CFA wildfire instructor visits SA Country Fire Service State Training Centre

The SA Country Fire Service (CFS) Learning and Development team recently welcomed Peter Cecil, a wildfire instructor from the Victorian Country Fire Authority (CFA), to the State Training Centre.

This visit focused on sharing knowledge, strengthening collaboration between agencies, and exploring ways to improve training outcomes for emergency services personnel.

Sharing experience across agencies helps emergency services learn from major incidents, improve training, and better prepare firefighters to protect communities.

Peter is a highly experienced training officer and has been a long-time volunteer and staff member of the CFA.

Throughout his career, he has managed fires across Victoria and New South Wales and has also deployed internationally to the United States.

During his deployments to the United States, Peter worked as a Division Commander, overseeing multiple fire crews and coordinating operations across large sections of a fireground.

He later spent more than 10 years teaching at the Arizona Wildfire Academy in Tucson.

The visit was organised and facilitated by the CFS Incident Management and Leadership (IM&L) training team. It provided an opportunity to discuss different approaches to learning, training delivery, and assessment, as well as the time commitments of volunteer members.

While at the State Training Centre, Peter observed 2 key CFS programs currently delivered to members: Tactical Command and Control and the Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System (AIIMS) course.

These courses prepare members to lead teams, make decisions under pressure and manage complex emergencies safely in operational command and incident management roles.

Discussion on Assessment Activities between CFS IM&L Team Leader, Bevan Deppeler and CFA Wildfire Instructor, Peter Cecil.

One of the key aims of the visit was to explore alternative ways of delivering training and volunteer assessment, and to identify opportunities to strengthen how emergency management skills are taught and recognised.

Reviewing how training is delivered and assessed helps ensure firefighters are well prepared, skills are consistently applied, and training time is used effectively.

With the CFA delivering separate Crew Leader and Level 1 Incident Controller courses, and the CFS delivering a single multi-hazard course, the visit allowed both agencies to compare approaches and share ideas.

'This visit was a great chance to compare how each system works, from learning outcomes and assessments to the time our volunteers commit,’ said Peter.

'The opportunity to view your two courses has given me some ideas when delivering CFA courses, so for me it was a valuable visit and hopefully we can repeat this again.’

Beyond viewing current training products, it was a great opportunity for some of the current CFS training team to exchange ideas, learn from other agencies, and build professional connections.

CFS trainer Brad Diplock said these opportunities were important. ’At the end of the day, it’s about building connections and learning from each other.’

The IM&L team also invited trainers from CFS regions and partner agencies to be involved in both the training delivery and Peter’s visit.

This broader involvement helped ensure a range of perspectives were shared, including regional and Department for Environment and Water (DEW) experience.

DEW trainer Liz Pryor welcomed the opportunity to be involved. ‘It was great to be included in Peter’s visit. I appreciated the chance to contribute our perspective and compare training ideas from other agencies.’

From left to right: Ant Williams – Digital Learning Team, Craig Tapscott – Region 2 Training Officer, Liz Pryor Fire Management Officer – Learning and Development, Brad Diplock – IM&L, Bevan Deppeler – IM&L, Pete Cecil – CFA Wildfire Instructor.

The CFS thanks Peter and the CFA for their commitment to working together and sharing expertise. Visits like this support strong interagency relationships and help ensure emergency services training continues to evolve and improve.

Strong training and shared learning across agencies ultimately support safer responses and better outcomes for the communities that emergency services protect.