❓ Mr Love questions the Minister for Emergency Services regarding the Emergency WA website outage during bushfires and the failure to alert the public or utilise alternative information sources. The Minister defends the system, citing its newness, world-leading capabilities, and the availability of alternative information channels.
AnsweredQoN 736Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Emergency WA—Website outage
736. Mr Shane Love to
the Minister for Emergency Services:
I seek some
indulgence to recognise those people who have been affected by a series of
bushfires. As members can see from this little map of part of my electorate, many
bushfires have been raging across the electorate. I recognise those people who
have lost property. Some I know have had their vehicles burnt while they have
been out fighting the fires, so it is a very serious situation. I thank
everybody who has been responding to that.
With that, my
question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. I refer to the complete
outage of the Emergency WA website for hours during multiple major bushfire
emergencies, which left Western Australians without access to critical real-time
public safety information, and the concurrent failure of the automatic vehicle
locator system used to track fire appliances and support firefighter safety.
(1) Why was the public not alerted that the system
was down and diverted to other systems or sources of information, such as ABC
radio?
(2) Given that this was a well-predicted one-in-10-year
lightning event, how is it that multiple critical emergency systems failed at
the height of an active bushfire emergency?
736. Mr Shane Love to
the Minister for Emergency Services:
I seek some
indulgence to recognise those people who have been affected by a series of
bushfires. As members can see from this little map of part of my electorate, many
bushfires have been raging across the electorate. I recognise those people who
have lost property. Some I know have had their vehicles burnt while they have
been out fighting the fires, so it is a very serious situation. I thank
everybody who has been responding to that.
With that, my
question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. I refer to the complete
outage of the Emergency WA website for hours during multiple major bushfire
emergencies, which left Western Australians without access to critical real-time
public safety information, and the concurrent failure of the automatic vehicle
locator system used to track fire appliances and support firefighter safety.
(1) Why was the public not alerted that the system
was down and diverted to other systems or sources of information, such as ABC
radio?
(2) Given that this was a well-predicted one-in-10-year
lightning event, how is it that multiple critical emergency systems failed at
the height of an active bushfire emergency?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for his
question. With respect to the automatic vehicle locator system, that is an
internal system for operational use by the Department of Fire and Emergency
Services and it is not relevant to the public.
With regard to the outage of the
Emergency WA app, as the member knows, because it has been publicised, it was
out for 146 minutes. It is a new system. It is world leading in terms of the capability
it provides, to the extent that it is being replicated in Manitoba in Canada and
is contemplated for use elsewhere. It is a new system. Technology of this type
occasionally results in technical issues at the outset. What happened at the
time did not prevent the public from getting information. There are alternative
means of emergency information. This is not the 000 telephone number. It is not
the notification—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the National Party!
Mr Paul Papalia: It is not the means by which people
call for assistance.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Paul Papalia: That
is the 000 system and that was available.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt, I am
calling you for the first time. Member for Central Wheatbelt, did you hear
that?
Mr Lachlan Hunter: I heard it.
The Speaker: Thank you.
Mr Paul Papalia: You are making yourself look like a
bit of a goose right now, mate.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Paul Papalia: The 133 337—the 13 DFES number—is
available for people to seek further information if they need to. ABC radio has
regular updates and notifications available.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt, I am
calling you for the second time.
Mr Paul Papalia: Throughout the time the Emergency WA
app was interrupted, the push notifications system via that app was still
available, so if there was a need to provide notifications via that app, it was
possible for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services to push that
information to the recipients in whichever zone there was a threat. Beyond
that, there is another automatic messaging system, which members have probably
all experienced via their telephones in the event that the police are looking
for an old person who has gone missing or the like, to which DFES has access
and could provide notifications to people during that time. There was never a
time when people were in danger of not being provided with information. We have
an enhanced world-leading capability that should be supported by everybody, and
people should be encouraged to rely upon additional information that can be
accessed via an app that nobody had before it was introduced in WA and that exists
nowhere else.
question. With respect to the automatic vehicle locator system, that is an
internal system for operational use by the Department of Fire and Emergency
Services and it is not relevant to the public.
With regard to the outage of the
Emergency WA app, as the member knows, because it has been publicised, it was
out for 146 minutes. It is a new system. It is world leading in terms of the capability
it provides, to the extent that it is being replicated in Manitoba in Canada and
is contemplated for use elsewhere. It is a new system. Technology of this type
occasionally results in technical issues at the outset. What happened at the
time did not prevent the public from getting information. There are alternative
means of emergency information. This is not the 000 telephone number. It is not
the notification—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the National Party!
Mr Paul Papalia: It is not the means by which people
call for assistance.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Paul Papalia: That
is the 000 system and that was available.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt, I am
calling you for the first time. Member for Central Wheatbelt, did you hear
that?
Mr Lachlan Hunter: I heard it.
The Speaker: Thank you.
Mr Paul Papalia: You are making yourself look like a
bit of a goose right now, mate.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Paul Papalia: The 133 337—the 13 DFES number—is
available for people to seek further information if they need to. ABC radio has
regular updates and notifications available.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt, I am
calling you for the second time.
Mr Paul Papalia: Throughout the time the Emergency WA
app was interrupted, the push notifications system via that app was still
available, so if there was a need to provide notifications via that app, it was
possible for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services to push that
information to the recipients in whichever zone there was a threat. Beyond
that, there is another automatic messaging system, which members have probably
all experienced via their telephones in the event that the police are looking
for an old person who has gone missing or the like, to which DFES has access
and could provide notifications to people during that time. There was never a
time when people were in danger of not being provided with information. We have
an enhanced world-leading capability that should be supported by everybody, and
people should be encouraged to rely upon additional information that can be
accessed via an app that nobody had before it was introduced in WA and that exists
nowhere else.
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