• Latest Events • Emergency Law with Prof. Michael Eburn • Friendships & Career in the Emergency Sector • Technology changing Police Surveillance • Natural Disasters & Mental Health • Click image to read more......
Vol 13. 2019
THE EMERGENCY
Strong bonds & rewarding careers
SERVICES INDUSTRY
Technology
changing the
face of Police
surveillance
The impact
of natural
disasters on
mental health
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Services Health is a not-for-profit
health fund that exists to enhance the physical
and mental health and wellbeing of Australia’s
emergency services community.
We do this by providing health insurance products,
support, information and services designed
exclusively for the needs of our members.
We treat our members like colleagues.
That’s because they are.
Fire Response &
Recovery Sector
State Emergency
Response &
Recovery Sector
We’re rallying for
everybody working and
volunteering to protect
our communities.
Ambulance & Medical
Response & Recovery
Sector
Water Response &
Recovery Sector
Why Choose Us?
Our simple products are
tailored to the lifelong needs
of our members.
We provide top quality cover, and
will stand beside our members
when they need us most.
Our approach is personal;
we care about our members.
We’re run for the benefit
of members. We’re a true
not-for-profit. We’re not
driven by corporate investors
or overseas owners demanding
shareholder dividends.
Who Can Join?
Emergency Services Health is open to people across Australia who were
or are employed (including volunteering) in emergency services, and their
families. Our focus on the emergency services community means we make
sure we provide the most relevant products and best quality service for the
lifelong health and wellbeing of our members.
For more information:
PHONE
1300 703 703
EMAIL
enquiries@eshealth.com.au
VISIT
eshealth.com.au
Emergency Services Health Pty Ltd ABN 98 131 093 877
Paramedics Australasia International Conference
PAIC19
BROADENING HORIZONS
28–30 NOVEMBER 2019
Wrest Point • Hobart • Tasmania
https://www.paramedics.org/events/
Photo credit: Roger Wong
CONTENTS
2
Editor’s Note
Latest Events
4
6
8
12
16
20
24
28
31
• 2019 Frontline Mental Health
Conference
• Hawthorn hosts Emergency
Services Match
Emergency Law with Professor
Michael Eburn
Friendships and Career in the
Emergency Services Sector
Technology changing Police
Surveillance
Natural Disasters and Mental Health
Language Barrier in heath care
How a bushfire can destroy a home
Female leadership in the NSW Fire
Service
2019 Flu Season - what we know
Emergency Contact Information
Cover Image:
Surf Life Saver Float
VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AND
VIEW ONLINE
EDITORS NOTE
FROM THE EDITOR
We hope you have unpacked the winter woolies for
this latest edition of the Australian Emergency Services
Magazine. A chilling cold front recently brought
snowfall across the Victorian and NSW alpine regions,
sending the icy blast far and wide.
In this edition, much like any other, we want to honour
and pay respect to the emergency services sector. It
is a large, generous and tight knit community as was
demonstrated in April when volunteer lifesavers,
Andrew Powell and his father Ross Powell tragically
lost their lives whilst attempting to rescue a tourist near
the Twelve Apostles in Victoria. Their bravery and
community spirit was spoken of all over the country,
This is the very core of the emergency service sector -
full of courageous and self less people who put the safety
and well being of others ahead of their own.
Working and volunteering in the emergency services
industry is certainly a life changing occupation. One
where strong bonds are formed and rewarding careers
are carved out. Our article in this edition about Amee
Morgans and Erin Smith - who started out at ESTA,
gives more insight into what a career in the emergency
services sector offers.
Stay warm and
happy reading
Emma Parker
Editor
Follow us on our social channels
and on our new website
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au
DISCLAIMER
The Australian Emergency Services Magazine is
a community educational resource publication
and does not promote itself as a charity or
fund raising institution, nor solicit on behalf of
charities and is no way financially supported by
or associated with any government or similar
institution.
Distributions of the publication is Bi-Monthly
and are circulated via a database of interested
parties, including business, subscribers,
advertisers, volunteer emergency organistations,
and council libraries. A print and digital
magazine is distributed to a targeted database in
each State & Territory.
Every effort is made to ensure that material
presented in the Australian Emergency Services
Magazine was correct at the time of printing
and is published in good faith, no responsibility
or liability will be accepted by Boothbook
Media. The views and opinions expressed are
not necessarily those of Boothbook Media and
its employees. The content of any advertising
or promotional material contained within the
Australian Emergency Services Magazine is not
necessarily an endorsement by Boothbook
Media.
Published by Boothbook Media
ABN:72 605 987 031
BOOTHBOOK MEDIA
DIGITAL MEDIA & MARKETING
WANT TO CONTRIBUTE?
MAGAZINE CONTACTS
Editorial Content
press@ausemergencyservices.com.au
Advertising Enquiries
admin@ausemergencyservices.com.au
Distribution Enquiries
contact@boothbookmedia.com.au
Postal Address
Boothbook Media
Suite 112, Locked Bag 1
Robina TC, QLD 4230
1300 851 710
Please submit all articles to the Editor for consideration at:
press@ausemergencyservices.com.au
Articles should be no more than 1000 words and be relevant to the content
within the Australian Emergency Services Magazine.
Australian & New Zealand
Disaster & Emergency Management Conference
Wednesday12 - Thursday13 June | RACV ROYAL PINES resort
GOLD COAST, QLD
2019
conference
www.anzdmc.com.au
THE PLACE LEADERS COME TO MEET
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION CLOSES
WEDNESDAY 12TH - THURSDAY
8 May 2019
#ANZD-
Brought to you by:
LATEST EVENTS
2019 Frontline Mental Health Conference
There is a lot of positive work being
done within the emergency service
sector dealing with the mental health
of first responders and emergency
service personnel.
The Australian & New Zealand
Mental Health Association is hosting
the 2019 Frontline Mental Health
Conference in Townsville on Sunday
20th October through to Tuesday
22nd October.
This premiere event is designed for
all professionals working on the
frontline of disaster and emergency
management – from paramedics,
police and firefighters, through to
defence force workers and volunteers.
This conference will feature lived
experience speakers through to
mental health professionals and
emergency service professionals.
It aims to provide a platform for all
opinions, experiences and insights,
to help break the stigma of seeking
support for mental health when
working on the frontline.
First responders are at high risk of
developing mental health conditions
linked to stress and traumatic events.
The Frontline Mental Health
Conference has sourced some of
Australia’s most influential experts
in mental health, experienced in
providing specialised service and
support to workers regularly exposed
to disaster, emergency, stress and
trauma.
The speaker line-up will give you the
chance to hear from fellow workers
in the front line, sharing their
experiences in dealing with issues and
instances that can severely impact on
mental wellbeing.
Attending the conference will provide
you with a library of resources,
including all presenter podcasts and
presentation slides. This will ensure
you are equipped with everything you
need to continue your educational
journey long after the conference has
ended.
It will be an opportunity to discover
research, insight and treatment
techniques from mental health
experts and to meet with fellow
industry workers.
