About the Project
Fire Ready Apollo Bay encourages everyone in our community to take a positive approach to fire planning.
Background
Fire Ready Apollo Bay began in late 2019 as a partnership between Apollo Bay CFA, Marrar Woorn Neighbourhood House and Otway Health (Great Ocean Road Health). This project was developed after consultation with our community facilitated by the Colac Otway Shire.
Project Aims:
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To work with the Apollo Bay Emergency Services to further develop an Operational Plan for the event of a fire. Emergency services include: Apollo Bay CFA, DELWP, Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, Colac Otway Shire and Victoria Emergency Victoria.
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To develop an area wide Community Response Plan for the event of a fire including individual fire plans, business and accommodation planning and linking our community facilities.
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To promote the Community Response Plan through education and events, empowering our community to respond in the event of bushfire.
History
In late 2019/early 2020, three public meetings were well attended by the community.
- The meetings resulted in a draft ‘Apollo Bay and Surrounds Community Response to Fire’. This plan focused on what the community can do in the initial hours after a fire occurs, before any other outside support arrives.
- Emergency management teams (Apollo Bay CFA, DELWP, Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, Colac Otway Shire) are reviewing their Emergency Services Operational Plan. This plan outlines how emergency services will respond in the event of a fire or other event.
- Marrar Woorn Neighbourhood House received funding for the Fire Ready Apollo Bay project
- Bushfire preparedness sessions were being delivered in Apollo Bay by CFA South West and more will be offered throughout the year
- Otway Health employed a Community Partnerships Officer to assist in the project
- Consultant, Jamie Mackenzie was the lead consultant setting up this project. He was involved in 2019 and 2020 to research, develop and educate for both the Operational Plan and the Community Response Plan.
Project Lead
Fire Ready Apollo Bay has Jamie Mackenzie of Red Flag Leadership as project lead during its inception in 2019 and 2020. Jamie is working with our local Apollo Bay CFA brigade to facilitate the development of their existing Emergency Services Operational Plan. He is also working with Marrar Woorn Neighbourhood House to develop a Community Response Plan and he will be delivering many of our educational events.
Jamie brings to the project learnings from his similar work in Anglesea with the Survive and Thrive program. This program received awards including the 2017 WorkSafe Victoria Regional Safety Award, the National School Award at the Attorney General’s 2016 Resilient Australia Awards and the Education Award in the 2015 Fire Awareness Awards.
Jamie has extensive experience with the CFA helping communities and emergency services to be better prepared for extreme weather events such as fire. His aim is to enable our community to build on existing and combined strengths, to be safer and more resilient now, and in the future.