Incident Controllers should be supported by a planning function that combines experienced weather forecasters, fire behaviour experts and local knowledge.

State-wide all agency reporting should be established to facilitate the interactions of emergency management agencies, support agencies and governments.

Prescribed burns which meet the ‘red flag’ criteria should have mandated risk Establish risk management criteria for management criteria imposed.

IMTs need to establish early and effective liaison with Local Governments.

A review of the manner in which resourcing is conducted across all agencies needs to occur with a review identifying the best manner to ensure all agencies adapt to the same process.

Rolling risk assessment conducted during ignition of prescribed burns should identify whether an escape is likely to develop into a Level 3 incident. As soon as possible after it has been identified that the escape cannot be contained, the incident should be declared a Level 3.

Logistics and resource officers in IMTs need to collaborate and establish full awareness and control over the available resources.

Increased acceptance of mutual obligations will be fundamental to the management of fire risk across the state

Contingency planning before the fire may have supported the IMT in recognising and seizing strategic opportunities earlier.

Timely alerts and updates to the community are essential.

Strategic direction seeks to identify and resource those areas of tactical action that offer the greatest advantage.

The process for initiating and releasing State Alert messages requires review.

Greater investment in training on specific functions within the AIIMS structure will improve the support provided to the Incident Controller.

Clear direction to divisional and sector commanders and a common communications platform enables maximum return to be gained from the application of tactical resources and this rests on good incident action planning, and good command and control.

Early contact with the LG A is critical.

Expand the exploitation of social media, including graphical content for state alerts and warnings. Consider increasing the graphical content of web-based warnings.

As presently implemented, the AIIMS planning role is under-developed and provides insufficient support to the Incident Controller.

In multi-agency responses the culture, training and equipment characteristics of each of the agencies should be considered in their employment.

Good Local Government planning and management facilitates community resilience.

Communications planning for geographic regions with recognised black spots and specific communications challenges should be prepared in advance of an emergency in order to support the IMT Communications Planning Officer

Radio bulletins need to be up to date and time stamped. Where social media is used the messages need to be up to date and accurate. Websites need to be up to date and accurate.

For incidents of this complexity, effective control in the critical phase (first 24-36 hours of the fire) requires an appropriately resourced IMT.

Reporting and control should be through the incident chain of command and not through agency chains of command

Given the prominent role played by the Shire in the management of welfare aspects in this emergency, there may be a need for state sponsored training for shire staff who are involved in implementing state emergency management policies and plans including how to deal with traumatised individuals.<

A system of vehicle tracking should be fitted to all fire appliances and linked to the common operating picture. Good communications planning is essential for good command and control.

The state should identify the number of fully trained, experienced and accredited Level 3 Incident Controllers required to be available at any time and establish a process for identification of suitable personnel, ongoing training and accreditation.

DEC’s fire management expertise should be augmented by multi-agency IMTs that incorporate the expertise of other agencies and in fast developing situations the appropriate decisions will need to be made early.

Section 13 arrangements need to be clarified across key agencies.

Experienced forecasters and fire behaviour experts should be embedded in DEC at least at a state level to ensure that fire risks are properly understood by decision makers.

Within the AIIMS IMT doctrine the roles of the Incident Controller and Deputy Incident Controllers should be defined and well-practiced.

At Level 3, the available fire management expertise should be applied overwhelmingly to the fire management aspects of emergency management, possibly in incident control, and certainly in situations planning and operations roles.

Legislative change may be needed to enable FES A to better manage fire- fighting resources across the state.

Maps prepared for prescribed burns should address the fuel type and burn history of the burn area as well as surrounding areas. Predicted rates of spread under prescribed and other conditions should recognise the complexity of coastal heathlands.

All forms of fuel modification should be available to fire managers.

An intensive exercise/training program should be developed and maintained across agencies to identify and establish a pool of current Incident Controllers who are capable of managing a Level 3 incident.

To be effective, multi-agency IMTs will need to be exercised regularly and supported by sound and comprehensive doctrine.

Procedures to resolve issues surrounding financial assistance need to be reviewed to ensure they are as smooth, fast and transparent as possible possible. Review and streamline current financial relief procedures.

The role of district and local emergency management committees should be reviewed to ensure they are appropriately engaged in the active management of emergencies across the PPR R continuum

Fuel loads on private property need to be identified and included in understanding fire behaviour in determine the contribution they make to the burn risk assessment.

