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Emergency Management News
november 2019
WALGA
Issue 11

We are keen to hear more from our Members so that we can showcase initiatives, learnings and case studies to further support the sector in their activities before, during and after an emergency. We encourage you to get in touch via email, and share what you are doing to create and support resilient communities throughout WA.

In this issue...

Resources, upcoming events and contact:

NSW and QLD Fires – A Timely Reminder
As we watch in disbelief, the catastrophic fires in NSW and QLD continue to create devastating consequences for communities.
Members will all be thinking of our counterparts from the Local Government sector in both of these States. Some of you have reached out to offer assistance, a positive sign of the culture and support offered to our colleagues and their communities in times of need.  

Your leadership during an emergency is a critical success factor for your communities response and recovery. The Mayor of Glen Innes spoke passionately about the situation her community now finds itself in and wrote this powerful piece for the Guardian which was published last week. Her leadership shines through and is an important voice in the larger debate that is now coming to the fore as the bushfires continue to devastate communities.

Given the early start to the fire season, it is a timely reminder that we are not immune and as our communities watch how other States respond, it is an opportunity for Local Governments to prepare themselves for the season ahead.    

What you can do:
  • Have the discussions with your Council, Executives and staff as to who will play key roles in a response and recovery effort.  
  • Make sure you have considered staff leave and have contingencies in place. Staff may need to be contacted after hours and may be required for long periods of time, so consider how this will work in your Local Government.
  • Your staff may be affected by the emergency, so back up plans and sharing resources with neighbouring Councils is encouraged. Now is the time to review your MOU with neighbouring Councils and share your contact details.  
  • Use your LEMC to collaborate and get ready with your community and agency partners.  
  • Dust off your LEMA and recovery plans and make sure your contact details and resource lists are up to date. 
  • Link in with your DFES regional office.
  • District Emergency Management Advisors can guide you through your responsibilities before, during and after an emergency and it is valuable to build relationships with operational staff in your region prior to an emergency.  
  • Contact the WALGA EM Policy Team if you require any further information or support to connect with those who can assist you.
For more information, please contact the WALGA Emergency Management Team.
WALGA Emergency Management Engagement - Before During After Project Update
Thank you to those who participated in WALGA's Emergency Management Engagement Survey.
The Engagement Survey was created using feedback from the WALGA Emergency Management Workshop - Before - During - After, held in early August. Feedback from the workshop was based around four themes: Funding Policy, Governance, Workforce Planning and Capacity Building. The Engagement Survey was prepared by drawing on these themes, to further prioritise key areas for WALGA support for Local Governments through member representation, advocacy and capacity building.  

The Engagement Survey was open from 17 September 17 to 4 November. WALGA received responses from 78 Local Governments across WA, of which almost three-quarters were from regional areas. Now that it has closed, the next step is to analyse the survey data and use this analysis to inform a WALGA Emergency Management Strategy 2020-2025.

The  Emergency Management Strategy will be circulated to all Local Governments for comment in early 2020 prior to WALGA State Council endorsement. 

Thank you again for your support of this process, the Emergency Management team looks forward to further engagement with Local Governments as we progress this important body of work. 
For more information, please contact the WALGA Emergency Management Team.
Get Behind the Frontline Campaign Launched
A new State-wide advertising and marketing campaign to encourage people of all ages and skill levels to become an emergency services volunteer commenced in early November.

The 'Get Behind the Frontline' campaign aims to highlight the wide range of diverse volunteering roles that can be carried out by volunteers who might not be suited to frontline operations.

Volunteers are a critical part of the State's emergency response, comprising up to 99% of all personnel in some regional areas. 

Through social, digital and print media, 'Get Behind the Frontline' seeks to educate the community about behind the scenes emergency services roles, attract new recruits from diverse backgrounds and drive traffic to the online volunteer recruitment page.  

Attracting new volunteers can be challenging - it is even more challenging to attract new recruits to the emergency services sector when there is a perception that only frontline, operational personnel are required. 

There are vital non-operational positions that support brigades, groups and units including communications, catering, mapping and logistics, vehicle maintenance and social media engagement. 
The online volunteer recruitment website can be accessed here.
Recovery Network Webinar - Waste and Recovery
A free webinar on Waste and Recovery is being held on Thursday, 5 December.  
The webinar will be co-hosted by the State Recovery Directorate and WALGA.  Speakers will include:
  • Manager Waste and Recycling, WALGA - Rebecca Brown, and
  • Manager Waste, Health & Ranger Services, Shire of Augusta Margaret River - Ruth Levett.
Rebecca will be presenting on local waste arrangements for emergency events and Ruth will present a case study on waste and recovery.

