municipal councils undertake a risk assessment of caravan parks and decide if any should be included in the list of facilities where vulnerable people may be located.

the state and the commonwealth, during a flood event, make information available on providers who have capacity to accommodate patients and residents who require evacuation.

the state formalise and continue the Emergency Response Legal Advisers Forum.

the state make available to the public a clear guide of who is responsible for: • clean-up and recovery of various types of infrastructure that straddle the public/private boundary; and • the policies agencies will follow in determining whether to repair infrastructure under their control.

the state ensure that all personnel who, because of their particular flood expertise, are likely to be potential participants in an Incident Control Centre are familiar with the requirements of the Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System structure

the state, following the completion of the Municipal Association of Victoria Improving Emergency Management in Local Government program, work with municipalities to revise the role and responsibilities of local government in emergency management.

The state take the necessary measures to clarify roles, responsibilities and cost-sharing arrangements for flood warning systems, including tasking state and regional bodies to be responsible for the flood warning system.

the Department of Planning and Community Development examine strategies to address and clarify insurance coverage of community volunteers in emergency events

the state, in respect of the Rapid Impact Assessment process: • resolve which agency/ies has policy and operational responsibility for this process • define the purpose of Rapid Impact Assessment; and • review the process, in light of the 2010–11 floods, to examine options to improve the efficien

The Fire Services Commissioner ensures that policy, operational procedures, systems and training relating to information and warnings that have been applied to bushfires are now also applied to other emergencies. In particular:

The CFA works with MFB to ensure that the MFB control unit is available for responding to large fires and multi-agency incidents in fringe CFA areas

The CFA, in collaboration with the other agencies develop a case study of the response to and recovery from the TriTech fire as a training and development opportunity.

The Fire Services Commissioner clarifies the role of regional controller for major fires and incidents other than bushfire.

The Fire Services Commissioner ensures that there is a single standard for the tabards worn by the IMT on the fireground and in control centres to ensure consistency and aid interoperability.

The CFA, in consultation with the VFBV and volunteers, review its arrangements with respect to First Aid training and maintenance of currency of qualifications, with a view to the delivery of such training and maintenance best meeting brigade needs.

Consideration be given to the establishment of a dedicated CFA training academy.

The CFA, in consultation with the VFBV and volunteers, develop initiatives and strategies that will maximise the involvement of young people as volunteers and their retention as volunteers.

The CFA as part of any examination of the utilisation of the NBN give priority to the establishment of internet access for brigades.

The CFA establish forward strategic planning initiatives for training with resource allocation covering short term, mid term, and long term.

The CFA, in consultation with the VFBV and volunteers, explore and develop initiatives whereby more volunteers are qualified to participate in Incident Management Teams.

The CFA revisit with the UFU the arrangements relating to Community Education Firefighters/Fire Officers and the use of volunteers in this role.

That a review of the Country Fire Authority Act 1958 and the Country Fire Authority Regulations 2004 be undertaken.

The CFA, in consultation with the VFBV and volunteers, explore and develop initiatives whereby qualified volunteers may be more utilised in Incident Management Teams.

The CFA proceed with a review of the Minimum Skills training program.

The CFA, in consultation with the VFBV and volunteers, review the arrangements for the reimbursement of volunteer expenses. This review could be done in conjunction with the review of possible reimbursement of employers of CFA volunteers as recommended in Recommendation 5.

The CFA, in consultation with the VFBV and volunteers, develop a comprehensive strategy for the administrative support of volunteer brigades to ensure that such brigades can operate efficiently and effectively.

The CFA ensure that there is transparency with respect to the identification and meeting of training demand, and plans to meet such demand.

The CFA, in relation to developing any process for brigade support or career structure or position description for Brigade Administrative Support Officers, as referred to in Clause 8 of the 2010 Deed, consult with the VFBV and volunteers before reaching any decision on those matters.

The CFA ensure that there is transparency with respect to training budgets and, in particular, with respect to what relates to volunteer training and what relates to career staff training.

The CFA continue, in consultation with volunteers, paid personnel and their representatives, its review of disciplinary arrangements and as part of that review consider the concept of the establishment of a Volunteer Ombudsman.

The CFA take initiatives to improve the accessibility of Field Training Grounds, including Fiskville, to volunteers for training.

A. The CFA further develop community education programs to specifically engage culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to address the importance of ethnic diversity.