To find out more about the
conference you can head to their
website to register your interest as an
attendee or a speaker. There are early
bird rates available.
2019 Frontline Mental Health
Conference - Townsville
www.frontlinementalhealth.com.au
LATEST EVENTS
When Hawthorn takes on
Collingwood on Friday 5 July at
the MCG, emergency management
personnel will be the focus.
The Emergency Services Match is an
initiative of Hawthorn Football Club
and aims to raise awareness of the
mental health challenges faced by
emergency management personnel, as
well as celebrating their contributions
to the community and raising
money for the Emergency Services
Foundation.
Nearly 40 percent of emergency
services employees are diagnosed
with a mental health condition,
compared to 20 percent of all adults
in Australia.
Footy fans who are also emergency
services personnel can get behind the
initiative by purchasing an Emergency
Services Membership, which provides
access to the Emergency Services
Match and one other Hawthorn Footy
Club game.
All proceeds from the memberships
go to the Emergency Services
Foundation.
Every day, our emergency service
workers, both paid and volunteer,
respond to over 7000 calls for help
from 000 here in Victoria.
They see, and do things, that many of
us find hard to imagine – and so often
they respond with their heart in their
mouth in anticipation of what they
will be faced with when they arrive at
the scene – especially when they are
working close to home in their own
small communities and see children
and others harmed reminding them
of their own families at home.
In recent years there has been a
growing awareness of the impact
that this work has on people, and
how exposure to danger and trauma
impacts their mental health and
wellbeing.
Hawthorn Football Club Hosts
the Emergency Services Match
A national survey conducted by
Beyond Blue reflects the collective
voices of the 21,000 individuals who
shared their information to provide
ground breaking evidence into the
mental health and well-being of
emergency service personnel.
The research found:
• One in three employees
experience high or very high
psychological distress compared
to one in eight Australian adults
• One in three volunteers report
being diagnosed with a mental
health condition in their
life compared to one in five
Australian adults
• Over half employees surveyed
experienced a traumatic event
in the course of their work that
deeply affected them
• Employees who have worked
more than ten years in police and
emergency services are almost
twice as likely to experience
psychological distress and
six times more likely to have
symptoms of PTSD compared to
those with less than two years’
service
• Employees and volunteers report
suicidal thoughts over two
times more often than adults in
the general population and are
three times more likely to have a
suicide plan
These results reveal a workforce
that is deeply impacted, both by the
nature of the work that they do, and
the pressures of the environments in
which they work.
Support the Emergency Services
Foundation at:
www.esf.com.au
AUSTRALIAN EMERGENCY LAW with Professor Michael Eburn
A DISCUSSION ON
THE LAW THAT
APPLIES TO OR
AFFECTS AUSTRALIA’S
EMERGENCY
SERVICES AND
EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT
PHD
Barrister
Leading expert in Law
relating to Emergency
Management &
Emergency Services
Follow Michael Eburn
Facebook- facebook.com/EburnM/
Twitter - @EburnM
For his latest articles on Emergency
Law go to:
www.emergencylaw.wordpress.com
Prevent or Respond ?
A question for Emergency Services
The mantra is Prevent, Prepare,
Respond and Recovery.
Preventing an emergency is better
than responding to one; but equally
we want resilient communities where
individuals and communities take
responsibility for managing their
own risk. But that still leaves the
emergency services to respond if and
when the residual risk manifests.
So where does the role of the
emergency services sit when it comes
to ‘prevent’? That is the essence of
today’s question that comes from
Adelaide. My correspondent has
noticed:
A large tree is growing in one of
the private residences, right on the
edge, literally, of a lane – there is no
footpath. This tree has a diameter
at the base of abut 1.5 metres and a
height of, maybe, 30 to 40 metres – I.e.
a ‘significant’ tree. A broken branch
was lying across two other branches
at a height of 15 to 20 metres. The
butt of the branch was about a metre
into the lane on the tree side and the
branch extended across the lane and
finished about 2 to 3 metres over the
first-floor open car park area of a
business on the other side. It had been
there for some time because the leaves
were dead.
I advised the resident in the house
and she said that she would inform
the owner (she is renting). I advised
the business on the other side and the
receptionist said that she would notify
the council, which I had intended to
do, as well.
Jan 29, 2019
As an SES volunteer, I also called it in
to the SES reporting line. In Adelaide,
these calls go the MFS call centre. After
I explained the situation, the call-taker
said that it was not their responsibility;
it was the responsibility of the landowner.
I knew that it was too high for
SES to handle, but the MFS has aerial
units that would reach it and I thought
that they may respond.
I suspect that it is the responsibility of
the land-owner, but is this the case?
Would it constitute enough of a risk for
emergency services to be involved?
The problem is, in essence, that the
emergency services legislation says
very little about what the emergency
services do. It may be axiomatic that
fire brigades respond to fires so if
there is a fire everyone knows that
it’s the fire service job. And the fire
brigades have specific duties and
powers with respect to preventing
fires (see Fire And Emergency
Services Act 2005 (SA) ss 71-95A and
ss 105A-105K (relating to the Country
Fire Service)). But for other hazards
the issues are not so clear.
The South Australian State
Emergency Service has a number
of functions relating to dealing
with emergencies, including ‘to
assist the State Co-ordinator, in
accordance with the State Emergency
Management Plan, in carrying out
prevention, preparedness, response
or recovery operations under the
Emergency Management Act 2004’ (s
108(1)(b); emphasis added); and ‘to
deal with any emergency— (i) where
the emergency is caused by flood or
storm damage’ (s 108(1)(d)).
Emergency is defined (s 3) as:
… an event (whether occurring in
the State, outside the State or in and
outside the State) that causes, or
threatens to cause—
(a) the death of, or injury or other
damage to the health of, any person;
or
(b) the destruction of, or damage to,
any property; or
(c) a disruption to essential services
or to services usually enjoyed by the
community; or
(d) harm to the environment, or to
flora or fauna;
A dead tree limb hanging over a lane
threatens to cause death or injury
should it fall on someone, may
damage property and would certainly
disrupt ‘services usually enjoyed by
the community’ if it fell and blocked
the lane.
If this lane was moved to New South
Wales, the NSW State Emergency
Service is to ‘to protect persons
from dangers to their safety and
health, and to protect property from
destruction or damage, arising from
floods, storms and tsunamis’ (State
Emergency Service Act 1989 (NSW) s
8(1)(aa)). Removing a dead limb that,
if it falls during a storm, may cause
injury and would block a road would
‘protect persons from dangers to their
safety and health’. But I don’t think
anyone would seriously expect that
the SES in either SA or NSW would
respond to this job.
The answer is however that there is
no clear legislated line. It would be
quite consistent with the Act for the
services to see a hazard and seek to
remove it but there does have to be a
line. The SES are not going to clean
someone’s gutters as that will reduce
the risk of damage due to storm; nor
are the fire brigades going to check
domestic electricity installations
as that will prevent fire and every
adopts the PPRR mantra. The line
is drawn in effect by the emergency
services. They have been created
by government with a broad range
of functions and it is then up to the
Chief Officers to determine what they
do and what they do not do.
