1
00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,400
Speaker 1: Tell you what territory day. It's always a wonderful time,

2
00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,800
Speaker 1: but it is certainly a very very busy time for

3
00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:11,119
Speaker 1: all of our first responders and particularly our fire is

4
00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:13,039
Speaker 1: now joining us in the studio to talk us through

5
00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:16,880
Speaker 1: how things went from the Northern Territory and Rescue Services

6
00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:21,040
Speaker 1: Acting Chief Fire Officer Steven Saul. Good morning to you.

7
00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:23,200
Speaker 2: How are you, Katie? I'm going pretty good?

8
00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:25,560
Speaker 1: How are you? I'm guessing it was a busy night

9
00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:26,240
Speaker 1: for you guys.

10
00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:28,840
Speaker 2: It was a busy night, but our crews did well.

11
00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,720
Speaker 2: So I like to thank all territories for like how

12
00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:36,279
Speaker 2: they acted last night. We did have multiple events, as

13
00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:41,120
Speaker 2: you can imagine, but it was it was pretty good overall.

14
00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:43,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, right, So do you have an idea of how

15
00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,120
Speaker 1: many fires you had to respond to?

16
00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,480
Speaker 2: Just for fires? Was one hundred and thirty two fires?

17
00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:51,960
Speaker 1: Still quite a large number, isn't it? It is?

18
00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,120
Speaker 2: It is, But just got to remember as well that

19
00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:58,440
Speaker 2: we still have our business as usual calls as well,

20
00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,240
Speaker 2: so we tended to env and the like.

21
00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:02,959
Speaker 1: So, yeah, I was going to say, you just said

22
00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:05,000
Speaker 1: that in one hundred and thirty two fires, what other

23
00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:06,640
Speaker 1: incidents we called out to?

24
00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:12,600
Speaker 2: Yeap, we had a structure fire, We had automatic fire alarms.

25
00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:17,040
Speaker 2: We obviously had rubbishpin fires as well, people putting hot

26
00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:21,400
Speaker 2: fireworks into bins. One of them was actually in an

27
00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,520
Speaker 2: underground car park, which is quite dangerous, so the higher

28
00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,240
Speaker 2: eyes above. So but luckily the buildings have fitted with

29
00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,880
Speaker 2: a w system so that the sprinklers were able to

30
00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,000
Speaker 2: take care of that because all of our crews were

31
00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:34,760
Speaker 2: busy at the time.

32
00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,840
Speaker 1: You do wonder where people's common sense it is sometimes.

33
00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:40,800
Speaker 2: Correct Katie, Yeah, so what happened with that one?

34
00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:42,559
Speaker 1: Somebody's put like some.

35
00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:45,160
Speaker 2: Hot fireworks into a skippin yep.

36
00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,440
Speaker 1: And did it explode or did it didn't explode?

37
00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:52,480
Speaker 2: It was like obviously hotened and then the heat caused

38
00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:54,400
Speaker 2: other combustibles to catch on.

39
00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:58,760
Speaker 1: Fire, and so then the sprinklers I'm assuming have gone off. Yeah, correct,

40
00:01:58,840 --> 00:01:59,960
Speaker 1: then you guys have rocked up?

41
00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:00,440
Speaker 2: Correct?

42
00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:02,120
Speaker 1: And was there much of a like?

43
00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:04,720
Speaker 2: Was there much required when you got there? Obviously just

44
00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:07,360
Speaker 2: the cleanup. It's in a car park, so I meant,

45
00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:11,119
Speaker 2: luckily the water escapes and everything like that. But yeah,

46
00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:13,200
Speaker 2: the system did what it was meant to do, so

47
00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:14,560
Speaker 2: that was that was quite good.

48
00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:16,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a good thing. But were it so talk

49
00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:18,079
Speaker 1: us through those other ones. You're going through that list

50
00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:18,760
Speaker 1: there and I cut in.

