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Katie spoke with Chief Fire Officer Mark Spain for a Top End Bushfire Season Wrap Up · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Joining me live in the studio right now is the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territories Chief Fire Officer Mark Spain. Good morning to
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  Speaker 1: your Spainy.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Now, mate, it's been a busy well fire season for
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  Speaker 1: you guys. It always is, but we know that there
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  Speaker 1: has been quite a bit that you've been called out
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  Speaker 1: to over the top end bush fire season. Talk us
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  Speaker 1: through some of these numbers when it comes to just
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  Speaker 1: how many fires you've called out to.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, this season has been being exceptionally busy. However, we
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  Speaker 2: did experience those two years of very light rain. But
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  Speaker 2: this year, as we move forward, we're expecting a really
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  Speaker 2: good wet season. So next year is going to be
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  Speaker 2: even busier than what we have today. So irrespective of
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  Speaker 2: the poor rain, were very very busy. Nearly thirteen hundred
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  Speaker 2: grass fires and just in the top end alone.
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  Speaker 1: So lord, isn't it How does that compare to previous years?
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  Speaker 1: Is it about the same?
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  Speaker 2: They roughly work out the same there some years they
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  Speaker 2: sort of go up and down, but roughly within the
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  Speaker 2: same area. It's the intensity of the fires that we
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  Speaker 2: actually deal with. You know, you can go from a
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  Speaker 2: seat were on the smallering nature strip to virtually days
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  Speaker 2: or days of heavy fires.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, right, and so in the top end obviously two
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  Speaker 1: hundred and ninety six grass fires, a total of four
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  Speaker 1: watch and acts issued. Quite a large number of motor
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  Speaker 1: vehicle crashes that you guys are called out to though
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  Speaker 1: as well.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, as you want to see. With the borders closing,
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  Speaker 2: we had a major influx of our tourism, so those
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  Speaker 2: areas were extremely busy up and down the highway and
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  Speaker 2: all the camp sites were busy. They're really well booked out,
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  Speaker 2: so that's been a good thing for the North of territory. However,
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  Speaker 2: it also does bring those you know, you got road trains,
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  Speaker 2: you got caravaners, you've got the people in normal traffic. Say,
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  Speaker 2: that does add to the complexity of it.
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  Speaker 1: Now, structure fires one hundred and seventy one structure fires
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  Speaker 1: you were called out to.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's correct. That could be anything from a shed
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  Speaker 2: fire to a fully evolved structure fire. We had a
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  Speaker 2: couple of those big ones last year, industrial fires and
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  Speaker 2: shop front fires, so they all have impacts across the
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  Speaker 2: territory that they occur.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and then you're always called out to things like
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  Speaker 1: those fire alarms going off as well, the different smoke alarms,
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  Speaker 1: and I guess they're sort of run of the mill
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  Speaker 1: to some degree. You'd get quite used to being called
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  Speaker 1: out to some of those different different alarms going off,
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  Speaker 1: would you.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we have, Katie, And as I've mentioned in the
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  Speaker 2: past interviews, is that we're actually a little bit broader
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  Speaker 2: than just the firefighters fighting fire. Sorry, we do the
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  Speaker 2: right crash. We do the medical assist for our cousins,
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  Speaker 2: the ambos when they require us. So there's a lot
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  Speaker 2: of activity that goes on just beyond firefighting.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I was going to say eighty seven medical assists
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  Speaker 1: you were called out to as well. What does that mean?
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  Speaker 1: Just assisting the ambos if required.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just helping each other out with the heavy lifts,
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  Speaker 2: assisting them as required. We'll back them up, they'll back
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  Speaker 2: us up. So if we have a major fire, we
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  Speaker 2: know that the ambos will be right on our tail.
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  Speaker 1: Twenty eight has mad incidents. What are they exactly?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a hazardous material spill. So as you see
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  Speaker 2: the territory ramping up with a lot of industry, mining,
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  Speaker 2: a lot of growth in that area, that's going to
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  Speaker 2: be a big risk for us. There's talk about hydrogen
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  Speaker 2: coming into the territory, we talk about electrical cars. So
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  Speaker 2: we've got little concerns about where those electric charging stations
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  Speaker 2: are going to be, for example, in the basements of
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  Speaker 2: the building, so if you have one of those batteries
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  Speaker 2: going off. So we're forever researching and liaising with the
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  Speaker 2: other states and territories of how we're going to manage this,
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  Speaker 2: and it's our job to actually flag the government say
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  Speaker 2: these are the new initiatives that are coming in. But
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  Speaker 2: it's changing the face of how we deal with these incidents.
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  Speaker 1: I had not even thought about that. And have you
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  Speaker 1: sort of seen, like with some of that research from
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  Speaker 1: overseas and that that there is the increased risk of
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  Speaker 1: a fire with some of those charging stations.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's amazing. YouTube, look up YouTube, Facebook. It doesn't
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  Speaker 2: take long to spot it. And that's once it's a
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  Speaker 2: raise for us. It's those sort of areas that we
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  Speaker 2: need to raise, that we need to.