Decisions on evacuations need to be made early enough for people to be fully informed, prepared and to move to a place of greater safety. Failure to conduct good planning can create situations where loss of life can occur

Predetermined locations for Level 3 IMTs should be reviewed and adequately resourced with necessary communications and IT capacity.

Suitably experienced local representatives should be engaged to provide advice to the IMT in all Level 2 and Level 3 incidents at the earliest opportunity.

Shire experiences in managing these traumatic events should be captured and passed into emergency management procedures.

Better maps are required for urban/rural interface fires

The state should progressively align on a shared platform, such as WebEOC, to establish a COP [Common Operating Picture or Platform?].

Improved understanding of fire behaviour in coastal heathlands would support sound risk management through the southwest of W

Opportunities be sought to utilise local government representatives in other areas of the IMT particularly in public information or other community related functions.

An early decision on relief funding enables timely responses. D CP should review their communication of relief arrangements to ensure that they are clear.

The state should converge on a single communications platform for all emergency management and support agencies.

Procedures to relocate IMTs need to be established in doctrine and exercised to ensure continuity of control.

Inter-agency cooperation to manage fire precincts in a tenure-blind fashion is necessary for effective fire suppression.

When communities are grieving there is a need to provide special forms of support to affected residents.

All agencies ensure fire managers are trained to correctly interpret the new Spot Fire Weather Forecast and to familiarise themselves with the entire format – ensuring consideration of the whole forecast - not just the tabular data containing the 12 hour forecast.

DFES or DEC (depending on land tenure) is mandated to take over control of emergency incidents from Local Government once they have been declared Level 2 incidents. WESTPLAN BUSHFIRE and legislation to be amended accordingly.

: In due course, acts of bravery are considered and recommendations for awards are submitted, including commendations for the delivery of First Aid.

WA adopts a culture of joint IMTs in future. At Regional and State levels, DFES and DEC maintain standing contributions.

Critical operational procedures such as ‘Red Flag Warnings’, on a common fireground need to be consistent across DFES, DEC and Local Government. In particular, the operational procedure of Red Flag Warnings needs to be adopted by all WA fire agencies.

Once Recommendation 1 has been actioned, all agencies give greater priority to the promulgation of Red Flag warnings in order to enhance situational awareness on the fireground.

Future coordination/support/control of integrated emergency management across all agencies in Albany needs to be merged and located in a single joint facility. This issue needs to be reviewed statewide.

DFES and Local Government Bushfire Brigades ensure that only those with the required AIIMS competence have the authority to manage Level 1 incidents, noting they may not be Fire Control Officers.

WA fire agencies adopt a common set of standing orders, operational procedures, training and competencies for rural firefighting that are produced in hard copy, leading to integrated multi-agency training, IMTs, Regional and State coordination/control centres.

As a minimum requirement, all vehicles entering the fireground must be fitted with an accessible fire blanket – one per person in each vehicle plus roll down, in-cab, radiant heat shields.

The Minister for Emergency Services ensure that a Statewide fuel load database that includes data from Western Power, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Department of Environment and Conservation be established before the 2013-14 bushfire season.

The Minister for Emergency Services must ensure that future post-incident analyses are completed and made public within eight weeks of a natural disaster.

The State Government prepare a strategy before the 2013-14 bushfire season on how the main firefighting agencies should deal with a drier South West region where fewer prescribed burns can be completed each year.

The State Government prepare a consistent policy on how to assist or compensate the victims of future major natural disasters, such as bushfires, in an equitable fashion.

The Treasurer undertake a review by the next bushfire season of the ability of RiskCover to efficiently undertake loss assessing and compensation activities for victims of major natural disasters, such as a bushfire, in an empathic and timely fashion.

The Minister for Emergency Services should urgently review the technical issues with the Western Australia Emergency Radio Network  program that is forcing the State’s firefighters to revert to their older radio networks.

The Department of Environment and Conservation urgently undertake a review of its risk management practices as they relate to prescribed burns including but not limited to: *reviewing risk management practices to ensure that they are in accordance with AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009; * finalising and impl

The Department of Environment and Conservation explore human resourcing models that: · make succession planning a priority; · look at options for the attraction and retention of staff; and · review how the salary levels of staff matches the decision making required in major activities such as pre

The Department of Environment and Conservation review its implementation of the findings of the Ferguson Review conducted in 2010.

The response operation to the Margaret River bushfire in November 2011 be the subject of a review with independent oversight.

The Government consider enacting legislation to facilitate the review of all future major incidents, including but not limited to fire, earthquake, storm and marine inundation, and the emergency response to them.

