Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with NT Firies Deputy Chief Fire Officer Joshua Fischer

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Katie Woolf spoke with NT Firies Deputy Chief Fire Officer Joshua Fischer · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hello, Katie Wolvan three point sixty online at Mix one
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  Speaker 1: O four nine dot com.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Well, quite a few messages slowing through Following on from
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: that interview with the opposition leader Leofanochiaro, I've got one here.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: It says, Katie, could you please ask Lea how it's
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: possible for Gunner to stop the opposition or others from
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: asking pertinent questions that Territorians are entitled to have answered.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: Labor We're elected by territorians, says that text. Another one
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: here it says, Hi Katie, how dare the government continue
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  Speaker 2: to hide and refuse to answer questions? Our debt is
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  Speaker 2: ridiculous and frightening. Their motto of keeping Territorians safe is
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  Speaker 2: going to come back to bite them. I ask who
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  Speaker 2: is going to keep Territorians safe from Gunner?
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  Speaker 3: Says this texter? Where is the administrator?
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  Speaker 2: Another one here from Mark in Twee and it says, Hi, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: My understanding is the IKAK is an extension of the
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  Speaker 2: government's transparency. Therefore their report should be made public without
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: whistleblower names. Otherwise we're not getting value for money. That
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: one there from Mark in Tewee and look, I actually
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  Speaker 2: think you know that whistleblowers do reserve the right to
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  Speaker 2: remain anonymous. That is the you know, that's the very
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: thinking behind being a whistleblower. And if we get to
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  Speaker 2: a point where a journalist is forced to disclose their
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  Speaker 2: source to a story, and in my opinion, that story
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  Speaker 2: yesterday in the Northern Territory News about the IKAK about
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  Speaker 2: an investigation happening into the i CAAC and and you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's by the sounds of things, they've disclosed their conflicts
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  Speaker 2: of interests and done everything above board. But you know,
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  Speaker 2: in my opinion, if you cannot if a whistleblower is
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  Speaker 2: not able to actually you know, say that something like
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  Speaker 2: this is happening, then it really makes you question how
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  Speaker 2: on earth you know, we're going to bring some of
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: these issues to the fore. So look, I'm you know,
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  Speaker 2: I'm intrigued to see exactly where that all lands. But
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  Speaker 2: I do not think that it's appropriate for a journalist
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  Speaker 2: to have to disclose their source. You know, obviously, at
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  Speaker 2: the end of the day, we go to great lengths
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  Speaker 2: to make sure that we keep everything above board and
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  Speaker 2: do everything adequately. We as journalists have to adhere to
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  Speaker 2: our own code of ethics. And you know, yeah, I
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  Speaker 2: just think that it would be a ridiculous situation if
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  Speaker 2: we then, you know, have whistleblowers identified.
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  Speaker 3: Another message here, it says, good morning, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: I'm trying to book for a COVID VACS age eighteen
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  Speaker 2: to forty nine in the Darwin region and there are
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  Speaker 2: currently no clinics accepting bookings. So this is on the
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  Speaker 2: government website and this person says, do you know if
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  Speaker 2: this is due to a shortage in the vaccination.
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  Speaker 3: That's a very good question.
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  Speaker 2: My producer, Ronnie has just been online to see if
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  Speaker 2: she's able to book and she can't. I've just done
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  Speaker 2: exactly the same thing during the ad break and can't either.
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  Speaker 2: I know that there are still some locations where you
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  Speaker 2: can book in for the vaccine, but when you go
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  Speaker 2: through that government website, it says the request is blocked
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  Speaker 2: when you get to the point of trying to book
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  Speaker 2: a vaccine if you're in that age bracket. So I'm
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  Speaker 2: not sure whether this means that we are short of
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  Speaker 2: vaccine or exactly what's going on. But Ronnie is following
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  Speaker 2: that up with the Health Department and with the Minister's
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  Speaker 2: office to see if we can get some clarification. Now
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  Speaker 2: let's move along because we know that police are investigating
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  Speaker 2: the cause of a fire that erupted in a car
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  Speaker 2: park beneath a unit complex in the Darwin suburb of
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  Speaker 2: Larichia early this morning. Joining us on the line to
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  Speaker 2: tell us a little bit more is the NT Fire
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  Speaker 2: Ey's Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Joshua Fisher.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning to you, Josh, Good morning Katie, Josh. What
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  Speaker 3: happened overnight?
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  Speaker 1: So emergency services were made aware of a fire in
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  Speaker 1: Murka Court, Larakair at approximately twelve minutes past three this morning.
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  Speaker 1: There were multiple course Stripple zero reporting sounds of an
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  Speaker 1: explosion and smoke coming from a car park below a
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  Speaker 1: multi story unit complex. Firefighters were assisting Saint John Ambulance
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  Speaker 1: with a medical incident nearby in Beagle Street, Larakiir and
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  Speaker 1: arrived in Murker Cort approximately three minutes later to find
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  Speaker 1: smoke and flames coming from the car park. This incident
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  Speaker 1: was quite distressing for those residents within a unit complex
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  Speaker 1: who were trapped, including young children within their units, by
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  Speaker 1: the thick smoke as a result of the car on
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  Speaker 1: fire and a blow car park. Residents reported to emergency
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  Speaker 1: services that they were unable to leave their units or
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  Speaker 1: did not know where their fire escape was located, and
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  Speaker 1: approximately nine units were impacted by this fire, with residents
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  Speaker 1: unable to leave until the fire was extinguished. Wow. There
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  Speaker 1: was approximately thirteen firefighters from Darwin and Casarina who brought
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  Speaker 1: the fire under control within about fifteen minutes wherein breathing apparatus,
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  Speaker 1: and also managed the evacuation of approximately twenty residents when
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  Speaker 1: it was safe to do so. Thankfully, there were no
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  Speaker 1: reported injuries by residents or responding firefighters in Saint John
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  Speaker 1: Ambulance were not required to treat any patients.
