The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that Emergency Management Victoria – in partnership with agencies engaged in state, regional and incident control centres:
a) review and update shift roster and handover processes to ensure they are procedurally consistent and support the achievement of objectives at all stages of a protracted event
b) provide training and guidance to ensure shift roster and handover processes are consistently applied in state, regional and incident control centres.
The Real Time Monitoring and Evaluation (RTM&E) program will include examination of handover processes and incident action planning as part of the state’s Assurance and Learning Unit 2020–21 season activity. The RTM&E function monitors operational performance, systems and processes, and evaluations.
JSOP 12.01 Real Time Monitoring and Evaluation (RTM&E) governs the Victorian emergency management sector's RTM&E function, which is used to monitor and evaluate handover processes and incident action planning once deployed. Completed RTM&E reports are published on EM-Share, the sector's lessons management IT system.
EMV advised that there were no deployments of RTM&E over the 2020–21 summer season because of limited operational activity and the timing of the provision of funding and recruitment of project resources. On this basis IGEM is reporting this action as closed, noting the focus on the 2020–21 season activity.
In terms of longer-term activity, EMV has provided IGEM with a draft project plan that envisages the development and refinement of RTM&E systems and processes and a full review, update and uplift of all RTM&E resources, capabilities and activities over a four-year horizon.