They only have limited resources and
have to ensure that they can do what
is clearly their role which is ‘respond’
to the emergency. This reasoning in
part explains why, as has been said
here before, there is no legal duty on
the emergency services to respond
and why the allocation of resources
by government to agencies such as
the SES and then within the SES
cannot be challenged in court. If
the Chief Officer assigns the bulk
of the budget to response, some to
community education and none to
removing obvious hazards from trees
across public lanes, that cannot be
challenged in court. That is his or her
call as to how the service is to operate.
What follows is that, in my view, it
would not be inconsistent with the
Fire and Emergency Services Act
2005 (SA) for either the Metropolitan
Fire Service or the South Australian
State Emergency Service to respond
to this notification of a threat to life
and property. There is nothing in
the Act to say that they must attend,
and nothing to say they must not. It’s
really up to them to decide how they
allocate their resources.
Even if the tree limb fell it’s not clearly
anyone’s responsibility. Council own
the lane and like any landowner can
chose to call the emergency services
or not. If there is a person trapped
under the tree then it’s going to
trigger an emergency response but if
it’s just on the road, the council, the
owner, a bystander or the SES may
choose to remove it. If it fell on a
person or car it would be impossible
to sheet legal responsibility to the
emergency services for failing to
remove it when they knew of it (see
No duty to prevent a disaster and no
duty to rescue (December 26, 2018)
and see also State of NSW v Tyszyk
[2008] NSWCA 107 discussed in
NSW Police owed no duty of care
to the family of fatal accident victim
(December 1, 2017)).
Legal responsibility for the tree, in
terms of who will have to pay if it
does fall and cause injury or damage,
is the tree owner – see Liability for
dangerous trees (April 28, 2015).
This article originally appeared on
the blog Australian Emergency Law
(https://emergencylaw.wordpress.com/)
and is reproduced with the permission
of the author.
As a blog post it represents the author’s
opinion based on the law at the time it
was written. The blog, or this article,
is not legal advice and cannot be relied
upon to determine any person’s legal
position. How the law applies to any
specific situation or event depends on
all the circumstances.
If you need to determine legal rights
and obligations with respect to any
event that has happened, or some
action that is proposed, you must
consult a lawyer for advice based on
the particular circumstances. Trade
unions, professional indemnity insurers
and community legal centres can all be
a source for initial legal advice.
FRIENDSHIPS FORGED AND
CAREERS MADE IN THE
EMERGENCY SERVICES SECTOR
Almost 20 years ago, Amee Morgans and Erin Smith started at the
Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) (then Intergraph)
as triple zero call-takers. Since then, they have continued working across the
sector and are still close friends. Tania Willett from ESTA interviewed them
about their personal experience and the different career paths and leadership
roles that this sector has to offer.
Both women now have PhDs in
emergency services; Amee is back
at ESTA as Executive Director
Operations Support and Erin is
Course Coordinator and Senior
Lecturer in Disaster Response at
Edith Cowan University. For Amee
and Erin, joining ESTA was a positive
life-altering experience that led them
down the path of emergency services.
Both have worked in triple zero
call-taking, research, policy and
education.
They talked recently about their
experiences, the friendships and
bonds that are created in the sector
and the different career paths
emergency services offers.
Take us back to where it all
started. How did you get into the
emergency services sector?
Amee: My interest in emergency
services has always been present.
I grew up with my dad being a
The emergency services sector is filled
with people that are all the same sort of
person - community focused and their
valued alignment is very strong; selfsacrifice
and doing things that are
difficult for the greater good
Amee Morgans
paramedic. When I had nearly
finished my degree in psychology, I
got a part-time job in an ambulance
crisis-counselling unit, which
opened me up to the challenges that
emergency services workers face. I
knew I wanted to use my skill set in
the emergency services sector, which
led to me taking a job as a triple zero
call-taker.
Erin: When I first started at ESTA,
that was my springboard into an
emergency services career. As a triple
zero operator, the emergency services
world really opened up to me but the
pivotal moment for me was when
the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened.
I was working for ESTA during 9/11
and it really made me think - `what
are our emergency services people
thinking watching this unfold?
How is this going to influence our
sector in Australia?’ Since then I’ve
completed a PhD in disaster response
and have interviewed more than 100
paramedics in Melbourne, London
and New York about how 9/11
changed them and their perspective
on the work that they do.
Erin Smith Course Coordinator and Senior Lecturer in Disaster Response at Edith Cowan University and Amee Morgans Executive Director Operations Support ESTA
I believe you and Amee also
worked on a research paper
together around paramedics’
perceptions; can you talk a bit
more about that work?
Amee: Yes, in 2009, Erin and I
worked on a research paper titled
‘Paramedics’ perception of risk and
willingness to work during disasters’.
Paramedics, as emergency healthcare
workers and frontline responders
are expected to be both willing and
able to respond when disaster strikes.
In summary, this research looked at
whether the willingness to work is
directly influenced by paramedics’
perception of risk.
Erin: In terms of methods, a total of
58 Victorian paramedics participated
in this study and a total of 12 focus
groups were conducted throughout
the state, with each group facilitated
by the use of three different
emergency services scenarios. We
then analysed each groups’ reactions
to those scenarios.
It’s clear from your careers
and research that you’re both
passionate about the wellbeing of
emergency services workers. How
important is this to the sector as
a whole?
Erin: A lot of my work to date
looked at the long-term impacts on
first responders after disasters. For
example, with my research involving
9/11, I followed the paramedics and
their families over 15 years to see
the mental health impact that 9/11
had. The emergency services sector,
because of the nature of its work,
is one that can have high levels of
anxiety and stress and other mental
health issues. It’s important that as a
sector we continue to address these
issues and ensure that our people are
getting the right help before, during
and after disasters.
Amee: The 2009 Victorian bushfires
was when I saw the mental health
consequences on those from my
own family who work in emergency
services; my sister works in triple
zero, one brother is a police officer
and my other brother is a firefighter.
To see the impacts on my own family
really drove home how important
looking after your wellbeing is in
this sector is. Both Erin and I, in
our roles, are looking at trying to
make the workforce a healthier place
for emergency services workers by
looking at how we can set up better,
how we can manage things better and
how do we recover better. If people
are confident and competent, we will
be less likely to have mental health
injuries across the sector.
You both forged a strong
friendship over the past 20 years.
What have you noticed about
friendships and bonds in the
sector?
Amee: The emergency services sector
is filled with people that are all the
same sort of person - community
focused and their valued alignment
is very strong; self-sacrifice and
doing things that are difficult for
the greater good. I think because it
takes a certain sort of person to be
an emergency services worker and
stick with it for the long haul,; strong
bonds are created because we all get
each other and have been through
experiences that nobody else can
really understand. It’s also a small
world in this sector - everybody
knows everybody. I know whole
families in the sector. There are always
touch points.
Erin: I know for Amee and I we
developed a lovely friendship during
our time working at triple zero
because we supported each other. We
weren’t just your typical workmates –
we heard things that you wouldn’t be
exposed to in another job role.
