FirePlan Update

Milestones in Integrated Fire Management Planning Vol. 21 - August 2008

Outcomes from the State Fire Management Planning Committee

The State Fire Management Planning Committee met on the 29th of July. It is developing a strategic plan for fire management in Victoria which aims to address the need to develop integration within and across agencies involved in IFMP.

The committee, in the development of this strategy, also began looking at links between IFMP and other existing Government programs, including Fire Ready Victoria, the Emergency Services Strategy and the Bushfire Strategy.

The strategy is a cooperative process being undertaken by all of the participating agencies within the IFMP project. It will provide clarity about the direction of IFMP, the roles and responsibilities of agencies and committees implementing IFMP as well as setting future direction for fire management in Victoria.

The State Strategy is about developing an end-to-end cycle of activity and a whole-of Government model with all relevant government organisations. It’s about creating:

• Long term and strategic direction
• Policy, principle and high level process
• Overarching frameworks and peak body structures for integrated regional/divisional and community based planning for fire management in the state of Victoria.

Further work on the strategy is currently being undertaken and a draft strategy is in development for presentation at the next meeting of the State Fire Management Planning Committee on 23 September 2008.

Risk Assessment Approach for IFMP

Planning for the implementation of IFMP at both regional and municipal level integrated fire planing is now underway. To support this, the Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner (OESC) is leading a multi-agency team to develop a “Consistent Risk Assessment Process”.

The use of a universally accepted risk assessment process by participating stakeholders is the cornerstone to achieving consistency in assessing risk across a broad range of risk environments. Tools to support this approach will evolve over time. However, the project team will be evaluating existing models in other states and investigating the feasibility for adaptation to Victoria. This includes (but is not limited to) wildfire and structure fire risk models.

Municipal Association of Victoria Communication and Consultation Manager

MAV has now appointed Steve Pascoe as the Consultation and Communications Manager for Local Government. Steve has extensive experience in fire and emergency management, gained from working with CFA and Local Government and is also the Chair of the Municipal Emergency Management Enhancement Group (MEMEG). Steve can be contacted on 0400 645 229 and email: steve.pascoe@ifmp.vic.gov.au

Involving Local Government in IFMP

Now that MAV has a Communication and Consultation Manager, it will be leading the discussion to develop options for local government representation on Regional Strategic Fire Management Planning Committees.

This work will continue to be supported by the Fire Planning Network Managers. MAV will also be facilitating meetings with municipal emergency management practitioners including Municipal Emergency Managers, Municipal Emergency Resource Officers, Municipal Recovery Managers and Municipal Fire Prevention Officers to provide information on progress and directions of the IFMP project and to hear from local government on their inputs, needs and concerns.

If meetings or events are being planned either at local or regional level which may provide opportunities for MAV and the relevant Network Managers to meet with local government emergency management practitioners, please contact MAV or your regional Network Manager.

IFMP and PPRR Relationships

The diagram below is a visual representation of what regional and municipal planning might involve. It is an evolving concept that has recently been put forward to the State Fire Management Planning Committee as a visual expression of how the components of emergency management relate in a fire management context across all fire environments.

The concept is based on information contained in the Emergency Management Manual of Victoria. It acknowledges the interplay across prevention, response and recovery and that community engagement is an integral part of the process at each stage.