Last week many behind-the-scenes preparations were underway at Oberon Fire Control Centre for the upcoming bushfire danger period.
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The day included a major inter-agency desktop incident management exercise which included 48 personnel from NSW Rural Fire Service staff and volunteers, Forestry Corporation of NSW, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Oberon Council, NSW Police, Department of Lands and a number of private entities.
All involved were put through their paces with the Incident Management Team (IMT) in the roles of operations, planning, logistics, community liaison and administration.
The desktop scenario involved a fire which broke out in Abercrombie National Park near Brass Walls which was ignited from a methamphetamine lab set up in the scrub. The scenario fire was out of control and heading in all directions.
Rural fire brigades were called in and local residents contacted. A staging area was set up at Oberon Correctional Centre.
The IMT worked to support fire crews at the fire by providing resources including additional firefighting resources, catering, accommodation where required, planning for 12 to 24 hours of the incident, and ensuring the general public and local residents were well informed to help them make informed decisions about their own safety.
Michael Holland from Oberon Rural Fire Service said these incident desktop exercises were very important as they brought all agencies together in a scenario – not a real incident – and everybody was familiar with their roles and learned a lot on the day.
Mr Holland said the 2015 desktop exercise was in its sixth year.
“We all gain a lot of knowledge from the scenario,” he said. “Training of this type is important to prepare participants for what to expect when working within a IMT.”
“Let’s hope we’re better prepared for the upcoming bushfire season.”