Date:   Thursday, 5 December 
Time:  10:00am to 11:00am

Click here to register for the webinar.
If you have any thoughts on what would make a useful webinar or have an innovative solution to an ongoing recovery issue, please contact DFES Recovery Manager, Emergency Management, Suzanne Blyth
WA Scout Leader Takes Out 2019 Resilient Australia National Award
WA's Sarah Hamilton, also an SES volunteer, received the Award for her innovative SES Badge for West Australian Scouts. 
  
Pictured: Sarah Hamilton, with Scout colleagues.
 
Over 500 scouts have received the badge which teaches them to value the importance of individuals in building community resilience. Sarah has previously won the SES Youth Achievement Award for this initiative. 

Other award winners included the Sunshine Coast Council, who received the inaugural National Local Government Award for their ‘Get Ready Schools Program’. The initiative involves Council staff delivering interactive presentations to school students to build their awareness and preparation for natural hazards and emergencies. 

The bushfire education program at Strathewen Primary School was awarded the National Schools Award. The school community has worked with the Country Fire Authority to deliver learning modules, which teach students about the fundamentals of bushfires.

James Spencer won the National Photography Award for his image of Tasmanian resident Dale ‘Hairyman’ Fullard, who is pictured sitting along the Huon River. Mr Fullard lost this property during the Tasmanian bushfires earlier this year.
Lurline Byles from WA was awarded Highly Commended in the photography category for her image Harnessed Skill.  

Applications for the 2020 awards program will open early next year.
Click here for more information on Resilient Australia Award winners.
BEN Sign Update
BEN Signs have become a crucial part of emergency response, with a number of 000 call-outs using BEN Signs to locate the incident since May 2018. 
The BEN Sign Program Coordinator, Marion Massam, recently provided training to operation centre staff at St John Ambulance, as part of DPIRD's efforts to raise awareness of BEN Signs. Discussions with staff included those who have received 000 calls where the caller was not clear at all on the location of the emergency, a scenario that is not uncommon. Clarifying the location of the emergency is the first task of the 000 call-taker, as without it assistance cannot be sent. One of the key elements is to ensure rapid ambulance dispatch as well as providing first aid instructions, which may be delayed while clarifying a location.  

The consensus of the St John staff and management is that BEN signs are a game-changer in this respect. Since May 2018, 274 requests for police assistance and 56 requests for St John Ambulance via triple zero calls have been logged, where BEN signs were used to locate the incident

A flyer has been developed for handing out to the public and for counter tops. The flyer can be accessed here.
For more information, or to get a copy of the flyer, please contact BEN Sign Program Coordinator, Marion Massam.
Stay Healthy in the Heat
Summer is coming and the hot weather has already begun. The Department of Health is asking people to plan ahead for the impacts of the heat.
 
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted that Australia will see higher maximum temperatures this coming summer. While you cannot prevent the hot weather, you can reduce the risk of heat illnesses by taking action to look after yourselves and your co-workers.

Everyone is vulnerable in hot weather. However, people who work outside, people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, respiratory, renal or cardiovascular conditions and people with mental health conditions can be particularly vulnerable.
Be aware of the signs and symptoms of heat stress. These include:
  • headaches 
  • dizziness
  • feeling faint
  • muscle cramps
  • tiredness and lethargy 
  • feeling thirsty
  • pale skin
  • excess or no sweating, and
  • dark urine.
Keep yourself hydrated, stay in the shade if you need to be outside, and look out for yourselves and your co-workers.
Go to HealthyWA for more heat health advice.
Bushfire Centre of Excellence Moves to Pinjarra
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services’ Bushfire Centre of Excellence (BCoE) team has officially moved to the Pinjarra Heritage Railway Station. 
 
The team will operate from the site until the completion of the purpose-built facility in the Peel Business Park, Nambeelup, scheduled for December 2020. 

The Heritage Railway Station boasts large rooms where training courses will be delivered on-site, as well as information sessions, workshops and other engagement opportunities.

It will support the BCoE team to continue updating and delivering training, grow its online presence and begin to develop and share bushfire knowledge products over the next year.  

Construction of the Nambeelup facility is expected to commence in May 2020. 
Visit the Bushfire Centre of Excellence website today or call 08 9540 7100. 
Amendments to the State Emergency Management Documents
The State Emergency Management Committee has recently approved and published amendments to the suite of State Emergency Management documents incorporating several new recovery arrangements. 
Significant amendments include:
  • New Impact Statement template and Guide (replacing the Comprehensive Impact Assessment) - Impact Statements are to be completed by the controlling agency during all Level 3 incidents and Level 2 incidents where there are impacts requiring recovery activities.
  • New roles and responsibilities for the State Recovery Controller and new procedures describing their appointment.
  • Clarification of recovery evaluations to be provided to the State Recovery Coordinator and SEMC within 12 months of an emergency. 

