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Local Government Emergency Management Handbook project
This joint MAV-Municipal Emergency Management Enhancement Group (MEMEG) project is progressing on schedule and will be distributed to councils by mid-2012.
The first draft of the Local Government Emergency Management Handbook has been completed and was tested during a series of consultation sessions with municipal emergency management officers and agencies. All council EM officers have had the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the draft. This feedback is now being collated and assessed.
The new Handbook will provide local government emergency management practitioners with a resource that covers:
- orientation and induction information
- model position descriptions that can be used for the appointment of key municipal emergency management roles
- guidance on professional development opportunities.
This project received funding from the Australian Government’s Natural Disaster Resilience Grants Scheme which is administered in Victoria by the Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner (OESC).
Contact Claudia Laidlaw.
Bushfire Land Use Planning workshop
The MAV has hosted a workshop for council planners to help scope and prepare expressions of interest for bushfire planning funding from the Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD). The workshop identified a number of similar projects to those funded in the first round of DPCD funding. Themes identified were:
- enforcement: models for improved compliance with BMO requirements and to address illegal dwellings in areas of known risk
- protection measures for dispersed settlements at a landscape scale, through emergency management processes or at a lot scale
- use of schedules to tailor BMO requirements and structure planning
- improved community information: vegetation management and easier offsets.
DPCD has agreed to extend the time available for councils to submit EOIs to Friday 30 March 2012.
Flood Risk Information Portal workshop
As part of its response to the final Natural Disaster Insurance Review report, the Australian Government committed to developing a flood risk information portal to provide a single access point to existing flood mapping data.
The Federal Attorney-General’s Department and Geoscience Australia are leading work on the planning phase of the project, and conducted an End User Needs Analysis workshop for interested councils at the MAV on 6 March. Participating councils discussed the types of products that target audiences need, relevant specifications for flood risk information, and helped to define the required information management and governance arrangements.
Contact Clare Smith.
Landfill levy temporarily waived for flood-affected councils
The Victorian Government has announced that landfill levies will be temporarily waived for a number of flood-affected councils undertaking clean-up activities in north and north eastern Victoria. The exemption applies to the disposal of waste generated as a result of the recent floods. It is limited to flood waste and applies to the ‘levy’ component of the gate price. For regional Victoria, this levy is currently $22 per tonne for municipal waste and $38.50 per tonne for industrial waste. It is up to individual landfill operators to decide whether to waive other component fees, such as gate fees. The exemption currently applies to:
- Campaspe
- Moira
- Greater Shepparton
- Strathbogie
- Wangaratta
- Benalla
- Towong
- Wodonga
- Indigo
Councils that border the worst hit areas and with landfills in close proximity have also been given an exemption to minimise the workload on locals. The duration of the exemption and precise areas to which it will be applied will be reviewed as necessary to ensure communities in genuine need are not ignored.
For further information contact EPA North East Region on (03) 5720 1101.
Natural Disaster Resilience Grant Scheme
A reminder that applications for the 2012 round of funding for the Natural Disaster Resilience Grant Scheme (NDRGS) close on 11 April. The scheme is designed to support projects that will enhance Victoria’s resilience to natural disasters through a range of mitigation works and other measures that contribute to safer, sustainable communities better able to withstand the effects of disasters.
Program scope, eligibility criteria and further NDRGS information is available on the OESC website.
Integrated Fire Management Planning Framework
In 2011, the State Fire Management Planning Committee (SFMPC) initiated a review of implementation of the Integrated Fire Management Planning framework. Consultation and data analysis has now been completed and a number of issues and opportunities for improvement have been identified. The final draft report is due to be presented to the SFMPC shortly. The MAV is a member of the committee and has represented the views of the sector during this review process.
Contact Emma Fitzclarence.
Victorian Fire Risk Register review
The Victorian Fire Risk Register (VFRR) was developed to introduce a systematic process for identifying assets at risk from wildfire and recording the range of mitigation treatments. A review is now underway to assess the application of VFRR decision support tools. This review will be carried out in line with an agreed Common Assessment Framework for decision support tools. This review will cover the VFRR:
- suitability and appropriateness
- uses and user feedback
- technical elements, and
- implementation issues and opportunities.
The review is being conducted by Ernst & Young. Any modifications made to the tool as a result of the evaluation will not affect the plans that have already been developed or are currently being developed. The MAV is participating in the review on behalf of the local government sector.
For further information contact Emma Fitzclarence or Adrian Birch.
Trial of single emergency website
The Community Emergency Information Website pilot will end in April 2012. The Fire Services Commissioner has sponsored the trial of this single integrated website, which tests the concept of one website providing emergency information to the public. When the trial period closes the content, design, layout, functionality and feel will be evaluated.
Visit emergencyvic.info to test the website and provide feedback.
Emergency Management Training for Public Health Professionals Course
Applications are now open for the 2012 'Emergency Management Training for Public Health Professionals' course, which will be delivered by the Emergency Management Special Interest Group of Environmental Health Professionals Australia (EHPA).
The objective of the course is to enhance the specific skills, knowledge and experience of Environmental Health Officers and Public Health Professionals to plan and respond to an emergency and to contribute to recovery reporting. Recent emergencies such as bushfires and flood events across Australia highlight the need for organisations to be prepared for emergencies.
Date: Sunday 22 July to Friday 27 July 2012
Location: Australian Emergency Management Institute, 601 Mt Macedon Rd, Mt Macedon
Fees: $2 800 EHPA member, $3 400 non-member (accommodation, meals, course notes all included)
A course brochure and application form provide further details. The course is limited to 30 places and candidates will be selected in order of applications received.
Contact Bernadet Ferraro on (03) 9438 5960.
Lessons from Hurricane Katrina – free public lecture with Dr Edward J Blakely
How do urban planners work with local communities and government to recover after a major disaster? At a free RMIT Transforming the Future public lecture, Dr Ed Blakely will share the lessons he learnt in the urban reconstruction of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and how these lessons might be relevant to rebuilding after Australia’s own recent natural disasters.
This lecture will be held on Tuesday 3 April from 6 pm to 7.30 pm at RMIT University, Storey Hall, 336 Swanston Street, Melbourne.
Registration is essential for this free event.
Dr Blakely has over 40 years of international experience in all aspects of urban and regional planning, disaster management and sustainable development. He served as Executive Director of the New Orleans Recovery from 2007 to 2009, and led the recovery of the United States’ worst urban natural disaster by directing all aspects of the city recovery.
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