What do you both see when you
look at the future of the sector?
Erin: I see there being lots of growth
in terms of the types of roles we will
have. Even though we have many
different career paths in emergency
services that people can take now,
such as education, logistics and
recovery work, I think there will be
more targeted courses, and we’re
certainly seeing that now in the post
grad area; for example, there are
courses such as wildness medicine
and tactical medicine.
Amee: I hope to see boundary-less
services and a greater ability to
transition between sectors and roles.
When people reach the end of their
career as a first responder, it would
be good to see that they can transfer
into other roles within the emergency
services sector.
Tania Willett
Corporate Affairs Adviser
ESTA - Emergency Services
Telecommunications Authority
BIG BROTHER IS
WATCHING:
how new technologies are changing
police surveillance
When we think of
surveillance, we tend
to imagine traditional
surveillance tools like CCTV systems
run by local authorities. The use of
CCTV has certainly increased since
I was a young constable on the Gold
Coast in the early 1990s. From a
CCTV network of 16 cameras when
they were first introduced to the city
precinct, the network has grown to
more than 500 cameras today.
But surveillance is much more than
just CCTV. It now includes things
like private home or business security
systems, police body-worn cameras
(BWC) and the use of helicopters
and drones. And we all have the
capacity to conduct surveillance and
gather evidence using the technology
contained in our mobile phones.
These new technologies are changing
the way police approach surveillance.
Rather than using surveillance tools
reactively to catch criminals caught
in the act on camera, police are now
proactively seeking out criminals
in the process of offending and
recording the evidence on the spot.
CCTV helps solve crime,
not prevent it
Most studies show that CCTV by
itself does not necessarily prevent
crime, but it does assist in responding
to and solving crime.
In the Boston bombing case, police
used footage and images from state,
public and private sources to identify
the suspects. CCTV is also proving
crucial in identifying the bombers
who staged the recent coordinated
attacks in Sri Lanka.
Two studies released by the Australian
Institute of Criminology last month
focused on the use of CCTV by
police. The first showed that where
police requested and used CCTV
footage, there was an increase in the
rate of matters being solved. The
second study showed CCTV footage
is highly valued by law enforcement
personnel, with 90% of investigators
using the footage when it was
available. Two-thirds were able to use
it for the reason they had requested it.
New tools, new capabilities
We are now seeing a move from
reactive surveillance to proactive
surveillance.
Police body worn cameras (BWCs)
are an example of this. Every police
service in Australia is now using
BWCs. Rather than just recording
a criminal event by chance, BWCs
enable police to actively seek out
those committing offences, and
ecord the evidence against such
offenders.
Queensland Police requires its
officers to record whenever the
officer is acting in the performance
of his or her duties. The device must
be recording prior to, and during,
the exercising of a police power or
applying a use of force.
This requirement can be problematic
since the officer must physically start
the recording. In the shooting matter
of Justine Damond in the United
States, officers were criticised for
having their recording devices turned
off during the shooting.
Some services have attempted to
deal with this issue, such as Western
Australia Police for instance, by
having the BWC automatically begin
recording when an officer draws their
firearm.
Even traditional CCTV is becoming
proactive with the introduction of
mobile CCTV cameras that can
be moved as required to areas of
community concern.
Many police services are using drones
for tasks such as crowd management,
surveillance and target acquisition.
Queensland and Victoria are just are
two states that are committed to the
use of drones for policing purposes.
In 2017, Queensland Police had a fleet
of ten drones.
Facial recognition enables ‘predictive
policing’
Facial recognition software was
once the thing of Hollywood movies
like Mission Impossible. It’s now a
reality, with the Council of Australian
Governments (COAG) agreeing to
share biometric data, such as drivers
licence details and passport photos,
between government agencies.
Facial recognition software
was used by police during
2018 Commonwealth games in
Queensland. And the Queensland
government has indicated police will
continue to use facial recognition
tools – although confusion surrounds
when or how it will be deployed. The
ABC has reported that the facial
recognition system was so rushed that
it lacked the data to operate effectively
during the Commonwealth Games.
Facial recognition adds a predictive
policing capability to traditional
CCTV systems. In essence, predictive
policing or pre-crime policing is
an attempt by law enforcement to
disrupt criminal activity by the early
identification of criminal threats.
For example, Operation Nomad saw
a South Australian police visiting
suspected and convicted arsonists
when automated number plate
recognition alerted them to suspects
driving in fire danger zones. The
operation was credited with the
reduction of bushfire related arson.
Keeping a watch on big brother
Surveillance is changing from being
static, fixed and reactive to being
flexible and proactive. The enhanced
capabilities helps law enforcement
fight crime, rather than just solve it.
The Coalition government promised
A$20 million to increase the number
of CCTV cameras across the country.
Under the proposal, up to 2,600
cameras would be installed at 500
“crime hot spots”.
While this is a largely positive
move, we must ensure that there
is accountability and transparency
in the use of these technologies,
and ensure they serve the purposes
for which they were intended. An
effective governance regime is
essential to instill public confidence in
the use of these technologies.
Article first published on The Conversation
Terry Goldsworthy
Associate Professor in Criminology
Bond University
www.cityfordrockdale.com.au
273 – 291 Princes Highway Arncliffe NSW 2205 wdawson@cityfordrockdale.com.au 1300 852 632
paladinrisk.com.au
BECOME A RISK GLADIATOR
Let Paladin Risk Management Services fight the
battles of tomorrow to help you achieve
the victories of today.
RISK MANAGEMENT CONSULTING SERVICES
RISK MANAGEMENT TRAINING AND COURSES
RISK MANAGEMENT PUBLICATIONS
@paladinrisk.com.au
THE YIROS SHOP
AUTHENTIC GREEK EATS
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS AROUND BRISBANE
@theyirosshop #theyirosshop
WWW.THEYIROSSHOP.COM.AU
Radical circumstances
(bushfires and natural
disasters) flush out the
mental illness in society. Whenever
there’s a disaster, there’s a rush on
hospital admissions for psychiatric
problems. But on the whole, the
illness is already there.
Emergencies naturally make
fodder for delusions and the
emergency efforts, for mania.
Obviously, there are direct mental
health consequences – a small rise
in post-traumatic stress disorder
inevitably follows disaster. This
correlates with the severity of the
consequences of the disaster (loss
of family, friends, animals and
property).
And there’s usually a big rethink,
with about a third of those affected
leaving the area permanently. But,
for the most part, this isn’t driven
by mental health issues, it results
from the very real fears about
whether living in a fire (or other
disaster) zone is worth it.
Resilience and weakness
In terms of mental health, the real
effect of disasters is surprising.
When handled well (as they
have been in the recent efforts),
disasters are an opportunity for
communities and people who are
directly involved to galvanise, and
this appears to inoculate against
mental illness by strengthening
social bonds, and feeding a sense
of purpose and meaning.
Another surprise is the flipside
– an inexplicable rise in the
mental illnesses that affect the
elderly. Those who are frail and
can’t get involved may feel they
are ultimately only a burden.
