VICSES members take learnings from 2012 major regional flood event

Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) volunteers and staff are continuing to learn from a major flood emergency in the state’s north more than a decade on from the terrible event.

The Numurkah Staff Ride, led by VICSES in conjunction with Emergency Management Victoria (EMV), sees volunteers and staff thrust into the shoes of major decision-makers from the early-2012 flood event which saw more than 160 buildings damaged above floor level.

Earlier this month, members from VICSES and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) travelled to the Numurkah township, where they explored the reasoning behind the actions of key personnel during the event and worked to understand the circumstances of the emergency.

The purpose of the staff ride is to investigate ways VICSES and its partner agencies can learn from the event and look to address shortcomings into the future, including the ways in which they can manage human factors which impact critical decision-making.

When as much as 300mm of rain fell throughout the state’s northeast between 28 February and 4 March, 2012, weather forecasts anticipated a riverine flood emergency near Wangaratta, and Hume emergency crews were subsequently mobilised north to support communities along the Ovens River.

When the Broken Creek at Numurkah overtopped at record levels in the early hours of 4 March more than 24 hours earlier than anticipated, large portions of the local community were left isolated as the railway and several major roads and arterials were cut off, while patients at the Numurkah Hospital required evacuation as the building suffered overground flooding.

The Staff Ride, which is held multiple times per year, explores the ways in which Numurkah’s flood emergency escalated at the time, and encourages participants to reflect on their own decision-making processes while bolstering their incident management skills and emergency awareness.

The initiative also explores the technology available to key personnel in the time, and investigates the advancements made across the emergency services sector in the decade since the flooding event.

The Numurkah Staff Ride is open to emergency service personnel and volunteers, with the next iteration to be held in May, 2025.

Quotes attributable to Diana Batley, VICSES Operations Manager:

“Numurkah’s 2012 flood emergency left a significant mark on the community and impacted more than 150 local properties, as well as countless others throughout the state’s north.

“As emergency service providers, it’s vital we continue to learn and build on our response capacity following these events, to ensure we can mitigate the impacts of this kind of flooding into the future.

“The Numurkah Staff Ride gives participants an intense insight into the circumstances of this particular flood emergency, and allows members from all aspects of emergency management to share their experiences and reflect on their emergency management capabilities.”