SMC Proves Operational Resilience via Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
SMC Proves Operational Resilience via Tropical Cyclone – SMC pulled out all stops to ensure the operational resilience of its twin A1/R1A monitoring centres in Brisbane and Sydney during Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Past cyclones have lashed the Queensland coast, swamping the city, cutting power, communications, road links and challenging residents, businesses and government departments to maintain continuity of operations in the most extreme circumstances, often over many days.
Operating on the basis of worst-case scenario as Tropical Cyclone Alfred developed, the SMC team implemented emergency procedures at both A1/R1A locations to ensure staff and systems would be able to meet any contingency.
“First we actioned additional staff rostering at our NSW-based secondary monitoring centre to ensure uninterrupted service in case there were any issues in Brisbane,” explains Jim Hatzistamatis, SMC’s national manager – strategic partnerships.
“The team then undertook testing and refuelling of all on-site generators to ensure we were at 100 per cent capacity at both locations. In Brisbane, we topped up fuel reserves to support operations for a minimum of 4 days in the event of extended power outages.”
Making sure the monitoring team was supported in any event included provisioning emergency food and water supplies. It also included stress testing core systems.
“We conducted comprehensive dual-redundancy testing to validate the fault tolerance of all critical systems, with primary services already reallocated to NSW,” Hatzistamatis said.
The response to the evolving situation led naturally to reinforcement and review of operational protocols to ensure continuity in real time in Brisbane and Sydney.
According to Hatzistamatis, procedures decree SMC’s Brisbane-based response centre will remain operational during a cyclone event unless any government orders restrict staff from attending the site.
“Should this occur we have robust procedures in place to seamlessly transition services to our Sydney-based response centre, using automation protocols to manage low priority events so the Brisbane team can focus on managing life-threatening and asset-critical events with utmost care and urgency,” he said.
A key consideration of Tropical Cyclone Alfred was whether SMC’s A1-R1A fully redundant operating centres could maintain their A1-R1A compliance throughout.
“During Cyclone Alfred our Brisbane and Sydney control room teams went above and beyond, ensuring uninterrupted A1/R1A service was maintained at times — it’s commendable the way they rose to the occasion, Hatzistamatis said.
“Our SMC leadership team from multiple states spontaneously got onto first available flights and jetted to Brisbane, supporting each other in the most inspiring way.
“The successful management of Cyclone Alfred is not just a testament to our ASIAL A1/R1A certifications but it shows how these standards are brought to life when it matters most.
“A special shoutout to our incredible team in Brisbane who showed unwavering dedication in uncertain circumstances, as well as to team members in Sydney who backfilled to ensure seamless 24/7 service, no matter what,” Hatzistamatis said.
“Their resilience and professionalism during these extreme conditions underscores SMC’s commitment to delivering exceptional service — rain, hail, or cyclone.”
You can learn more about SMC and its A1/R1A service here or read more SEN news here.
“SMC Proves Operational Resilience via Tropical Cyclone Alfred.”
