Falls Creek emergency services join forces for alpine training
In a powerful display of teamwork and preparedness, CFA Falls Creek Fire Brigade recently joined forces with CFA Mt Beauty Fire & Rescue Brigade, Ambulance Victoria, and 4Site (Falls Creek’s village transport company) for a joint training session at the Falls Creek Alpine Resort.
As the primary emergency response agency at Falls Creek, CFA plays a crucial role in protecting both the local community and the thousands of visitors who flock to the resort each snow season.
With record numbers this year, the training focused on enhancing the Falls Creek volunteers’ ability to secure and manage emergency scenes, especially given the resort’s remote location, extreme conditions and long travel times.
Falls Creek Winter Commander Paul Summons explained the complexities of working in the enviornment.
“There are several complexities in the snow fields in addition to structural fires and false alarms," he said.
"CFA firefighters must contend with blizzard conditions, 100km per hour winds, blinding snow, below-zero temperatures and steep terrain, and then you have the rescues.”
During winter, the alpine village is closed to regular traffic, with oversnow vehicles ferrying skiers and supplies.
This creates unique challenges for emergency responders, who often must carry equipment hundreds of metres uphill to reach an incident site.
For CFA Mt Beauty Fire and Rescue Brigade, the training offered a rare opportunity to operate tracked vehicles.
The joint exercise gave all participants a deeper understanding of inter-agency collaboration, the importance of regularly testing equipment, and the value of sharing knowledge across disciplines.
It also reinforced the critical role each organisation plays in keeping Falls Creek safe.
This training was more than just a drill. It was a reminder that in the snowfields, preparedness is everything and that when agencies work together, the whole community benefits.
Photographs supplied by Falls Creek Winter Commander Paul Summons.
Briefing – understanding the situation and what is required.-
Preparing to lift the over snow vehicle. Digging out snow to find a firm surface.
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With all the lifting gear in place, under the watchful eye of the safety officer the vehicle is lifted to allow access to the casualty for Ambulance Victoria.
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Ambulance Victoria Paramedic explains what needs to be done to extract the casualty.
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