Review control system for the main generator normal/essential changeover system and ensure that it has effective backup/manual or redundant operations, and suitable testing facilities.

Generator dual redundant starter systems should be considered.

As part of the electrical master plan update recommended above, a complete and consistent set of single line diagrams describing the electrical distribution network be prepared. Relevant diagrams to be laminated and displayed in the main substations.

Review generator installations details as noted in report and implement physical improvements where possible.

Provide walls around critical electrical infrastructure within the main plant area to provide security and protection from catastrophic water system failures.

The electrical master plan for the site should be updated to include planning for the scheduled replacement or refurbishment of those parts of the infrastructure that have not been renewed in the last 10 years. This planning to consider other upgrades or plans for the FMC overall.

Impact Assessment Data Collection: The Office of Emergency Management continues to progress the Impact Assessment Data Collection Project and: · incorporate recovery schema in Rapid Impact Assessments · review procedures for collection of Rapid Impact Assessment Data · review and combine current

Department of Premier and Cabinet Regional Coordinators: Continue to build the capability of the Department of Premier and Cabinet Regional Coordinator role in recovery operations by providing: · on the ground support for Regional Coordinators during recovery operations by REMOs or OEM Recovery T

Transition from Response to Recovery That the Office of Emergency Management, in consultation with the NSW Police Force Emergency Management Unit develops a template for handover of the Response to Recovery Phase of an emergency.

Impact Assessment Data Sharing The Office of Emergency Management: · with the SEOCON, jointly provides further guidance to Regional Emergency Management Officers about their role in facilitating local council access to the Impact Assessment Data Base · with REMOs and the SEOCON jointly provides f

Preventing Flood Related Fatalities: The NSW Government consider the recommendations from the Preventing Flood Related Fatalities Report when it is released.

Transition from Response to Recovery: That Region Emergency Management Committees meet post event to: · consider available impact data · determine the need to establish a Recovery Committee · document the rationale for the decision · advise the Office of Emergency Management of the decision.

Communicating in Recovery: The Office of Emergency Management: · considers the development of a communications and engagement strategy for major disaster events · progresses the development of the ‘Communicating In Recovery’ Guideline in the Local Recovery Toolkit.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service review the decision not to construct additional fire trails in the Warrumbungle National Park following the Wambelong fire.

That the Ministry for Police and Emergency Services and NSW Treasury:
-reimburse the Warrumbungle Shire Council for the NSW Government’s share of the remaining shortfall of $528,000 in funds pledged to the recovery process

That the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service examine its staffing policy for periods of extreme and catastrophic weather conditions to ensure that sufficient staff are available on site on fire watch.

That the NSW Government, as a matter of urgency, amend the Rural Fires Act 1997 to codify the current interim arrangements for command and notification requirements for class 1 and class 2 fires, which clarify that the NSW Rural Fire Service or Fire and Rescue NSW:

That the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, at the direction of the NSW Rural Fire Service, enhance the network of fire trails within national parks across New South Wales by:
-reopening those fire trails that have been closed within the last ten years

That the NSW Government commit to and fund a long term program of prescribed burning based on the recommendation of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission of an annual rolling target of a minimum of five per cent of public land per year, and that the NSW Government commit to extending the

That the NSW Rural Fire Service:
-alter the standard procedures for Remote Aerial Response Teams to enable them to operate at night

That the NSW Government consider enabling the default position during catastrophic and extreme fire danger periods to be the same as for section 44 fires, so that fire control centres have the same systems and resources ready to deploy should a fire break out.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service investigate the cost and feasibility of installing infrared cameras at the Siding Springs Observatory and key sites in other national parks to facilitate fire spotting.

That the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service establish a regime of frequent mosaic burning within the Warrumbungle National Park, where conditions permit, to be monitored and evaluated via a formal fully funded research program.

