Managing Smoke and Emissions
Opportunities
A new system for managing smoke and emissions in
Victoria that will provide for coordinated:
• Investment
• Service delivery
• Community focus
Risks
• Siloed approach to solutions & opportunities
• Approach focussed on Hazelwood instead of state
• Failing to build industry into the solutions
• Lack of community awareness & ownership
• Producing outcomes that maximise investment
Rapid Air Quality Monitoring
The State through the lead agency EPA is
equipping itself to undertake rapid air quality
monitoring in any location in Victoria, to :
• Collect all relevant data, including data on
PM2.5, carbon monoxide and ozone; and
• Ensuring the data is used to inform
decision-making within 24 hours of the
incident occurring.
Tiered Response Model
Develop a tiered response model that builds capability and encompasses
the entire process from initial to full-scale response. This will include the:
• threshold conditions which relate to potential community impact, under
which rapid air quality monitoring will be deployed (an ‘escalation
procedure’)
• type of ‘prolonged smoke events’ that should be covered by the
recommendation (for example coal mine fires, landfill fires)
• exact type and format of air quality data needed by agencies to make
health and operational related decisions based on rapid air quality
monitoring
• range of pollutants to be included in rapid air quality monitoring.
This will also inform a strategic approach to detection, analysis and
monitoring, and consideration of mechanisms to assess and deploy
appropriate resources based on the requirements of an event.
Deliverables
• understanding current capacity and capability across
agencies
• developing a sector investment plan
• development of an investment plan to address gaps in
capability
• strategic approach to detection, analysis and monitoring
that can be applied across a range of events to inform
decision-making and enhance community safety.
Carbon Monoxide Standard
This Standard provides direction for all agencies
responding to large, extended or complex fires
that produce significant levels of carbon
monoxide (CO) in the outdoor environment.
These may include but are not limited to fires in
coal mines, peat bogs, landfill sites or large
mulch piles.
These events may exhibit the following
characteristics:
• Risk to firefighter and emergency responder
health
• Impact on communities
• Scale, scope and complexity
• Significant carbon monoxide emissions.
CO Standard deliverables
 standards to be applied during significant events that have
potential to generate CO for community and workers including
responders
 enhanced fire fighter, worker and responder safety during these
events
 health management program for fire fighter, worker and
responders
 improved monitoring at both incident and community levels
 enhanced community safety
 ability to base protective actions on measured and analysed data
 a robust protocol which has undergone peer review by experts
 an education program for responders.
Smoke, Air Quality & Health
This Protocol combines the previously
developed Bushfire Smoke, Air Quality
& Health Monitoring Protocol (DHHS &
EPA 2014) & the Hazelwood Coal
Mine Fire PM2.5 Health Protection
Protocol (DHHS & EPA 2014)
Now applies to all fire setting where levels of fine
particulates in smoke are significant & a health concern
• includes PM2.5 and PM10 fine particles as air quality
monitoring indicators
• reaffirms its application to broad area (regional)
impacts of bushfire smoke on community health
• considers the latest available supporting documents,
including the Wildfire Smoke – a Guide for Public
Health Officials (California) in this update
• provides a reference for emergency responders.
Protocol Deliverables
• outlines arrangements between EPA and DHHS for
the provision of forecast and actual fine particle data
• process for communicating community health
protection messages and advice
• promoting understanding across emergency
management agencies
• use of the emergency information and warnings
system to communicate to communities.
State Smoke Framework
Incorporates the management of
public health impacts from largescale, extended smoke events;
Includes updated Bushfire Smoke,
carbon monoxide and PM2.5
protocols; and
Provides practical advice and
support materials to employers,
communities and individuals on
how to minimise the harmful
effects of smoke.
State Smoke Framework
State Smoke Framework
EMERGENCY SCENARIOS
Tyre fire, Coalmine, Landfill (Waste / Composting), Bushfire, Planned Burns, Industrial / Chemical Plant, HazMat
Timescale
Immediate
First responder
4-6 Hours
Shelter Indoors
6-24 hours
Days-Weeks
Terminate OR Responsive Evacuation
Reference protocols and
triggers for stages of
incident
INCIDENT
Community Smoke, Air Quality & Health Protocol
Use visibility at any stage
Use PM2.5 ≥ 25µg/m 3 (24 hr) or ≥ 40 µg/m3 (1 hr) when available
Use PM10 ≥ 50µg/m 3 (24 hr) or ≥ 80µg/m 3 (1 hr) when available
Carbon Monoxide (CO) protocol - triggered by any reading or prediction ≥ 27ppm
Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) protocol - triggered by any reading or prediction ≥ 0.2ppm 1
All other analytes - use Health Risk Assessment
1
Potentially SO2 producing settings: Anglesea & Bacchus Marsh coalmines; Industrial production of sodium sulfite, sulfuric acid, sulfuryl chloride,
thionyl chloride, organic sulfonates, disinfectants, fumigants, glass, wine, industrial and edible protein, and vapor pressure thermometers. Also used
during the bleaching of some food, wood pulp and wood; in leather tanning, brewing, preserving and the refrigeration industry.
Includes others
Incorporates the previously described standards and
protocols and incorporates other capacities and
capabilities existing and in development
• Plume modelling capability – ALOHA, ARGOS
• Smoke Transport modelling & health impacts
• Shelter Indoors
Next Steps
• Awareness and understanding across agencies and
stakeholders.
• Integration within agency response protocols.
• Training and education.
• Ongoing development and review
• Exercising
Published and available
http://emv.vic.gov.au/procedures/protocols/
Questions?
Smoke Management
Range of new protocols
in place for this season.
Partner agencies Fire,
EPA and DHHS
When deciding the course of action and which capabilities should
be deployed, the following should also be considered:
1. Nature of the fire/event (what are we dealing with?)
2. Scale (how big is it now, will it grow?)
3. Predictions on estimated duration (how long will it run for?)
4. Meteorological forecast (what is the weather doing, will this
change?)
5. Time to activate protocols within this matrix (what is the time
from decision to operational deployment, to receipt of valid
data on which to base decisions?)
6. Engagement of appropriate key agencies at incident, region
and state level I/EMT’s (are the right agencies engaged and
represented?)
7. Community (what is the nature of the community being or
likely to be impacted?)
8. Activation and issuing of community warnings and information
(what message and information does the community need?).
Consideration of each of these factors will help ensure workers
and communities are protected at all times.