Lead a storm damage crew on roof and tree jobs

What is going on

Sunday's severe wind event left 64 requests for assistance across Torquay and Anglesea and nine remain open: six roof damage jobs and three trees on buildings. The unit controller has asked you to lead a crew of four on Saturday to complete as many as can be done safely. During the event a volunteer slipped on a wet tiled roof and was saved by fall restraint, and a chainsaw chain brake failed on a tree job, so the unit is sensitive to roof and chainsaw safety. One member's chainsaw currency has lapsed in the training matrix. The forecast is for moderate winds easing during the day with a shower in the afternoon. Each job must be assessed on arrival and recorded with photographs in the Incident and Dispatch Log.

Your brief

Select a competent crew, prioritise the open jobs, assess every scene before work starts, apply the working at height and tree operation controls, complete the jobs or make them safe, brief the occupiers, and record each job accurately, stopping work if conditions or equipment make it unsafe.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

• Read the Storm and Flood Damage Operations Procedure and list the tasking priorities, the scene assessment items, the working at height controls and the chainsaw rules.
• Check the Training and Competency Matrix and select four crew members whose working at height and chainsaw currencies are recorded as current, recording why any member was not selected.
• Review the nine open requests in the Incident and Dispatch Log and order them by the procedure's priorities, noting which need the specialist tree crew or a power distributor call.
• Check the vehicle, ladders, fall restraint kits and chainsaws in the Appliance and Equipment Register, confirm the tagged out saw is not on the truck, and complete pre-use checks including the brake test.
• Brief the crew before departure on the job order, the roles, the roof and chainsaw controls, the weather triggers for stopping work and the reporting arrangements.
• At each job, conduct and record a scene assessment for power lines, structure, tree condition, floodwater and traffic before any work starts, and apply fall restraint for every roof job.
• Complete each job or make it safe with tarpaulins and temporary repairs, explain to the occupier what has been done and what they must arrange themselves, and record the job with photographs and the status Stop in the log.
• Hold a hot debrief with the crew at the end of the day, report any near miss on the Injury, Near Miss and Hazard Report Form, and report the crew available to the unit controller.

What someone in this role would produce

• A crew selection record referencing the training matrix
• A prioritised job list with tree crew or power distributor referrals
• Scene assessments and completed job records with photographs in the Incident and Dispatch Log
• A crew briefing record and hot debrief notes