Over the border

'I was part of an FFMVic Metro District Taskforce lead by Ariana Henderson and Matt White that was one of the first taskforces to enter Mallacoota following the devastating fires. Part of this taskforce was positioned at the Methodist Ladies College (MLC) school camp, situated in one of the last unburnt areas of far East Gippsland.

It was great that the school let us stay in their accommodation because it was so helpful to stay close to the asset that we were protecting—especially in such an isolated pocket of Victoria.

We conducted a backburn close to the school under favourable conditions. This helped reduce the risk of the active bushfire impacting the school.

As Crew Leader, I led the backburning operation. The operation was unique in that it crossed the border with New South Wales and therefore required the collaboration of the Incident Management Team and ground crews of both jurisdictions.  

The backburn was of strategic importance – it was successful and improved the safety of the campus.

In the weeks that followed the bushfire burnt through into New South Wales and back into Victoria, only to threaten the school campus from a new approach.

The Metro District Taskforce was not surprised to see that the fire had crept its way towards the school but were glad to see the school was still safe.

FFMVic has sent subsequent taskforces into Mallacoota who have put in a lot of effort to protect the school and the sensitive ecosystems that surround it.'