Firefighting experts are urging that state borders be “dissolved” during bushfires and that common training, communication systems and equipment be introduced and shared across regions to promote the most effective containment.

The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements has heard there is a need for a national strategy for bushfire management, and that issues such as radios not being synched across state lines needs to be addressed.

“I would certainly like to see the state borders dissolved effectively, especially for aerial support, so that the closest aircraft respond to every fire and you don't have those 25 kilometre natural borders,” Ruth Ryan, corporate fire manager at HVP Plantations, the largest private manager of forest resources in Victoria, said.

Ms Ryan told the hearing there should be “common training and common systems, common equipment … because we're fighting the one fire”.

National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC) representatives detailed their plan to facilitate a national strategy for aerial firefighters.

“We're mature enough now in the collaborative and cooperative arrangements between the States and Territories to have an over-arching national strategy,” NAFC GM Richard Alder said.

The Commission was told that firefighting aircraft are fitted with the tactical radio system of the jurisdiction in which they're based, normally two physical radio units. If an aircraft is required elsewhere, the radio must be changed or another solution found.

“We're certainly aware that can frustrate moving aircraft across borders and sharing aircraft across borders,” Mr Alder said.

The NAFC can't standardise that currently because each State and Territory adopts a different system that are incompatible, he said, describing the situation as “impractical”.

The NAFC is in the early stages of producing some facilitating draft material to be agreed by the States and Territories which it says would help prepare for future capability requirements and the ordering of new aircraft.

One of the options likely to be canvassed in the development of the strategy is providing some resources on a national basis, rather than belonging to individual jurisdictions, which Mr Alder said might provide more flexibility.

The hearings resume tomorrow with a focus on hazard reduction and the division of responsibility between different governments, fuel load management and indigenous fire and land practices.