Community input to emergency plan

A strategy that focusses on community based emergency management to address risk and crisis events has been supported by Baw Baw Shire Council.

The strategy will enable council to develop relationships with high risk communities and undertake emergency management and community planning with those communities.

It also will lead to a better understanding of communitybased assets within those communities that can be mobilised before, during and after emergencies.

Cr Darren Wallace said the strategy was a “we are all in it together approach.”

Cr Michael Leaney said community based emergency management was very important.

“We have to bring the community with us or we will fail. Hopefully we will get through this summer without the planning needing to be enacted,” he said.

In its current council plan, council identified a key challenge was climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.

It was identified that Baw Baw was at risk of increased extreme events including bushfire, heat wave and storm and flooding events.

To respond to these risks, it is the aim to build safer and more resilient communities.

Officers said CommunityBased Emergency Management (CBEM) was a way for communities and agencies to work together to reduce risk and impact of emergencies.

Emergency Management Victoria said the aim of CBEM was to guide people to build on combined strengths, by working together to identify local priorities and develop mutual goals and solutions.

Officers said the purpose of undertaking a program of community engagement in relation to emergency preparedness was to:

Improve council’s community engagement in relation to preparing for, responding to and recover from emergencies;

Identify, build and foster community networks and connections to strengthen community resilience by assisting communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies;

Encourage and support the community to engage with emergency management agencies to participate in emergency management awareness programs; and,

Partner with communities to develop locally tailored emergency plans and engagement processes that enable community leadership, through the development of mutual goals and solutions.