Such people suffer terribly from
mental illness as a result of
disasters. The big rise in mental
health admissions after a bushfire
happens in this group – its first
presentations of dementia and
senile degeneration is many times
higher than with any other mental
illness.
Natural Disasters
Impact Mental
Health
Jan Golembiewski
Researcher in
Environmental
Determinants of
Mental Health
University of Sydney
The complexity of social,
environmental and psychological
dynamics during an emergency
cannot be underestimated. With
normalcy going with the first
evacuees, the strength of “all that is
good” becomes the new foundation.
As the National Strategy for Disaster
Resilience points out, the power of the
community (people you never met
before come out of the woodwork to
help), and the abiding dedication of
the emergency services can be truly
inspiring. And this is just the thing
for building physical and mental
resilience.
A useful way to understand this
effect is through a theory called
salutogenics. The theory rests on
a relative sense of coherence that’s
built by fostering three things –
manageability, comprehensibility and
meaning.
Conversely, the sense of coherence is
depleted by anything that rattles your
ability to cope – not only a lack of
resources required to manage; a lack
of knowledge needed to comprehend
circumstances, or a lack of meaning
in life, but more general forces like the
entropy of age and time.
While emergencies inevitably attack
the ability to manage, they allow for
meaning by providing clear answers
to life’s big question – what are you
here for? Getting involved in an
emergency effort gives the answer –
I’m not a parasite, I’m here to save
people. I’m a contributor.
The formation of beliefs like these
has been shown to assist in the
widest gamut of health outcomes,
not only in mental health. Recent
research has also identified the
effect of improved meaning and
comprehensibility in conditions as
diverse as heart disease and cancers.
Surprising as it is, disasters can
actually improve health if people
find a way to get meaningfully
involved in the disaster response
effort.
Perceiving is believing
Reading this, you might think a
bushfire is a wonderful thing. But
there’s a big caveat – in emergencies,
the perceptions of those involved
are critical. Good interpersonal
connections create meaning,
but the lack of structure within
emergency situations also provides
opportunities for selfishness
and even criminality. And these
inevitably lend themselves to
atrocious outcomes (consider
Hurricane Katrina).
Good information improves
comprehensibility, but in an
emergency, information may be
hard to come by and is frequently
manipulated. What’s more, people
PERSONAL
PROTECTION TRAINING
might not have the heart to be honest
when it matters most.
An under-promise allows low
expectations to be exceeded, and
this allows for a powerful message of
hope and the belief that everything
ultimately works out well. On the
other hand, disappointment is easily
taken as betrayal.
Disaster victims should be expected
to make unreasonable demands.
Victims may, for instance, extract
promises that are difficult or
impossible to keep. Who, after all,
wants to deny someone who is
desperate and might have his life in
danger? Who wouldn’t prefer to lie
and say, “don’t worry. Everything will
be fine”?
But a hastily made guess that
“someone will be there to help in
a couple of hours” can start doing
damage at 120 minutes and one
second. The reason is because
the promise suddenly becomes
questionable, and at this point,
comprehensibility collapses and
meaning starts to erode. What could
be more destructive mentally?
Article first published on The Conversation
DEFENCE, CIVIL SECURITY & EMERGENCY SERVICES
COMMUNICATION & POWER SOLUTIONS
www.ecastle.com.au
0407 081 425
1/7 Beaconsfield Street, Fyshwick ACT 2609
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS & COMMUNICATIONS
ELEVATED COMMUNICATIONS FOR BLACK SPOT & DISASTER ZONES
FLEXIBLE POWER & DATA DISTRIBUTION
RELIABLE/SILENT POWER GENERATION
IS LANGUAGE A
BARRIER IN A
HEALTH CARE
SETTING?
Almost one quarter of the Australian population speaks a
language other than English at home. But health services
in Australia are largely delivered in English only.
We know Australians from culturally
and linguistically diverse backgrounds
are less likely to access health
services, which leads to poorer health
outcomes. One major reason for
this is the language barrier between
health-care providers and consumers.
Access to interpreters in health care
should be seen as a basic human right.
Interpreters benefit both patients and
practitioners
Interpreters are a vital bridge between
health services and consumers.
Interpreters enable consumers to be
fully informed about their health
condition and options for treatment.
They also give consumers a voice
to express themselves freely in
their dominant language. This
means people can share exactly
what they need to say to healthcare
professionals and can ask the
questions they want answered.
Research has found the use of
professional interpreters improves
the experience of medical care
for patients with limited English
proficiency.
The use of professional interpreters
significantly reduces the risk of
communication errors that can lead
to negative clinical consequences.
Errors could include gaps in
information about patient allergies,
and instructions around the use
of prescription medicines being
misconstrued.
But failure to provide access to
interpreters in health settings can
literally be a matter of life or death.
Particularly in an emergency, if a
patient and their loved ones are
unable to communicate details
about the patient’s medical situation
to the treating doctors, this may
impact whether the patient receives
appropriate and timely treatment.
In one case in the United States, a
hospital acted on advice provided by a
Spanish-speaking family with limited
English proficiency when admitting
their son. A court found language
confusion contributed to delayed
diagnosis of a brain haemmorhage,
which resulted in the patient
becoming a paraplegic.
But not everyone is given access to an
interpreter
Despite the benefits of using an
interpreter, a recent study in a Sydney
hospital found although interpreters
were required in 15.7% of admissions,
just 3.7% of patients were actually
provided with an interpreter.
A person who needs an interpreter
may not get one because they’re
deemed not to require the service,
because an interpreter can’t be
sourced within the required
timeframe (for example, in emergency
situations), or because there’s no
interpreter available in the language
or dialect required by the patient.
The use of interpreters in regional,
rural and remote Australia may be
even lower given the lack of available
interpreters in those areas.
When health professionals and
consumers don’t speak the same
language, delivering health services
without an interpreter raises a
number of ethical issues.
For example, if a person is unable to
understand what is being said to them
by a health-care practitioner, they
can’t give their informed consent.
Proceeding with any treatment
without informed consent is in breach
of the code of conduct of all health
professions in Australia.
Family members as interpreters
The Australian government funds the
provision of professional interpreters
in health-care settings free of charge.
But professional interpreters are
not always on hand when they are
needed. This often results in the use of
family members as interpreters.
This practice is fraught with issues
and in some instances this can do
more harm than good for both the
interpreter and the patient.
Relatives don’t have formal training as
interpreters and may not be familiar
with the medical terminology being
used or how to translate it.
Family members may add their own
interpretation or opinion in the
delivery of the message, thereby not
delivering the message intended by
the health-care practitioner or the
patient.
In many migrant families, children or
young adults have the best knowledge
of English in the family and so are
often called upon to be the interpreter.
The use of underage interpreters
raises further ethical issues as they
are tasked with interpreting sensitive
health information about a loved one.
So caution is needed when using
family members as interpreters.
How can the use of interpreters be
increased and improved?
There are some key actions that
should be taken to improve healthcare
experiences and outcomes
for people with limited English
proficiency.
First, training for both interpreters
and health-care professionals is
essential to develop skills for effective
collaboration.