The CFA continue the Mobile Training Infrastructure Project and the Fixed Training Infrastructure Project. Where necessary, the Government support these initiatives in determining CFA funding.

The CFA proceed with the update of facilities and infrastructure at Fiskville to enable its better utilisation by volunteers and employees for training. Where necessary, the Government support this update when determining CFA funding.

The CFA and the Chief Officer continue to develop the initiatives outlined in relation to service delivery and standards, decision‐making and allocation of resources.

The CFA examine options to enable sufficient training materials to be available to ensure effective training delivery. As part of this examination, the CFA explore the feasibility of utilising the TAFE system.

A. The CFA, in consultation with employers and volunteers, explore the establishment of employer consultation and support mechanisms along the lines of those developed by the Australian Defence Force.

CFA develop an individual training pathway for operational volunteers to enable volunteers to be able to better identify their career and training options and pursue a pathway that meets their expectation.

A. The CFA, in consultation with its volunteers and employees, determine and adopt a statement of Vision, Mission and Values.
B. Position descriptions and key selection criteria require knowledge of, and commitment to, this statement.

The CFA, in consultation with the VFBV and volunteers, examine options to enable the engagement of an adequate instructor strength to serve the training needs of volunteers. Those options should include making more use of volunteers as instructors.

The CFA revisit with the UFU the arrangement relating to the recruitment of volunteer firefighters as an employee.

The CFA continue the development of key principles in relation to training, in consultation with volunteers and paid personnel.

The CFA revisit with the UFU the arrangements relating to lateral entry and secondment.

The CFA provide greater opportunities for leadership training for volunteers at all levels but particularly at the brigade level. The CFA, as far as practicable, endeavour to ensure that persons appointed to positions of leadership have the necessary capability.

A. Consideration be given to the VFBV being funded directly by Government rather than by the CFA.
B. The VFBV give consideration to amending its Constitution to enable individual volunteers to be members of the Association.

The CFA revisit with the UFU the arrangements relating to the employment of part‐time and casual employees.

The CFA, in consultation with the VFBV and volunteers, review the process for RCC and RPL with the view to making that process transparent, efficient and fair.

A. The CFA continue to explore and develop initiatives with modern information and communication technologies to maximise the benefits that they may bring to volunteer involvement in the CFA.
B. The Government adequately resource such initiatives.

The CFA revisit with the UFU the arrangements contained in industrial agreements relating to the engagement of instructors with a view to increasing the ability and flexibility of the CFA to fill instructor positions and thereby ensure maximum training capacity to the benefit of CFA members, both

A. The CFA, in consultation with volunteers, employees, the VFBV and the UFU, examine the feasibility of utilising the TAFE system for training delivery.

The CFA, in consultation with the VFBV and volunteers, develop a systemic exit strategy, which ensures that relevant information is captured consistently across all brigades.

The CFA continue its consultations with the UFU to establish a satisfactory and workable process for the use of sessional instructors.

The CFA continue the development of Vector Command Training and its availability and utilisation by volunteers. The feasibility of this training being provided online be explored by the CFA as part of the consideration of the use of the NBN.

The CFA, in consultation with the VFBV and volunteers, develop and introduce an arrangement whereby a volunteer can transfer from one brigade to another and still remain a member of the CFA, without the need to resign.

The CFA continue with its initiatives to implement the Garnock Report, keeping volunteers and paid personnel fully informed of progress and consulting with them in relation to the implementation. This implementation should be given priority, having regard to its importance.

Improve links and interactions between the communication systems e.g. customise OSOM messages to each of the communication mechanisms, link OSOM with Emergency Alert.

Review OSOM to enable monitoring or tracking of where messages were sent, who they were sent to and when they are due for review.

Integrate social media into the OSOM system.

Review the potential use of ‘crowdsourcing’ sites such as Bushfire Connect in community bushfire warnings.

Educate and engage with fire-affected landholders about the types of warnings, what they might expect from the warnings and their responsibility for response to prevent loss of life.

Develop a robust evaluation framework to review community bushfire warning policies, processes, systems and procedures both internally and with communities at regular intervals and immediately after a major bushfire event.

Review the suite of community bushfire warning systems available to tourists across the State.

Ensure that local knowledge, local flavour and local language is used where possible in the development of all community bushfire warnings.

