Recent highlights

I’m almost three months in as Emergency Management Commissioner and a personal highlight of the role continues to be the opportunity to meet as many new faces as possible, which is a great way to learn about the depth of expertise and experience in our sector.

Over the last few weeks I have had the opportunity to attend the Creative Recovery Network’s launch of the Victorian cluster in Bendigo, an opportunity to focus on the arts and to support individuals and communities to recovery from emergencies. I also had the great pleasure of speaking at the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) Staff Service Awards, an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of ESTA staff to emergency communications over the past year.

Another highlight has been a visit to the National Broadband Network (NBN) Headquarters where I met the Network Operations and Emergency Management Team and toured their Network Operations and Incident Control centres.

This week I also attended the Wyndham Multi Faith Council Dinner, which was a celebration of our diverse cultural backgrounds and an opportunity to acknowledge our strong connection to our first Australians.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending an Awards Dinner on the Mornington Peninsula which was about recognising the important role of firefighters within their communities.

I finished the week with a visit to Anglesea Fire Station where some members of my team joined our sector colleagues in participating in Introduction to Wildfire training, thanks to the team at Anglesea Fire Station for hosting us.

Next week I am looking forward to attending a ceremony that recognises 23 individuals who have received accreditation in senior incident management roles over the past two years and to the launch of the second phase of the night firebombing trial in Ballarat next week.

Enjoy your weekend and take care,

Andrew