Second, there should be additional
time allocated for appointments
where interpreters are used. This
is because each sentence must be
said twice during the exchange of
information and time is needed for
briefing and debriefing about the
session.
Third, health services need to collect
accurate information to determine
whether an interpreter is needed. A
person may present with functional
English but still require an interpreter
for ease of communication given
the complex terminology and the
seriousness of medical conversations.
And finally, professionally trained
interpreters must be available in the
languages and dialects required. There
are more than 300 languages spoken
in Australia and many have multiple
dialects.
Investment in interpreting services
is essential to ensure the provision of
equitable, high quality health care to
all Australians. In a country where
interpreters may improve care for one
quarter of the population, we can’t
afford not to.
Article first published on The Conversation
Sarah Verdon
Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer
in Speech and Language Pathology,
Charles Sturt University
How a
Bushfire
can destroy
a home
Ten years after the devastation of Black Saturday,
building design has largely been unrecognised as an area
worthy of research. We have advanced our knowledge
of the materials used in the construction of homes in
bushfire-prone areas but we continue to use the design
model of the suburban home.
This needs to change. An initial
starting point is to consider the way
previous bushfires have damaged and
destroyed buildings.
Elements of a bushfire
A bushfire has five different elements:
smoke, wind, embers, flames, and
radiant heat (the latter two are collectively
called the “fire front”).
Smoke and wind are usually present
throughout a fire, but are particularly
high when the fire burns at its most
intense levels. Depending on the type
of vegetation burning, isolated flying
embers may arrive hours before a fire
front. Intense ember attacks usually
occur 15-30 minutes before a fire
front arrives, and may persist for up
to 8 hours after the fire front moves
on.
Radiant heat at a level that makes it
impossible to survive outside will
persist during the passage of the fire
front, which may last anywhere between
2 and 15 minutes. However, if
consequential fires are ignited by the
main fire front, the radiant heat may
remain at non-survivable levels for
much longer.
The smoke of a bushfire reduces visibility
and can turn a bright day into
night. A change in wind direction can
renew a threat residents thought had
already passed them.
How will a bushfire attack your
home?
Most people would expect that the
most destructive element of a bushfire
is the fire front, but rather surprisingly
that’s not the case. Ember entry
and associated spot fires, rather than
direct flame contact, accounts for 75-
80% of homes destroyed by bushfires.
Embers can be large strips of burning
bark, or a tiny spark as small as a pinhead,
and depending on wind speed
these can travel up to 10 kilometres
ahead of the fire front.
Australian research over the past
75 years has revealed more than 20
different parts of a house and its
surrounding area that are vulnerable
to bushfire attack. Much of this
knowledge has now been incorporated
into a recently updated Australian
Standard: Construction of buildings
in bushfire-prone areas.
These guidelines aim to reduce the
vulnerability of each part of a house,
and thus make the structure as a
whole more resistant to bushfire
damage. The Standard applies across
Australia for new homes and renovations.
The known building ignition points
The known weak parts of a building
are referred to as the “building ignition
points”. Several are considered
below:
Roof cavity
In domestic homes the roof cavity is
the large open space under the roof
and above the ceiling. Embers in this
space can cause fire to spread rapidly,
making the whole building vulnerable
to ceiling collapse.
Any gap in the roof, such as a poorly
secured tile, can allow flying embers
to enter. The burning crown of a
nearby tree, pushed onto a roof by
high-speed winds, can also ignite the
house.
When people choose to shelter in
their bathrooms they often forget
the ceiling is particularly vulnerable
there. It’s difficult to access a roof cavity
with a fire hose, and extinguishing
embers and fire invariably damages
electrical wiring, plasterwork, and
home contents.
Regular inspection and maintenance
of roof elements can help reduce ember
entry. Avoiding trees close to your
house, and removing any overhanging
branches, can also help reduce this
bushfire risk.
Gutters
Overhanging trees can cause compacted
leaf litter to build up in gutters.
During a bushfire flying embers land
in this material, catch alight and
spread flames to combustible parts
of the roof structure such as wooden
facia boards, rafters, roof battens, and
eaves.
It’s a good idea to clear out your
gutters each year as part of seasonal
bushfire preparation. Some people
choose to wait until a bushfire is approaching
to do this, but going onto
your roof for the first time in semidarknes
while embers are flying at
you can put you at risk, and endanger
your life.
If you’re building a new structure you
can consider extending the roof line
and having a water collection system
on the ground to remove the need for
gutters.
Vents and weep holes
Together vents and weep holes allow
for fresh air to pass through a building
and for excess moisture to leave,
reduce condensation and mould. They
are necessary for our comfort and
health, and maintaining the integrity
of a building.
However in a bushfire these types of
external openings can allow flying
embers to enter the building and
start spot fires. Having steel or other
non-combustible mesh with small
holes in front or behind vents and
weep holes can reduce the bushfire
risk while still allowing air and moisture
to pass through.
Subfloors
Often houses constructed in bushfire-prone
areas are built on a sloping
block of land. The area under the
building (the subfloor) is left open
rather than being enclosed, and
combustible materials are often stored
there. The danger is similar in scale
to embers in the roof cavity. When
embers or flames take hold in this
subfloor area they can spread under
the entire building and allow the fire
to move up.
Plants and mulched garden beds next
to the home
Garden beds and timber steps near a
house are a potential danger during
a bushfire. Plants with dense foliage
can burn intensely and cause radiant
heat damage, cracking and imploding
nearby windows and glass doors.
Garden beds which have been
www.rhinosconstructiongroup.com.au
Oakhurst NSW 2761 troy@rhinosconstructiongroup.com.au
ecently mulched can trap flying
embers and spread fire to timber
subfloors. It’s much better to have
a non-combustible paved area next
to your home, with pots containing
either succulents or plants with
thin foliage.
Deciding whether to stay and
defend a home or leave early is a
difficult and contentious choice.
Hopefully, knowing more about
some parts of your house which
are most vulnerable to bushfire attack
will make that decision easier.
Article first published on The Conversation
Douglas Brown
Casual Academic
Western Sydney University
Fresh start
Applying for finance can be daunting, even more so if you’ve had difficulties in the past.
We can help with previous bad credit, short-term employment and debt consolidation.
We also work with people who are buying their first home and may have a smaller deposit or non-genuine savings.
Karen Maddison - Your Liberty Adviser
0417 974 643 kmaddison@libertynetwork.com.au
liberty.com.au/karen-maddison
AMP ANZ Bankwest Comm. Bank FMB Heritage ING Direct Keystart Liberty Macquarie My State NAB St George Suncorp TMB UniBank
Approved applicants only. Lending criteria apply. Karen Maddison has access to a panel of lenders through Liberty Network Services Pty Ltd (ABN 65 151 158 628 | Australian Credit Licence 408042). Liberty Network
Services is part of the Liberty Group (which includes Liberty Financial Pty Ltd (ABN 55 077 248 983 | Australian Credit Licence 286596). Liberty Network Services has access to products including those from Liberty Financial.