That the Minister for Police and Emergency Services examine the feasibility of relocating the NSW Rural Fire Service headquarters to a rural or regional location.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service review its procedures, systems and infrastructure for notifying community members of bush fires, both when a fire has broken out and as it proceeds, to ensure the provision of timely and adequate information.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service, in collaboration with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, review and improve the system of bush fire management zones to ensure that greater priority is given to hazard reduction on land classified within land management zones.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service reassess the protection of pastoral assets during bush fires to ensure that priority for protection is not simply afforded to the homestead, and that land holders are, within reason, able to request which of their own assets are protected.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service:
-streamline the regulatory system for hazard reduction burns, including the permit system, in order to identify and remove any unnecessary impediments to timely, planned hazard reduction burning

That the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service adopt an interim fencing agreement in the immediate aftermath of a fire. This will enable emergency and interim works to commence, but features such as length, fencing components and site of the fence line are not binding.

That the Ministry for Police and Emergency Services urgently review its policies for the provision of disaster welfare services to ensure that in the event of a bush fire emergency and the declaration of a fire under section 44 of the Rural Fires Act 1997, adequate funding and services, especiall

That the NSW Rural Fire Service, in order to ensure greater respect for volunteer fire fighters’ knowledge and experience in the management of fires:
-examine its plans of operations to provide for the use of local knowledge at every level of decision making down the chain of command

That the NSW Rural Fire Service formally recognise the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association as a legitimate advocacy organisation representing volunteer bush fire fighters, and duly consult with it on policy and operational matters.

That the NSW Government improve the protection of media and telecommunications towers around New South Wales by:
-increasing the asset protection zone around the towers on Mt Cenn Cruaich and other comparable sites to a radius of at least 100 metres

That the NSW Rural Fire Service investigate mechanisms to enhance the predictability of megafires and how this information is communicated easily to the public.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service:
-commission an independent investigation into the allegations that brigade group captains and captains were not duly, or in a timely way, notified of the outbreak of the Wambelong fire

That the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service consider the feasibility, on a case by case basis, of closing public roads through national parks on days with catastrophic fire danger rating, to mitigate the risk of bush fire ignition in national parks.

That the Minister for Police and Emergency Services review the communications technologies used by the NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Forestry NSW during fire fighting operations, to ensure that systems are standardised and effective.

That the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service:
-ensure that where a park is adjacent to a rural land holding, its side of the boundary fence is cleared to the same legislative requirement as the land holding, that is, six metres

That the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service remove from its boundary fencing policy and standard contract the condition that requires adjoining land owners to maintain a fence that has been damaged by trees falling from national park land.

That the Office of State Revenue investigate mechanisms to enhance the affordability of insurance for properties and assets in fire affected areas.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service develop and implement a comprehensive community education campaign aimed at increasing community understanding of and support for hazard reduction burns.

That the NSW Government take all reasonable steps to expedite the process of establishing any legal liability for the losses incurred by property owners as a result of the Wambelong fire, and in the event that it is found liable, expedite the process of paying compensation claims.

Improve Analysis and Reporting: By December 2014, improve analysis and reporting on management information about volunteers, including: a) numbers, contribution, skills, profile, availability and turnover b) reasons for joining and leaving c) gaps in data completeness and quality This should enab

Volunteer Workforce Plan: By December 2014, develop a volunteer workforce plan to focus resources for recruitment and retention on areas of greatest need.

