CFS review into Kangaroo Island fires highlights systemic failings that saw homes ‘forgotten’

A damning report has revealed the CFS fight against the KI bushfires was held back by a series of failures, including insubordination and incompetence, which saw homes “forgotten”.

Homes were “forgotten” after a “disproportionate level of attention” was given to protecting the Flinders Chase National Park during the devastating Kangaroo Island fires, an independent review has found.

The damning report also reveals systemic failings in administration, communication and firefighting procedures undermined the Country Fire Services response to the emergency.

CFS chief officer Mark Jones has vowed to accept all 11 of its recommendations, which he said would improve preparations for future fires “that seem certain to threaten South Australia”.

“Though our teams tried their hardest to deal with the circumstances they faced, we accept that not everything went as well as we might have hoped,” Mr Jones told The Advertiser.

“Despite the unprecedented challenges faced, the outcomes were mainly good and the losses, although terrible, could have been so much worse.”

The Kangaroo Island fires in December 2019 and January 2020 killed two people, destroyed 87 homes, wiped out 59,730 livestock, damaged 322 vehicles and blackened 211,474ha.

The Kangaroo Island fire as seen from near Parndana. Picture: Brad Fleet

Titled Lessons from the Island, the review – while noting the CFS should be commended for its hard work and determination in difficult conditions – identified:

DEFICIENCY in resources along with duplicated roles.

INEXPERIENCE and incompetence causing communication breakdowns.

INSUBORDINATION by some crews towards procedures and a culture of ignoring or actively working against leaders’ commands.

FATIGUE among volunteers who had been operational interstate since August 2019.

INADEQUATE technology and shared knowledge that, in some cases, resulted in crews becoming lost on the island.

The review uncovered what was described as an incident of “great concern” involving the “save at all costs mindset” of buildings within Flinders Chase National Park.

“A disproportionate level of attention was given in both planning and operations to the protection of the visitor centre and Rocky River precinct versus private assets to the east of the West End Highway,” it found.

Kangaroo Island mayor Michael Pengilly agreed private assets were “forgotten” and “played second fiddle” to the national parks.

“That was pretty apparent when that was all happening, and I think that’s something that needs to be looked into,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide on Tuesday.

Mr Pengilly said the report was not an investigation, and that aspect must be further explored.

The review also found a strong theme of fireground indiscipline and unaccountability, which caused tensions and mistrust between agencies and affected firefighting operations.

Mr Jones said the allegations were “so far removed from my experience that it’s difficult to believe them” and pledged to seek more details.

“There is simply no place for freelancing in emergency operations. The public will not be served well from such behaviours,” he said.

The review found a significant deficiency in resources for the CFS. Picture: Brad Fleet

The review concluded there was “a significant deficiency in full-time equivalent resources for the agency” and a high level of competition for the same resource.

It found the CFS was not adequately equipped to deal with ongoing mental health issues based on the raw emotion and stories from respondents.

“An enhanced approach to psychological first aid, triaging and mental health support will likely lead to better staff and volunteer attraction and retention,” the review found.

Mr Jones said the CFS would embrace the review having already implemented communication changes that had produced improvements during large fires this season.

“We’re quite rightly never above criticism but responses have to be measured and thought out. The learning points from these debriefs are rarely directly acted upon in isolation,” he said.

“While we will rightly reflect and continue to make incremental improvements – seeking extra resources to do them – the process of doing so cannot be allowed to detract from the amazing efforts of our volunteer firefighters and everyone else who helped get the state through its darkest days.”

The review – by disaster and emergency planning consultants C3 Resilience – comprised 522 surveys and 186 interviews, provided 24 insights and identified 11 lessons.

It was handed to the CFS in November 2020 and released to brigades on Monday night.

Mr Pengilly said there was a “sense of frustration” among volunteers who attended a debrief with Mr Jones on Kangaroo Island, which he said did not discuss issues including farm fire units.

“I walked through a few groups of people and none of them were particularly happy with the way it had gone,” he said.

“I think they felt disappointment as much as anything ... it probably needs a lot more investigation into some of these things just to find out why they happened and what led them to happening.”

But Mr Jones denied accusations from locals that the CFS was attempting “some form of cover-up or report hiding”.

“This is entirely untrue and I don’t know why these people would perpetrate such misleading dialogue, which has the potential to further inflame an already suffering community,” he said.

Mawson MP Leon Bignell said some people who lost their homes might not finish rebuilding for another year, and highlighted the importance of providing proper support for ongoing mental health injuries.

He added that it was up to the CFS to ensure the report brings about positive change.

“The CFS can’t just turn up and say ‘well, here’s our report’ and have one meeting or two meetings and then leave the people to their own devices,” he told the ABC.

“Scratch below the surface and there’s still a lot of pain, a lot of anguish there.”

Emergency Services Minister Vincent Tarzia said the government’s $97.5 million bushfire action plan, developed in response to the Keelty Review, would bolster the response of emergency services in future.

“This includes the first permanent CFS staffing presence for Kangaroo Island,” he said.

“Automated Vehicle Location has been trialled on Kangaroo Island and will boost fireground intelligence and the capability of volunteers when it is rolled out later this year.

“Nothing is more important than protecting lives and property.”