VICTORIANS must remain vigilant to the threat of bushfires, despite the cool and wet spring, the Country Fire Authority's new chief officer Euan Ferguson has warned.
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Mr Ferguson, who officially begins his role as CFA chief officer today, told The Age the drought-breaking rain over recent months had created a heavy fuel load that could cause devastating fires.
''What we are seeing is abundant fuel loads occurring in the northern, north-east and western parts of Victoria - we are seeing phenomenal fuel growth.''
He said even if the summer was mild, a couple of days of extreme weather - high winds and soaring temperatures - could trigger a disaster.
''My fear is that when summer comes, it will come in very quickly and very hot. People cannot be complacent. We all need to learn the lessons that have come out of many fire seasons in Victoria over the past 15 years.''
Mr Ferguson, 53, is returning to his home state after nine years in South Australia at the helm of the Country Fire Service. He is replacing Russell Rees, who stood down as chief officer in April. The Bushfires Royal Commission was critical of Mr Rees's performance, particularly his leadership on Black Saturday.
The CFA approached Mr Ferguson to take the role. He said the challenges presented were one of the reasons he took the job. The creation of a Fire Services Commissioner, Craig Lapsley, had dramatically changed the landscape of firefighting in Victoria, Mr Ferguson said.
The new chief officer will focus on three critical areas: incident management, providing information and warnings, and developing relationships with stakeholders such as the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Victoria Police and the Department of Sustainability and Environment.
Mr Ferguson said he already had ''a sound relationship'' with DSE chief fire officer Ewan Waller and Mr Lapsley, as well as MFB boss Graham Fountain. In his time in South Australia, Mr Ferguson looked at introducing a military ''mission command'' concept for managing incidents, with a decentralised commander with a clear mandate over all incidents.
On Saturday, more than 200 volunteer firefighters rallied in Melbourne to demand the state government give them respect. Mr Ferguson said it was essential that the volunteer workforce was involved in important decisions.
