Trading Places

Within weeks of arriving in Oregon for a one-year exchange program, Australian Merv Bonnell was on the front line, fighting some of the state's worst wildfires in decades. It was just one of the experiences Bonnell took back to his department in Noosa Heads, Queensland, a small resort city (population about 22,000) on Australia's eastern coast.

Photo Courtesy of Noosa Heads Fire Brigade Oregon Firefighter John Muller, on duty in Noosa Heads, Queensland, conducts a daily check of breathing apparatus.

Meanwhile, John Muller, 45 and a 13-year firefighting veteran, was getting his first look at Australian firefighting techniques and at a simple but affordable, training facility design he plans to bring back to his own department in Bend, OR (population 30,000). For both men and their families, the exchange was a unique opportunity literally to trade lifestyles, homes and jobs for a year.

The exchange idea was born when Bonnell's station officer vacationed in Portland, OR. He brought along Merv's resume, since he was interested in setting up an exchange. One of the resumes made its way to Muller, who responded to Bonnell's inquiry. Muller discovered the Australians already had made several exchanges with the Duluth, MN, Fire Department but this was the first time anyone in Oregon had proposed such a program.

"I used the Queensland department's policy as a guide in creating our program," Muller said. "We literally wrote the book for Oregon on how to set up a firefighter exchange." Muller presented the package to Bend Fire Chief Larry Langston and City Manager Larry Patterson. Buoyed by their strong support, the wheels started turning. Australia seemed almost a reality. Then another kind of reality hit - the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

The INS told Bend it had not made a strong enough case for Bonnell to come to Oregon for training. The city enlisted the aid of the Maryland-based Association for International Practical Training (AIPT). The AIPT, in business since 1950, had never before arranged a firefighter exchange but in eight weeks the Association had the program approved and secured Bonnell's educational visa. Hefting a two-inch thick binder of paperwork, Langston noted, "This is the kind of effort it took to get this program approved. We were fortunate to have the full backing of Larry Patterson and to find out about the AIPT."

Photo Courtesy of Bend Fire Department Merv Bonnell on the job at a brushfire in Bend, OR. The fire destroyed 19 homes and numerous outbuildings.

Bonnell, Muller, Queensland's state-run fire department and the City of Bend worked out the financial details. Both men would pay transportation expenses for their families to cross the Pacific. Plus, each would stay on his own department's payroll and worker's compensation policy during the trade, so neither government incurred extra expenses. They would live in each other's homes, drive each other's vehicles and fight each other's fires.

The two men met for the first time when Bonnell, a 35-year-old with 15 years as a Queensland firefighter, arrived in Bend. After a lifetime in a humid coastal climate, central Oregon's "high desert" and Cascade Mountain range was an adjustment. Bend is also a tourist town but people come to snow ski, not surf ocean waves. A week later, Muller got his first look at Bonnell's hometown, a lush land of palm trees and tropical ocean breezes. To no one's surprise, one of Muller's first purchases was a surfboard.

Photo Courtesy of Noosa Heads Fire Brigade John Muller practices working with a "beater," a long wooden handle with canvas attached to the end that is used to fight brushfires in Australia.

Both men and their families quickly discovered how different - yet how similar - life was in their counterpart's country. The Bonnells had to learn how to drive on the right side of the road, while the Mullers were catching on to Aussie-style left-side driving. Termino-logy, on and off the job, took some education (see box on next page). Australia uses the metric system; Americans still rely on English units of measure.

While everyone met with a warm welcome, Muller admitted, "The Australians are more laid-back than we are." Bonnell agreed: "It's more fast-paced here. At home, people go with the flow, they're more relaxed."

Relaxation was not in the cards for Bonnell. Only six weeks into his 12-month training, more than 100,000 acres of central Oregon rangeland exploded in wildfires. Bonnell was on a crew called in under mutual aid agreements. "Those fires were overwhelming, something I'd never seen before," Bonnell said.

But a fire that burned 19 homes in a Bend subdivision was even more dramatic. "We were literally going house to house saving homes," Bonnell recalled. "The fire came at us so quickly from four angles."

Smothering flames and homes with foam saved many structures, a technique Bonnell said is not yet used in Queensland. He also noted that, in his humid area, there would have been more time to light back burns - back-burning is a common approach to Australian bushfires, called brushfires in the U.S.

"They fight fire with fire a lot and water is used very sparingly," Muller said. "We tend to use water more. The main tools here are drip torches and 'beaters,' which are long wooden handles with canvas attached to the end. You use this to beat the fire out. It's surprisingly effective."

One of the sharpest differences between the two countries in firefighting is the Australian use of high-pressure, low-volume attacks vs. the U.S.' high-volume, low-pressure philosophy.

"Instead of pre-connected hoselines for initial attack, they use high-pressure hose reels," Muller said. He added that the pumps are four or five stage and put out up to 600 psi and the hose measures one inch. The nozzle puts out about 50 gpm.

Photo Courtesy of Noosa Heads Fire Brigade The Noosa Heads fire station in Queensland.

The Australians believe their approach causes less water damage, provides better penetration and atomization and is easier to handle."That's taken a little getting used to," Muller said, "because it's been drilled into me that we want a lot of volume when we attack a fire."

Bonnell noted, "The differences in our philosophy are largely due to the types of building construction we deal with. Ninety-nine percent of our houses are made of brick. A lot of fires are contained within one or a few rooms. In Bend most homes are timber construction, which is a more combustible material. Although I can see where high- pressure hose reels may have a part to play in firefighting in the U.S.A."

Another big change for both men was the relationship with ambulance services. "I have training in basic first aid," Bonnell said, "but in Queensland the ambulance is a separate government-run organization."

The Australian fire department handles all rescue equipment and only assists the ambulance when extrication or rescue is needed. In Bend, the city operates both fire and ambulance services, and most firefighters also have paramedic certification. Bonnell said the issue of fire department funding is less political in Queensland - the entire state is one fire department and members can transfer from city to city. He added, "The operating funds come from insurance companies, the state and a utility surcharge."

As far as work schedules go, Bonnell thinks his shifts at home are ideal. Muller said he tends to agree.

"We work two 10-hour days and two 14-hour nights," Bonnell said. "Then we have four days off. You have a lot of free time."

The Bend department works a 56-hour week, with 24-hours-on/two-days-off rotations.

Both men said they hope to help other departments arrange exchanges.

"Every day brings a new experience" Muller said. "It's been wonderful."

Bonnell concurred: "I'd recommend this type of exchange to anyone who wants to learn more about another culture."

What Do You Call It?

John Muller provided this list of Australian vs. American firefighting terms. He noted, "Throw a heavy Aussie accent on these terms and you end up with a Yank who says, 'What?' a lot!"

Louise Hawker is a freelance writer with an interest in the fire service.