Page 3269 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 21 August 2018
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The ESA has established an all-hazards agency-wide training and assessment pathway for ESA volunteers and staff, enabling certification to the national unit of competency to control a level 3 incident. Eleven ESA executives and senior staff recently completed a pilot level 3 incident controller course. A level 3 incident under the Australasian interagency incident management system is characterised by degrees of complexity that may require the establishment of divisions of effective management of a situation. Before the end of 2018, the ESA will also deliver a program to train additional volunteers and staff in a variety of disciplines to manage level 2 incidents. The skills provided will include more volunteers and staff trained in incident control, operations, logistics and planning.
The recently completed course expands the pool of available qualified level 3 incident controllers to 70 personnel and 114 personnel with level 2 incident controller qualifications, should the ACT or other jurisdictions require such expertise over the coming months.
The ACT regularly provides assistance to other jurisdictions in times of emergencies as part of national and international responses. The rapport established with other jurisdictions in all types of emergencies will assist the ACT in seeking support when faced with any major emergencies of our own in future. Just last week we deployed the specialised capability of mapping and planning support personnel to the Bega Valley to assist with a fire that had already burnt more than 3,000 hectares. In early August the ACT also deployed 10 personnel to the United States and two personnel to Canada in key firefighting roles.
The experience and lessons learnt from these deployments helps ensure that our own capability is well tested and prepared. The returning personnel will bring with them the experience of fighting fires that in 2018, to date, have burnt 625,744 hectares in the United States and 865,466 hectares in Canada. Our thoughts go out to those currently affected by wildfires in the Northern Hemisphere as we prepare for what is shaping up to be an extended local bushfire season.
I present the following paper:
2018-19 bushfire season—Early commencement—Ministerial statement, 21 August 2018.
I move:
That the Assembly take note of the paper.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Workplace safety performance
Ministerial statement
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Community Services and Social Inclusion, Minister for Disability, Children and Youth, Minister for Aboriginal and
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