Operations, planning and logistics: Ambulance Victoria paramedics and a Victoria Police member consult a map as part of the simulation response.
The Country Fire Authority has held a simulation drill to practice disaster preparedness in the lead-up to the bushfire season.
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The August 31 exercise included multiple government and control agencies such as the CFA, police, ambulance and SES, which all practised their roles as part of a co-ordinated response.
An emergency management structure is the response enacted for large events that require community management and advice.
Last week’s simulation was a fictitious fast moving grass-fire moving towards town in difficult summer conditions.
The major exercise was one of a few run each year at differing locations. It was the first held in Seymour in three years.
Simulations provide an opportunity to consolidate new learnings from previous seasons and events. New learnings are continuously incorporated with practices now heavily informed by the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.
The exercise also builds relationships between emergency response agencies to strengthen working relationships for co-ordinated responses in the event of a disaster.
A co-ordinated response: The level three emergency control centre located at the Seymour CFA headquarters provides a place for multi-agency briefings.
CFA assistant chief fire officer Paul King said that following a few years of quieter fire seasons, the exercise was an important way of revisiting skills and rebuilding networks.
“Overall, our mission is the protection of lives and property,” Mr King said.
“Getting together to understand the systems, the processes, the people, to understand what’s important to the community, it’s a great way to prepare us for what could be a difficult emergency period.
“It could be flooding, it could be fire, but this is the way we get ready for that.”
As we head into the fire season, disaster preparedness is crucial not just for the CFA but for the wider community.
The CFA expects fast-running grass-fires to be prominent in the Seymour district this summer. The wetter conditions of La Nina are expected to cause grassland growth towards the end of spring, increasing grass-fire risk.
However, the rain will cause dense bushland to remain damper, reducing the risk of large fires there.
Keeping the community Informed: As part of the simulation, Michelle Critchtey, Robyn Hobbs and Therese Morris prepare emergency update messages to be sent to the community that are as accurate and easy to read as possible.
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