51
00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,760
Speaker 2: I'm sorry, Yeah, no, that's fine. So yeah, just rubbish

52
00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:25,800
Speaker 2: bin fires, road crashes and the like. So there's a

53
00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:30,280
Speaker 2: few misreported things obviously, so like we pack up from

54
00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,280
Speaker 2: what we're doing and triage the job sort of thing

55
00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:38,520
Speaker 2: and at tend. But as the call progresses or whatever,

56
00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:40,800
Speaker 2: it's not a structure, it becomes a shed, and then

57
00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,399
Speaker 2: it's not a shared it becomes a pile of hay,

58
00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,959
Speaker 2: you know, so the community garden so in krama, so yeah, yeah,

59
00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,520
Speaker 2: so what happened out there, Yeah, that was it. It

60
00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,600
Speaker 2: was just initially called in and that was it. And

61
00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,639
Speaker 2: from afar it probably looked like a square structure on

62
00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,000
Speaker 2: fire and stuff like that. So community were quite alert

63
00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:03,560
Speaker 2: and reported as soon as they can, which we appreciate.

64
00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,440
Speaker 2: So time is the enemy these sort of things.

65
00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,200
Speaker 1: So what ended up being damaged there at the community guards,

66
00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,840
Speaker 1: I was just parl hay, Okay, that's well, thank goodness

67
00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:17,160
Speaker 1: because otherwise, you know, you end up with the structure

68
00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,880
Speaker 1: fire and I'm imagining it becomes quite difficult to get out, correct.

69
00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:24,839
Speaker 2: So the tip was on fire as well at Shoal Bay,

70
00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,720
Speaker 2: and the guys worked really really hard to get that out,

71
00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:33,119
Speaker 2: so so that prevented it from becoming a four day

72
00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:37,920
Speaker 2: job involving a machine. So just obviously the path that

73
00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,400
Speaker 2: fireworks take and traveled into into the tip zone and

74
00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:42,400
Speaker 2: that was it.

75
00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:44,560
Speaker 1: So how many how many of your crew were sort

76
00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:45,800
Speaker 1: of required to get that one out?

77
00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,880
Speaker 2: I think that was just handled with jeff us. But

78
00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:51,080
Speaker 2: they were very quick on scene and managed to get

79
00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,480
Speaker 2: it under control, so they responded from our station. Yeah,

80
00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:55,880
Speaker 2: that was quite early in the night.

81
00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,200
Speaker 1: Otherwise that could have been quite a bad one, couldn't.

82
00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:00,800
Speaker 2: It could have been here, could have progressed, we'd still

83
00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,320
Speaker 2: be finding it now. So tip fires normally go for

84
00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:03,920
Speaker 2: a few days.

85
00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:08,200
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, well done to those firies that got out

86
00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:09,720
Speaker 1: there quickly by the sounds of it, and got it

87
00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:10,640
Speaker 1: out really fast.

88
00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,240
Speaker 2: Yep. So it was a junior officer that was out

89
00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:17,880
Speaker 2: there and he did exceptionally well hear his crew, so

90
00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:19,000
Speaker 2: good on him.

91
00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:22,359
Speaker 1: Well yeah, hey, what about I mean in some of

92
00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:24,760
Speaker 1: those more public sort of areas, did you have any

93
00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:28,360
Speaker 1: situations where you know, there's always the pandemics that seemed

94
00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:30,400
Speaker 1: to go up quite quickly.

95
00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:34,719
Speaker 2: It's quite spectacular. But yeah, the leads and that from

96
00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:37,960
Speaker 2: the pandanus obviously travel a far distance and we'll set

97
00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,640
Speaker 2: a spot fire off somewhere else. So all fires are

98
00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:43,839
Speaker 2: treated seriously and then we try to get him under

99
00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:45,279
Speaker 2: controllers quickly as possible.

100
00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:48,040
Speaker 1: We're being Callers called in and said that they'd heard

101
00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:51,600
Speaker 1: machinery tools, et cetera were destroyed in a Karama fire

102
00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:56,880
Speaker 1: shed shag fire. I don't know, Yeah, what about along

103
00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:58,560
Speaker 1: East Point? I got told that it was a bit

104
00:04:58,560 --> 00:04:59,880
Speaker 1: wild and wooly around East Point.

105
00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,520
Speaker 2: They're obviously popular places for people to go and to

106
00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,080
Speaker 2: let their fireworks off. So yeah, but majority of people

107
00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:11,159
Speaker 2: like had a lot of fun. You know, people were

108
00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:15,320
Speaker 2: respectful of crews where in past years they haven't been.

