The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that Emergency Management Victoria works with the emergency management sector and relevant emergency management entities in New South Wales and South Australia to identify and address key cross border operational and resource management issues. This engagement should aim to enhance interoperability and maximise the capability and capacity of agencies to work together during emergencies along Victoria's borders.
EMV has appointed a dedicated Cross-Border and Preparedness Operations Manager since the end of the 2019-20 fire season, whose immediate priorities are to assess existing cross-border mutual aid agreements for emergency management.
EMV has appointed a Cross Border and Preparedness Operations Manager to lead work within EMV to assess existing cross-border emergency management mutual aid agreements.
EMV has begun collating all cross-border arrangements in a database and has contacted the five non-metropolitan REMPCs (Barwon South West, Gippsland, Grampians, Hume and Loddon Mallee) for assistance with the database's development. Once complete, the database will be placed on EM-COP and will assist REMPCs and the EMC in identifying agreements that can be utilised during emergencies.
In terms of the assessment component of this action, EMV has prepared a checklist that will be used to complete a gap analysis of existing cross-border agreements.