1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,000
Speaker 1: We know that there have been a number of fires

2
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,360
Speaker 1: around the Northern Territory in recent days and weeks, some

3
00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,880
Speaker 1: massive fires in fact, in recent weeks. It's been a

4
00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,319
Speaker 1: tough juggle, you'd have to say for our fireies as

5
00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,720
Speaker 1: well as Bushfires NT and all of our volunteers. But

6
00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,800
Speaker 1: joining me in the studio is the Acting Chief Fire Officer,

7
00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,040
Speaker 1: Joshua Fisher. Good morning to you, Josh.

8
00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:19,640
Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.

9
00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:22,800
Speaker 1: Now, Josh, I know that there earlier this week it

10
00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:25,400
Speaker 1: was more Central Australia that we were concerned about how

11
00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:26,480
Speaker 1: things tracking there.

12
00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:31,680
Speaker 3: Yeah, So Bushfires NT working with landowners, volunteers and Northern

13
00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,920
Speaker 3: Territorfy and Rescue Service supporting them. There's a number of

14
00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,120
Speaker 3: wildfires that are burning right across our springs and right

15
00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:42,320
Speaker 3: across the Central Desert region, so fairly busy time for

16
00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:46,479
Speaker 3: pastoral lists for Bushfires in T, volunteers and the NTFIS.

17
00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,120
Speaker 3: A majority of those fires did start as a result

18
00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:52,720
Speaker 3: of some lightning strikes there or some dry lightning storms

19
00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:55,440
Speaker 3: earlier in the week, as well as the number of

20
00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:57,560
Speaker 3: fires that at this point in time have been considered

21
00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:02,960
Speaker 3: suspiciously lit. Real busy operational period for firefighters and landowners

22
00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:05,560
Speaker 3: in Central Australia.

23
00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,040
Speaker 1: Now then in Tenant Creek and all the Barkley region.

24
00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,280
Speaker 1: I believe we've got a fireband in place today.

25
00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:11,199
Speaker 2: Don't we. Yeah, that's correct.

26
00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:13,360
Speaker 3: We've got another firebend in place for the Barkley North,

27
00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,840
Speaker 3: so there's extreme fire danger predicted for that area. Obviously,

28
00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:20,360
Speaker 3: we've seen a number of firebents into Barkley North this

29
00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:22,280
Speaker 3: year with respect to the fuel loads that are there,

30
00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:26,360
Speaker 3: but today it's been driven by the wind strength again

31
00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:30,280
Speaker 3: predominantly is driving the increased fire danger there. Obviously, still

32
00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:32,520
Speaker 3: a number of fires that are burning across the Barkley

33
00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:37,360
Speaker 3: region and also up into the Carpenteria region. So we're

34
00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:41,319
Speaker 3: still waltst we've sort of migrated mostly out of.

35
00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:42,520
Speaker 2: The top end fire season.

36
00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:45,720
Speaker 3: We've still got a little bit of risking around Catherine

37
00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:49,080
Speaker 3: and all the way down into the central Desert region.

38
00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,320
Speaker 1: Took us through some of those, you know, like some

39
00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,760
Speaker 1: of what you have dealt with throughout the season, because

40
00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,120
Speaker 1: it feels like it's been much busier than what it's

41
00:01:57,120 --> 00:01:59,440
Speaker 1: been in previous years. I don't know if that is

42
00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:01,200
Speaker 1: the case, it certainly feels that way.

43
00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:06,040
Speaker 3: Yeah, look what we've faced this year we have seen

44
00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,640
Speaker 3: an increase in the occurrences of suspicious fires this year

45
00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,400
Speaker 3: and particularly this year to date, right across the northern territory.

46
00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,360
Speaker 3: We've responded to over three thy three hundred bush fires,

47
00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:20,040
Speaker 3: fifteen hundred of those occurring in the Greater Darwin region alone,

48
00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:24,160
Speaker 3: so that's down into Bachelor, right up into Darwin and

49
00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,040
Speaker 3: around the rural area, so fifteen hundred of those in

50
00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,600
Speaker 3: that area and the remainder predominantly around Ali Springs and

51
00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:34,480
Speaker 3: then out in the Barkley as well. So really busy

52
00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:37,239
Speaker 3: time and a key message for our springs at the moment.

53
00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:41,239
Speaker 3: We understand that there's some significant smoke that is impacting

54
00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:42,720
Speaker 3: the Olow Springs township and.

55
00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,720
Speaker 2: So some of that air quality is at poor or below.

56
00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,280
Speaker 3: So we do encourage people with reats of pratory conditions

57
00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,000
Speaker 3: or illnesses to avoid any outdoor physical activity if they

58
00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,840
Speaker 3: are developing symptoms like a cough for a shortness of

59
00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,240
Speaker 3: breath when indoors, close the windows and doors until that

60
00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:01,240
Speaker 3: air quality does improve. And you know, if you do

61
00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,239
Speaker 3: have any respiratory illness to follow the treatment plan recommended

62
00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:07,280
Speaker 3: by your doctor. And if you are concerned or you

63
00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:09,560
Speaker 3: are developing any symptoms called the nurse on call on

64
00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,560
Speaker 3: one three hundred six zero six zero two four or

65
00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:14,120
Speaker 3: see your doctor, Josh.

