A lack of resources, both managerial and infrastructure wise, have been identified as issues coming from this summer’s bushfire events.
The Corangamite Shire Council outlined these areas that needed improvement in its submission to the state government’s inquiry into the fires.
Corangamite mayor Kate Makin said the scale, speed and complexity of the January fires had exposed serious gaps.
“While we are incredibly proud of our community’s resilience, we need the state to act now so we are not left this vulnerable again,” Cr Makin said.
“The local firefighting effort involved about 190 appliances, including 50–60 private farm units, supported by heavy machinery and volunteer groups.
“The existing equipment is ageing, and volunteer numbers are falling which underlines the need for serious investment in equipment and fleet upgrades, training, and practical support to retain emergency volunteers.
“Our volunteers are extraordinary, but they cannot continue doing more with less.”
Cr Makin also highlighted the excessive burden put on local government during significant fire events.
Corangamite set up an emergency centre at Skipton to assist the community during the fires and the recovery period.
“Councils are expected to lead preparedness, relief and recovery with funding that simply does not match the level of responsibility,” she said.
“Municipal Emergency Resourcing Program funding has not kept pace with growing obligations and more frequent catastrophic conditions.”
“The state must fix this before the next fire season.”
