More than five agencies came together last week to take part in a simulated emergency based at Port Fairy hospital.
CFA brigade members from Belfast Group, SES, Ambulance Victoria, Moyne Health, Moyne Shire, Red Cross and Port Fairy Lions Club participated in the tactical exercise without troops (TEWT), which involved the mock evacuation of Port Fairy hospital following a gas leak as a result of nearby excavation works.
Belfast Group Officer Max Humphrys said that the aim of the exercise was to familiarise the Group with procedures for inter-agency liaison at a developing incident.
“This was a great chance for us to get to know all of the various roles and responsibilities and how they fit together,” he said.
The exercise was facilitated by District 5 Instructors Ray Downes and Mark Price and Operations Officer Paul Marshall, all of whom sought input from attendees regarding command and control, immediate priorities for those initially responding and the process required to evacuate the hospital.
“The forum was a good opportunity for leaders of the various the community groups to identify how they could assist at a prolonged incident. This could include anything from catering for evacuated residents, door knocking the affected areas or implementing traffic control measures,” said Mr Marshall.
The exercise was followed by a light supper where many of the attendees could be heard discussing various aspects of the evening.
“If we hear people talking about how they could improve their assistance or response should such an incident occur, be it by reviewing their pre-incident plans or changing an evacuation procedure, then I think the session has been a success”, said Mr Marshall.
Author: Melissa Mueglitz