The masterminds who plan the tactical response to a bushfire and instruct firefighters on the best strategy to protect properties in danger in the Macleay, operate out of the Kempsey Rural Fire Service Control Centre.
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The large incident management team, which plans the action that will be taken to battle five current fires in the NSW RFS Lower North Coast district, are stationed at the control centre 24/7.
NSW RFS Lower North Coast Superintendent Lachlann Ison said the main two roles of the control centre were to maintain communication with the local community, and support the field crews from behind the scenes.
"We are a response agency and we have procedures in place to ensure we notify the local community of any nearby dangers and how severe those dangers are," Supt Ison told the Argus.
"Our team works around the clock to discuss, plan and instruct the best course of action when fighting a fire."
The five current fires in the Macleay and Nambucca regions started by lightning strike.
There are fires in the Macleay at Jacobs Spur, Anderson Rd and Five Day Creek while there are fires at Kian and Fortescue Creek in the Nambucca Shire.
The Kian fire is contained while the remaining four fires are being controlled.
The incident management team is continually figuring out the best approach to battle the blazes.
The team is broken up into five main sections; Operations, Intelligence, Planning, Logistics and Public Liason.
The Operations Officers plan ahead and create strategies for the first 48 hours and also actions to take in three to five days time. They will instruct the crews, helicopters and first responders on their immediate actions.
The Intelligence Officers map the predicted direction of the fire based on numerous factors.
The Planning Officers complete the incident action plans and organise where crews will be stationed.
The Logistics team is responsible for organising accommodation for visiting support crews, catering communications support and medical services.
The Public Liason officer informs the community and media of the current situation and updates the Fires Near Me website and application.
The control centre is also the first point of contact after a emergency operator receives a 000 call. The operations duty officer will direct the nearest available crew to the emergency.
The declaration of a Section 44 occurred when the local fires worsened in the dangerous weather conditions last Saturday October 26.
The Section 44 led to 36 firefighters from Victoria, an Air Operations manager from Tasmania, a planning officer from Victoria and a Operations Officer from Victoria being called in for support.
The 36 firefighters are made up of two strike forces, with 18 firefighters in each team. They are on the ground battling the blazes in the Nambucca Shire.
On average, there are 70 local firefighters available to deploy in the field in the Lower North Coast.
Mr Ison claims the additional man power is critical to ensuring the best possible outcome.
"We appreciate all of the support we receive when a Section 44 is declared," Supt Ison said.
"The people we have had on board this week have been excellent, we can't thank them enough."
While Supt Ison's focus is on controlling and extinguishing the five blazes currently under his watch, the seven-year Superintendent also has concern for the summer period.
"We have had less than 30 per cent of our year to date rainfall and we need that to change to improve the conditions to decrease fire activity," he said.
"There will be a lot more fires throughout summer and they will most likely be dangerous because of how dry it is.
"Everyone needs to be aware and have a plan in place ready to put into action in the event of a fire."
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