The lead up to the 2019 snow season, accompanied by some heavy snowfalls, meant that many people had to kick into gear a little earlier than expected. This was not the case for CFA however, as prevention and preparedness is always at the forefront when it comes to community safety.
Commander Scragg with members of Mt Buller Fire Brigade, conducting a two line fog attack.
In the lead up to the Queen’s Birthday Opening weekend of the Victorian Alpine Resorts, CFA’s pre-season was busy with fire safety and education activities across the three main alpine resorts of Falls Creek, Mt Hotham/Dinner Plain and Mt Buller.
The alpine brigades, in conjunction with Districts 23, 24 and CFAHQ, participated in an alpine pre-season meeting. This was conducted at Mt Buller in mid-May, and hosted by the Brigade. This was an opportunity for the alpine brigade Captains, 1st Lieutenants, and associated District, operational and HQ staff to meet, engage, and collaborate. It was a forum in which ideas could be shared, and issues discussed. This was a great initiative that was agreed would be the intention to occur each year, with location between each mountain on a rotational basis.
Mt Buller brigade conducted a pre- season training day that involved relay pumping, a two line fog attack and extinguisher use. The use of training props were brought up the hill, and positioned in the Horsehill carpark for the practical training. That evening, the focus was then devoted to the use of CFA’s computer fire simulation training. The Mt Buller brigade has also conducted pre- season fire plug inspection ready for winter.
At Falls Creek, the end of May started with a fire safety morning for all the new Falls Creek Ski Lifts (FCSL) chairlift operators, as well as meetings with Falls Creek Resort Management (FCRM), FCSL, the Alpine Municipal Building Surveyor and other community members.
CFA Commanders have had the opportunity to present CFA fire safety messages at various stakeholder briefing nights. Mt Hotham’s stakeholder briefing was conducted in Melbourne in mid-March, in which Commander Lyndon Bradley represented CFA.
At Falls Creek, a stakeholder briefing night was held on Tuesday
