Release 1  This is the first release of this unit of competency in the PUA Public Safety Training Package.

This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to provide liaison on behalf of an agency, or multiple agencies from the same jurisdiction, at the control centre of a jurisdiction that has requested interstate assistance.

An individual performing this role has the title of Jurisdictional Liaison Officer and is appointed by or on behalf of an agency or agencies that is, or are, deploying resources interstate.

Jurisdictional Liaison Officers are required to liaise, as senior representatives of fire and emergency service agencies from their jurisdiction, with the state or territory authorities having overall management of the emergency response to support the effective interstate sharing of resources and promote the sharing of information and strategic resource planning.

Circumstances that require interstate resource deployments typically involve complex and concurrent incidents, with a control or coordination centre set-up under jurisdictional emergency management arrangements.

The unit is applicable to personnel who are deployed to carry out jurisdictional-level liaison functions in connection with an interstate deployment of emergency management resources. The authorisation to perform this role is subject to state, territory and Commonwealth emergency management arrangements.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Not applicable

Operations

Public Safety

ELEMENTS 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1 

Establish liaison context and framework 

1.1 

Appointment as Liaison Officer is confirmed with reference to legislation, organisational direction and/or managerial agreement

1.2 

Communication pathways with sending agencies are established

1.3 

Information about the situation in the requesting jurisdiction is collected

1.4 

Number and type of resources to be deployed is identified and location and length of deployment is confirmed

1.5 

Liaison is established within a jurisdictional control or coordination facility in accordance with state, territory and Commonwealth arrangements

1.6 

Liaison arrangements are communicated to authorities and/or organisations pertinent to the type of incident

2 

Establish and maintain liaison network 

2.1 

Receiving jurisdiction interstate liaison unit leader or designated point of contact is identified and communication pathways confirmed

2.2 

National coordination arrangements are verified and contact established with national deployment manager/coordinator

2.3 

Other jurisdictional and Commonwealth Liaison Officers are identified, and communication processes and systems are confirmed

2.4 

Liaison Officer meetings are attended, and cooperation arrangements established

2.5 

Field Liaison Officers are contacted, and reporting arrangements established

2.6 

Logistical and operational issues that cannot be resolved at the incident level are identified and resolutions negotiated at a jurisdictional level

3 

Contribute to health, safety and welfare requirements of the deployment 

3.1 

Logistical arrangements for deployed personnel upon arrival are confirmed

3.2 

Critical incident plan is reviewed, and content agreed

3.3 

Safety and fatigue management plan is developed, discrepancies between safety systems of receiving and sending participants identified, and risk control measures established

3.4 

Health, safety and welfare reports from Field Liaison Officers are received and analysed, and issues addressed with receiving participant

3.5 

Reports to sending jurisdiction on deployed personnel location, tasking, health, safety, welfare and human resource issues are provided

3.6 

Critical incidents are managed in accordance with the critical incident plan and reports on critical incidents are communicated to sending jurisdiction

3.7 

Arrangements for rest and relaxation periods are confirmed with input from Field Liaison Officers, and rest and relaxation plans are agreed with receiving jurisdiction and disseminated

4 

Support strategic resource planning 

4.1 

Advice to the receiving jurisdiction regarding the capacity and capability of deployed resources and personnel is provided

4.2 

Future resource requirements of receiving jurisdiction are identified and communicated to the sending jurisdiction

4.3 

Capacity of sending jurisdiction to provide additional resources or future rotations of resources is confirmed and receiving participant advised

5 

Support demobilisation of resources to home jurisdiction 

5.1 

Planned demobilisation dates are identified and monitored

5.2 

Arrangements for demobilisation are agreed with receiving jurisdiction and demobilisation plans are prepared and disseminated

5.3 

Proposals for early demobilisation are discussed with receiving participant, and authority for early demobilisation is obtained as required

5.4 

Demobilisation plans and early demobilisation authorities are communicated to sending jurisdiction and logistical arrangements for demobilisation are confirmed

6 

Conclude and review liaison activities 

6.1 

Debriefing requirements are met in accordance with established procedures

6.2 

Handover to incoming Liaison Officer is provided

6.3 

Post-deployment analysis is initiated and/or participated in

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Range is restricted to essential operating conditions and any other variables essential to the work environment.

Non-essential conditions may be found in the PUA Public Safety Training Package Companion Volume Implementation Guide.

This is a new unit.

Release 1  This is the first release of this unit of competency in the PUA Public Safety Training Package.

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all the requirements of the elements and performance criteria on at least one occasion and include:

• applying work health and safety (WHS)/occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements
• commencing liaison activities
• completing strategic resource planning
• completing, disseminating, monitoring and maintaining organisational reports and documentation
• concluding liaison activities
• delivering briefings and debriefings
• establishing and maintaining a liaison network
• establishing and maintaining communication about resource planning
• following organisational policies and procedures
• implementing agreements, codes of practice, government policies and/or legislative requirements
• managing critical incidents involving deployed personnel
• managing stress and fatigue
• planning demobilisation of deployed resources
• reviewing liaison activities.

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all the requirements of the elements and performance criteria and includes knowledge of:

• command, control and coordination structures
• communications processes and systems
• consideration of resource needs of response and jurisdictional capability to support
• electronic data exchange and information management systems
• incident plans, including incident action plans, critical incident plans, safety plans and fatigue management plans
• legislative requirements relevant to the role, including legislative differences between the requesting jurisdiction and own jurisdiction
• liaison networks
• national resource sharing arrangements
• organisational documentation, policies and procedures
• personnel support activities
• process and procedures for briefing and debriefing
• sources of information and/or documents
• WHS/ OHS requirements, including risk mitigation.

Assessors must hold credentials specified within the Standards for Registered Training Organisations current at the time of assessment.

Assessment must satisfy the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence and all regulatory requirements included within the Standards for Registered Training Organisations current at the time of assessment.

Assessment must occur in workplace operational situations. Where this is not appropriate, assessment must occur in simulated workplace operational situations that reflect workplace conditions.

Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.

Resources for assessment must include access to:

• a range of relevant exercises, case studies and/or simulations
• appropriate materials, equipment, tools and personal protective equipment (PPE) currently used in industry
• incidents or simulations of incidents in a multi-agency response environment
• applicable documentation, including organisational procedures, industry standards, national resource sharing arrangements, equipment specifications, regulations, codes of practice and operation manuals.