Page 718 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 19 March 2019
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rescue techniques, consistent with building design and the requirements of the national construction code.
While ESA is working on the procurement of the second aerial appliance for the ACT, work is also being conducted on replacing the current ACT Fire & Rescue major aerial appliance, the 44-metre Bronto. This appliance was purchased and was first registered in October 2009. The Bronto major aerial appliance was forecast to be replaced in 2024, and no later than 2029, after a maximum 20 years operational life. On the basis of its forecast working life, the ESA had scheduled the replacement of the current aerial appliance for the 2024-25 financial year. The Bronto has not lived up to the expectations that we had. There are a range of reasons for this and I understand the ESA commissioner is looking into this. It is fair to say that the problems experienced by the Bronto in the ACT are not in isolation and that other jurisdictions may have faced issues as well.
For the benefit of members, I can advise that from 1 July 2017 to 28 February 2019 the Bronto was unavailable for approximately 2,354 hours, or 16.1 per cent of the time. Most of this unavailability occurred in the last few months, to address an electrical fault. For the period 1 July 2017 to 26 November 2018 the Bronto was unavailable for approximately 394.5 hours, or 3.2 per cent of the time. I am advised that there was a replacement Bronto in place for 925 hours. It is important to note that these figures include times when the Bronto was needed for scheduled maintenance. These are mandated as part of the registration requirements of the vehicle and the independent accreditation required.
During all preventative maintenance, and where possible during unscheduled maintenance, each task is completed in sequences to allow the Bronto to be quickly reassembled to respond to confirmed triple zero calls. If major servicing is required, ACT Fire & Rescue will attempt to locate a replacement vehicle for the period the Bronto is unavailable.
To date, the ACT has relied on good faith relations with Fire and Rescue NSW and the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade to borrow a spare major aerial appliance when the ACT Fire & Rescue appliance is unavailable. This option is becoming more difficult as fire agencies around Australia are currently having similar reliability and breakdown issues with their aerial capabilities. More jurisdictions are in the process of replacing their major aerial appliance vehicles at end of life and, like the ACT, are managing problematic vehicles. This has resulted in a lack of available spare aerial appliances, creating capability issues across the country.
In doing its due diligence, the ESA has also explored the option of a lending or share arrangement with an aerial appliance utilised by the CSIRO. While the CSIRO were receptive to such an agreement, the United Firefighters Union lodged a dispute. The option is considered unviable for a range of technical, financial and safety reasons. The ESA commissioner is exploring the possibility of bringing forward the replacement of the current ACT Fire & Rescue major aerial appliance. This is due to significant ongoing serviceability problems that are substantially impacting on its operational availability.
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