Plan for the worst

By Kath Gannaway
PLAN for the worst, and hope it never happens should be written in huge letters across the doorway to Yarra Ranges Council’s MECC – Municipal Emergency Control Centre.
In the wake of Black Saturday, for 25 days it was headquarters for the emergency response across the shire.
As municipal emergency response co-ordinator, Lilydale’s top police officer, Senior Sergeant Shaun Young was in the driver’s seat at MECC in February.
He worked with shire staff and agencies with a role to play in the response and the immediate recovery including CFA, DHS, Centrelink, VicRoads and Red Cross.
Sen Sgt Young said the Yarra Ranges emergency response worked superbly. “We didn’t have the problems some of other centres had but we have of course reviewed the operation to make a good system better,” he said.
For the shire, planning for the 2009/10 season has morphed with the work that is ongoing with the recovery of last season.
Senior managers Grant Jack (municipal emergency response officer), Alison Cran (municipal recovery manager) and Simon Callaghan (deputy MRM) are key players involved in the shire’s preparation for the coming season.
That preparation involves everything from fuel reduction, traffic control and signage to planning for relief and recovery centres and working with aged and disabled residents to ensure they have a plan.
Mr Grant outlined more than 50 actions the shire was working on including the problematic Neighbourhood Safer Places strategy for which they have ultimate responsibility.
A huge amount of work has been done just to get them to assessment stage.
Extra staff have been put on to get through the more than 50,000 fire hazard inspections across the shire.
Sen Sgt Young is confident the MECC is up to the job.
In military terms he says it’s like fighting a war.
“We’re the backroom boys; not seen very much, not heard of a great deal, but there as a huge, logistical support team to the troops – the fire fighters out on the fire field.” The map of the shire, which dominates the room, is awesome, in the true sense of the word.
Still showing the 19.6 per cent of the shire, which burnt in February, Sen Sgt Young said it is a comforting resource which brings the fire front into the MECC.
“It’s comforting because I can see what is happening and what needs to be done.”
He is well placed too to speak up for the ‘backroom’ crew, the shire staff who he points out have never stood down from the job. “Everyone in that room was affected,” he said.
“There were people who lost houses, and who lost people they knew.
“All those emotions are there, but when you step into this sort of role, you have to keep those emotions under check and all the people here did that beautifully,” he said.
“For the shire staff to step up and do that, you have to say they did an outstanding job and are still doing it. It’s not recognised enough,” he said.