Volunteer Retention: By April 2015, develop strategies and resources to improve volunteer retention, including: a) induction and development of leaders b) health checks for units to identify and address areas for improvement c) pathways for volunteers to take on greater responsibility d) consulta

Training Strategy: By April 2015, develop a training strategy that identifies volunteer training priorities and provides for ongoing review to ensure operational currency, flexibility of delivery and evaluation

Recruitment Guidelines and Resources: By April 2015, update its recruitment guidelines and resources, and support units in better targeting recruitment

Volunteer Charter: by December 2014, agree a charter with volunteers that clarifies roles and expectations including commitments by: a) SES to support volunteers to prepare for and respond to emergencies b) SES to make the best use of volunteers’ time by introducing user-friendly systems and redu

The committee recommends that the Australian Government commit to long-term funding for the the National Aerial Firefighting Centre of an amount that is at least equal to government's current contribution, rising in line with the Consumer Price Index

The committee recommends that the Australian Government recognise the need to enhance protection and conservation efforts in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area by allocating increased funding:

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, in cooperation with the Tasmanian Government: • recognise the need to identify the ecological and biodiversity impacts of fire on fire sensitive vegetation communities, organic soils and endemic fauna species in the Tasmanian Wilderness Wor

The committee recommends that the Australian and Tasmanian Governments: • develop options to increase co-operation to ensure that the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area is protected and conserved in line with Australia's obligations under the World Heritage Convention; and • work toget

The committee recommends that the Australian Government: • recognise that climate change has increased fire conditions in south-eastern Australia and the risk to natural and cultural values in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area; and • report annually to the World Heritage Committee on t

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, in conjunction with state and territory governments, investigate a national remote area firefighting capability, to support Australian fire agencies.

Develop an integrated inter-agency resource management system: Large and complex fire incidents require resources from multiple agencies.

Establish multi-agency preformed IMTs: An effective IMT for large and complex fire incidents requires the capacity and expertise of multiple agencies.

Clarify the role of the ROC and SOC and their reporting relationships: The ROC and SOC have important coordination roles under the State Emergency Management Arrangements to support both the incident and the broader region and state.

Continue to implement the major change projects it has in place, including Professional Pathways, and review them to assess if they will address all the key findings in this report. In particular, within six months DFES should set priorities and Sustainability Strategy.

Within six months, consider improved processes for consulting with and engaging volunteers and continue to work with LGs to improve information sharing and communication.

Within 12 months, improve its processes for collecting and maintaining volunteer membership, availability and training records. To do this it will need to work with local information. governments to improve the accuracy of LG volunteer membership

Within 12 months, develop volunteer specific policies and procedures, including fatigue management, consistent with the Guidelines for Successful Partnerships between Public Sector Agencies and Volunteers.

IGEM recommends that fire agencies consider an earlier classification of Level 3 incident for fires that present significant complexity such as was evident in the Wye River – Jamieson Track event.

IGEM recommends that fire agencies review their resource allocation recording mechanisms and systems to ensure that an accurate reflection of resources deployed to an incident at any given time can be ascertained

IGEM recommends that fire agencies review their documentation systems and information recording processes to ensure that all operational activities are captured, and to maintain the accuracy and relevance of all developed products.

That the Department of Health & Human Services and the Department of Justice & Regulation, in consultation with their portfolio emergency service agencies that have response time measures, determine relevant targets for these.

That the Department of Health & Human Services and Ambulance Victoria focus emergency response time reporting on highest priority cases. 

That the Department of Health & Human Services' and the Department of Justice & Regulation's public reporting of response time measures clearly attribute accountability for each phase of emergency response, including call-taking time involving the Emergency Services Telecommunications Aut

That the Department of Health & Human Services and Department of Justice & Regulation verify that response time data used in their reports on output performance measures is accurate and auditable.

That the Department of Justice & Regulation applies a consistent approach to emergency response time measures including data capture, calculation and reporting.

That the Country Fire Authority, Victoria State Emergency Service and Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board improve controls over response time data collection and reporting.

That Ambulance Victoria, Country Fire Authority, Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board and Victoria State Emergency Service improve the transparency of public reporting on response times by including regional performance, times, trends and analysis of the factors affecting performance.

That the Department of Justice & Regulation broadens Budget Paper 3 response time measures to more comprehensively cover emergency responses to fires, rescues and other emergencies.

That the Department of Health & Human Services uses Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority Computer Aided Dispatch data to report ambulance emergency response time performance. 

