Exercise Karla Wirrin tests emergency services ahead of fire season

The emergency response capability of trained personnel including local government staff and volunteers was recently tested at the Department of Fire and Emergency Services' (DFES) annual State Bushfire Exercise.

Hosted by DFES’ Bushfire Centre of Excellence in Nambeelup, Pre-Formed Incident Management Teams and teams from DFES’ Metropolitan and State Operations Centres worked in unison to test and assess their capabilities from 12 to 15 September 2022.

Pre-Formed Incident Management Teams are primarily made up of trained personnel from DFES and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), with each team comprising of approximately 60 personnel.

The teams are deployed throughout the bushfire season to support regions in Western Australia manage and coordinate a response to large scale emergency incidents.

Exercise Karla Wirrin, meaning “Fire Spirit” in Nyungar, was based on a scenario that included the escalation and demobilisation of three simultaneous bushfires.

Personnel from WA Police and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development were also involved and the Salvation Army provided catering throughout the exercise.

The simulated incident also tested the capacity of the BCoE to operate as a Level 3 Incident Control Centre.

DFES Chief Superintendent State Operations Danny Mosconi said the exercise was a huge success.

“I would like to thank everyone that participated including staff, volunteers and external agencies,” Chief Superintendent Mosconi said.

“The week-long exercise is a great example of collaboration between individuals, teams, services and agencies.

“It is a great opportunity for new personnel to learn about their role and work with their team in a controlled environment.

“Testing our capabilities during the low-threat period is critical to ensuring we are as prepared as possible for the high-threat period.”

The week concluded with senior operational staff from DFES, DBCA and the Bureau of Meteorology coming together for their annual pre-season briefing on agency preparedness, the seasonal outlook and familiarisation with changes to systems and procedures prior to the southern bushfire season.

The exercise was run by the DFES Simulation and Exercise Capability Unit (SECU), who throughout the exercise role-played interactions to make the exercise as realistic as possible.

BCoE staff provided key support services through timely and effective set-up, clean-up, providing inject material, organisation, and management of venue and catering.

The BCoE has been operational since January 2021 and is Western Australia’s premier centre for bushfire training, knowledge and events.

For booking enquiries or more information, email BushfireCoE@dfes.wa.gov.au