2012-13 was a busy fire season in Victoria. One of the more significant fires was in Harrietville in north east Victoria. This fire placed considerable pressure on fire staff and communities for a number of reasons. We tragically lost the lives of two of our DEPI firefighters after a tree fell on their vehicle. In addition, the community had concerns about the response to the fire and the impact that this was having for local communities and businesses, which prompted a review by the Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner. The department undertook a range of actions to deal with the grief of losing friends and colleagues, investigating the incident, all whilst continuing to respond to a significant fire situation. This was business continuity at its best.  What was strongly evident throughout the management of the fatalities was the leadership displayed by those involved. Critical to the management of the incidents was the fact that this leadership was not delegated, and was tangible and visable.

There are significant lessons from these experiences that have been adopted into new practices and procedures. Some of the key learnings were:

• Better understanding of how to manage an incident within an incident.

• That DEPI needed to develop a Crisis Management Plan, and have a formalised protocol for when to activate. This has been developed and includes templates to use underpinned by training.

• There is a need to initially give people space to self-debrief amongst their peers, work colleagues, families and friends. This should then be followed up with counsellors as required.

• A formal at risk register needs to be prepared and regularly monitored.

• Better understand when and where to use the various options such as peer support, group counselling, one-on-ones, and full-on psychological intervention. Professional psychological support will now be available to assist.

• How to help staff feel safe- both physically and mentally- in the DEPI work environment.