Increase the regularity of training for ICC Information Section staff and encourage pre-season drilling and trials in the use of OSOM and Emergency Alert particularly under critical capacity conditions.

Encourage ICCs to use local knowledge to review templates prior to release.

Further train Incident Controllers in the management of the Information Section and its roles.

Amend SOP J4.01and other strategic and procedural documents to reflect the goal of ‘timely, relevant and tailored’ for community bushfire warnings.

Consider the ‘secondment’ of staff into Information Section roles during the fire season along the lines of the seasonal Project Fire Fighters model

Allow the MFB and SES access to using OSOM.

Explain the meaning of ‘timely, relevant and tailored’ community bushfire warnings through training and meetings particularly of Information Section staff and Incident Controllers.

Review the use of the terms in the templates e.g. ‘out of control’ so that community misconceptions are minimised.

Ensure that warning terminology used in the templates and FireWeb is consistent.

Review Emergency Alert and OSOM systems to improve ease of use.

The Fire Services identify opportunities for the community to learn about, engage with and influence local emergency management planning.

The Fire Services ensure information and warning projects are able to be integrated with a common operating platform.

The Fire Services continue to develop fire behaviour analysis and predictive science capability by ensuring the Fire Behaviour Analysis Team is appropriately resourced with accredited staff and available to provide services to the IMT.

DSE enhance community engagement programs in East Gippsland to ensure that local communities are more informed about the complexities and interdependencies of prescribed burning and encourage local input.

The Fire Services ensure that an incident action plan (summary) is developed in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure J3.03.

Incident Controllers ensure that Emergency Management Teams consider, provide advice, and manage the broader consequences of actions, such as reopening roads, the resumption of public transport and school buses, and the welfare of those impacted by traffic management points.

Victoria Police, under the auspice of the Regional Emergency Response Plan, lead a task force to ensure that the Princes Highway is treated as an asset of significance and an appropriate risk-based approach is adopted to minimise the impact of fire.

The Fire Services introduce systems, procedures and operational training that promote information sharing and consistent situational awareness at every level, including to and from the fireground. This should include agencies such as police members on duty at roadblocks

The Fire Services develop a program that enables all communication mediums, including social media and agency websites, to be monitored in real time to provide quality assurance for outgoing messages and additional sources of information and intelligence relating to an emergency

The Fire Services move towards a common and more disciplined approach to fireground communications.

The Fire Services continue working towards a common and integrated information and communication platform to improve interoperability at state, regional and local levels.

The Fire Services investigate the reported technical communication issues for this fire

Energy Safe Victoria ensures that the standards for vegetation clearance around power lines consider the impact of fire on electrical infrastructure and the risk of loss of electricity supply to the community.

The Fire Services, and other emergency management agencies, use the Tostaree fire as a scenario exercise to improve understanding of fast-running fires and enhance interoperability and control strategies

The Fire Services ensure that agency specific operational procedures fully align with the arrangements.

The Fire Services develop a joint protocol for each Fire Service to notify the other of fires reported from fire towers

The Fire Services Commissioner ensures that joint fireground command and control, integration and escalation procedures are developed, particularly for ‘fastrunning’ fires

The Fire Services Commissioner ensures that the inter-relationship between Information Sections at all levels is understood.

The Fire Services expedite programmed work on joint operational command and control, including standards, procedures and training

The Fire Services Commissioner ensures that there is a comprehensive understanding of the State Command and Control Arrangements for Bushfires in Victoria across the Fire Services.

The Fire Services Commissioner leads a task force to: a. identify legislation, policies and guidelines that impact on vegetation management and recommend necessary changes b.

The Fire Services enhance and increase joint training and exercise programs at all levels of command and control, including the State Control Centre. (These programs need to enable volunteer participation.)

The Fire Services recognise the specialised role of Information Sections and enhance training and resources accordingly.

The Fire Services, in consultation with media outlets, develop a more effective strategy for informing the community of Total Fire Ban days.

The Fire Services evaluate the new information and warning systems to identify ways to integrate them and improve their capacity to issue timely, relevant and tailored messages. This should include the use of social media.

The Fire Services, in consultation with the community, develop a methodology for measuring community preparedness. They should also develop tailored education and information sharing opportunities to improve community understanding of bushfire risk, mitigation and preparedness.

The Fire Services Commissioner requests the Federal Government to revise the National SEWS Guidelines