EmergencyWardens -E - news

Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012 1

Editor’s Note

Editor’s Note

Andrew Plant wins

Silver Award for

Excellence

Earthquakes - what

should you do before,

during and after?

Meet some of our

new recruits

Life Safety- one of our

Core Values

Dog carries puppies

out of burning house -

brings them to fire

truck

New Training

Manager for Victoria

What do our clients

say about our

services?

First 5 Minutes

oversees the

evacuation of

Australia’s largest Shopping Centre

In this 5th

Edition

The innovation drum continued to beat strongly at First 5 Minutes for the

months of June and July.

A new IT Platform (CMARS) has been developed and implemented

nationally to enhance F5M customer service.

The new role of General Manager F5M Network has been developed

to enable enhanced and standardized customer service focus in all

markets. Michael Rabbidge has been appointed to this role.

Sharp Industry Training Pty Ltd in Mackay has been acquired to

augment our scope of available services.

We have increased our staff numbers preemptively to enhance our

service delivery in the context of the continued prospect of growth.

Learning Management System (LMS) was launched with a brand new

course for occupants.

New training programs for the health care & construction industries

have been introduced.

These are a small selection of significant projects that have been

developed to support our 5 year strategic plan. These initiatives as well as

many more that are still in the pipeline are designed to improve our

engagement with the estimated 500,000 Wardens we meet every year.

At First 5 Minutes, we also want to make sure our existing clients, like you,

are looked after to the best imaginable standards. We have created

several new Customer Service Coordinator roles as well Sales Consultants

and Account Managers to support our commitment to customer service

excellence.

Our success is based on our understanding of your facility and your needs

with respect to emergency management. We are proud to field a

dedicated full time team of over 105 professionals who travel to absolutely

every part of Australia to deliver best imaginable training solutions.

This 5th edition of the e-newsletter is targeted at emergency Wardens who

undergo training with our Consultants. With this newsletter and our

Facebook page, we want to cement a community of Wardens Australia

wide who can share their valuable experience with each other. It is crucial

to have engaged Wardens who feel valued as they are giving up their

valuable time and energy to a laudable cause - life safety in their buildings

in case of emergencies. I encourage all Wardens to use this platform to

share their knowledge and experience in dealing with emergencies.

Jay Ramanah, August 2012

2 Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012

Andrew

Plant wins

Award for

Excellence

Reduce stress and builds an

environment where people

are encouraged to explore

innovative approaches to

their work.

For the first quarter of 2012 –

2013, Andrew Plant, the

Operations Manager for our

Queensland Business Unit is the

recipient.

Andrew received the Award for

Excellence in Customer Service

on the back of some

exceptional consultancy/audit

work carried out with our long

term clients, Brisbane City

Council and the RNA

Showground for their annual

EKKA. In both cases, Andrew

demonstrated a high level of

technical skills and expertise by

identifying some faults that may

have been potentially life

threatening.

Andrew Plant – Operations Manager,

Queensland

First 5 Minutes seek to reward

exceptional performance that

supports its values, strategic goals

and vision.

A Reward and Recognition

Program was developed to assist

Supervisors and Managers to build

a culture of performance by

incorporating reward and

recognition activities into their

management practices as they:

Positively reinforce excellence in

behaviours and performance;

Help build staff engagement,

and therefore increase job

satisfaction;

Lead to higher retention rates of

key staff

“I am extremely

impressed with

the service

provided by First

5 Minutes and

by Andrew Plant

in particular.

Andrew has

once again

identified a

technical fault in

our fire and

emergency

response system

which could

have been a

very serious risk

to life safety.

Joe xxxx, Operations

Manager, EKKA

Andrew began his working life as

an Electrical Linesman, Rescue

Instructor completing a trade

certificate in Electric Line

Construction. Originally joining

First 5 Minutes in 1987 in a part-

time capacity whilst an

operational firefighter/officer

until service career progression

and promotional transfers in

1995.

Andrew had the opportunity to

consider a full-time position with

First 5 Minutes in 1999 and he

grabbed it with open arms.

