EMV, working with BRV, will develop operational recovery guidelines to pilot with key partners and local government through the 2020–21 fire season.

The Victorian Government has also developed its Economic Recovery Practice and Social Recovery Frameworks to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. All departments will continue to prioritise the delivery of initiatives that stimulate economic and social recovery.

BRV will continue to coordinate and report on the Victorian Government’s implementation of the State-wide Bushfire Recovery Framework and Action Plan for communities impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires.

EMV will work with the sector to review and enhance the Victorian Preparedness Framework to ensure it is fit for purpose and identifies the needs of the sector. The review will consider learnings from the public health response to coronavirus (COVID-19) and recent bushfire seasons. This process will determine the service offering of the sector and potential measures to address identified gaps.

The future operating model will support and inform the development of a fit for purpose incident management platform identified in response to Recommendation 14 of the Inquiry Phase 1 report.

By June 2022, EMV will prepare a detailed implementation plan to enact the Victorian Government’s preferred emergency management operating model.

Identify resourcing, training and professional development needs to enhance leadership and operations managed by the three tiers of command and control within the state’s emergency management arrangements. This will include training and development needed to support ongoing interoperability and resource integration across the sector.

EMV will review the current training and accreditation program for incident management personnel, to inform an action plan that enables the building and sustainment of the sectors capability requirements into the future.

EMV will work with the sector to review the emergency management operating model and will provide a report to the Victorian Government by the end of 2021 that will identify options for a future emergency management operating model, including a recommended approach. The report will consider the use, scope and functionality of current assets, systems, processes and functions in line with the Victorian Preparedness Framework.

EMV will lead a strategic review of Victoria’s network of Incident Control Centres and Regional Control Centres, focusing on capacity and resourcing to ensure a sustainable, effective model that is able to respond to large, concurrent and prolonged events. This includes a commitment by the Victorian Government of $1.762 million to deliver a strategic review by May 2021.