Casey CFA volunteers have produced a video that will help crews to better handle the stresses of coordinating major incidents.
One of the volunteers behind the new video, Narre Warren North Fire Brigade member Linden Barry, said it shares an important message leading into what is predicted to be a busy summer.
CFA volunteers from the Casey and Cardinia groups are filmed in various role play roles in the video which is designed to improve understanding of incident management for a rapidly escalating bushfire.
Mr Barry, who recently received a CFA life membership and 35 year service medal, said the video was a great example of volunteers acting to improve safety and professionalism in fighting fires.
“It’s a classic example of volunteers getting together, seeing a problem and doing something about it,” he said.
“It’s problem solving from the grass roots level.”
Mr Barry said the video would help all firefighters to run a major incident.
“When it comes to incident management you need to get organised quickly or you’ll never have a good outcome,” he said.
“It’s a simple video with familiar local faces playing roles on how to manage a bushfire from fire truck, a field command vehicle and then on to a communications-enhanced field command vehicle or a field operations vehicle.”
The video highlights the importance of quickly getting strike team leaders, sector commanders and mentors to the brigade control point very early.
The video emerged from discussions among volunteer members of the district 8 operations sub-committee.
It is being distributed to brigades across the district as part of pre-summer briefings.
Mr Barry admits to being tough when it comes to volunteer training and safety.
“If you’re going to put on yellows and get on a fire truck you need to know your game and take it seriously and that’s what this is all about,” Mr Barry said.
Volunteer fire Brigades Victoria CEO Andrew Ford said this was an example of the strength of CFA volunteers in outer metro regions.
