Nine SA Country Fire Service (CFS) and three Department of Environment and Water (DEW) personnel will travel to Victoria this week to assist with the flooding events throughout the state as part of a national resource sharing arrangement.
The team is made up of experienced incident management personnel, with both staff and volunteers heading across the border to assist at incident management centers along the Murray River.
Incident management personnel
State Duty Commander, Ray Jackson said the deployment demonstrates the service's capabilities as an all-hazards response agency. He said, "Victoria is experiencing unprecedented floods and, as the lead agency in South Australia for incident management, we had no hesitation in answering the call for help."
The contingent we are sending over have a broad range of incident management skills"
Ray Jackson adds, "The contingent we are sending over have a broad range of incident management skills in things like planning, logistics and resourcing. We provide specialist training to our personnel so that we can quickly respond to emergency incidents, not only in South Australia but interstate and overseas as well."
Local flooding events
The CFS have several volunteers currently deployed in the Riverland region assisting SA State Emergency Services (SASES) with the local flooding events. Minister for Emergency Services, Joe Szakacs, said it was wonderful to see South Australia's emergency services be so willing to help their interstate counterparts in their time of need.
"It is a testament to the experience and professionalism of the volunteers and staff within the CFS that they are able to aid other agencies interstate with minimal notice," said Minister Szakacs. CFS Staff Officer, James Honner said he is eager to hit the ground and assist where he can.
Second interstate deployment
"Fires and floods may seem like worlds apart, but at the end of the day you are there to provide specialist support and put your skills to work, regardless of the incident." said James Honner.
He adds, "This will be my second interstate deployment, and each one brings with it unique responsibilities and challenges. It's not always an easy thing to do, being dropped in the middle of an emergency incident, but it is incredibly rewarding to know I am doing my part to help."
The nine CFS and three DEW personnel will be deployed to Victoria for 7 days, and further requests for additional deployments are being considered. VISION OPPORTUNITY: Media are invited to attend the Adelaide Airport near the Virgin domestic check-in on Thursday, 27 October 2022 at 10:15 am. State Duty Commander Ray Jackson and Staff Officer James Honner will be available for interviews.
