VICSES joins SA firefighting efforts

VICSES joins SA firefighting efforts

Published: 27/11/2015

 

Chief Officer Operations Trevor White (2nd from left) joins Minister for Emergency Services Jane Garrett and Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley to farewell the contingent today

 

VICSES joins contingent of 300 emergency services personnel bound for South Australia to assist with firefighting efforts in the state's Pinery region.

VICSES volunteers departed Melbourne this afternoon as part of a multi-agency contingent heading to South Australia's Pinery Region.

The volunteers join crews from Country Fire Authority (CFA), Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), Parks Victoria and Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) staffing incident management teams and crew trucks . 

Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said crews would assist their counterparts at SA's Country Fire Service (CFS) for five days as weather conditions eased in Victoria.

“Victoria experienced extreme fire danger and weather yesterday that saw personnel respond to more than 100 grass and scrub fires and around 1,000 SES Requests for Assistance,” Mr Lapsley said.

“Unfortunately, conditions were more severe in South Australia where a number of people have died and have been injured as a result of bushfires which continue to burn, north of Adelaide.

The deployment continues the work of VICSES teams as a critical element of incident management teams such as the Somerton tip fire. 

Mr Lapsley said Victoria has a strong network of firefighters and emergency management personnel who operate in specialist roles and we are pleased to be able to share these resources and expertise with our interstate counterparts.

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