He has not looked back since,

progressing from a National

Training Consultant role to a

Regional Technical Manager to

Operations Manager of the

Queensland Business Unit.

Andrew is actively involved in

and monitors all facets of the First

5 Minutes training business in

Queensland.

He regularly travels throughout

Queensland, interstate and

internationally providing training

services.

He specializes in Emergency

Control Organisation (Warden),

Fire Extinguisher, Vertical Rescue

and Confined Space training.

Unfortunately there is only one

Silver Award for Excellence

winner per quarter for the whole

of First 5 Minutes.

However the following

employees are recognized for

their outstanding performance in

their respective Business Units.

Sally Crawford (Corporate)

Sam Thornton (SA/WA)

Allan Vogan (NSW/ACT)

Vicky Hawes (Design)

Holly Smith (VIC/TAS)

3 Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012

Before an

Earthquake

The following are things you

can do to protect yourself,

your family and your property

in the event of an

earthquake.

To begin preparing, you

should build an

emergency kit and make

a family communications

plan.

Fasten shelves securely to

walls.

Place large or heavy

objects on lower shelves.

Store breakable items such

as bottled foods, glass,

and china in low, closed

cabinets with latches.

Fasten heavy items such

as pictures and mirrors

securely to walls and away

from beds, couches and

anywhere people sit.

Brace overhead light

fixtures and top heavy

objects.

Repair defective electrical

wiring and leaky gas

connections. These are

potential fire risks. Get

appropriate professional

help. Do not work with gas

or electrical lines yourself.

Install flexible pipe fittings

to avoid gas or water

leaks. Flexible fittings are

more resistant to

breakage.

Secure your water heater,

refrigerator, furnace and

gas appliances by

strapping them to the wall

studs and bolting to the

floor. If recommended by

your gas company, have

an automatic gas shut-off

valve installed that is

triggered by strong

vibrations.

Repair any deep cracks in

ceilings or foundations. Get

expert advice if there are signs

of structural defects.

Be sure the residence is firmly

anchored to its foundation.

Store weed killers, pesticides,

and flammable products

securely in closed cabinets

with latches and on bottom

shelves.

Locate safe spots in each

room under a sturdy table or

against an inside wall.

Reinforce this information by

moving to these places during

each drill.

Hold earthquake drills with

your family members: Drop,

cover and hold on.

During an Earthquake

Drop, cover and hold on.

Minimize your movements to a

few steps to a nearby safe place

and if you are indoors, stay there

until the shaking has stopped and

you are sure exiting is safe.

if indoors

DROP to the ground; take

COVER by getting under a

sturdy table or other piece of

furniture; and HOLD ON until

the shaking stops. If there isn’t

a table or desk near you,

cover your face and head

with your arms and crouch in

an inside corner of the

building.

Stay away from glass,

windows, outside doors and

walls, and anything that could

fall, such as lighting fixtures or

furniture.

Stay in bed if you are there

when the earthquake strikes.

Hold on and protect your

head with a pillow, unless you

are under a heavy light fixture

that could fall. In that case,

move to the nearest safe

place.

Earthquakes

- what

should you

do before,

during and

after? One of the most frightening

and destructive phenomena of

nature is a severe earthquake

and its terrible aftereffects. An

earthquake is the sudden, rapid

shaking of the earth, caused by

the breaking and shifting of

subterranean rock as it releases

strain that has accumulated

over a long time.

For hundreds of millions of

years, the forces of plate

tectonics have shaped the

earth, as the huge plates that

form the earth’s surface slowly

move over, under and past

each other. Sometimes, the

movement is gradual. At other

times, the plates are locked

together, unable to release

accumulated energy. When

the accumulated energy grows

strong enough, the plates

break free. If the earthquake

occurs in a populated area, it

may cause many deaths and

injuries and extensive property

damage.

4 Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012

if in a moving vehicle

Stop as quickly as safety

permits and stay in the

vehicle. Avoid stopping

near or under buildings,

trees, overpasses, and

utility wires.

