in some of those public places as well? I know
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  Speaker 1: that in some areas, and I know that obviously your
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  Speaker 1: jurisdiction is more so Darwin and the Greater Darwin region,
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  Speaker 1: not so much the rural area I suppose, But is
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  Speaker 1: there still a situation where you can let those fireworks
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  Speaker 1: off in some of those public places public parks that
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  Speaker 1: people have done it in previous years?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's correct. There is an opportunity for people to use.
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  Speaker 4: So it's public places where there is an actual Territory
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  Speaker 4: Day event, then no, there is a section I believe
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  Speaker 4: that little Mindel where people from the public can use
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  Speaker 4: their private fireworks, but not on Mindle Beach proper, where
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  Speaker 4: the event in the markets will be.
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  Speaker 2: There'll be no use of personal fireworks in that area.
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  Speaker 4: But for other remote communities and the like, yes, public
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  Speaker 4: places will be available, and certainly local government and our
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  Speaker 4: Northern Territory police counterparts have been working in those areas
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  Speaker 4: to ensure that there's appropriate measures in place.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I guess you know our discussion this morning.
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  Speaker 1: It'll have some people incredibly happy that they can let
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  Speaker 1: off their personal fireworks, it'll have some people quite concerned
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  Speaker 1: about the possibility of fire. What is your advice for people?
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  Speaker 1: I know you gave some advice just a moment ago
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  Speaker 1: about what we can do to try and make sure
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  Speaker 1: that we stay safe and that we keep our properties safe.
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  Speaker 1: But for those that maybe do have larger areas that
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  Speaker 1: are much dryer as well, I mean, what's the best
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  Speaker 1: thing for them to be doing to make sure that
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  Speaker 1: they do not see are the threat of fire?
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  Speaker 4: Well, certainly fireworks aren't explosive, so they must be handled
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  Speaker 4: with care and respect to prevent any injury or property
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  Speaker 4: damage or the instance of a fire occurring.
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  Speaker 2: They need to supervise children.
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  Speaker 4: So children under twelve should not handle fireworks or sparklers,
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  Speaker 4: and so if there are children between twelve data and
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  Speaker 4: then they should be supervised at all times if they're
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  Speaker 4: going to be using them. You know, ideally they should
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  Speaker 4: clear a ten meter diameter space around your fireworks that's
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  Speaker 4: free of tall grass, etc. You know, some fireworks, some
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  Speaker 4: of those large ones, they could shoot projectiles up to
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  Speaker 4: one hundred meters away. So it's really important that not
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  Speaker 4: only looking out for yourself, but in our rural areas,
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  Speaker 4: looking at for your neighbor. You know, we also need
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  Speaker 4: to take into consideration pets. You know, there's been lots
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  Speaker 4: of good discussions around what people could do to protect
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  Speaker 4: their pets and make sure that they're safe this Territory day,
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  Speaker 4: but also that they're looking at for their neighbors, they're
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  Speaker 4: looking at for their community, and ultimately, you know, we
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  Speaker 4: want people to enjoy the day, but we want people to
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  Speaker 4: make or they do it.
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  Speaker 2: The safe way.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. I've just got a message here from Derebin the
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  Speaker 1: Dew and it says, sadly, I won't be sitting on
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  Speaker 1: my butt with a beer in the relatively safe concrete
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  Speaker 1: jungle of suburbia watching people blow stuff up.
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  Speaker 3: I'll be on my rural block with all.
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  Speaker 1: Our fire hoses at the ready to save my elderly
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  Speaker 1: neighbors properties if all hell breaks loose, that one from there,
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  Speaker 1: that one there from in the dew. And I guess
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  Speaker 1: that is the worry of some, isn't it out in
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  Speaker 1: the rural area, just making sure that they stay safe.
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  Speaker 1: And you know that others I suppose don't put their
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  Speaker 1: properties in danger as well.
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  Speaker 4: Certainly it is the dry season, so it goes without
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  Speaker 4: saying that it is bush fire season. So we're certainly
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  Speaker 4: urging the community to stay vigilant around any fires, particularly
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  Speaker 4: on this Sunday. You know, there's still time to prepare
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  Speaker 4: their property, clear any area such as grass or any
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  Speaker 4: vegetation around their home. If they are choosing to use fireworks,
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  Speaker 4: to have a buck to sand, they have some water
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  Speaker 4: available so that they can be a safe as possible.
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  Speaker 1: Well, all the best to you, Joshua Fisher and all
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  Speaker 1: of those volunteers and all of the career firees as
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  Speaker 1: well who are going to be working on the weekend.
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  Speaker 1: I know it's going to be a busy one for
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  Speaker 1: you guys. On Sunday, very busy. I'm anticipating for you,
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  Speaker 1: what do you reckon?
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  Speaker 4: Certainly, if we look at the historical stats, it's around
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  Speaker 4: an increase of three hundred wildfires on top of our
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  Speaker 4: business as usual incidents that we attend on any given day,
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  Speaker 4: so we're certainly preparing for a busy one.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Joshua Fisher, thank you so much for your time
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  Speaker 1: this morning. As I said, all the best to all
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  Speaker 1: of you on the weekend and let's hope that things
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  Speaker 1: stay as safe as possible.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks very much, thank you.
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  Speaker 1: That's the assistant chief fire officer there, Joshua Fisher