The Gippsland Regional Aircraft Exercise was held today at the Latrobe Valley Airfield. The exercise is an opportunity for CFA members to practice their skills in air observing, relaying information back to an Incident Control Centre, flight following and aerial fire mapping.
CFA Regional Commander Gippsland, Michael Owen said, "Now is the time for our members to refresh their skills in the lead up to summer."
"This simulated exercise equips our members with the knowledge to provide intelligence from the sky and fire spread information to ground crews,” Commander Owen said.
“What’s crucial for us is to ensure that our plans are aligned to regional and local fuel loads, weather, risk and community conditions. This will then help our people issue quality community information and warnings to assist community members to make informed decisions about their individual safety.
“Our focus is on the safety of our members, and the community. That’s why exercises like these are so important, as they give our people the chance to put their knowledge to the test in a controlled environment,” he said.
This exercise today also utilised two new Field Operations Vehicles (FOV), which are normally located at Moe South and Inverloch, this totals a fleet of seven FOV in the South East Region.
The FOV is self-contained, it includes three workstations each with a CFA radio, UHF and SMR radios, a digital management radio telephone system, cabin mounted mobile phone, shared fax/copier/printer, magnetic whiteboard, and a welfare locker including a fridge and microwave. To eliminate radio interference, a telescopic mast is fitted with a CFA radio aerial attached.
“I encourage the public to be informed and make their own preparations before summer too.”
“It’s almost the end of Fire Action Week, but it’s not too late to get started preparing yourself, your family and your property now,” Commander Owen said.
See www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare for more information.
Author: CFA Media