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  Speaker 1: Be prepared for. Yeah, right, So I suppose it's just
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  Speaker 1: about making sure that you're kind of aware of it
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  Speaker 1: and evolving as needed as those different different things change.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, and that's that's a big issue for us. When
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  Speaker 2: I started when the ark was built, we went the fires.
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  Speaker 2: But now it's just changed so much. It's you know,
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  Speaker 2: we used to have plastic homets that would indicate that
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  Speaker 2: we're in too far when they started melting down our
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  Speaker 2: visors to the modern people see, but that creates its
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  Speaker 2: own own datus because we can get too far into
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  Speaker 2: the incident.
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  Speaker 1: Ye. Well, but lucky that safety equipment and stuff does
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  Speaker 1: change over the years. Spainy. You were saying as well
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  Speaker 1: to me off that obviously these numbers that I'm looking
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  Speaker 1: at them or for the top end emergency response area,
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  Speaker 1: but there's still quite a bit happens in Central Australia
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  Speaker 1: as well, isn't there?
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  Speaker 2: As we wrap up our top end fire season, the
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  Speaker 2: Southern season starts. So I've got twenty seven locations across
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  Speaker 2: the Northern territory and they're always busy. So while we're
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  Speaker 2: gearing up for our floods and cyclones through the sees
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  Speaker 2: fire is gearing up for the southern fire season. Heat
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  Speaker 2: stress is a big that's coming to play now. The
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  Speaker 2: Chief Medical Officers highlighted that, So that's another thing that
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  Speaker 2: we need to really focus on.
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  Speaker 1: Hey, a couple of other things, obviously the wet season. Well,
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  Speaker 1: it keeps teasing us at the moment, those storms keep teasing,
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  Speaker 1: but it does mean that there is sort of more
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  Speaker 1: incidents on the road now as I've sort of touched
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  Speaker 1: on as well with some of those different medical assists
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  Speaker 1: and other things that you guys are called out to,
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  Speaker 1: but also the nine hundred and two motor vehicle crashes.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, our fires are out there literally cutting people
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  Speaker 1: out of cars and involved in some pretty dangerous situations
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  Speaker 1: when those vehicles are on fire as well, when there
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  Speaker 1: are different incidents on the road, how important is it
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  Speaker 1: really to just make sure that people are prepared as
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  Speaker 1: the wet season gets underway, when they're out on the
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  Speaker 1: road and trying their best to follow the road rules
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  Speaker 1: as well.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks Katie. There's probably a couple of key messages
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  Speaker 2: for this season this session as I'd like to get
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  Speaker 2: across as we are fast approaching the festive season. So
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  Speaker 2: for this segment, you know, we're a couple of key
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  Speaker 2: messages for the audio. It's the first point as the
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  Speaker 2: borders open up, if you're planning to be away from
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  Speaker 2: your place of residence, check that you have a working
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  Speaker 2: smoke alarm, Turn off any non essential electrical items. Let
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  Speaker 2: your neighbors and friends know to the plans and contact details.
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  Speaker 2: And if you plan to remain of the territory and
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  Speaker 2: you hear a neighbors smoke alarm, activate call triple zero.
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  Speaker 2: But as we lead into the question that you have
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  Speaker 2: asked me about the road crash, it's the second point
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  Speaker 2: up here in the top end. The territory brings the
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  Speaker 2: first lot of reins on arts threatening. But we have
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  Speaker 2: had a couple of showers creating potential slippery conditions on
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  Speaker 2: our roads. So please drive for the conditions and to
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  Speaker 2: your own ability. That's the key point. As a first responder,
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  Speaker 2: we asked that all road uses please remember an internal
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  Speaker 2: distraction I looking around the center of your car within
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  Speaker 2: a vehicle may result in an external reaction and that's
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  Speaker 2: an avoidable crash. There's no accident in road crashes, it's
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  Speaker 2: a crash. So from a minor Bengal to model fatalities okay,
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  Speaker 2: there would be no greater gift for the seasoned, for
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  Speaker 2: our first responders, whether it be our fires, Ambos Police
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  Speaker 2: or Mergant services, to have a zero serious injury and
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  Speaker 2: I have fatality free Christmas within this great community of
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Charity.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and this is the thing, you know, we particularly
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  Speaker 1: over the Christmas period and people going out to Christmas parties,
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  Speaker 1: you know, enjoying a couple of drinks, things like that.
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  Speaker 1: Make sure you've lined up, you know you're sober, Bob,
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  Speaker 1: to get your home. The last thing anybody wants is
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  Speaker 1: to lose a loved one on the road through those
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  Speaker 1: fatalities and road trauma. You know, sometimes we talk a
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  Speaker 1: lot about the fatalities, but there's very often people who
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  Speaker 1: are seriously injured, like long term injuries as well, and
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  Speaker 1: you just want to make sure that we keep everybody
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  Speaker 1: as safe as possible.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, that's all we're asking for. Give us a good Christmas,
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  Speaker 2: To give your family is a good Christmas. We're all
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  Speaker 2: affected by this.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, Mark Spain, the chief Fire officer here in
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory, always appreciate your time. Thanks very much
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  Speaker 1: for coming in this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks very much, Katie,