Controller’s accreditation had lapsed

AN incident controller for the Bunyip fires on Black Saturday was unaware his accreditation had lapsed in 2005, the Bushfire Royal Commission has heard.
Christopher Hardman, a Parks Victoria employee for 23 years and current manager of operations for the bays and maritime division, told the commission he was under the impression that he was accredited to be a level two incident controller during the fires that ravaged the State in February.
But since then, he had been made aware that his accreditation had expired in 2005.
Although a website to check the status of training was available, Mr Hardman said he had not taken advantage of the site.
“There is status of training on what we call Fireweb,” he said. “I hadn’t checked it.”
He said he was accredited as a level two incident controller in 2000 and wasn’t aware there was a timeframe on it.
“My view was that I was continually asked to do the job as an incident controller and I sort of suppose carried forward the view that that maintained currency for me,” he said.