A new Resilience NSW office has been officially opened in Port Macquarie by former NSW Fire Commissioner and NSW Australian of the Year Shane Fitzsimmons.
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The Resilience NSW Commissioner congratulated staff on their new base of operations to boost bushfire and flood recovery as well as support future emergency preparedness efforts in the region.
There are now six offices with more than 60 staff across NSW.
"One of the keys to building resilience is placing local knowledge at the heart of everything we do," he said.
"This new regional office is a signal of our intent to build our regional capability throughout NSW and have teams on the ground who understand the needs and priorities of local communities.
"This is one of the six regions with an office and this is the primary location stretching between Newcastle right up to the Queensland border.
"It gives good reach up and down the coast, and given the compounding disasters here over the last few years. There has been a lot of need and attention on this area for Resilience NSW.
"The bushfires were a challenging time and there's no doubt about it publicly I was emotionally broken many times due to the destruction and loss of life. It was difficult for everyone but I was part of the team doing the best we could to save as many people, environment and property as we could.
"Our resilience was tested but as a reflect back on it I'm enormously proud to see the communities working together to save lives and the Aussie spirit of mate-ship and community generosity to make a difference."
Resilience NSW north coast director Gary McKinnon said Resilience NSW will be looking to work with community groups and emergency services.
"We're eager to continue working closely with the people of the North Coast to help them recover and prepare for the disasters of the future," he said.
"We've built the team in the last six months and we will be providing different workshops, training and bringing in community partners.
"We can host community partner workshops and provide enduring support after disasters such as drought, bushfires and floods.
"The March event here and in Kempsey was quite significant and we need to think about supporting all the areas of the Mid North Coast into the future."
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, David Elliott said the office would improve efficiencies in the region's recovery effort and lead to greater community resilience.
"The NSW Government is committed to giving our emergency services all the tools they need to support communities before, during and after disaster," Mr Elliott said.
"The new office will provide improved facilities for local staff and enable Resilience NSW to rapidly scale up their workforce on the North Coast when disaster strikes."
Member for Port Macquarie, Leslie Williams said the new office would give the region confidence going into the summer season.
"We've lived through bushfires, storms and floods and COVID-19, and are heading into another challenging summer. I'm pleased that the people of Port Macquarie will continue to benefit from a well-equipped, locally-based Resilience NSW team," Mrs Williams said.
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