Proceed cautiously once

the earthquake has

stopped. Avoid roads,

bridges, or ramps that

might have been

damaged by the

earthquake.

if trapped under debris

Do not light a match.

Do not move about or kick

up dust.

Cover your mouth with a

handkerchief or clothing.

Tap on a pipe or wall so

rescuers can locate you.

Use a whistle if one is

available. Shout only as a

last resort. Shouting can

cause you to inhale

dangerous amounts of

dust.

After an Earthquake

When the shaking stops,

look around to make sure it

is safe to move. Then exit

the building.

Expect aftershocks. These

secondary shockwaves are

usually less violent than the

main quake but can be

strong enough to do

additional damage to

weakened structures and

can occur in the first hours,

days, weeks, or even

months after the quake.

Do not use a doorway

except if you know it is a

strongly supported, load-

bearing doorway and it is

close to you. Many inside

doorways are lightly

constructed and do not

offer protection.

Stay inside until the shaking

stops and it is safe to go

outside. Do not exit a

building during the shaking.

Research has shown that

most injuries occur when

people inside buildings

attempt to move to a

different location inside the

building or try to leave.

DO NOT use the elevators.

Be aware that the electricity

may go out or the sprinkler

systems or fire alarms may

turn on.

if outdoors

Stay there.

Move away from buildings,

streetlights, and utility wires.

Once in the open, stay there

until the shaking stops. The

greatest danger exists

directly outside buildings, at

exits and alongside exterior

walls. Many of the 120

fatalities from the 1933 Long

Beach earthquake occurred

when people ran outside of

buildings only to be killed by

falling debris from collapsing

walls. Ground movement

during an earthquake is

seldom the direct cause of

death or injury. Most

earthquake related

casualties result from

collapsing walls, flying glass,

and falling objects.

From 1

January 2000

to 31

December

2009, nearly

3,600

earthquakes

were

recorded on

the Australian

continent;

equating to

an average

of one

earthquake

per day in

Australia over

this period.

Geosciences

Australia

5 Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012

Help injured or trapped

persons. Remember to help

your neighbours who may

require special assistance

such as infants, the elderly

and people with access and

functional needs. Give first

aid where appropriate. Do

not move seriously injured

persons unless they are in

immediate danger of further

injury. Call for help.

Look for and extinguish small

fires. Fire is the most

common hazard after an

earthquake.

Listen to a battery operated

radio or television for the

latest emergency

information.

Be aware of possible

tsunamis if you live in coastal

areas. These are also known

as seismic sea waves

(mistakenly called "tidal

waves"). When local

authorities issue a tsunami

warning, assume that a series

of dangerous waves is on the

way. Stay away from the

beach.

Use the telephone only for

emergency calls.

Go to a designated public

shelter if your home had

been damaged and is no

longer safe.

Stay away from damaged

areas. Stay away unless your

assistance has been

specifically requested by

police, fire, or relief

organizations. Return home

only when authorities say it is

safe.

Be careful when driving after

an earthquake and

anticipate traffic light

outages.

After it is determined that its’

safe to return, your safety

should be your primary

priority as you begin clean

up and recovery.

Open cabinets cautiously.

Beware of objects that can

fall off shelves.

Put on long pants, a long-

sleeved shirt, sturdy shoes

and work gloves to protect

against injury from broken

objects.

Clean up spilled medicines,

bleaches, gasoline or other

flammable liquids

immediately. Leave the

area if you smell gas or fumes

from other chemicals.

Inspect the entire length of

chimneys for damage.

Unnoticed damage could

lead to a fire.

Inspect utilities.

Significant Historical Australian

Earthquakes – 1800 - 2012

Check for gas leaks. If you

smell gas or hear blowing or

hissing noise, open a window

and quickly leave the

building. Turn off the gas at

the outside main valve if you

can and call the gas

company from a neighbour’s

home. If you turn off the gas

for any reason, it must be

turned back on by a

professional.

