Decontamination: what is happening in Australia?

A team of three is heading off to Australia to evaluate the decontamination techniques, equipment, and technologies used over there and assess what will work best for Fire and Emergency.

National Advisor Decontamination, Ben Colbert, said the team will visit Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide and get hands-on user experience of what solutions our AFAC partners are currently using and discuss what they may be looking at for the future. 

‘We feel very lucky as the fire services we are visiting have gone out of their way to accommodate us. 

‘The New South Wales Fire Rescue Service has invited us to a training day with their heavy and light hazmat capability. This will include a demonstration of their mobile solutions in the form of caravans (trailers) for warm shower and non-ambulatory decontamination, and they are going to take us over their low and no water techniques. 

‘Queensland Fire and Emergency Services is moving the date of their Brisbane Regional Exercise to coincide with our visit so that we can participate hands on in the exercise. We will receive a full demonstration and training in the setup and use of all of their decontamination equipment, user friendly detection equipment and software, and pre- and post-decon procedures and techniques (including air, low and no water). 

‘South Australia Metropolitan Fire Service has told us that they will book all of their decontamination resources into a deployment day and have them all at the same station for our visit.’ 

Ben will be accompanied by Aaron Waterreus, Specialist Response Manager and Station Officer Phil Hynd. 

Ben said when the team gets back a procurement plan will be developed and trials of the equipment we select based on the visit will take place.