The City of Ballarat’s Municipal Emergency Management Plan 2019-2021 has been approved in an audit.
The plan was prepared and endorsed by the Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee, which includes City of Ballarat officers, emergency services and community groups, which work together and assist in the before, during and after emergency events that may impact the community.
The plan was adopted by Council on 21 August and submitted for audit – a standard procedure – in September. It was then audited by the VICSES, Victoria Police and the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Municipal Emergency Management Plan brings together the many agencies that can take appropriate and timely action to prevent or mitigate, respond to and assist affected communities when it comes to recovery from emergencies within the municipality.
The revised plan includes:
– updates to the Municipal Demographic Profile based on 2016 Census data
– a review of the City of Ballarat’s Resource List to better assist the Control Agencies’ requests for City of Ballarat equipment
– amendments to the plan’s Internal and External Contact and Plan Distribution Lists
– support arrangements that the City of Ballarat receives from agencies, and how the City of Ballarat supports other municipalities
– a review of the City of Ballarat’s Emergency Relief Centre locations and facilities
– details of the emergency events that have taken place within the municipality over the past three years during, the previous plan’s life cycle.
Key actions supporting the plan include:
– a new agreed process for formally recording and reporting on incidents
– a new charitable donations sub-plan
– a new checklist process for key nominated roles during incidents
– a strengthened internal audit process for Emergency Relief Centres, and
– a new communication channels to disseminate community preparedness and recovery information.
The Municipal Emergency Management Plan has a life span of three years but will be reviewed annually, or importantly, after an emergency event.
Read the plan at ballarat.vic.gov.au
