Vic firies won't knock back NSW help again

Victorian firefighters won't reject NSW help during a fire season again, the emergency management commissioner has promised.

The offer was knocked back during a blaze that destroyed houses near the state border in east Gippsland in 2013-14.

Commissioner Craig Lapsley said there was a "disconnect" in how fire resources were used and allocated across state borders.

"We've taken that forward to say that needs to change, we need to get the best usage out of all the vehicles," Mr Lapsley told AAP on Monday.

He said fire chiefs from both states would meet in Jindabyne in rural NSW next week to talk about cross-border collaboration.

An Inspector-General for Emergency Management report into 78 significant fires in Victoria found local knowledge was ignored when deciding the initial attack on blazes in east Gippsland.

"There was different times where local knowledge was engaged, and times when you could see that it wasn't," Mr Lapsley said.

He said some local firefighters had to protect their own homes, meaning fire planning was often managed by people new to the area.

Mr Lapsley said plans were now in place to maximise the amount of local input into handling bushfires.

The report also criticised information given to the community, saying it needed to be more timely and helpful.

Mr Lapsley said information would be put out over multiple channels, including online, radio and in local shopfronts, to make sure people got the best advice.

He said changes had been made to traffic plans to make sure the right people could get through roadblocks.

"For long duration fires, we have to make sure that locals are getting access to the area," he said.

"One of those ways is wristbands to identify locals who can come in and out."

Emergency Services Minister Kim Wells praised the east Gippsland community for telling the government what went wrong.

"(They) have played an integral role in this process, contributing to this report and identifying issues within our emergency services arrangements which can be improved upon," Mr Wells said.

He said the government had provided $588,000 for a specialist firebombing helicopter to be based in the region this summer.