Westernport Group Officer David Breadmore with new Deputy Group Officer Jeremy West
Hastings Coast Guard Captain Jeremy West is the latest member to etch his name in CFA history, becoming the first Deputy Group Officer (DGO) to be elected in a coast guard brigade associated group.
Joining the Group Management Team (GMT) of the Westernport Group, Jeremy will begin the role on Saturday, 1 July and is ready to be a voice for local brigades at leadership level.
“I’m pretty excited to be taking on this role,” Jeremy said.
“It’s the first time since we’ve established the Coast Guard Brigades that we’ve had representation at this level within CFA and it’s going to be really beneficial moving forward.
“I’m looking forward to bringing more of a focus to inter-agency services and showcasing the diversity of emergency situations that we respond to as a group and organisation, because coast guards do different things outside the realm of what other brigades do.
“We also operate in quite a unique geographic area in Westernport as we have some islands, so being able to utilise the resources and bring awareness to how we deal with those situations in our local area is something I’m keen to work on.”
Westernport’s Group Officer David Breadmore said Jeremy’s appointment continues to reinforce CFA’s direction towards inclusion of Coast Guard brigades within CFA.
“The inclusion of Jeremy in our GMT as a DGO is a positive and welcomed move. The group now has representation, skill and experience in all landscapes within the footprint - Urban, Peri-Urban, Rural and now Marine response,” David said.
“This inter-agency collaboration boosts the key areas where service delivery will benefit and will provide effective and enhanced services to our community.”
Jeremy brings over ten years of experience in emergency management to the position and holds a range of qualifications in the sector, all while responding for both Hastings Coast Guard and Tyabb Fire Brigade.
“It was lucky with timing, because everything aligned nicely, and we had some discussions about some of the work we’d been doing which was rather diverse compared to what the brigades and the group had been doing,” Jeremy said.
“Through those discussions it became apparent that perhaps this might be a good progression for me to take that leap into the Deputy Group Officer role.”
Jeremy’s appointment continues on from recent work which saw general members of the Hastings Coast Guard Brigade successfully undertake their General Firefighter course, all who are now responding with land-based brigades within the group.