The Department of Environment and Conservation develop and implement a strategy to better inform the community about the complexities and decisions surrounding prescribed burns when they are undertaken in the rural urban area.

The Department of Environment and Conservation review its practices and procedures in the undertaking of prescribed burns so as to fully utilise the skills available to it in a seamless way including but not limited to: · volunteer bushfire brigades, especially in regard to use as a source of loc

The Department of Environment and Conservation be supported to conduct further research into the fuel management of coastal heath in the south west of Western Australia exploring alternatives to burning as well as best practice for burning.

The Department of Environment and Conservation review its current policies and operational guidelines in particular by: * strengthening the governance of operations by ensuring the Guidelines are relevant and practical; * ensuring the processes that are implemented for prescribed burns are: (a) v

The Department of Environment and Conservation review the utility of its current regional model in terms of the capability of operational centres such as Kirup to service major fire activity on land proximate to the rural urban area (this recommendation should also be considered in the context of

Local government authorities incorporate into their Local Emergency Management Plans their procedures for dealing with any trauma experienced by bushfire brigade volunteers, having regard to best practice in managing trauma.

The Ministers for Health, Emergency Services, Environment and Police provide additional funds to their agencies so that a detailed exercise is held on a regular basis based on a disaster that will create the worst outcome for the State.

The Ministers for Emergency Services, Environment and Police ensure that their departments develop as a high priority a computer system for tracking their staff and the number of traumatic events they have attended over a particular period.

The Ministers for Emergency Services, Environment and Police ensure their departments include in their annual reports the expenditure they have incurred on preparing their staff for critical incidents, and for managing their response to these incidents.

The Ministers for Emergency Services, Environment and Police request their departments to place some of their staff and resources providing trauma-related services in regional Western Australia.

The Minister for Health immediately establish the road trauma counselling service to be funded by the Road Trauma Trust Account.

The Minister for Emergency Services and the Minister for Police provide additional resources so that the Fire and Emergency Services Authority and the Western Australia Police can at least double their number of peer support officers, with an aim to increase the number in regional areas of the St

The Ministers for Environment, Police, Child Protection and Emergency Services fund additional chaplaincy services, particularly for staff and volunteers based in rural and regional Western Australia.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Fire and Emergency Services Authority request the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council to include a new module in the Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System to guide the provision of welfare services for emergency service w

The State’s emergency response agencies should offer exit interviews to all of their staff and volunteers and use the information they gather to improve their trauma management procedures.

The Minister for Police immediately instigate processes to ensure that the psychological well-being of officers is at the forefront of the Western Australia Police’s staff planning.

The Attorney General and the Ministers for Health and Mental Health fund their departments to establish a peer support program by the end of 2013 for their staff undertaking stressful tasks during a disaster or critical incident.

The Ministers for Emergency Services, Environment and Police provide additional funds in the 2013-14 Budget so that the State’s emergency response agencies can implement a Psychological First Aid approach to preparing staff to deal with critical incidents and disasters, as is used in other Austra

The Ministers for Health, Police, and Emergency Services ensure that the Western Australia Police, the Fire and Emergency Services Authority and St John Ambulance establish a formal platform to share their knowledge and experience in delivering programs to their staff and volunteers to address is

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority, Department of Environment and Conservation and Western Australia Police explore the usefulness of using retired staff as mentors or peer supporters, either directly employed or through a suitable nongovernment organisation.

The Minister for Emergency Services ensure that the Fire and Emergency Services Authority’s peer support program is rejuvenated as soon as possible with increased funding to provided added training for staff volunteering for this program

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority should expand their use of social media to better inform the Western Australian community.

The Ministers for Emergency Services, Environment and Police ensure their departments undertake a formal review by 30 June 2013 of the welfare services addressing stress and trauma provided to both their career and volunteer members.

The Minister for Emergency Services request the State Emergency Management Committee to review by June 2013 the sharing of data between the State’s emergency response agencies using the WebEOC software and any further enhancements that can be made to this process.

The Ministers for Emergency Services, Environment and Police ensure their departments include provisions for regular external audits of invoices for payment in their next round of Employee Assistance Program contract negotiations.

The Premier amend Clause 35 of the Public Sector Award 1992 so that State Government employees who volunteer to assist the Australian Red Cross during a disaster are not required to take personal or annual leave.

The Western Australian Government amend current State occupational health and safety legislation so that it includes a definition for ‘health’ that includes psychological health.