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I was one of ten people selected for a 2 day pilot course at Fiskville. The idea was to take volunteers who may be the initial Incident  controller at  a job and give them some experience in a realistic environment

A stepping stone between Crew Lead Wildfire and Crew Lead Structure without the pressure of assessment.

We all gathered at the Fiskville Training Pad a group of people from all walks of life with varying experiences. Some of us had meet before at various CFA events but in the main we were unknown to each other

I made the mistake of thinking one of the Volunteer Instructors was a student as we had meet on a previous course (Mental note to self check the colour of the Helmet before opening mouth)

We were to be mentored by the Legendary District 14 Instructor Kris Wilms and a group of Volunteer Instructors almost a one to one ratio

We started the day with a safety briefing and an out line of the next  2 days then into it

Scenario after scenario complete with "Vicfire" turnout responding Code One to one of the many realistic incidents some simple some more difficult. It was a fantastic opportunity to be exposed to so many facets of situations we turnout to everyday.

The group of volunteers started to get a feel for what we were each capable of and started to work more closely together getting better as the day progressed.

Sharing ideas and how each brigade approached jobs differently yet reaching the same outcome

It became obvious that a good size up was essential to running a successful job.

We would hear many times over the 2 days that correct Size Up was paramount

We all had a touch of Fiskvilleittis expecting even the simplest  jobs to turn into a raging conflagration but whilst I'm sure the training  Pad is capable of it we managed to survive each scenario to go on and complete the next challenge.

At the end of the 2 days we had taken part in more turnouts than some would do in 6 months

I certainly gained some knowledge and believe it will hold me in good stead in the days ahead

Our group of volunteers had come together and worked extremely well as crews

I would recommend if you ever get the chance to attend Fiskville to make sure you take it