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Speaker 1: As we know, Territory Day is fast approaching. Many people

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Speaker 1: are gearing up to let off their own crackers to

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Speaker 1: celebrate the place that we love to call home. Now,

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Speaker 1: it's always a busy time for our fieris, though, who

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Speaker 1: respond to numerous blazers on the night, often stemming from stupidity.

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Speaker 1: Now joining me in the studio is the acting district

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Speaker 1: Officer Eric Koman. Good morning to you, Eric, really good,

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Speaker 1: so great to have you on the show. Thank you

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Speaker 1: for your time this morning. Now, what is your message

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Speaker 1: to territories as we head towards Territory Day?

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Speaker 2: I think it's very simple. Just be responsible guys and

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Speaker 2: look after your neighbors, look after your family, look after

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Speaker 2: your pets, think about your actions and be safe.

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Speaker 3: Enjoy.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's really sound advice. Sometimes, unfortunately though,

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Speaker 1: people sort of don't do that. Tell me what level

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Speaker 1: of resources are rostered on for the night from your perspective,

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Speaker 1: we have extra.

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Speaker 2: Crew that are going to be put on and all

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Speaker 2: our stations obviously are always open, but we'll have extra

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Speaker 2: cruing at all these stations, including the rural area, and

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Speaker 2: we'll love be as prepared as we can to assist YEP.

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Speaker 1: And what about have you got the support from the volleys?

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Speaker 1: I'm assuming like bushfires and.

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Speaker 2: We need our volunteers so much, the hard working and

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Speaker 2: we definitely will have as many of our volunteers out

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Speaker 2: and about, so please guys just look after them.

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Speaker 3: They do a great job for us. We're really without them,

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Speaker 3: We're stuffed.

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Speaker 1: Now tell me how many fires and crews were called

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Speaker 1: out to crack a night last year?

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Speaker 3: Right?

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Speaker 2: Last year, JESK, which is our joint Emmerditary Services Communications Center,

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Speaker 2: received approximate one thousand phone calls over a two day

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Speaker 2: period from July the first to July the second. July

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Speaker 2: the first we had around one hundred fires related to

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Speaker 2: fireworks and then on July second around the same number

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Speaker 2: around one hundred fires again. So yeah, and again those

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Speaker 2: two stats are just for Darwin alone.

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Speaker 1: Wow weee. So then when you go into Central Australia

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Speaker 1: in a bit further afield, I'm assuming that there is well,

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Speaker 1: there'll be fires around there as well.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Push Fires MT will be doing the same as us,

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Speaker 2: getting as many of their staff on duty for this

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Speaker 2: period and they'll have the instant management team set up

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Speaker 2: as well, so we'll be liaising between themselves and ourselves

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Speaker 2: to ensure we keep everybody as so safe as we can.

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Speaker 1: Eric when you look at those fires from last year,

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Speaker 1: I mean the one hundred on the first and then

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Speaker 1: one hundred on the second, were they significant fires? Are

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Speaker 1: they smaller sort of fires or do they range.

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Speaker 2: So they're fires of all types. Look, I don't have

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Speaker 2: the stat for you as anything major last year, but

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Speaker 2: skip bins, wheely bins or younger generation all trash bins.

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Speaker 2: But they obviously were one of the issues. People have

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Speaker 2: to consider that when they've let their fire works off,

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Speaker 2: these devices are still hot, so just ensure they're cooled

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Speaker 2: down before you do throw them in the bin. Because

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Speaker 2: a lot of our responses were to people being responsible

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Speaker 2: putting the rubbish away, but it's not out.

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Speaker 1: What about then, when you look at those fireworks that

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Speaker 1: sometimes I mean, we've all been there where you go

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Speaker 1: to let off a firecracker it doesn't go off. You know,

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Speaker 1: what is the advice to people? Surely it's not going

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Speaker 1: back over and trying to re light it again.

