Acting Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Craig Waters defends DFES response to Albany landslip

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has issued a detailed defence of its response to a landslip threatening homes in Albany after coming under fire from Albany’s Mayor and a State MP. After a day of rising tensions over who should be taking the lead on the landslip, Acting Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Craig Waters said DFES was “not responsible for remediating defects on private property”. And he said the first ground movement observed in the area came after a subdivision approved by the City in 2013. Three houses have now been evacuated on Sleeman Avenue, and residents of three homes on Anzac Road have been advised to leave as the damage becomes more dramatic by the day, despite efforts from the City of Albany and Water Corporation to pump water out of the area. The cause of the landslip is in dispute, but a history of ground movement in the area, heavy winter rainfall, a burst water main on July 30 and the subdivision of land have all been cited as possible factors. Speaking at the site today, Nationals WA South West MLC James Hayward joined Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington in criticising “inaction” from DFES. Mr Hayward said DFES had sought legal advice to support their stance that the situation was not an emergency — a move he believed was “offensive” to the Albany community. “I find it extraordinary that DFES would go so far as to get legal advice to justify their inaction on this matter,” he said. “The City of Albany collected over $3.7 million via the Emergency Services Levy to fund DFES, and now when they need them, DFES is only willing to spend some of those funds to avoid doing their job.” He urged Emergency Minister Reece Whitby to intervene. “The Minister needs to tell DFES to stop focusing on how it can avoid helping, and instead find a way to support the local community in finding a solution to this problem,” he said. “DFES could leverage its significant influence and resources to engage specialists who can suggest solutions. The geotechnical expertise is available in WA — the mining industry deals with land slip issues all the time.” This afternoon, Acting Commissioner Waters responded to those criticisms and outlined the Department’s role in responding to the landslip. He confirmed that the Department’s legal advice was that the landslip was not classified as an emergency under the Emergency Management Regulations 2006. “DFES’ priority is always to protect the lives of Western Australians, but we are not responsible for remediating defects on private property — that responsibility lies with local government or insurers,” he said. “DFES is responsible for the prescribed hazard of collapse, which is an emergency in which people are trapped. The collapse emergency response is focussed on locating, treating and extricating causalities. “If there was an emergency at Sleeman Avenue, our role would be to respond to any risk of injury or threat to life — we would not assume responsibility for long-term remediation works of private land.” Acting Commissioner Waters said DFES had ensured its staff were familiar with the area in the event of an emergency. DFES urban and rescue engineers had worked with the City on the response to the landslip and supported the recommendations provided to the City by geotechnical consultants. “It is understood that due to instability, all recommendations are yet to be implemented,” he said. “DFES has assisted the City with its establishment and management of an incident management team to deal with this issue, as well as sitting on the incident support group. “DFES is in constant communication with the City to assist them as they work through the challenges of this issue.” He said DFES did not have expertise or capability for “significant geological excavation or reform”. “Local governments do not consult DFES on matters regarding private property issues including the subdivision of land or the building of private property, and whether a nominated site is suitable for development noting any concerns about terrain or gradient,” he said. “The City of Albany approved a subdivision at the bottom of the hill in question in 2013, and the first movement of soil was observed after this work had taken place. “We have engaged with the City extensively to encourage it to explore and identify what action can be undertaken in response to the situation and develop a long-term objective for the area.”