A LOCAL EHO’s PERSPECTIVE

Scott Dandridge, PEHO,

Haydn Jones, SEHO,

Keith Reeves EHO.

Total are burnt 69,165 hectares,

Fatalities 2 Yarloop,

Buildings,

166 Yarloop

181 total

Private land, 31,180 ha,

Public land, 37,985 ha,

Forrest Products Commission 3,300 ha.

It rained very heavily about a week after the fire was controlled.

Tuesday 5th January (evening) Thunder storms, lightning, starts 2 fires at Dwellingup.

Typical conditions hot dry, strong easterly winds. Concerted response ground & aerial.

Wednesday 6th

`Out of control. 100+kmph, Break out on all fronts.

Thursday 7th

Emergency warning, noon, Waroona, Harvey, Preston Beach.

Staff meeting Harvey.

Charred leaves, ash in the street.

No water left in Yarloop by late afternoon.

Speed Camera on SWH south of Harvey,(Excellent).

Thursday 8th

YARLOOP BURNS 7-8pm MASSIVE EMBER ATTACK. Houses ignite simultaneously. Everyone & everything overwhelmed. UNSTOPPABLE. People & Fire fighters take refuge on the oval.

Harvey 10 am

Harvey 3.30 pm

Evacuation issued at noon

Harvey north 11 am

Harvey north 1pm

Friday 9th

“We have lost one of our towns”(PEHO to CEO 6am)

5.30 am PEHO calls CEO. 6 am PEHO/CEO ,Australind Sub office becomes operational centre, 7am other Senior Staff, Thereafter other Staff contacted, Some Staff missing or isolated in the fire zone;

o Haydn SEHO, (trapped defending, PEHO, social media)o Courtney & mum (18yro needed help & advice),o Dean & Tony (defending home, Harvey office &

communications)

o Samantha (Yarloop partial loss),o Frank & Adrian (Yarloop total farm loss).

Senior Staff trying to establish a response. Confusion- rumours & innuendo. Communications difficult.

Business as usual (WHAT ! PEHO ). Noon, PEHO on the lawn. Frustrated already

EVACUATION CENTRE ESTABLISHED Recreation centre, ideal facilities, Worked very well.

Saturday 9th onwards Meetings 4-5 day Meetings & ,,,,, more meetings Continued for weeks repeat of Info Difficult to undertake tasks

Overload Information acronyms, Different agencies, Help offered; Thanks to all EHOs, Phones, (60-80), E-mails, EH, Staff, DoH 6am (Sunday).

Harvey Monday EH Staff meeting white board action plan (spot on)

• PPE, logistics (farming background & practical) DFES requested EHO to assess Yarloop ASAP.

• permits- had to accessed from Waroona ICC,• Road blocks, escorts,• Bridges razed, good to know the back roads,

Historic Railway workshops, 2ha.

Mental Preparedness

PEHO & SEHO affinity with Yarloop, We were tired (3 weeks, 24/7), Separating emotions (military mode), First Shire representatives. Acquaintances & friends;

• Les (mate),• Frank & Adrian, (Shire landfill operator),• Bevan, (X Councillor),• Samantha, (employee/colleague),• Stella (employee),• Ross, (extraordinary), • Hayden (wall of flame pyroclastic blast),• Kathy,• Steve (employee),• Lorraine & Fred (friends/farmers),

Reality, Shock, Helplessness, Anger, Information conduit, Counsellor, PROBLEM SOLVER.

Surreal Yarloop. Devastation, Still smoldering, Stunned people, Dazed animals, Resilient. Out of nowhere.

Portable Cool room, 50 breakfast per day.

What we did. Organisation, in a logical order. ID issues,

Asbestos, effluent, gas bottles, waste, carcass, H metals, Lots of other, power lines, fire, flying debris, sites, Confused roles, Needs of the people.

Overall assessment for DFES. (difficult).

People wanted action.

Procedure & accountability,almost paralyzing.

Issues. Confusing;actions vs $.

What you wanted to do.

Behind the scenes.

What you can do.

External expertise Hazard management, within 2 days of accessing Yarloop.

Air monitoring, asbestos stabilization, (by Wednesday, green light Sunday.)

DoH, to confirm actions, Water Corp (Brilliant),drinking showers & sanitation, Kleen Heat Gas (brilliant), Lots more.

External help Waste contractor, (access to Yarloop, road blocks, permits)

o solid, liquid,o Plumbers/drainers (local).

PPE, P2, overalls …….100’s, Signage 100’s, warning, ID of Septic tanks Danger tape, kilometres, Star pickets 100s, Drinking H2O carters.

Power lines

Septic tanks

Impaling

Flying debris

Hot spots

Gas bottlesFalling branches

“EHOs often felt like this” (PEHO).

No further comment required.

Negativities Residences felt isolated, Distrust authorities, Shire received negative criticism over everything, Staff abused, Contractors threatened, Too many meetings, Slow process, action not words. Deliberately lit fires. Lack of acknowledgement of EHOs.

PEHO 3 weeks, 1 day off, Tired, frustrated, Sleepless nights, Self critical, Fires across the road, (deliberately lit), Animal deaths.

Positives EH section worked very well, Above & beyond, Initiative, onsite, ablutions/Wcs, water, Confidence, Support, Practical solutions (our rural background), Humour (we had too), Acknowledgement from local people, Sense of trust.

IRONIC Most critical EH problems solved, if the town was evacuated. Professional personnel wearing PPE, town occupants not.

THE SHIRE WAS ADVISED ON THE 2ND FEBUARY 2016,THAT THE STATE GOVERNMENT WOULD TAKE CONTROL OF THE

MANAGEMENT & CLEANUP.

More readingREPORT OF THE SPECIAL INQUIRY INTO THE JANUARY 2016 WAROONA

FIRE.