By Max Maddison
The NSW Rural Fire Service has been warned a program designed to help leverage private water supply during blazes had “ceased to be effective” and was putting firefighters’ lives at risk.
As recriminations fly over the failure of water supplies at the height of the Los Angeles firestorm, a leaked document reveals RFS volunteers have deep concerns about the accuracy of the Static Water Supply (SWS) program they rely on in emergencies.
A Queanbeyan firefighter holds a SWS (Static Water Supply) plate.Credit: Lannon Harley
Introduced in the late 1990s, the SWS initiative allowed residents to identify and register water sources, such as dams or swimming pools, that firefighters could use during bushfires. Static water is one of the RFS’s main forms of supply alongside natural and civil sources such as fire hydrants.
Concerns about access to water supply have increased over the past week as infernos engulfed Los Angeles in the middle of winter. The wildfires have so far led to at least 24 deaths, destroyed 12,300 structures and forced the evacuation of more than 180,000 residents.
Issues with water supply, including fire hydrant failures and the Santa Ynez Reservoir undergoing maintenance, hindered efforts to battle the mega-blazes across the city on the US West Coast.
The business paper from the July conference of the Rural Fire Service Association (RFSA), written by a veteran of nearly 50 years, said NSW volunteers believed the “risk to personal safety of members is increasing”. It highlighted that SWS signs had been placed at entrances to properties with insufficient water supply, or lacked safe access and exits for firefighting appliances.
“Concerns have been expressed by members that the Static Water Supply (SWS) program has ceased to be effective, with inconsistent levels of support and methods of application across NSW,” the RFSA member wrote.
“The risk to personal safety of members is increasing due to the program’s integrity being compromised. The risk to firefighters from other agencies is also increased as they may utilise locations identified.”
It warned the failings would be compounded if inaccurate information was uploaded into the mobile data terminals – a technology aimed at ensuring firefighters had the best and most up-to-date information – rolled out across brigades in 2024, saying it “may pose a safety risk to firefighters”.
The conference was held at RFS headquarters in Sydney Olympic Park on July 20. Attendees included the RFS’s then-deputy commissioner for preparedness and capability.
RFS firefighters get ready to defend properties in Bumbalong, NSW, south of Canberra, during the Black Summer bushfires.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
One RFS member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the issues with the SWS program remained an “absolute nightmare”, claiming a local council had handed the signs out to “anyone who asked” without checking whether the property had sufficient water supply or could be accessed safely.
“We’ve turned up at numerous sites to drain water and found the supply was empty,” the RFS member said. “Or found there was a steep, hill-like drop to access the water, a safety risk for firefighters.”
They said solving the problem required either the council or the RFS to ensure each property was accurately displaying the SWS sign.
Another RFS member said brigades would generally have a good idea of private water supplies in their area, and problems with the SWS program had come about primarily because of a “lack of policing” by the organisation’s HQ.
“Ideas are initiated with good intent but are badly managed after they’re implemented,” he said.
Insufficient water supply has plagued firefighters during several blazes across NSW, including around Tenterfield and Uralla, both in the state’s north, during the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires. The scarcity was driven by drought conditions confronting the region.
An RFS spokeswoman said there was no centralised or comprehensive list of all SWS sites, and the program relied on locally stored and maintained databases.
“While the signs do not guarantee water availability or accessibility, they remain a valuable tool for identifying potential resources, even as advancements in aerial imagery and geospatial systems have improved situational awareness and operational planning,” she said.
“The RFS remains committed to ensuring the integrity and relevance of the SWS program by combining these traditional tools with advancements in technology. This approach supports both firefighter safety and operational efficiency while continuing to foster community engagement and resilience.”
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