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Speaker 2: Leave it alone. Leave it alone is the best thing

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Speaker 2: you can do. I'm not a fireworks expert, but we

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Speaker 2: used to call them a deathwick when I was a

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Speaker 2: young guy. Sorry, I've been involved in fireworks a long

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Speaker 2: time and that little slang term is so true.

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Speaker 3: Lead them alone.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, it can be so bloody dangerous if one

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Speaker 1: doesn't go off. And then you know, we've all heard it,

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Speaker 1: like it's not even just an anecdotal thing. We've all

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Speaker 1: heard it. We've all seen it here in the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory if you've been here for quite some time. Where

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Speaker 1: one doesn't go off, somebody goes and leans over the

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Speaker 1: top of it, you end up with either really bad

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Speaker 1: hand injury, really bad eye injury.

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Speaker 2: Yep, I agree, And so it doesn't discriminate. It's people

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Speaker 2: who do an r as safe as possible still can

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Speaker 2: have these accidents. So when you do let off these

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Speaker 2: fireworks too, guys, you just got to consider the actions

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Speaker 2: where the projectile is going to end up.

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Speaker 3: You know, just quickly talk about the rural area especially.

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Speaker 2: I've got all these people that are going to let

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Speaker 2: our fireworks in the rural area. Ensure your fire breaks

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Speaker 2: are right and sure you've got a bucket water or

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Speaker 2: a host. This is for the people in town as well.

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Speaker 2: Fireworks don't always go to plans, so have yourself organized

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Speaker 2: already for the situations where you might start a fire somewhere,

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Speaker 2: try to extinguish it if you can safely.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, hey, what are the weather conditions looking like for Monday?

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Speaker 2: Look for us obviously, I'm talking about fire behavior we're

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Speaker 2: looking at We're in our fire season, so things are dry.

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Speaker 2: I can't sell it any other way, but looking moderate

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Speaker 2: at this stage. Again, though, a fire that isn't extinguished

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Speaker 2: can very quickly.

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Speaker 3: Turn into something that's dangerous.

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Speaker 2: So even with those kinds of conditions, and please it

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Speaker 2: will change over the next few days. Ensure that you're safe.

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Speaker 2: Ensure you get those those fires put out.

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Speaker 1: What are the best what's the best approach when it

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Speaker 1: comes to disposing of those fireworks as well? I know

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Speaker 1: you said wait till cool down, but what is the

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Speaker 1: best thing to do?

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Speaker 2: Well, my personal opinion is that bucket of water that

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Speaker 2: you've got handed that so you can use to put

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Speaker 2: out those little spot buyers. Put your remnants in that bucket,

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Speaker 2: soak them for a while, put them in the bin

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Speaker 2: there out.

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Speaker 1: Then anything else we should be aware of before Monday

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Speaker 1: arrives and everybody starts letting those crackers off.

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Speaker 3: Oh look really odd?

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Speaker 2: I have to say again we've mentioned our volunteers are

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Speaker 2: going to work very very hard, our operational staff, auxiliaries,

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Speaker 2: everybody out there. Can you guys just please protect the

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Speaker 2: guys that are protecting you. The men and women that

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Speaker 2: do this job, are going to work very hard on

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Speaker 2: that day. We've have had incidence with people aiming their

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Speaker 2: fireworks at the emergency service, so guys, please don't do that.

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Speaker 3: If you're court you will be fined.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. What about I've seen in recent years as well

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Speaker 1: sometimes people letting them off balconies in the city and

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Speaker 1: that kind of thing.

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Speaker 2: Very good point to not do that. You are asking

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Speaker 2: for trouble in those confined spaces. There aren't designated areas

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Speaker 2: around the territory where you can go and let your

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Speaker 2: fireworks off, and I'd recommend you go to those spots.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, good advice.

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Speaker 3: Well.

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Speaker 1: Acting District Officer Eric Koman, thank you so much for

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Speaker 1: your time this morning.

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Speaker 3: Good to speak with you. Thank you