Geoff Ranzenhofer, Senior Station Officer at Greenvale, and Luke Heagerty, Manager Incident Management Systems, will explore best practice in fire safety as recipients of a 2018 Emergency Services Foundation (ESF) scholarship.
Geoff Ranzenhofer, Senior Station Officer at Greenvale, and Luke Heagerty, Manager Incident Management Systems
Geoff and Luke are two of four recipients of this year’s scholarship, which funds research by emergency services personnel to improve an aspect of emergency response and management in Victoria.
Geoff will study practical fire investigation training at sites in the United States and the UK. His research will focus on fire investigation for room burns with a view to applying this knowledge to training programs at the CFA’s new four million dollar training facility.
“I want to learn from respected agencies so that we can match it with the best and be confident our fire investigators are receiving a world’s best practice training experience,” Geoff said.
“I also want to improve community safety through product recalls informed by the great work of our fire Investigators.”
Luke will travel to the United States and UK to explore how incident management takes place in collaboration with the private sector.
“This opportunity will enable me to better understand how the private sector can become a partner that we not only collaborate with but learn from,” Luke said.
“It is an advance in emergency management we must embrace."
As part of the scholarship, both Geoff and Luke will share their knowledge with the sector through reports and speaking engagements. Their study tours will also be captured on the ESF’s social media channels.
Ten CFA staff and volunteers have been awarded an ESF Scholarship in the past six years.
The scheme has proven extremely useful to previous CFA recipients Station Officer James Wong and Operations Manager Stephen Walls.
In 2016 James explored the successful implementation of self-contained breathing apparatus technology and innovations, specifically targeting enhancements to emergency responder safety in situations where breathing was difficult and in complex environments.
In 2013 Stephen studied multi-agency training, education and professional development for Strategic Level Incident Managers.
More information about the 2019 scholarship scheme will be available in August 2018.
All scholarship applications must be fully endorsed by agency heads, confirming the benefits that would flow to the agency and the sector more broadly if their nominee is successful.
For more information on applying, visit Scholarship Applications. To view reports and research generated by previous scholarship recipients visit Scholarship Recipient Reports. For a full list of alumni and scholarship topics go to www.esf.com.au
Photos courtesy Susan MacKenzie / Emergency Services Foundation