The NSW Government is investing in a new training package for emergency services, with more than a dozen exercises to be delivered across the state this year.
The 14 exercises will involve simulated responses to a range of scenarios to help our agencies better respond in emergencies.
Exercises will include an urban search and rescue scenario, along with training related to mass fish deaths, mass casualty events and agricultural rescues.
These exercises will build on existing training programs with a focus on interoperability to allow agencies to work together in simulated scenarios.
The NSW Government is committed to ensuring NSW is ready to respond to disasters and to building preparedness across urban, regional and remote areas, and is investing $250,000 in this new training package.
The exercises planned to run in 2024 include:
- NSW State Road Crash Rescue Challenge 2024 - Fire and Rescue NSW and NSW State Emergency Service
- Urban Search and Rescue Exercise, Orchard Hills - Fire and Rescue NSW
- Marine Search and Rescue Exercise, Greater Sydney Area - Marine Rescue NSW
- Marine Search and Rescue Exercise, Shellharbour - Marine Rescue NSW
- Confined Space Exercise, Carrington - NSW Police Force
- Motor Vehicle Accident / Emergency Operations Centre Exercise, Wingecarribee - NSW Police Force
- Flood and Dam Failure Exercise, Clarence Valley LGA - NSW State Emergency Service
- Flood and Dam Failure Exercise, Coffs Harbour LGA - NSW State Emergency Service
- Flood Rescue Exercise, Hawkesbury River - NSW State Emergency Service
- NSW State Road Crash Rescue Challenge 2024 - Fire and Rescue NSW and NSW State Emergency Service
- Mass Casualty Exercise, Campbelltown Hospital - South Western Sydney Local Health District
- Agricultural Rescue Training Exercise, Leeton - VRA Rescue NSW
- Evacuation Centre Exercises, various locations - Department of Communities and Justice
- Mass Fish Death Exercise, Parramatta - NSW Environment Protection Agency
These exercises will test the recently updated State Emergency Management Plan (EMPLAN). This plan sets out NSW's comprehensive approach to emergency management, governance and coordination arrangements, as well as roles and responsibilities of agencies.
Emergency management agencies and bodies nominated exercises, which were considered by a panel of senior representatives, including the NSW State Emergency Service and VRA Rescue NSW, under the Premier's Department's Emergency Management and Rescue Exercise Program.
Find out more about the State Emergency Management Plan (EMPLAN)
Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:
"Accidents and natural disasters are part of life, but how we prepare and respond can evolve, and we are helping our emergency response personnel train for a range of possible scenarios."
"The 14 training exercises to be held this year are a great way for emergency services to train together in simulated scenarios, it's honing the interoperability that's critical to managing disasters effectively."
"The NSW Government is committed to learning from past accidents and disasters, and we will keep looking at ways we can do this to make NSW a safer and more resilient place to live."
"These exercises will build on training programs already in place and are designed to test our emergency services in realistic scenarios."