FIRING UP THE LEADERSHIP PIPELINE FO
Words By
Angela Calabrese
www.executivecentral.com.au
Image: Shutterstock
R WOMEN AT FIRE AND RESCUE NSW
How do you maintain the momentum for an ambitious gender parity program
in a 6,800-strong organisation that has been exclusively male for decades
and only recently reached 17 women in its senior ranks?
The organisation in question, Fire and Rescue NSW says part of the answer
has been a highly successful, tailored program of empowerment and
confidence-building for its women leaders.
The Women Leading @ Fire + Rescue
NSW program was an initiative of
Wayne Phillips, Chief Superintendent,
Organisational Development People
and Culture, Fire and Rescue NSW,
who said he wanted to increase the
confidence of female leaders in order
to build the leadership pipeline.
The Women Leading program was
developed and delivered over six
months in 2018 by Executive Central
Director Reyna Matthes.
“Fire and Rescue NSW recognises
the benefits for both our existing
workforce and the communities
we serve to build an inclusive
environment and culture within our
organisation. There are many facets
that form an inclusive workplace and
this program focuses on building
capacity in our existing women
so they may act as role models for
those within and attraction beacons
for those women who may be
considering Fire and Rescue NSW
as a career,” Chief Superintendent
Phillips said.
“At the very least, Fire and Rescue
NSW recognises that career
advancement appears to be difficult
for women due to cultural and
confidence issues and this course was
seen as a way to build confidence in
its women to achieve whatever their
goals are.
“There are still not many women
progressing through the ranks. Just
one of the reasons for this lack of
progress is women’s confidence and
knowing when they can go for a
promotion. So, we decided that for
the 17 most senior women in NSW,
we needed to organise coaching and a
networking opportunity so they could
become empowered.
“We chose Executive Central because
they had a tailored leadership
program specifically for women.
Executive Central had delivered
the Women Leading programs in
similar organisations to ours and it
had a good track record for what we
needed.”
In relation to key outcomes, Chief
Superintendent Phillips said: “We
were looking for higher engagement
from our senior women, more trust
in the organisation to develop women
and to increase the representation of
women in leadership.”
While currently under evaluation,
informal feedback from participants
has been positive. “I had informal
feedback along the way that the
participants felt we had really invested
in them and their leadership,” he said.
“Building the pipeline for women in
the organisation is one of the reasons
we went down this path but it’s only
one part of the pie. We are also
building a more flexible and inclusive
workplace for everyone – men and
women. This is a public-sector-wide
trend,” Chief Superintendent Phillips
added.
What participants said about the
Women Leading program
Tracey Spindler, Leading Station
Officer, Forestville, said: “The things
that were of value, more than I had
anticipated, were the connections and
contacts that I made with other senior
female colleagues. There are very few
crews where there’s more than one
female on shift.
“This important aspect was enhanced
by the program structure: three
two-day sessions with overnight stays
and each one followed by a one-onone
coaching session with Women
Leading coach Reyna Matthes. It’s
the most perfect balance of group
work and individual focus. We got
the chance to explore things together
and then, as an individual, get more
specific and really make the program
about ‘me’.
“We were able to connect and
develop those friendships – it’s
difficult normally because we’re
in different parts of the state, on
different platoons and shifts. We were
able to really talk about and discuss
challenges, experiences and put our
vulnerabilities on the line. Personally,
I was able to move forward and feel
acknowledged by Fire & Rescue.
Learning New Skills
“The big take away for me was the
focus on ‘strengths-based leadership’
– that was pretty potent. We got
to explore strengths even further,
recognising our strengths and how
to apply them – that really was a big
deal. I feel it has given me confidence
as a leader.
“Particularly useful was the Career
Map work (a roadmap for career
management). I think that 20 years
ago, if someone had sat with me and
talked to me about my career map, I
would have taken on a leadership role
much earlier.
“Six or so months after the program,
I’m feeling more confident because
I’m focusing on my strengths and
how I can incorporate them into
my leadership. After the program, I
worked for a time in a regional area
as acting inspector where they’d had
little exposure – at all levels – to
female leaders. It was a huge benefit
to have had this training to use my
strengths to support me.
“As an organisation, I think the fire
service realised that we have a really
tough gig – even as firefighters. It
takes a lot of courage to step up as
leaders, you have to be very confident
– it really helped to explore what’s
holding us back.
“I know senior management would
do anything to help us and this was
a brilliant start. To (EC coach Reyna
Matthes) Reyna’s credit, she really
challenged us; she was very good at
looking for a way forward in relation
to issues that were preventing us from
stepping up and moving ahead in our
careers.”
Zena Mehanna, Station Officer, Leichhardt, said: “When I joined there
were only around 15 active women in the fire service in a workforce of
3,000 people. My first station, Glebe, gave me the best experience. From
my crew – I worked with some truly awesome men – to my boss, who was
progressive and a true leader before his time. The reason I’m where I am
today is that I had the benefit of great leadership from the start.
“The interesting thing about our job is that we work with a very wide
generational range. As a female station officer, I work with millennials
through to baby boomers and each has to be treated differently because
they come with varying experiences and exposure to female leadership.
Expectations of the program
“To be honest I didn’t know what to expect from the course but this
turned out to be a quality leadership program for women initiated by the
(fire) service.
“The standout reasons for me as to why the program was successful was
first and foremost the women who participated. It was an important and
rare opportunity to network and offer support to each other as senior
women.
“The other valuable component of the program was that it really
reinforced being yourself through its strengths-based leadership approach.
Being able to bring the best of you to work allows you to lead effectively.
You don’t have to be a man, I’ve always believed the best way we can effect
change as leaders is by being ourselves.
“By being one hundred percent myself it allows me to, firstly, recognise
what people bring and, secondly, that I work for them, my crew. It’s the
biggest lesson for me in leadership – you are not there for yourself, you’re
there for the people you’re leading, to reveal their strengths and let them
shine.
“I’m at a point in my career where I’m at the most influential I’ve ever
been. I can influence the most positive change with the people I work
with. I am one hundred per cent myself and one hundred per cent
confident with who I am. I try to create that environment with my crew so
they can feel the same and feel safe in a learning environment.
“There will be more women in the leadership pipeline at Fire and Rescue
NSW, but it takes time. Lasting change is not forced, change with integrity
is not forced. That’s been my experience and it’s my strongly held view as
well.”
“The things that were of value,
more than I had anticipated, were
the connections and contacts that
I made with other senior female
colleagues. There are very few crews
where there’s more than one female
on shift.”
For further information on the Women Leading Program head to
www.executivecentral.com.au
This Year’s Flu Season:
What we know so far
News reports have claimed Australia is on track for a
particularly bad flu season. But it’s too early to tell if
that’s the case – and it’s impossible to predict. Here’s
what we know so far.
Influenza illness – or the flu – is
a caused by the influenza virus.
It often comes on rapidly, with
a high fever, chills, muscle aches,
tiredness and a dry cough. These
symptoms get worse over the first few
days.
Most people will get better without
medical care, but some people
are at higher risk of dangerous
complications. This includes pregnant
women, children, those aged over
65, people with chronic diseases and
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island
peoples.
