Page 717 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 19 March 2019

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embassy in Jakarta, particularly the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia and his staff. I thank the ANU, the University of Canberra and the University of New South Wales for their support and engagement in the delegation, which extended well beyond sending participants.

There is now much work to do in following up the many contacts and opportunities that emerged from this short mission. We will get on with this important work because we know it leads to more good local jobs for Canberrans, and that is what matters. I present the following paper:

Ministerial Delegation to Indonesia, February 2019—Ministerial Statement

I move:

That the Assembly take note of the paper.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

ACT Fire & Rescue aerial capability

Ministerial statement

MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Advanced Technology and Space Industries) (11.58): As the Assembly would be aware, the ACT government has committed to increasing ACT Fire & Rescue’s aerial firefighting capability during this term of government. Funding for a new aerial pumper was announced in the 2018-19 ACT budget, and the ACT Emergency Services Agency, or ESA, is now working to have the new aerial pumper on the road in the 2019-20 financial year. ESA regularly and routinely reviews the risk profile across the ACT.

The ESA commissioner and the chief officer of ACT Fire & Rescue inform me that two aerial appliances will provide sufficient operational capability for firefighters to deal with emergency incidents in high-rise and medium-rise buildings in the ACT. ESA also advised that aerial appliances are not the primary source of fire protection, with firefighters benefiting from improved building design and the national construction code requirements, including fire separations, fire doors and fire stairs, and buildings over 25 metres high requiring sprinklers. These provisions are designed to limit the spread of fires in apartment buildings, alert residents and provide safe pathways for occupants to evacuate the building should a fire occur.

Our firefighters are also well trained and can utilise a number of methods to manage all types of incidents to keep Canberrans safe. This was demonstrated in the recent response to a fire on the 12th floor of the construction site in Cooyong Street, Civic, on 18 February this year, where the fire was quickly extinguished without the use of an aerial appliance. This is just one example of how our firefighters can quickly adapt, and have the skills to safely and effectively respond to and control a range of fires and emergencies. The use of aerial appliances complements internal firefighting and


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