The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that responder agencies and Emergency Management Victoria review preparedness arrangements to ensure procedural documentation (including plans), recruitment, briefings and training are completed before significant seasonal events are likely to occur.
Seasonal preparedness should culminate in attestations of assurance to confirm that:
a) documentation reflects relevant risks and potential impacts
b) briefings and training schedules have been tailored and delivered according to seasonal influences
c) recruitment strategies enable the engagement of adequate numbers of appropriately skilled personnel for the entire season.
EMV and the sector will commence a review of Victoria’s State Bushfire Plan ahead of the 2021–22 fire season.
The State Bushfire Plan is a sub-plan of the State Emergency Response Plan (SERP) and the principal document that guides the state’s bushfire emergency arrangements.
The Plan will be reviewed against the forthcoming SEMP, which will replace the SERP in September 2020.
The SEMP Bushfire Sub-Plan is a SEMP sub-plan specifically for bushfire management that details more specific emergency management arrangements that either vary from or contextualise the arrangements outlined in the SEMP. The SEMP Bushfire Sub-Plan is subject to the same requirements for consultation, approval, review and assurance as the SEMP.
The SEMP Bushfire Sub-Plan's predecessor, the State Bushfire Plan, was last updated in October 2014 as a sub-plan to the now discontinued State Emergency Response Plan.
EMV and the fire services agencies (CFA, DELWP and FRV) completed a review of the State Bushfire Plan ahead of the 2021–22 fire season. The Emergency Management Planning Reform Inter-Departmental Committee endorsed the final draft on 22 July 2021 ahead of SCRC endorsement on 12 August 2021, and the revised plan came into effect on 1 September 2021.
The SEMP Bushfire Sub-Plan plan includes expanded sections on mitigation and recovery arrangements and is available at: emv.vic.gov.au/responsibilities/semp-sub-plans/semp-bushfire-sub-plan (External link)