.png "Wellington Shire Council Mayor Scott Rossetti and CFA Commander Aaron Worcester alongside emergency services involved (named below)")
Wellington Shire Council Mayor Scott Rossetti and CFA Commander Aaron Worcester alongside emergency services involved (named below)
Residents and visitors to Wellington Shire will now have access to 16 emergency markers in public areas to help identify their location to responders more readily when under duress.
Over the last three years, CFA has worked closely with the Wellington Shire and emergency services to see the establishment of the new markers in the local footprint, adding to the 4,700 already available statewide.
The Emergency Markers are designed to pinpoint your exact location to Triple Zero Victoria call takers during an emergency in areas that may otherwise be hard to describe. They can be found in national parks, cycling tracks, river trails, reserves, gardens, racecourses and more.
CFA Commander Aaron Worcester, who has played a key role in the initiative, said identifying the location of the emergency triple zero call is the first and most critical element in the delivery of timely and accurate emergency response services to Victorians.
“The concept of the Emergency Markers is not new, but they have never been widely adopted in Gippsland by any agency outside of Hancock Victoria Plantations (HVP) who use these markers at emergency assembly points,” Aaron said.
“When you’re out and about it is sometimes difficult to explain exactly where you are, especially if you’re not local to the area.”
Each marker has alphanumeric text that can be quoted to determine exactly where you are, quickly and efficiently, including GPS coordinates, road access routes and navigational data.
“Not only will they help save time and resources, but they will also allow resources to get to you faster to help save your life,” Aaron said.
“It’s been a really valuable project that has also further developed the relationships between agencies that work together in times of emergency.
“The markers will allow people to more safely enjoy the great, remote outdoor environment that Gippsland has to offer.”
Over the last 12 months, over 600 emergency incidents across the state have referenced Triple Zero Victoria emergency markers.
The Wellington Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee established a Working Group to get the initiative kickstarted, which was able to be funded by the State Government under the Emergency Recovery Victoria Long Term Recovery Funding.
CFA, Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, VICSES, Parks Victoria, DEECA, Southern Rural Water, HVP and Department of Defence worked together closely within the working group.
“Throughout early planning stages, each emergency agency identified a number of potential sites that had previous history of problematic emergency response,” Aaron said.
“This was often based on poor locality information from an initial call, or where specialist response needs had been identified and additional resources were hours away.
“Each agencies nominations were overlayed with each other to identify the most critical locations, before consulting with land managers to make sure they were happy to have the signs placed at these locations and maintain them going forward.”
Funding also supported the geospatial analysis that took place by Rapidmap and the initial purchase of the signage. Land management agencies were then responsible for the installation of the sullied signs, taking into consideration cultural heritage and occupational health and safety.
The sites are now live and can be located at emergencymarkers.com.au.
Image L-R:Wellington Shire Council Mayor Scott Rossetti and CFA Commander Aaron Worcester alongside L-R Tinamba FB’s Captain Kasey Schoenmaekers, Ambulance Victoria, Wellington Shire’s Tamika Clark, VICSES Terry Barry, Coongulla Fire Brigade's Captain Buck Gallatly, Tinamba FB’s Leon Schoenmaekers, VICSES’ Jo O’Doherty, Parks Victoria’s Wayne Foon, Victoria Police’s Jason Benbow and VICSES’ Rachael Nicolson.