That Victoria Police assesses and where practical addresses limitations to available data and trials the use of response times for internal performance measurement.

Reviewing how Regional resources are managed and tracked and incorporate into COSO’s to ensure that there is complete situational awareness as to the location and tasking of CFS resources.

Plan the establishment of one multi-agency Coordination Centre with sufficient capacity and capability to deal with all incidents in South Australia.

Review all current SACFS operational facilities (Group, ICC, RCC and SCC) to provide more effective communications, connectivity and resource management.

That future declarations be undertaken to ensure that the areas affected by the declaration are clear and concise.

That SACFS consider a review to develop an effective interagency messaging system and agency resource management system.

Review the current practise of issuing an ‘emergency alert’ telephone message or an emergency warning and/or watch and act alert to ensure that it is consistent, relevant and necessary.

That SACFS conduct a review of SIMT with a view to increasing the number of teams from four to six, aligning them with each of the six regions within SA.

Incorporate in operational doctrine the ability for the State Controller to determine the operational readiness levels of the state or regions based on either the predicted and/or actual risk and/or activity to some or all of the regions.

Review the communication and request procedures within SACFS to ensure that the most effective chain of command and line of communications are established between the Incident Management Team, region and state.

Incorporating ‘triggers’ within Chief Officers Standing Orders No. 17, which requires the escalation of the State Controller role to the rank of Assistant Chief Officer or greater, depending on the increased risk or activity.

SACFS appoint the Regional Controller and/or Coordinator as the IC for any Level 3 incident occurring within their Region to provide better continuity and improved coordination.

That SACFS consider the Traffic Management Procedures and guiding principles adopted in Tasmania as a model that could be implemented within SA.

That a complete review of current naming conventions of personnel and centres, in accordance with the outcomes of the Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission is undertaken, to ensure clarity around command, control and coordination within SA.

That SACFS in consultation with SAMFS consider adopting common terminology and capability requirements for strike teams being ‘4-5 appliances and a group officer’ in line with other jurisdictions.

Review relevant Legislation associated Acts and Plans to establish a consistent approach to fire and emergency management to minimise duplication and risk of contradiction.

That the Emergency Management Australia’s ‘Arrangements for Interstate Assistance (Fire and Emergency Services)’ be applied to all future requests for assistance by the SACFS, SAMFS and SASES.

Noting the implementation of Common Incident Command and Control System (CICCS) in SA that fire and emergency services together with police (including through AFAC and ANZPAA), continue to liaise regarding the development of a national incident management.

SACFS and the BoM review current weather, fuel loads and curing rates to determine the most appropriate and accurate forecast is prepared, issued and validated against current conditions.

In conjunction with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services review of guidelines, the Public Safety Business Agency should consider reviewing the cyclone shelter management training package to include guidance to the shelter management team on their roles and responsibilities, and powers avail

That the following disaster management doctrine are reviewed and reissued to ensure consistency and improved guidance to local government:
- Queensland Evacuation Guidelines for Disaster Management Groups;
- Queensland Public Cyclone Shelter Operations Guidelines;

A state-wide strategy, including a common definition, is developed for identifying and engaging vulnerable people in emergencies.

A state-wide engagement strategy is coordinated to ensure community messaging is consistent across all levels of Queensland’s disaster management arrangements.

The Department of Housing and Public Works should consider preparing an annual communique to asset owners of, and local governments with access to public cyclone shelters, outlining the maintenance and certification process and pre-season status.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services coordinate the development of an integrated risk based approach to disaster management planning for Queensland that is consistent with the Standard and applicable at all levels of the arrangements.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services should consider examining regulatory provisions to improve disaster management and business continuity planning for aged care providers.

An audit of all local government areas vulnerable to storm tide events is completed and opportunities identified to resolve gaps in evacuation zone planning to ensure consistency with the Queensland Evacuation Guidelines for Disaster Management Groups and neighbouring local government areas.