By holding the Emergency Services Day, we are able to not only promote the role our emergency services play during a disaster, but more importantly, what role our residents can play to increase their resilience, things such as having an emergency plan and emergency kit available. Held in Ferrari Park Laidley, a number of activities took place including: • water bombing demonstration by the QLD Fire and Rescue Service Helicopter • sandbagging and dam burst demonstration • jaws of Life demonstration; and • QLD Police Service beer goggles demonstration. Operation Westwind With forecast temperatures predicted to hit the mid 40’s and with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service at Wildfire Alert Level 3 and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service at Level E (the highest level of fire alert), Council activated the Local Disaster Coordination Centre. Although the risk of fire throughout the Lockyer Valley was extremely high due to the blistering conditions combined with gusty winds, the region recorded only a limited number of controllable fires. By activating our Coordination Centre, we were able to test our operational capability while at the same forging closer ties with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service. As a result of Operation Westwind, a formal policy is currently being drafted to formalise the terms and conditions of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service utilising Council
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assets during emergencies. Disaster management exercises To assist Council maintain operational readiness should an emergency event hit the Lockyer Valley, a series of training exercises are held throughout the year including: • Exercise Bedrock…based on a two vehicle accident involving a truck carrying explosives and a truck containing quarry products, the exercise tested all local emergency service agencies as well as Council and the operators of Orica Pty Ltd. Located within the Helidon Explosives Precinct, Orica is an Australian based corporation that is the largest provider of commercial explosives and blasting systems to the mining and infrastructure markets. • Exercise Curie…centred around a realistic HAZMAT accident within the Lockyer Valley, the exercise tested all local emergency service agencies as well as QLD Health, the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, Energex and Telstra. Exercise Curie was designed to evaluate disaster management arrangements within the Lockyer Valley Local Disaster Management Group to ensure consistency with the State Disaster Management Plan. Disaster Management training A number of training sessions were held throughout the 2014/15 Financial Year to ensure both Council staff as well as external agency representatives are fully conversant with the systems in operation in our Local Disaster Coordination Centre. Four staff members have also obtained their Advanced Diploma
Lockyer Valley Regional Council | Annual Report 2014/15
in Disaster Management from the Australian Emergency Management Institute and Regional College of Disaster Management (see page 111). Local Disaster Community Coordination Committees As part of Council’s aim to build community resilience in the wake of the two flood events experienced in as many years, the Disaster Management Unit continues to foster strong community links through the Local Disaster Community Coordination Committees (LDCCC). Comprising between six and 10 community members, the LDCCC’s use the local knowledge and expertise of its members during an emergency to assist and feed vital information through to our Disaster Coordination Centre. Council has established LDCCC’s in the following areas: • Forest Hill • Grantham • Junction View • Mulgowie; and • Murphys Creek. Members of the LDCCC undergo extensive training at regular times throughout the year and assist with the dissemination of information to the community during time of need and also with the rapid establishment of disaster evacuation centres. State Emergency Service The State Emergency Service (SES) is made up of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in time of need. Last year, Council’s Corporate Communications Department put