Bush Fire Brigades
The Shire of Lake Grace operates nine Bush Fire Brigades across the Shire, including three brigades with fire appliances and six farmer response brigades. The brigades are supported by Fire Control Officers and our Community Emergency Services Manager.
We are working to improve our compliance with the WHS Act 2020 and making it easier for the Fire Control Officers to mobilise registered Farm Responders and Town Brigade members.
🔥 We are asking that all farm responders and permanent workers register as a member in the Farmer Response ‘brigade’ where you live.
🔥 You only need to be registered in 1 area, preferably where you live.
🔥 Registration is free and allows the Shire to provide training and PPC as funding allows.
ABC News reported that in a written statement, WA Minister for industrial relations, Stephen Dawson said the new WHS Act placed the responsibility on workers. In this case, volunteers need to ensure they take reasonable steps to keep themselves and others as safe as was reasonably practicable. "If they are doing this, we do not see a circumstance in which they could be prosecuted for their actions," he said.
As your Shire, we want to ensure we are providing local access to training and safe systems of work at emergency incidents, as is required. We believe that being registered, undertaking training, wearing appropriate clothing and keeping your fire unit(s) well maintained, will demonstrate that you are taking ‘reasonable steps’ to keep yourself and others safe.
Following discussion we have adopted a Shire of Lake Grace minimum training standard, following the recommendation of DFES as the peak body for fire response in Western Australia. The Training Program reflects a difference in training requirements for a Town Brigade member responding in Fire Truck and a Farmer Response member. The current recommendation is for Farm Response members to complete the 1-day Rural Fire Awareness course and Town Brigade members to complete the Bushfire Safety Awareness and Fire Fighting Skills courses.
We had a great uptake in training in 2022, with most local members attending training. We will continue to make training available to local volunteers to meet our training program requirements.
For transient and short-term workers, we encourage you to provide appropriate training and induction materials relevant to your farm or business and seriously consider leaving these workers behind if you respond to fires in neighbouring properties for their safety and our shared liability. We will not have the capability or resources to train and equip transient and short-term workers.2
An added benefit of registering enables the Chief and other Fire Control Officers to mobilise registered responders easier than in the past, giving them access to a 24/7 call centre that can despatch fire notifications on demand. This system also links in with calling 000 which helps deliver notifications of fire to registered responders as soon as possible.