Joint training, testing and exercising with other agencies: Fire control

Training and exercising

Multi-agency training, testing and exercising opportunities help fire control personnel and fire control commanders to learn, develop and rehearse the knowledge and skills required during challenging multi-agency events. Fire control personnel may be involved in joint training and exercising through:

• Training courses, in person or virtually
• Tabletop exercises, in person or virtually
• Live play exercises, with fire control personnel:
  • Taking part in their normal roles
  • Observing operational personnel and responders from other agencies
  • Observing from the control room of another agency
• Electronic learning packages

Fire control personnel should participate in multi-agency training and exercises from the earliest practicable point in their development in their role and routinely after that. Fire control personnel and fire control commanders who participate in training, testing and exercises with personnel from other agencies have a better awareness of:

• The range of agencies involved in large-scale multi-agency incidents, such as major incidents
• The role of other agencies during multi-agency incidents, such as major incidents
• The priorities and information needs of other agencies during the earliest stages of multi-agency incidents, such as terrorist attacks
• How to access and use interoperable communication methods, such as talkgroups or electronic communication systems
• The importance of commonly understood language and interoperable communications during multi-agency incidents
• The general resources and capabilities other agencies may have

Fire control personnel who participate in multi-agency exercises that simulate significant multi-agency incidents, such as terrorist attacks, are likely to be more resilient and better prepared to provide an effective response during real events.

The inclusion of fire control personnel in multi-agency exercises also provides operational personnel with a more complete and realistic training experience. This will help operational personnel to understand the role and capabilities of fire control personnel, particularly in relation to how fire control personnel can:

• Help identify and establish effective interoperable communication methods
• Use information provided by operational personnel to build shared situational awareness and understanding of risk and to support a co-ordinated response between agencies

Multi-agency testing

Testing joint procedures, including methods of multi-agency communication, allows fire control personnel to practise skills such as identifying and accessing multi-agency talkgroups.

Fire control personnel who participate in routine testing are more likely to understand the need for, identify and competently use effective interoperable communication methods during multi-agency incidents.

Testing that includes alternative multi-agency communication options – such as telephone and conference call facilities – can help fire control personnel to use these methods with confidence if the primary method is unavailable during real events