The Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Rural Fire Service (RFS), along with NSW National Parks and Wildlife and Forests NSW are the agencies that make up the Eastern Border Operations Committee.

This collaborative group of agencies meets annually to plan for the forthcoming fire season and to discuss other fire management issues that affect agencies and communities in the eastern border areas of Victoria and NSW.

This year, the agencies are meeting in Eden today and tomorrow, October 22 and 23, to plan how they can work together in what is shaping up to be another dry and difficult season.

Highlighting the importance of cross-border cooperation, they will be joined this year by the Chief Fire Officers of the region.

From Victoria there will be Ewan Waller, DSE, Geoff Conway and John Haynes, CFA and Dave Nugent, Parks Victoria; from NSW, Rob Rogers, RFS, Steve Bishop, NSW State Forests and James Lonergan, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Mr Waller said that representatives from industry, tourism and local government have been invited to meet with the Fire Chiefs to give them an overview of how the Eastern Cross Border Group works, to discuss fire issues and to answer any questions they may have in relation to preparation for and protection from bushfires in their areas.

“For example, the timber industry is very vulnerable to damage by bushfires and this forum will provide the opportunity for the industry representatives to comment on fire management in relation to their interests,” he said.

“Forest areas are very dry and the potential for fires is high, so we need everyone to be as prepared as possible, to work together and to understand how the fire agencies are working cooperatively across the border to ensure that communities and businesses remain safe from bushfires.”