109
00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:19,239
Speaker 2: And obviously there was some stuff along Dripstone Cliffs where

110
00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:22,600
Speaker 2: people were reported to be having a two way firefight

111
00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:26,280
Speaker 2: with their fireworks, which police are looking into.

112
00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:31,080
Speaker 1: Saying, Okay, you guys get called out there obviously.

113
00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:33,880
Speaker 2: For dealing with the actual incident of what was on fire.

114
00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,880
Speaker 2: But yeah, so people were reporting through the triples their

115
00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:38,839
Speaker 2: own stuff as.

116
00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,760
Speaker 1: Well, and so what were they saying that because I'd

117
00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:44,760
Speaker 1: heard that there was you throwing fireworks at people at

118
00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:45,200
Speaker 1: each other?

119
00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:50,280
Speaker 2: Correct, So yeah, so that will be looked into. But yeah,

120
00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:54,000
Speaker 2: we're pretty tied up with actual response and putting out

121
00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:58,200
Speaker 2: the fires. Over the next three days will be a

122
00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:01,960
Speaker 2: very high danger period for us. So in Palmerston area

123
00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:06,839
Speaker 2: we're just below extreme for our fire behavior index and

124
00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,520
Speaker 2: we'll have gusting winds up to twenty five k's in now,

125
00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:13,159
Speaker 2: so it's very imperative that people hand back their fireworks

126
00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:17,680
Speaker 2: today by lunchtime to nt work safe and that the

127
00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,799
Speaker 2: people aren't using And obviously we had the fine system

128
00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,279
Speaker 2: in place and people can be charged up to eight

129
00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:26,880
Speaker 2: one hundred and fifty dollars.

130
00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,160
Speaker 1: And so by the sounds of it, the next three

131
00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:31,560
Speaker 1: days are going to be pretty high fire danger. So

132
00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:33,800
Speaker 1: if we do have idiots letting or fireworks, it could

133
00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:35,320
Speaker 1: be pretty bad situation.

134
00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:38,400
Speaker 2: It can be, and that will tie up resources quickly.

135
00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:43,040
Speaker 2: So there's still a lot of unburnt land out there

136
00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,640
Speaker 2: in vegetation, so yeah, people really need to be on

137
00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:49,599
Speaker 2: the lookout and if someone does obviously see a fire

138
00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,159
Speaker 2: or see smoke, then feel free to ring through to

139
00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:57,400
Speaker 2: the desk. So our cruising, their the jestsco operators and

140
00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:00,280
Speaker 2: everything did a wonderful job last night, so we had

141
00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:05,440
Speaker 2: enhanced people on and also our volunteer firefighters as well.

142
00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:08,240
Speaker 2: They were working until two o'clock this morning, and some

143
00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,840
Speaker 2: of their employers were quite graceful and knew how busy

144
00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:13,680
Speaker 2: they would be and they've given them a late start.

145
00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:17,000
Speaker 2: So a big shout out to those employers of our

146
00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:20,600
Speaker 2: volunteer staff. They've really looked after them, and they're sort

147
00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:23,280
Speaker 2: of the Earth People sort of thing. They really get

148
00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:26,120
Speaker 2: in and get involved and that with their community and

149
00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:28,560
Speaker 2: do a good job to protect the community in which

150
00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:28,960
Speaker 2: they serve.

151
00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,640
Speaker 1: Absolutely, Oh that's nice. That's a good thing for their

152
00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:34,640
Speaker 1: employers to do, and so good you know, the volunteering

153
00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:36,880
Speaker 1: their time and their efforts as well on such a

154
00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:39,080
Speaker 1: busy night of the year it is.

155
00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,520
Speaker 2: And they sacrificed their own enjoyment for learning off fireworks

156
00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,560
Speaker 2: to actually deal with the results of fireworks.

157
00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:47,960
Speaker 1: So tell us, do you have any idea how many

158
00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:49,920
Speaker 1: staff were required last night?

159
00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,840
Speaker 2: I don't have that on hand, but we had all

160
00:07:53,880 --> 00:08:00,480
Speaker 2: of our impliances were staffed. We had seventeen extra fives on.

161
00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:05,000
Speaker 2: We had an extra five people in the desk. We

162
00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:07,560
Speaker 2: had a few officers and that as well that were

163
00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:11,960
Speaker 2: running the teok and overseeing the JESK and triaging the calls,

164
00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:14,680
Speaker 2: and we had all of our volunteers as well, so

165
00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:20,840
Speaker 2: all of our volunteer stations were crude adequately to the maximum.

