Importing fire protection equipment onboard aircraft
25 MARCH 2022
The requirements for importing fire protection equipment onboard aircraft can be complex. A combination of rules from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989 (Ozone Act) applies. The import requirements are managed by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
If your company requires further information on what types of fire protection equipment can be imported onboard aircraft and which type of licence is required for each agent, please refer to our recent article in GasBag which covers this topic in greater detail.
Need to report a discharge of a scheduled extinguishing agent?
15 FEBRUARY 2022
The FPIB is calling on fire protection companies to come forward and report any recent discharge incident involving an ozone depleting substance (ODS) or synthetic greenhouse gas (SGG) that you are aware of. This applies to any recent emission that has taken place at your work site or an incident one of your employees may have witnessed at another site as a contractor.
Minimising the risk of discharge not only benefits our natural environment, but it also helps fire protection companies and end users to preserve their capital as scheduled agents can be costly to replace.
The discharge notification form can be found here.
Please note this form has recently been updated and can now be completed on your desktop without the hassle of having to print and scan. Simply open the weblink above, download and save to your desktop (arrow in the top right hand-corner) and then fill in the form before sending to ozone@fpib.com.au
If you require further information/education on discharge prevention, please refer to our flyer.
Increase to permit application fees in 2022
20 DECEMBER 2021
The annual indexation formula uses the Wage Price Index (WPI) figures published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Consistent with the WPI figures for the September 2021 quarter, the fire protection industry permit application fees will increase by 2.227% per cent from 1 January 2022.
The following table shows the permit fees and durations for 2021 and 2022.
| Permit type | Duration | 2021 application fees | 2022 application fees |
| Extinguishing Agent Handling Licence – Qualified Persons |
3 years | $444 | $453 |
| Extinguishing Agent Handling Licence – Experienced Persons |
3 years | $444 | $453 |
| Extinguishing Agent Trainee Licence | 1 year | $148 | $151 |
| Extinguishing Agent Trading Authorisation | 3 years | $744 | $762 |
| Halon Special Permit | 3 years | $888 | $909 |
Fines issued in fire protection industry for breaches of ozone protection laws
13 SEPTEMBER 2021
The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has issued three infringement notices for non-compliance within the fire protection industry for breaching regulations under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989.
A Queensland company was fined for engaging an unlicensed technician to undertake fire protection work, resulting in the discharge of the regulated fire extinguishing agent and synthetic greenhouse gas, HFC-227ea.
The unlicensed technician was allowed to work on the fire suppression system of a tugboat leading to the release of 247 kg of HFC-227ea into the atmosphere. This is equivalent to over 795 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
To read up on more details relating to these penalties, please refer to our latest GasBag newsletter.
