Coroner John Olle will hear evidence about the deaths of Steven Kadar, 34, of Corryong, and Katie Peters, 19, of Tallandoon.

The pair was travelling in a convoy on February 13 last year when a large gum tree fell on their vehicle and fatally crushed them.

Mr Kadar and Miss Peters were working for the Department of Sustainability and Environment, now known as the Department of Environment and Primary Industries, at the time of the tragedy.

The Australian Workers’ Union, which represents DEPI and Parks Victoria fire personnel, is hoping safety issues are addressed by the inquest which will begin on Monday afternoon and continue during the week.

Its Victorian secretary Ben Davis said reducing risks needed to be an important consideration.

“It is up to the AWU to ensure that this government and those that follow, do all in their power to eliminate avoidable hazards as our bush firefighters go about their essential but dangerous work,” Mr Davis said.

“We will be looking closely at the evidence during this inquest and at the findings.

“We must make sure that tragic incidents like this never happen again.”

Mr Kadar and Miss Peters were in a group of eight vehicles heading out to fight the Harrietville-Alpine North fire near Pheasant Creek.

The fire, which eventually covered 37,000 hectares and burned for 55 days, began in January.

A report on the blaze by the Victorian Emergency Services Commissioner Michael Hallowes found it had been managed appropriately.

The finding, released in May last year, determined the fire had spotted over prepared containment lines, “from one remote, steep and densely vegetated inaccessible area to another”.

However, Mr Fallowes stated his “report should not be seen as a pre-run of either the coronial investigation into the tragic deaths of the two DSE firefighters, Katie Peters and Steven Kadar ... or of any other civil or administrative action”.