By
Leesha Furse
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A
RAAF Base Townsville firefighter tests a fire hose.
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Photo
by LACW Simone Liebelt
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ABOUT
two-thirds of RAAF Base Townsville’s 38 firefighters will be posted
to other bases within the next five months because civil authorities
will take over the fire section.
The other third of personnel are seeking employment with Air Services
Australia as civilian firefighters at Townsville. Negotiations
have continued for more than three years to identify the potential
for civilians to conduct rescue and firefighting services at
RAAF Base Townsville.
Squadron Leader Paul Harte, of Flexible Combat Support at AFHQ,
said the transition was scheduled to happen by January 1, 2005.
“It’s the last of the air bases that were identified as part
of the Defence Reform Program to have fire services that we could
transfer to enable our resources to be directed to capability,”
SQNLDR Harte said.
Previously, rescue firefighting services were commercialised
under the Defence Reform Program in the late 1990s.
Flight Sergeant Bruce Pocklington, the senior firefighter at
RAAF Base Townsville, said from a section of 38 firefighters,
up to 12 people from Townsville would be employed with Air Services
Australia and the others would be posted to either RAAF Bases
Amberley, Richmond, Williamtown or Tindal.
FSGT Pocklington said up to two firefighters from Tindal and
up to two firefighters from Amberley might also be employed
by Air Services Australia. He will be posted to No. 322 Combat
Support Squadron at RAAF Base Tindal as the senior firefighter
in charge of the fire section.
“The people that are going to be employed with Air Services Australia
are happy, but the general feeling of the other firefighters
being posted out is uncertainty of the future of the fire mustering
for the simple reason that we are passing on all of our military
firefighting competencies for the first time to a civilian
fire service,” FSGT Pocklington said.
AFHQ issued a minute in April 2003 emphasising that the process
was “relevant only to Townsville”. There was “no intention to
extend this market- testing process” to other bases, the minute
said.
The minute said Air Force rescue and firefighting services would
be retained within the expeditionary combat support squadrons
at RAAF Bases Richmond, Amberley and Williamtown and 322CSS at
Tindal.
SQNLDR Harte said the Townsville firefighters who stayed with
the Air Force would have new opportunities to be part of expeditionary
forces.
“We [the ADF] comprise less than 20 per cent of air movements
[at Townsville] and, accordingly, when we are supporting a joint
airfield those personnel can’t be deployed expeditionarily to
support military operations,” SQNLDR Harte said.
He said the same level of firefighting service would be provided
despite the transition. Defence had organised several on-site
briefings for affected Townsville personnel to keep appraised
of activities.
He said Defence also facilitated and worked to support the direct
recruitment of Air Force personnel by Air Services Australia.
Shane Fox, program manager with Air Services Australia, said his
organisation believed employing Air Force personnel was beneficial because of their experience.
“It’s a quicker process for us rather than getting someone who
knows nothing about it,” Mr Fox said.
Wing Commander Ron Tilley, Manager Regional Planning and Development
with Corporate Services and Infrastructure Group North Queensland,
said the initial agreement with Air Services Australia would possibly
last three years.
“The fire station is being handed over to Air Services Australia
under licence agreement and part of that licence agreement involves
Air Services Australia paying for all the services required to
operate that facility – fuel, light, power, maintenance and cleaning
services,” WGCDR Tilley said.
FSGT Pocklington said the firefighters did a lot of extra tasks
around the base – such as visits to the base child care centre,
filling the water barriers at 5 AVN Regiment and delivering Santa
to the Christmas function – that he thought might no longer be
done under the new arrangements.
Fired-up
for Function
A
FAREWELL function is planned for all past and present Air Force
firefighters who served at RAAF Base Townsville. The event is
from November 13-14.
Information will be forwarded to all Air Force fire sections.
For more details contact Corporal Shane Irwin at RAAF Base Townsville
on (07) 4752 1335.
