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.
In the lead-up to the 2020–21 fire season, EMV will work with responder agencies to review arrangements to ensure all required plans and procedures, recruitment, briefings and training are in place and completed. This will culminate in an attestation by the EMC to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services on heightened preparedness arrangements informed by seasonal risk factors on behalf of responder agencies, to be delivered by 1 November 2020 and in subsequent years.
In advance of each summer season the EMC provides an attestation to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services (now Minister for Emergency Services) on agency preparedness arrangements. EMV advised that on 30 September 2020 the EMC provided the then minister with assurance that preparedness activities were established across all agencies.
EMV provided IGEM with a copy of the Assurance Report for the 2020–21 Season (November 2020), prepared by EMV on behalf of the EMC. EMV also prepared an assurance report, with input provided by State Relief and Recovery Team member agencies, for the EMC focusing on relief and recovery operational preparedness for the 2020–21 season.