Look for electrical system

damage. If you see sparks or

broken or frayed wires, or if

you smell hot insulation, turn

off the electricity at the main

fuse box or circuit breaker. If

you have to step in water to

get to the fuse box or circuit

breaker, call an electrician

first for advice.

Check for sewage and water

lines damage. If you suspect

sewage lines are damaged,

avoid using the toilets and

call a plumber.

6 Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012

Meet some of

our new

recruits.

What do you like about your

job at F5M?

The main thing I like about my

job at F5M is helping our clients

prepare for responding to any

emergency situation that may

arise in their workplace,

encouraging them to think

“outside the square” and giving

them the confidence and

knowledge to keep themselves

and their co-workers safe. I also

enjoy being part of a team for

the first time in many years and

the camaraderie that comes

with it. The professionalism of

the team and F5M systems

gives me great job satisfaction.

What are your main challenges

for the year ahead?

Challenges for the year ahead

include getting the reporting

side of the role down pat and

becoming more proficient at

using the new CMARS

computer system, particularly in

doing establishments. In my

previous employment in this

industry was only a training role

with quite generic report

writing.

How do you like to spend your

free time?

In my free time I maintain the

family farm in Kangaroo Valley.

I am converting a disused dairy

into farm stay accommodation

and try to go sailing when I

can. Additionally I have flown

light aircraft for business and

pleasure since 1971 and get up

with the birds as often as

possible.

Sarah Pride Customer Service Coordinator,

Western Australia

Who is Sarah Pride?

Born in 1989 in Perth WA, I lived

here from the start, just out of the

city. I am currently studying for a

Bachelor of Events, Sport and

Recreation Management at ECU

while I work here at F5M. I love to

travel the world and have

recently returned from a 2 month

holiday to Europe. I have

definitely caught the Travel Bug.

What do you like about your job

at F5M?

Being given the opportunity to go

and watch the training. I enjoy

the ability to apply my university

studies to my everyday work. The

opportunity to gain extra

experience in a field you enjoy

makes work even more

enjoyable.

How do you like to spend your

free time?

Relax with friends over a few

drinks and attend my boot camp

sessions

James Allan Trainer – NSW/ACT

Who is James Allan?

My name is James Allan but only

my family calls me James – to

everyone else I am Jim.

Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012 7

Kevin Ashley Trainer – South Australia

Leaving the Australian Army

after a career that had lasted

over 15 years was a daunting

plight to say least. The

transition from a military

background into F5M was

relatively easy for three reasons.

Firstly, I ended my career with

the ADF as a senior sergeant

whose focus was training

soldiers under my command.

Although I no longer wear a

camouflage uniform, the job I

do now has a glaring similarity.

Secondly, as a new member of

F5M we are provided with a

uniform, and all necessary tools

which aid us in the delivery of

training. At F5M we also have

policies in place that give us

our left and right of arch, which

is consistent with life in the

Army.

Lastly, I have found that the

Trainers all come from similar

backgrounds. This has been

most helpful as we speak the

same language and seemingly

continue an old tradition of

esprit de corps which is always

a great place to start when

establishing workplace rapport.

The main challenges I face are

to learn the finer details of the

job such as CMARS although I

am confident that once

training has been provided, the

many questions I currently have

will become a lot fewer.

Life Safety -

one of our

core values in

action

Jamie Ledger is one of our

Trainers in the South Australian

office.

He was once faced with a

situation which reinforced his

passion for saving life. Here is

how the event unfolded.

“I was called to assist a

gentleman that had collapsed in

the change rooms of the facility I

was working in. When I arrived

there were several people trying

to support his head and trying to

get a response. I noticed he was

blue and non-responsive and so

asked the members to clear the

area.

Being a trained first aider, I

commenced compressions and

tried to do mouth to mouth but

as he had already vomited I was

unable to do rescue breaths

without dry reaching and

vomiting myself (I was also aware

that breaths were not essential). I

sent someone off to get a mask

and the auto defibrillator.