166
00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,160
Speaker 1: How would you compare last night to previous years?

167
00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:29,000
Speaker 2: So in comparison, I think like it's not much really,

168
00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:33,800
Speaker 2: but like we had eighty two fires last year or

169
00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:38,200
Speaker 2: ninety including the lead up time to when you're legally

170
00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,480
Speaker 2: allowed to let the fireworks off. So yeah, so it

171
00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:45,679
Speaker 2: was just over ninety calls for the actual legal time

172
00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:50,320
Speaker 2: for fireworks last year compared with what if we got

173
00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:55,000
Speaker 2: here just over one hundred and thirty two.

174
00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:57,360
Speaker 1: Yeah, so I suppose a bit of an increase by

175
00:08:57,400 --> 00:08:58,880
Speaker 1: the look of things, but there can be a few

176
00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:00,920
Speaker 1: factors at play there.

177
00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:05,880
Speaker 2: Correct, And obviously pretty much from Elliott South was wet

178
00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:09,080
Speaker 2: this year, Yeah right, so yeah, so it was minimal

179
00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:12,280
Speaker 2: calls in Alice Springs and the like. So we did

180
00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,680
Speaker 2: obviously have fires out and Catherine and all of our

181
00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,160
Speaker 2: ras around the remote area of the territory.

182
00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,000
Speaker 1: So from your perspective, how did we go?

183
00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:25,760
Speaker 2: How did we run? Directorians did a great effort and

184
00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:30,920
Speaker 2: at sustaining what could have been like a very big

185
00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:34,760
Speaker 2: and busy night, it's very dry always this time of year.

186
00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:39,559
Speaker 2: They've done well, so hopefully we can see an improvement

187
00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:43,200
Speaker 2: each year as this goes on. And it would be

188
00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:46,480
Speaker 2: really good just to heed the warnings beforehand and just

189
00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:49,199
Speaker 2: use a bit of common sense and not put hot fireworks.

190
00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:50,920
Speaker 2: I understand people are trying to do the right thing

191
00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:54,360
Speaker 2: and clean up their mess, but fireworks really do need

192
00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:55,960
Speaker 2: to be cold before they go into a bin.

193
00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:59,920
Speaker 1: Yeah, good advice, very good advice, and I've no doubt

194
00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,760
Speaker 1: that over the coming days as well, the real you know,

195
00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:06,280
Speaker 1: the real advice too is make sure you get those

196
00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,400
Speaker 1: fireworks to work safe. Yeah.

197
00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,840
Speaker 2: Correct. So the next three days are critical for us.

198
00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:17,960
Speaker 2: We will have enhanced staffing for all of our applients.

199
00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:22,040
Speaker 2: Is that and it's it's yeah, very critical. We'll see

200
00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:26,240
Speaker 2: a cold front come through with what's happening down south

201
00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,920
Speaker 2: that will arrive by Friday. The bomb has been excellent

202
00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:33,800
Speaker 2: with their predictions and selling that have done a great

203
00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,800
Speaker 2: job with the information that they've provided us to date,

204
00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:39,840
Speaker 2: so the next three days will be crucial.

205
00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:43,520
Speaker 1: Well, Steven Saul, the acting chief fire Officer, really good

206
00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:45,400
Speaker 1: to speak with you this morning. Thank you so much

207
00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:46,920
Speaker 1: for your time. And a big thanks to all of

208
00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,400
Speaker 1: our fires, all of our first responders, all of those

209
00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,440
Speaker 1: volunteers as well that have worked their butts off, you know,

210
00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:54,600
Speaker 1: dealing with those one hundred and thirty two fires to

211
00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:56,439
Speaker 1: make sure all of us stay safe.

212
00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:59,720
Speaker 2: No, they've done a great job. Thank you, Katie, and

213
00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:02,640
Speaker 2: thanks Territories for behaving good stuff well.

214
00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:07,360
Speaker 1: I always try, sometimes some days are harder than others.

215
00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:08,440
Speaker 2: I'm sure you do.

216
00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:09,640
Speaker 1: Good on you.

217
00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:11,880
Speaker 2: Takes so much of your time this morning,