1 / 57

Video played

Video played. Black Saturday 7 th February 2009. DVI Response to Victoria Bushfires State DVI Commander Detective Superintendent Doug O’Loughlin APM Victoria Police Forensic Services Department Crime Scene Division.

yael
Download Presentation

Video played

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Video played

  2. Black Saturday 7th February 2009 DVI Response to Victoria Bushfires State DVI Commander Detective Superintendent Doug O’Loughlin APM Victoria Police Forensic Services Department Crime Scene Division

  3. Based on data from the Department of Sustainability and Environment 9am Feb 8th 2009

  4. Mudgegonga Bendigo Redesdale Marysville Kinglake Melbourne Churchill

  5. Saturday 7th February • 3 x 43ºC+ days in week prior (109.5ºF +) • 360 people had died as result of heat wave prior to Black Saturday • Conditions on the day • wind 130kph • humidity 6% • Average temperature 46.4ºC+ (115.52 º F) 20º above average Prediction: Worst Fire Danger Day Ever in Victoria

  6. Black Saturday was the deadliest and worst ever natural disaster in Australian history: Initial beliefs: • 200-300 deaths predicted • 3000+ properties lost • 7000 people displaced • several towns completely destroyed

  7. Fatal Fire Flaws • Max. intensity controllable bushfire = 4000kW p/metre • Black Saturday fire = 100,000 kW per metre • Unprecedented severity, extremity & intensity • Fire consumed the oxygen • Radiant heat overwhelmed victims before flames arrived • Fire Danger Index: 50 = Extreme • Black Saturday FDI = 180 (Herald Sun 21 April 09)

  8. Fatal Fire Flaws [continued] (Herald Sun 21 April 09)

  9. Disaster Victim Identification • Australia follows a worldwide INTERPOL recognised process • The Process is broken up into 5 Phases:- • Phase 1 – Scene • Phase 2 – Mortuary • Phase 3 – Ante Mortem • Phase 4 – Reconciliation • Phase 5 – Debrief

  10. DVI Response Saturday 7th • Forensic Service Crime Scene Officer alerted • Made call out of Crime Scene /DVI personnel Sunday 8th(a.m.) • aware death toll rising

  11. Sunday 8th February • 35 main fire areas still burning • 400,0002 ha fire (over 1 million2 acres) • or 40002 km / 15442 miles • Some areas too dangerous for DVI Teams to enter

  12. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC.

  13. A view from the northern suburbs of Melbourne

  14. InitialProblems • Search area • sites to be searched - remotely located, hours away from Melbourne • multiple sites, spread over large area • still burning and dangerous • toll mounting each day in all areas • community and media pressure • Limited number of experienced DVI personnel

  15. Initial Problems[continued] Communication networks severely effected or destroyed DVI assistance requests from numerous Local Police Operation Centres. Confusion responsibility for areas duplication of requests for DVI assistance

  16. Conference with State Coroner • Agreed to concentrate on human remains in obvious places - revisit to complete search • Many premises were unsafe to search • collapsing walls, roofs, presence of asbestos Outcome: • Normal DVI procedures were streamlined re the recovery of human remains

  17. 1st Priority Tasks • Attend scenes where human remains had been located in open spaces and vehicles • Reason – Allow for rapid restoration of infrastructure • communications, clear roads of fallen trees, electricity, food ,water ,clothing, etc,

  18. Local Assistance • Seconded Regional Crime Scene Officers (RSCOs) to DVI duties • 220+RSCOs trained in Phase 1 DVI duties over past 3 years

  19. Interstate & International Assistance Within 24 Hours • Australasian DVI Committee (ADVIC) Chair • Interstate • NSW & AFP DVI teams had arrived • Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and the Northern Territory preparing to deploy DVI Teams • International • New Zealand DVI Teams • Indonesian DVI Odontologists and Pathologists • Offers from other nations received

  20. DVI Team • Team Leader (VICPOL DVI member) • Photographer • Searcher (s) • Detective Investigator (Coroner’s Brief) • Urban Search & Rescue member • (Fire Services - for site safety issues) 18 x DVI Teams operational at peak

  21. DVI Team Deployment • Daily allocation of tasks at morning briefing • Welfare / Availability of Counselling • Site Safety Plan critical • Dangers collapsing walls, asbestos roofing - PPE a must

  22. Morning Briefing

  23. Personal Protection Equipment

  24. Asbestos Decontamination

  25. Peak of Operations • 18 DVI teams: • Marysville area x 5 • Kinglake & surrounds x 13 • Day 4: 89% of known victims were recovered • Day 6: 100% of known victims were recovered • 293 personnel utilised during Phase 1

  26. The Next Tasks • Continued search of new sites • Revisit sites • Thorough 2nd search where human remains had been found • Some sites were searched 3-4 times • Now the availability of Pathologists, Odontologists and Anthropologists in the field with DVI teams • Use of cadaver dogs

  27. Difficulty of Search

  28. Nine human remains found commingled

  29. Coroner Briefings Progress Meetings every two days • Consideration of Deaths non-residents (tourists etc) could not be discounted • Coroner issued “Restricted Access Order” on the 6 fire burn areas. • The Order required all destroyed and partly destroyed structures in fire burn areas to be searched for possible human remains • No sites to be cleared or interfered with

  30. Summary - DVI Phase 1 • 145 scenes attended • 86 re-visits to destroyed structures • 302 sets of remains recovered • 302 DVI numbers issued • 14 scenes were located in open • 8 vehicles examined contained human remains

  31. Summary - DVI Phase 1 (continued) • 3 sets of remains asbestos contaminated • 31 sets of remains identified as commingled • 8 sets of remains identified as non-human • DVI Phase 1 completed by 25th February 2009 • Standby for Operation Royals

  32. Coroner’s Order – Operation Royals • Police & Military personnel searched some 5743 structures and 700 burned vehicles • 3394 burnt or destroyed properties searched over 5 week period • (DVI Teams on standby) • DVI teams called to attend a further 106 scenes • no human remains located

  33. Temporary custom-built mortuary facility

  34. Mortuary

  35. Phase 2 -Mortuary • Admission of deceased • Labelled with Barcode • Photographed • DNA sampled • Head to toe CT scan • Pathology examination • Odontology examination • Quality Review • (Fingerprints)

  36. Phase 3 - Ante Mortem (AM) • 130 Detectives utilised • 52 teams of 2 x Detectives accompanied by a Coroner’s Court Grievance Counsellor • 4000+ data entries analysed • Outcome: 164 AM kits completed • 9 persons died in hospitals from fire injuries

More Related