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  Speaker 3: Goodness me.
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  Speaker 2: Just how extensive was this fire? Did it only impact
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  Speaker 2: those cars in the car park down below or did
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  Speaker 2: that damage sort of spread further.
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  Speaker 1: We've got fire investigator there this morning assessing that scene
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  Speaker 1: and determining the full extent of the damage. But what's
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  Speaker 1: reported so far is a car has been fully involved
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  Speaker 1: in that fire and subsequent damage as a result of
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  Speaker 1: heat and smoke. So we're reporting that there is some
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  Speaker 1: plumbing works under the building. There may even be some
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  Speaker 1: heat stress damage done to the cement of that first
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  Speaker 1: story of that building, So a little bit of extensive
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  Speaker 1: damage there and the full extent we know and once
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  Speaker 1: the fire investigation is.
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  Speaker 2: Complete and Josh, were those residents able to return to
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  Speaker 2: their homes?
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  Speaker 3: Then later this morning.
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  Speaker 1: Not all residents were. Some were able to return back,
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  Speaker 1: but residents directly above where that fire was have not
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  Speaker 1: been able to at this point due to the extensive
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  Speaker 1: damage to plumbing and also the smoke that has impacted
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  Speaker 1: that uniticomplex.
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  Speaker 2: So how many people haven't been able to return to
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  Speaker 2: their homes?
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  Speaker 1: I don't have the full details there in front of
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  Speaker 1: me at this point, but at this time it's just
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  Speaker 1: one unit complex that I'm aware of, Okay, but our
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  Speaker 1: crews and a crime scene is still established there as
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  Speaker 1: we work to determine the cause and the full extent
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  Speaker 1: of the damage.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I know that a full investigation is set to
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  Speaker 2: get underway, But is there any idea at this point
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  Speaker 2: whether it's been deliberately lead No?
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  Speaker 1: Not, At this time we can't rule that out. The
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  Speaker 1: fire investigation will determine the cause of that, so the
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  Speaker 1: full details be known once we've completed that work.
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  Speaker 2: And how long do you anticipate that that investigation will take.
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  Speaker 1: The fire investigators there this morning, so they're working through
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  Speaker 1: the steps and obviously hopefully working to cause determined the
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  Speaker 1: cause of that fire. I'd anticipate that it would take
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  Speaker 1: all of this morning to ascertain what we need to
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  Speaker 1: from the scene, and then we'll work with the police
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  Speaker 1: to determine the next steps.
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  Speaker 2: And I'd imagine that that means that the residents of
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  Speaker 2: that building aren't able to use their car park.
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  Speaker 1: That's correct. While the crime scenes established with restricted movement
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  Speaker 1: in that area.
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  Speaker 2: But no injuries aside from that smoke inhalation, everybody did
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  Speaker 2: remain safe, albeit quite scared by the sound of it.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's correct. It was quite stressing for those members,
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  Speaker 1: and our fire fighters do an incredible job protecting territorians,
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  Speaker 1: and I would like to commend all of our members involved,
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  Speaker 1: along with those residents of the complex who quickly raised
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  Speaker 1: the alarm as well as followed the direction of emergency.
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  Speaker 2: Services and Josh, no doubt they would have had to
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  Speaker 2: work incredibly quickly because it is a quite highly populated
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  Speaker 2: sort of area in the sense that there's other units
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  Speaker 2: and things around as well, isn't there.
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  Speaker 1: Oh exactly. There was a number of exposures that our
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  Speaker 1: members had to protect, and thankfully they are in a
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  Speaker 1: nearby street when the alarm was raised, assisting Saint John's
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  Speaker 1: with a separate medical emergency, so we're able to get
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  Speaker 1: our clients as quickly on scene, and with the support
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  Speaker 1: of Casarina with their rescue tender as well as another
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  Speaker 1: pumper a crews, you're able to get to work very
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  Speaker 1: quickly suppress that fire and limit the damage, as well
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  Speaker 1: as being able to accommodate all of those residents that
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  Speaker 1: were reported to.
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  Speaker 2: Be trapped, and so just very quickly because we have
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  Speaker 2: got another we've got a minister waiting on the phone
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  Speaker 2: line for us, but just very quickly. Was it a
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  Speaker 2: situation where those residents inside the building had to be evacuated,
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  Speaker 2: did they have to sort of did you need to
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  Speaker 2: use cherry pickers or anything like that to get them
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  Speaker 2: out or was it a situation where they were still
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  Speaker 2: able to get out via the stairs.
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  Speaker 1: No, they were able to get out via the stairs
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  Speaker 1: once we were able to make clear that escape route,
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  Speaker 1: I guess. In summary, this morning serves as an important
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  Speaker 1: reminder as to how quickly fires can start and spread,
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  Speaker 1: and the importance of having working smoke alarms and having
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  Speaker 1: a written and well practiced home fire escape plan. You know,
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  Speaker 1: it's really important that those fire escape plans are practiced
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  Speaker 1: at least twice a year, that it's designed to suit
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  Speaker 1: your home, and that it's talked about with everyone in
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  Speaker 1: the house. It's really important that children, if they are
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  Speaker 1: in the home, they're involved in the planning and practicing
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  Speaker 1: of that escape so that they're more likely to get
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  Speaker 1: out alive in the event of the house fire.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Chief Fire Officer Joshua Fisher, we really appreciate your
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  Speaker 2: time this morning.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks so much for speaking with us.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks Katie,