I continued compressions until

the mask and oxygen arrived. I

then got someone else to take

over the compressions and

commenced rescue breathing

with oxygen. When the

defibrillator arrived I got

another staff member to

attach the leads and the unit

shocked the patient. It ended

up shocking him 3 times before

the ambulance arrived.

The ambo’s shocked him

another couple of times and

gave him 3 lots of adrenaline

before he was stable enough

to take to hospital; I honestly

thought he would not survive as

I watched him leave the

building.

I called the next day and was

told he had survived the night

and was looking well.

I called again a week later and

he answered the phone, he

actually came in about a

month later to say hi, which

was a very emotional moment

for both of us.”

8 Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012

Dog carries

puppies out

of burning

house - brings

them to fire

truck

When photos of a dog carrying

her 10-day-old puppies to safety

surfaced on the web, the images

elicited warm-and-fuzzy reactions

from several people.

A house fire in Temuco, Chile,

destroyed the portion of the

home where the pups lived, local

news agency Soy Temuco

reports:

Although the puppies were safely

delivered to a fire truck by their

mother, homeowner Omar Torres

was transported to a local

hospital for burn treatments.

Unfortunately, a separate article

by the paper reports one of the

puppies, named Amparo, died

Thursday night due to the severe

burns. The rest of the puppies are

in stable condition.

Of course, mother dogs have

good instincts when it comes to

saving their young.

9 Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012

In view of strengthening our service

delivery, we have recently

appointed a highly competent

Training Manager, Mark Pendlebury

for our Victorian Business Unit.

Mark will play a crucial role in

making sure Wardens are delivered

a high standard of training which

has been the benchmark of First 5

Minutes nationally.

Mark will manage a team of 11

highly competent Trainers and

Training Consultants to ensure all

training sessions are delivered to

the satisfaction of our customers.

Having been a Trainer with First 5

Minutes himself, Mark knows what it

takes to deliver an excellent

Warden Training session.

Previous to First 5 Minutes, Mark completed 20 years as an

operational member of Victoria Police and was a Senior

Instructor at the Motorcycle Training Wing, in charge of

District Speed Detection Operations including training and

certifying operators on all equipment as well as speed

cameras.

During that time Mark was one of the few Police Officers

with an approved part time job, as a Senior Instructor for

Vic Roads charged with the overseeing of motorcycle

training and licensing programs covering the Melbourne

south eastern region.

Mark left the Police service to take up a position with

Central Gippsland TAFE as an Industrial Skills Instructor

responsible for the conduct of all motorcycle training and

licensing, heavy vehicle training and licensing and the

planning and delivery of certificate level training in the

transport and warehousing stream.

Mark has also worked as a Regional Franchise Manager for

an international courier company, assisted in the conduct

with his wife’s legal business, was co-inventor of an infant

nappy that was successfully patented (winning a silver

medal at the Geneva Inventions Salon), the provision of

emergency awareness & hot fire training in the aged care

sector, and provided breathing apparatus refresher

training for the natural gas industry.

Mark is an avid motorcyclist, a keen karate student and

loves his 3 dogs and 2 cats.

New

Training

Manager

for Victoria

Mark is passionate about life

safety and is committed to

leading the Victorian Trainers.

He brings to the role an

excellent working knowledge

of First 5 Minutes and the need

to deliver training which meets

our client’s ever changing

needs and requirements.

Niels Holm, Regional Manager,

Victoria/Tasmania

10 Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012

What do our clients

say about our

services?

Brilliant F5M, trading like no

tomorrow!!

Many thanks for all your

assistance; I pulled in the

right help at the right time.

Regards

Ken Stockley

Director

“The F5M training program

did make a real difference.

Had there not been people

who knew what to do, it

may have gone terribly

wrong. We are very

grateful that nobody got

hurt.”

Warren McDonald of Molonglo

Group June 2011.

“Hi Justine

Just to let you know that we had our

fire training session yesterday morning

with Brian Wood.