Full details of all amendments are available on the SEMC Policy Amendments webpage. It is strongly advised that all agencies review the updated documents.
If you have any questions regarding these recovery arrangements please contact Deputy State Recovery Coordinator, Suellen Flint, or Recovery Manager Emergency Management, Suzanne Blyth
Considering Animal Welfare as part of Emergency Risk Planning
DPIRD recommends that all Local Governments include animal welfare considerations in their emergency risk planning for this peak natural hazard season, through additions to their Local Emergency Management Arrangements (LEMA) or ideally by developing dedicated Animal Welfare in Emergency (AWE) plans.

Having these plans in place not only improve Local Governments’ ability to respond to animal welfare issues during an emergency, but will support DPIRD, when the State Support Plan – Animal Welfare in Emergencies is activated, to know key local information such as where animal evacuation shelters can be held.

Local Governments can seek support from the WALGA Emergency Management team or DPIRD to develop local AWE plans. Although Local Governments are encouraged to have animal welfare plans in place, it is ultimately the owner or carer of an animal who is responsible for the welfare of that animal and should consider its welfare in preparedness for, response to and recovery from an emergency.

A wealth of emergency planning information aimed at animal owners/carers is available from the DPIRD website. Local Governments can direct residents to these resources via their communications channels and encourage animal owners/carers to integrate animal welfare into their household emergency plans. 
For more information and support in preparing an AWE Plan, Contact State Animal Welfare Emergency Coordinator, Amanda Nardi-Wallace for more information.
Future Drought Fund and the National Drought Response Resilience Plan – Open for Comment
The Commonwealth has released its consultation draft on the Drought Resilience Funding Plan. Submissions on the draft Plan close Friday, 13 December.

The Future Drought Fund (FDF) is a key aspect of the Australian Government’s drought policy, which seeks to provide a permanent and secure revenue source to build drought resilience.

The Fund begins with an initial credit of $3.9 billion. Earnings will be reinvested until the balance reaches $5 billion (expected in 2028-29). From 1 July 2020, $100 million will be made available each year to support Australian farmers and communities. Funds can be used to prepare for, and become resilient to, the effects of inevitable future drought.

The FDF will support initiatives that enhance the drought resilience of Australian farms and communities by becoming more prepared to respond to the impacts of drought.

The Drought Resilience Funding Plan is a high level framework that seeks to ensure a coherent and consistent approach is undertaken when considering and providing funding for drought resilience projects.

To access the Drought Resilience Funding Plan, and to provide a submission to the Plan, click here. Submissions on the draft Plan close on Friday, 13 December. 
A WALGA Infopage on the Fund and Plan is available here. For further information please contact, Executive Manager Environment and Waste, Mark Batty via email or telephone 08 9213 2078.
Resources
Bureau of Meteorology Seasonal Outlooks:
Rainfall
Temperature
El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA-WA)

Emergency WA - Alerts and warnings about cyclones, fires, floods, storms, earthquakes, hazardous material incidents and more.

Map of Bushfire Prone Areas
Emergency Management Training and Events
DFES and WALGA Recovery Network Webinar - Waste and Recovery
Thursday, 5 December

Red Cross Recovery Training Schedule
The Local Government Emergency Management training developed by WALGA will assist Local Governments with their emergency management responsibilities under the Emergency Management Act 2005.

Participate in Local Government Emergency Management Preparation
Thursday, 5 March, Monday, 8 June and Monday, 21 September 2020 - One day course

Manage Recovery Activities for Local Government
Friday, 6 March, Tuesday, 9 June and Tuesday, 22 September 2020 - One day course

Local Recovery Coordinator - Two-day course
Monday to Tuesday, 9 - 10 December 
Monday to Tuesday, 30 - 31 March 2020
Thursday to Friday, 25 - 26 June 2020
Monday to Tuesday, 26 - 27 October 2020

Emergency Management Fundamentals
Available online

AIIMS Awareness
Available online

Who Should Attend WALGA Training? CEOs, Elected Members, Managers and Officers who would like to enhance their role in emergency management and/or learn more about the recovery requirements for Local Government.
Member Representation
Month of November
  • Volunteer Sustainability Strategy Steering Committee
  • State Welfare Emergency Committee
  • SEMC Risk Subcommittee
  • State Exercise Coordination Team 
  • SEMC Response Capability Subcommittee
  • LGGS Working Group Meeting
  • Lessons Management Reference Group
  • Bushfire Operations Committee
  • WA Flood Warning Consultative Group
  • Committee for Animal Welfare in Emergenices
.
Contact
If you have any questions or require more information, please email Subscribe to our newsletters: .
WALGA
ONE70, LV1, 170 Railway Parade,
West Leederville, WA 6007
PO Box 1544, West Perth, WA 6872
Tel: (08) 9213 2000 | Fax: (08) 9213 2077
Email: info@walga.asn.au
www.walga.asn.au
© Copyright Western Australian Local Government Association 2014






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