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Recommendation 15: Develop an emergency management personnel capacity model

Find out what the government is doing in response to this recommendation from the IGEM Inquiry into the 2019-20 Victorian bushfire season: Phase 1 report.

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The actions on this page are identified in the Victorian Government response to Recommendation 15 from the IGEM Inquiry into the 2019-20 Victorian Fire Season - Phase 1 report.

IGEM Recommendation 15: Capacity model

The Inspector-General for Emergency Management (IGEM) recommends that Emergency Management Victoria collaborate with the emergency management sector to develop a capacity model that considers current and future:

Actions

Action 15.1: Appoint Cross-Border Operations and Strategic Communications roles following the 2019-20 fire season

Emergency Management Victoria has appointed critical roles following the response to the 2019-20 fire season. The creation of the Cross-Border and Preparedness Operations Manager and a Strategic Communications Manager are part of the first steps in addressing gaps identified.

Action 15.2: Use the Victorian Preparedness Framework to assess capability and inform capacity requirements for emergencies

Emergency Management Victoria and sector partners have been and will continue to utilise the Victorian Preparedness Framework to assess the capability and inform capacity requirements required to plan for, withstand and recover from emergencies.

Action 15.3: Implement the Councils and Emergencies Project to asses emergency capability and capacity of local government

Local Government Victoria will continue its work with local government authorities to implement its Councils and Emergencies Project. This multi-year project utilises the Victorian Preparedness Framework to model capability and capacity of local government in emergency management.

Action 15.4: Adapt emergency management training and accreditation programs to include COVID-19 restrictions

The sector, supported by Emergency Management Victoria’s leadership, commits to adapting emergency management training and accreditation programs in the lead-up to the 2020-21 fire season to maintain delivery during COVID-19 response restrictions, including eLearning and eBriefing processes.

This approach will be reviewed with a view to informing the longer-term approach detailed in actions 15.8, 15.9 and 15.10 below.

Action 15.5: Review training and accreditation of incident management personnel to ensure sustainment for future events

Commencing a review of the current training and accreditation program for incident management personnel and critical emergency management roles. This informs an action plan supporting the building and sustainment of the sector’s capability requirements into the future.

Action 15.6: Recruit resources in lead-up to the 2020-21 season for seasonal risks as part of annual attestations

Recruiting the necessary resources to manage seasonal risks in the lead-up to the 2020-21 season and including this within the Emergency Management Commissioner’s annual attestation.

Action 15.7: Develop and document the services and support agencies bring to management of emergencies

Working with agencies to develop and document the services and supports they bring to the management of emergencies. This will provide clarity in respect to community expectations and responsibilities.

Action 15.8: Review workforce needs to inform design of capability model including paid and volunteer workforces

As part of the development of a contemporary emergency management operating model identified in the response to the Review, Emergency Management Victoria will work with the sector to review workforce needs. This will inform the design of a capability model that incorporates strategic recruitment, accreditation and retention, in paid and volunteer workforces.

This model will focus on new opportunities to educate the sector, providing leadership development pathways for all personnel.

This review will also identify investment required in infrastructure, systems, governance and processes.

Action 15.9: Ensure assets and equipment required to address changing bushfire risk are included in future business cases

Emergency Management Victoria will work with responder agencies to ensure that the assets, tools and equipment required to effectively and safely respond to bushfire emergencies in a changing climate and physical environment are identified and incorporated in future business cases.

Action 15.10: Review emergency risks under climate scenarios across multiple hazards to inform future capacity needs

Emergency Management Victoria will work with climate scientists to undertake a review of emergency risks under climate scenarios across a range of hazard types to inform future capacity requirements.

An update on these actions can be found in IGEM’s progress report

Updated 11 August 2022

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