Pinery bushfire coordinator thanks EPA before retiring
The man who was appointed by Premier Jay Weatherilll to preside over the Pinery bushfire recovery spent part of the last day in his role, with EPA staff and shared some of his experiences with them.
Before retiring as Pinery Bushfire Recovery Coordinator, Vince Monterola visited EPA HQ to also thank staff for their contributions towards the Pinery bushfire recovery effort in the Mid North.
He said the bushfire resulted in two deaths, with six others seriously injured, 97 homes destroyed and around 85,000 hectares of land that was burnt, equivalent to an area spanning from Gawler to Flagstaff Hill.
“The EPA was represented on the State Recovery Committee (SRC) and was among other government agencies involved in the recovery effort that offered valuable advice and support in waste management to those who were affected by this devastating bushfire,” Mr Monterola said.
He said besides the many challenging tasks that the SRC faced, there were also notable achievements including establishing a ‘Menswatch’ program that offered specialised peer support training to help men cope with stress.
Mr Monterola was appointed Pinery Recovery Coordinator in November 2015 and retired last month.
Barossa Chief Inspector, Alex Zimmermann has been appointed to resume this ongoing role.
