Page 510 - Week 02 - Thursday, 3 March 1994
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Mr Connolly - the answer to the Members question is as follows:
(1) Yes a fire occurred in the Urambi Bakery, 25 Altree Court Phillip in the early morning of 19 January 1994.
(2) Yes.
(3) Mr. McDonald covers this fire in his Supplementary Report on-ACT Emergency Services. The article in The Canberra Times is incorrect. Mr Sonderegger apparently did not go to the. fire station or knock on the
door at any time. .'
y . A Fire Brigade Superintendent investigated the matter. Mrs. Sonderegger,
Wife of the owner, advised that she was the source of the article and that
"she had made a mistake" and apologised for any problems that she may
have caused.
It appears that Mrs Sonderegger spoke briefly to her husband as he was
about to be transported to hospital for treatment. She later discovered, that
she had misunderstood what he had told her. Mr Sonderegger apparently
started towards the rear of the fire station to summon help but from a
distance could not see any lights on. He changed 'his mind before reaching
the fire station-and went to a nearby service station to phone the Brigade on
the 000 number. . .
The adequacy of after hours lighting at fire stations is now being
investigated. .
(4) Under long standing Award conditions, that applies to Fire Brigades throughout Australia officers are allowed to recline between 10:00pm and 6:OOam. provided there is no work to be done..
In this instance the fire call was received at the communications centre at 5:01 am and the brigade departed the station at 5:02am.
(5) See (3). . . . . .. .
(6) All -urban fire stations are fitted with a direct line emergency telephone and an electric front door bell. The phone is in a bright red box in a prominent. position outside the main entrance. Simple operating instructions are displayed on -the outside of the box. Picking the phone up automatically. activates the signal in the communications centre arid an operator immediately answers the call. Phillip Fire Station has an additional emergency phone at the rear door. The phones are tested regularly and were working correctly at the time of the Urambi Bakery .fire.
(7) Phones. are' already fitted to all fire stations.
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