Last week we acknowledged the work of staff who supported the Northern Territory in November 2023. Two planning teams deployed to NT to assist Bushfires NT with development of bushfire hazard outlooks and resource prioritisationfor the record-breaking fire season.
The teams included members from the National Emergency Management Agency, Disaster Relief Australia (DRA), and the Australian Defence Force.
The teams utilised Crisis Appreciation and Strategic Planning (CASP) and enhanced mapping using and Graphic Information System (GIS) capabilities.
This allowed for rapid damage assessments of impacted areas, risk analysis for the outlook and forward allocation of resources based on the outlook. The team presented options based on these results. Bushfires NT used this information to build their capacity and plans for the rest of the season. This work occurred under COMDISPLAN (activated 5 November 2023).
Tony Fuller, Director Operations, Chief Fire Control Officer from NT Fire and Emergency Services visited our National Situation Room to present citations to 23 members from the deployed planning teams.
Mr Fuller was introduced by Assistant Coordinator-General, David Long, who led the two planning teams throughout their deployment. ACG Long said, “it was an honour to assist our highly capable but capacity constrained colleagues in the NT during a very challenging fire season.”
Mr Fuller’s small team covers 98% of the Northern Territory, spreading the team thin during extreme weather events. The assistance and expertise provided was vital to help them support the community.
“It was personally rewarding to work directly with a jurisdiction and see the results of planning directly benefit Bushfires NT,” said Jess McKinnon, one of NEMA’s team leaders for the deployment.
“They were extremely welcoming and we worked together to step through the CASP methodology, which gave us evidence of key lines of effort that need to be pursued and identify capability gaps.”
“Being able to work with DRA and Defence to demonstrate the effectiveness of CASP methodology, as well as prove NEMA’s planning acumen, was a great outcome for NEMA and the community.”
The partnerships we have built with key agencies, such as DRA and Defence, allow us to help reduce disaster risk. We will continue to build our skills and support local services like Bushfires NT. This will help us share the best ways to handle disasters and make smart, lasting choices.
Learn more about our partnerships at www.nema.gov.au/about-us/our-partners