I must give the highest compliments to

Brian for an excellent power point and

a superb delivery. Brian held the

attention of all throughout the session,

covered every aspect of each point

clearly and concisely and finished well

within the timeframe. Not a minute was

wasted.

I certainly came away more informed

and more confident to deal with

situations that could occur”.

Many thanks.

Margaret Doherty-Brady

Secretary

11 Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012

“I would like to

thank Louise

Watkins for

coming out the

other day and

delivering a

fantastic and

informative

presentation to

our staff. First

Five Minutes has

been

conducting the

training sessions,

and we have

felt that we were

delivered a

worthwhile and

valuable

training. Please

pass on my

thanks to Louise

and we look

forward to

seeing her

again”.

Kind Regards,

Jaicelle Heremia

Subject: Louise Powell - Fire Equipment Training

Message: I just wanted to provide feedback on Louise Powell's Fire Equipment Training presentation at 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne on Friday, 27 April 2012.

Ms Powell was the BEST presenter we have ever had visit us from First5Minutes. She presented the material confidently, clearly, and with real life application. Testament to her delivery was the fact that NO ONE fell asleep at the 9:00 AM session. In fact, the audience was engaged the entire time.

Please commend Ms Powell for her exceptional presentation of the material. It would be a pleasure to have her talk at future First 5 Minute information sessions at 570 Bourke Street.

Kind regards,

Keri Mihalco

12 Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012

First 5 Minutes

oversees the

evacuation of

Australia’s

largest

shopping

centre

Chadstone Shopping Centre (also

known colloquially as Chaddy is a

super-regional shopping centre

located in the inner south-eastern

suburb of Malvern East in the city

of Melbourne, Australia. The

centre is the oldest in Victoria,

opening on 3 October 1960, the

largest in Australia with

approximately 530 stores and over

9,500 free car parking spaces –

and is currently claimed to be the

largest shopping centre in the

Southern Hemisphere

The Shopping Centre is reputedly

the “Fashion Capital” of Victoria

and is under the Centre

Management of Rod Thomas and

Penny West. They conducted a

trial evacuation exercise of the

centre under the watchful eye of

First 5 Minutes earlier this month.

The challenges of evacuating a

centre such as Chadstone are

enormous. Pre-planning thus

becomes the key to a successful

exercise. The pre-planning,

according to Penny, includes

undertaking all of the necessary

Warden Training so that Wardens

know what to do in the event of

an incident.

The scenario for the July 18th

event was a gas leak in the food

court on the lower level. With the

centre’s alert tone activating it

was all hands on deck as Rod

and Penny oversaw the scenario

exercise from the Centre

Management Boardroom. They

made it all seem like a well-

controlled environment as centre

maps were rolled out, after which

Wardens were delegated off to

sweep the vast floors and

tenancies of the centre.

As Wardens mustered in the

Centre Management office they

were delegated off in pairs to

various areas of the centre. First

5 Minutes Regional Manager,

Niels Holm was present in the

Control/Operations room, whilst

Trainers, Adrian Gervasoni and

Geoff Cox were present at the

incident itself along with

continued roaming and

observation of the exits and the

assembly areas.

As the evacuation tone sounded

tenancies were all evacuated to

one of three evacuation areas. The

tenancies and the general public

were all very co-operative as they

listened to the instructions of the

Wardens and proceeded outside on

a brisk winter morning. Despite

being an early morning exercise the

numbers were still close to 200

people evacuating to the respective

areas.

After being given the “all clear”, Rod

Thomas addressed the debriefing

and sought feedback from the local

Police in attendance, First 5 Minutes

and all the Wardens who

participated. The feedback on the

day and later from other staff was

that it was a very good exercise and

one of the best they had run.

Great work Rod and Penny, - First 5

Minutes looks forward to the next

successful evacuation exercise.

Chadstone Shopping Centre - Melbourne,

Victoria

13 Emergency Wardens Australia: August 2012

We welcome your feedback and contribution to this newsletter.

Write to: Jay Ramanah, General Manager (People, Culture and Training) E: jay.ramanah@first5minutes.com.au

T: 07 33552855