ESA Comissioner Georgeina Whelan says ADF protocol should be questioned following Orroral Valley fire

The Emergency Services Agency commissioner Georgeina Whelan said the helicopter crew on board when a landing light accidentally sparked the Orroral Valley fire were following Australian Defence Force protocol.

The crew did not alert emergency services to the exact location of the fire until they landed at Canberra Airport 45 minutes after ignited. Defence said the crew had an immediate responsibility to the safety of the crew on board and may not have been able to alert emergency services earlier due to restricted radio traffic.

Commissioner Whelan said it was not her role to "criticise, condone or condemn" the crew's action but said Defence protocols should be looked at, particularly as they moved into new territory in assisting firefighting efforts, as was seen during the Black Summer fires of 2019-20.

"What I believe should occur and I have no doubt is occurring in Defence, is asking themselves the question ... is there a new protocol they need to add because of the experience last year? Versus, did they deliberately withhold information from the community, because I don't believe that's the case?" she told ABC Radio Canberra on Friday.

Commissioner Whelan said although it was "tragic" and "disappointing" that information wasn't passed on earlier, the crew had followed standard military protocol.

"If there's a question around whether those protocols should be altered, that's something that needs to be taken up with Defence," she said.

"The task was appropriate, the undertaking of their safety protocols was appropriate. It was a tragedy that fire was ignited by a light."

The ADF released early images of the blaze taken by crew on board the helicopter on Thursday, sparking renewed calls for an inquiry.

Comissioner Whelan said the ESA had learnt from the incident.

"I believe, from my perspective the learnings from that event certainly have not been observed, they have certainly been recognised and systems and processes from an agency perspective are in play and I have no doubt from a Defence perspective are in play." she said.

Commissioner Whelan said she had not seen the photos of the Orroral Valley fire released by the Australian Defence Force on Thursday, nor had the ESA team which undertook a review into the blaze.

"Let's separate the photos themselves from what was actually happening," she said.

"It is not for me to criticise, condone or condemn the actions of the crew."

She said the photos would not have influenced the ESA review of the Black Summer bushfires.

Commissioner Whelan also confirmed there were only military crew on board the helicopter.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr hit back at fresh scrutiny of the incident with the release of the photos. Labelling ongoing questions into it a "witch hunt".

He said it had "absolutely nothing to do with the ACT government", Mr Barr said an "endless circular blame game" would achieve nothing.

Emergency Services Minister Mick Gentleman told the ABC on Friday the call for an inquiry was not a matter for ACT officials.

"I'm very pleased with the response from ESA, in regards to Defence - that's their responsibility," he said.

He said the ACT had a "pretty good" relationship with the ADF during the bushfires.

"It's a tricky terrain to work in ... the ESA were on the job as soon as they could."

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