News reports have claimed Australia
is on track for a particularly bad
flu season. But it’s too early to tell if
that’s the case – and it’s impossible to
predict. Here’s what we know so far.
What was last year’s flu season like?
The World Health Organisation
(WHO) classifies the severity of
flu seasons based on how quickly
the circulating viruses spread, the
seriousness of the disease – which
can be measured by the number of
hospitalisations or deaths – and the
impact of the illness, such as the
strain on hospitals.
Based on these metrics, the 2018
influenza season was pretty mild. The
season started late, comparatively
few cases were seen in GP clinics
and hospitals, it had a low impact
on workplaces and hospitals, and it
caused a moderate level of illness.
This contrasts with 2017, which saw
an early start to the season, high
activity in the eastern states, a great
impact on GPs and hospitals, high
levels of absenteeism, and at least
1,255 deaths.
It’s too early to assess the 2019 season
– this is usually done after the flu
season ends. But GPs are seeing more
flu-like illness for this time of year
than in previous ones.
Hospital surveillance doesn’t usually
start until the end of April, so
it’s difficult to assess activity and
severity in hospitals, but emergency
department presentations in both the
Northern Territory and New South
Wales have been high.
Why is it so hard to predict?
Part of the problem with predicting
the influenza season is that we talk
about one season, but four distinct
influenza viruses cause clinically
important illness in humans.
These viruses are categorised into two
influenza types: A and B. Influenza
type A is further subdivided into two
subtypes: H1N1pdm09 and H3N2.
Influenza type B is further subdivided
into two lineages: B/Victoria and B/
Yamagata.
All four of these viruses are covered
by the four-strain influenza vaccine
that is provided to Australians aged
under 65 years.
For adults aged 65 years and older, an
enhanced vaccine is available which
contains the two influenza A subtypes
and one influenza B. This year the B
strain is a B/Yamagata lineage virus
because in 2018, we saw many more
B/Yamagata than B/Victoria viruses.
Flu viruses are continually mutating
in nature, and so any immunity
acquired from a previous infection or
vaccine may provide little protection
against the viruses that will circulate
in the next season.
There is also little cross-immunity.
Infection with A(H1N1)pdm09, for
example, won’t necessarily protect you
against A(H3N2). It’s even possible,
though unlikely, to be infected with
two viruses at the same time or in
close succession.
All four of these influenza viruses
rarely circulate with equal frequency
during the winter months. Typically,
one of the influenza A viruses will
dominate.
In Australia, it’s rare for influenza B
to dominate. It’s even rarer for both
lineages to circulate at the same time,
but it happened in 2015.
The burden of each of these viruses
also varies. Children may be more
susceptible to influenza B infections
than adults, while the elderly are
relatively less susceptible to infection
with A(H1N1)pdm09 but are more
vulnerable to A(H3N2) infections.
Although deaths have been associated
with all four viruses, A(H3N2)
generally causes more deaths than the
others, particularly among the elderly.
OPEN 7 DAYS
03 5762 7757
54 Carrier Street, Benalla Victoria 3672 kebabboyz.benalla@hotmail.com
Unfortunately, our disease
surveillance systems rarely collect
information on the specific influenza
viruses that patients present with
in GP clinics and hospitals. That’s
because influenza testing can be
expensive, and knowing the strain –
or if it is indeed influenza – wouldn’t
necessarily alter the course of
treatment.
Instead, we learn which virus
dominated and its likely impact.
While this is useful for monitoring
overall trends, it isn’t sufficient
to study specific virus circulation
patterns that might enable us to
predict the seasons better.
Influenza viruses mutate quite
rapidly and circulate the globe quite
efficiently thanks, especially, to air
travel.
That said, circulation of influenza
viruses in Europe does not necessarily
help us predict which viruses will
circulate in Australia as there is no
consistent pattern of one hemisphere
leading the other in terms of virus
circulation.
Even within hemispheres, variation
occurs. During the 2017-18 winter,
influenza B viruses dominated in
Europe, while A(H3N2) viruses
dominated in North America.
In tropical and sub-tropical regions,
where there is no “winter”, there may
be more than one flu season per year,
or a year-round season with low rates
of one virus, usually influenza B.
The reasons why influenza viruses
circulate at different times are unclear.
They may be related to climatic
factors, such as temperature and
humidity and, in some locales, may be
driven by tourism. But we don’t really
understand the causal relationships
between these factors.
The good news is that with increased
computing power, greater availability
of high-quality surveillance,
more years of data and a greater
understanding of influenza virology
and immunology, our ability to
forecast the season is improving.
Article first published on The Conversation
Sheena G. Sullivan
Epidemiologist,
WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and
Research on Influenza
Rob Moss
Research Fellow,
Mathematical Biology and Physiology,
University of Melbourne
www.resilift.com.au
PERSONAL ELEVATORS FOR THE HOME
For New & Existing Homes
Australian Made and Owned Affordable Solution Compact Design
Servicing NSW and ACT 0418 260 223 E: vern@residentiallifts.com.au
EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
POLICE FIRE AMBULANCE
Triple Zero (000)
112 From Mobiles & Internationally
www.triplezero.gov.au
BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY
State Emergency Service (SES) 132 500
General Warnings 1900 969 922 www.bom.gov.au
Cyclone Warnings 1300 659 212 www.bom.gov.au/cyclone
Coastal Marine Warnings 1300 360 427 www.bom.gov.au/marine
1300TSUNAMI
www.bom.gov.au/tsunami
RADIO
ABC Local Radio
ABC Local Radio Frequency Finder
Commercial Radio Australia
www.abc.net.au/local
www.abv.net.au/radionational/frequency/
www.commercialradio.com.au
GOVERNMENT/HEALTH/ROADS
Standard Emergency Warning Signal
www.emergencyalert.gov.au
Health & Hospitals 13HEALTH www.health.gov.au
Road Closures 13 19 40 seek local/state road closure info
ELECTRICITY
Energex 13 19 62 www.energex.com.au
Ergon 13 16 70 www.ergon.com.au
PHONE
Telstra 132 203 www.telstra.com.au
Optus 13 13 44 www.optus.com.au
ANIMALS & WILDLIFE
Wildlife Hotline 1300 130 372
RSPCA 1300 852 188
Disease Watch Hotline 1800 675 888
Lost/Missing Animals
Local RSPCA website
CALL 000 IN AN EMERGENCY
A joint Australian, state and territory government initiative.
A gift for living
If you’re aged 50-74 you’ll be sent a free bowel cancer screening kit. The kit is simple to use and
can detect bowel cancer before any symptoms appear. Around 80 Australians die of bowel cancer
every week, but if detected early, up to 90% of cases can be successfully treated. So be sure to
complete and return your kit. It’s a gift that could save your life. If you’re over 74 talk to your GP.
By 2020 people aged 50-74 will receive a kit every two years.
australia.gov.au/bowelscreening
1800 11 88 68
Authorised by the Australian Government, Capital Hill, Canberra.
Change language