66
00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,960
Speaker 1: Just on the volume of fires, so three thousand, three hundred,

67
00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:20,440
Speaker 1: fifteen hundred of those here in the top end, how

68
00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:22,000
Speaker 1: does that compare to previous years.

69
00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:25,560
Speaker 3: Yeah, it is an increase sort of on average. You know,

70
00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:26,960
Speaker 3: we haven't we're not at the end of the year.

71
00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,120
Speaker 3: It was right in the middle of the Central Australian

72
00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:32,680
Speaker 3: fire season. We can have anywhere from sort of two

73
00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,000
Speaker 3: and a half to three thousand fires, so there is

74
00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,960
Speaker 3: an increase. But overall for the Northern Territory Fire and

75
00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:42,240
Speaker 3: Rescue Service, we're just over nine thousand incidents in total

76
00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:44,400
Speaker 3: that we've responded to, So that's over two thousand road

77
00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:48,440
Speaker 3: crash rescues, over two and a half thousand automatic fire alarms,

78
00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,360
Speaker 3: over three hundred structure fires, not all of those involving homes,

79
00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,200
Speaker 3: but buildings that might have been impacted or a small

80
00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,240
Speaker 3: fire that hasn't spread beyond where the area of origin was.

81
00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,080
Speaker 2: So a signific busy period for us.

82
00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:03,600
Speaker 1: It's been a lot. Hey, and then when you look

83
00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,960
Speaker 1: at what those additional fires are attributed to. Now I

84
00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,600
Speaker 1: know a lot of them are natural or may happen

85
00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,120
Speaker 1: from lightning strikes and things like that and the weather conditions.

86
00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,000
Speaker 1: But you did say there's been an increase in those

87
00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,240
Speaker 1: that have been deliberately lit as well. Has that attributed

88
00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:19,040
Speaker 1: to that increase?

89
00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:22,359
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's sort of the trend that we're seeing and

90
00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,400
Speaker 3: obviously that resulting in the joint operation that we have

91
00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:29,360
Speaker 3: with police and bushfires in t specifically targeting bushfire arsen

92
00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:32,120
Speaker 3: in the Greater Darwin region and we have extended that

93
00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,280
Speaker 3: down into the Berkley and into our springs where we've

94
00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:39,920
Speaker 3: got today fire investigators traveling to Central Australia to assist

95
00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:44,359
Speaker 3: bushfires in TA with determining cause of fires as we're

96
00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:45,920
Speaker 3: moving into their busy period.

97
00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:48,920
Speaker 1: Now, before I let you go this morning, there has

98
00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,160
Speaker 1: been quite a bit of talk since the cabinet reshuffle

99
00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:55,880
Speaker 1: about the separation of police and separating away from fire

100
00:04:55,920 --> 00:05:00,200
Speaker 1: and emergency services. For you, from an operational perspective, as

101
00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:02,719
Speaker 1: our acting Chief Fire Officer at this point in time,

102
00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:04,480
Speaker 1: what would it mean operationally?

103
00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,120
Speaker 3: Look at a high level, this is a really exciting

104
00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,640
Speaker 3: opportunity for both the Northern Terty Fire and Rescue Service

105
00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:14,040
Speaker 3: and also the Northern Territory Emergency Service as we move

106
00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,200
Speaker 3: through the changes that have been proposed, but in terms

107
00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:20,479
Speaker 3: of our operational service delivery, there's no impacts to what

108
00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,680
Speaker 3: we're doing day to day. We're continuing to work with

109
00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,920
Speaker 3: our police colleagues, other emergency service organizations, and our government

110
00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:32,000
Speaker 3: stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition and to maintain that

111
00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,360
Speaker 3: effective emergency response capability. So it really is business as

112
00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,719
Speaker 3: usual at this time as we work with government to

113
00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,000
Speaker 3: understand and make effect those changes.

114
00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:44,000
Speaker 1: Are these sort of shared facilities and shared training areas

115
00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:45,839
Speaker 1: and things like that that may be impacted.

116
00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:48,800
Speaker 3: Yeah, Look, we've been a try service for since the

117
00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:51,840
Speaker 3: eighties and that's a long time. So we do have

118
00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,000
Speaker 3: If we look at Humptydoo, that's a shared police station

119
00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:58,840
Speaker 3: and fire service. If we look in other areas around

120
00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:02,040
Speaker 3: the NT, there's shared facilities with police and emergency services.

121
00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:04,840
Speaker 3: We've got the Peter Macaulay Center, we've got the Joint

122
00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:08,200
Speaker 3: Emergency Services Communications Center. So at this point in time,

123
00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,560
Speaker 3: it really is business as usual. We're continuing to deliver

124
00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:14,800
Speaker 3: the same services that we did a few weeks ago,

125
00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,960
Speaker 3: but we'll work with the Commissioner of Police, we'll work

126
00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,760
Speaker 3: with government to make the changes in the necessary but look,

127
00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,280
Speaker 3: I see where we're at is we'll continue to sort

128
00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:28,760
Speaker 3: of have service level agreements where we'll continue to share

129
00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:32,040
Speaker 3: these facilities for this time as we make the changes

130
00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:33,520
Speaker 3: in the months and in year ahead.

131
00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,840
Speaker 1: Well, Acting Chief Fire Officer Josh Fisher, we better leave

132
00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:38,520
Speaker 1: it there for this morning. Thank you as always for

133
00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:38,960
Speaker 1: your time.

134
00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:39,640
Speaker 2: Thanks Caadie,