NEWCASTLE residents living near the Wickham fire site are still waiting for asbestos removalists to clean their properties, more than a fortnight after the blaze.
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An Emergency Operations Centre established on March 2 transitioned on March 16 to a Recovery Coordination Committee led by the council, along with the EPA, Public Works Advisory, NSW Health and Safework.
Islington resident Will Sherman said he and other residents had ongoing concerns about the risk of asbestos contamination and the management of the cleanup.
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He said while authorities continued to wash and clean roadways, this didn't include cars or roofs.
He has bought an $1800 H-Class vacuum to clean his family's car and house.
"I just don't feel the reassurances we've been given especially by NSW Health and the EPA are really sound, if they were I'd feel happy," he said.
The EPA website said residents were asked to report suspected asbestos debris.
If their property required an inspection, a licensed assessor would inspect it and prepare a scope of works for cleaning the affected areas.
A specialist asbestos removalist would then be deployed to do any required cleaning, before the assessor returned to inspect it and provide a clearance certificate.
Mr Sherman said it was unclear whether assessors used surface swabbing.
He said he'd been told roofs or gutters above three metres in height weren't being cleaned, nor vertical or porous surfaces, so wrote his own scope of works.
"I'm just waiting for them to come back, I don't know why it's taking so long - probably because I asked for things to be done beyond what they're proposing to do," he said.
"I basically wanted the lawn and any sort of porous surface around our house to be removed, because the level of remediation they're offering and proposing to do is not adequate enough.
"I don't want them to re-lay the turf or gravel, I just want to get rid of it so I know it's a blank slate and we can start again and just move on."
He said there appeared to be a "mismatch" between the Department of Education removing all topsoil at Islington Public and the timeliness and depth of cleaning of residential areas and Islington Park.
A Public Works Advisory spokesman said a "coordinated response has been active for more than two weeks with consistent monitoring showing there is no airborne health risk".
"The hazmat response started with Fire and Rescue working alongside NSW Police as the Local Emergency Operations Controller," the spokesperson said.
"As the operation has now moved into the recovery phase the City of Newcastle is being supported by EPA and PWA in managing the clean-up.
"Newcastle City Council has completed the asbestos cleaning of Islington Park and an Asbestos Clearance certificate has been completed by an Independent Licensed Asbestos Assessor.
"The likelihood of finding unexpected minor fragments of asbestos within the park is considered very low risk, and will be managed with Newcastle City Council's Unexpected Finds Protocol. Air monitoring will continue.
"The external cleaning of cars and roofs has been undertaken in the area most affected by asbestos debris and fragments.
"In this area the larger fragments of asbestos have not blown or been washed away off roofs. Cranes and workers are currently undertaking the cleaning of roofs to remove these larger fragments and avoid the risk of fragments falling onto roads or other area.
"As the distance increases from the site of the fire, the asbestos fragments decrease in size, and are more likely to wash into roof gutters. Asbestos contractors are currently working to remove and clean affected gutters.
"Public Works Advisory has engaged Licensed Asbestos Assessor consultants to door knock and make contact with residents. Residents that believe their property has been affected have been encouraged to contact the EPA and register.
"The scope of works being carried out for each property is an environmental clean for external asbestos fragments and debris, certified by Licensed Asbestos Assessor. The assessment includes Asbestos Clearance Air Monitoring. Asbestos Soil Sampling is being undertaken to validate the efficacy of the clean-up.
"More than 300 residents have registered with the EPA, and Public Works Advisory has allocated contractors to 200 registrations. 52 properties have been environmentally cleaned.
"The Scope of Works is developed by a Licensed Asbestos Assessor, consistent with the Environmental Cleaning program developed for this fire event. For residential properties where the fragments are smaller in size and washed into gutters, accessible gutters are cleaned.
"In areas of long grass, an initial clean-up is undertaken to remove visible asbestos fragments. When all visible fragments are removed, a whipper snipper is used to remove the higher grass that is unaffected by asbestos fragments. The surface area is then HEPPA vacuumed.
"If gravel or bark chips are visibly contaminated and unable to be cleaned, this area will be targeted for removal and offsite disposal."
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