CFA is remembering and honouring everyone affected by the devastating 2009 Victorian bushfires which claimed the lives of 173 people and destroyed thousands of homes across the state.
CFA Chief Officer Steve Warrington said as we approach the anniversary it will be a very difficult time for many Victorians in the community and all responders.
“It will also be a time for solace and reflection for CFA people and members of the emergency services sector who worked during and were impacted by the fires,” Mr Warrington said.
“It’s time to reflect on the incredible courage, strength and bravery shown by CFA members, their families, the community and our colleagues at other agencies who stood shoulder to shoulder with us on that day.
“Rarely does a day pass where something about that day doesn’t cross my mind or my colleagues’. For the past 10 years we have channelled our grief into a determination to ensure we keep learning and evolving.
“We as a fire service had to review, reflect and improve on what we did, and the Royal Commission guided those changes - setting a new standard for firefighting practice and procedure here and internationally.”
Many changes were made across all emergency services post 2009. Our partnerships with the emergency services sector were strengthened and we work collaboratively with a range of government organisations.
Some of the main operational changes made were to our Fire Danger Ratings, our education and work with communities on ‘Prepare, Stay and Defend or Leave Early’ and our warnings system.
“The Stay or Go policy was revised to place a far greater emphasis on protection of life by leaving early. This combined with an unprecedented amount of information to help the community prepare for fire season has made substantial change across the state,” Mr Warrington said.
“We also adopted a new national three-tier bushfire advice and alerts system. This has put more warnings in place than ever before including the development of a telephone emergency warning system.”
The national development of the Emergency Alert enabled warnings to be sent to fixed and mobile phones.
“There were countless changes made following the 2009 bushfires but being able to directly contact those people in danger is an imperative tool to help protect our community,” he said.
“Our connection and partnership with communities is vital not only during fire season, but throughout the year. We work with local communities to assist them with preparing for fire season and ensuring they have a plan in place in the event of an emergency.
“We have learnt so much from those fateful fires, and while it is impossible to prevent all fires in our often unpredictable landscape, the community should take comfort in the fact we have some of the best firefighters in the world, ready to protect lives and property.
“We will continue to carry the memories and heroism from those fires and we will always strive to be better prepared.”