Waste facility experience pays off

Experience with assisting a major waste management facility in the Melbourne suburb of Coolaroo to improve fire safety after a massive blaze in 2017 has paid off years later.

Ferm has been selected to provide high-level fire risk assessments for two Sunshine Coast Council (SCC) waste management facilities.

Ferm CEO Steve Burton said: “Someone who had previously worked with the Victorian Environment Department was aware of the assistance we had provided to the Coolaroo facility after the fire and recommended us to the SCC.”

Ferm will provide risk assessments for two waste transfer facilities, in particular examining the potential fire risk from lithium batteries incorrectly disposed of within household waste.

“We’ll report on technology available for detecting and suppressing fires that can occur from lithium batteries,” Steve said.

Ferm worked with Cleanaway, which purchased the Coolaroo facility from SKM Industries after the 2017 fire, to develop fire safety systems suitable for a waste recycling depot to prevent another significant loss.

The fire burned for two weeks, causing major air pollution over Melbourne.