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Home>Emergencies>Preparing for an emergency>Council – emergency preparation
Council is responsible under Victoria’s Emergency Management Act for identifying potential emergency risks and hazards, preventing emergencies and minimising the effects of emergencies on the community.
Under this legislation, Council is required to appoint a Municipal Emergency Resource Officer (MERO) and to establish a Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee (MEMPC). The MEMPC is responsible for the preparation of a draft Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP) which identifies municipal and community resources for use in emergency prevention, preparedness, response and recovery (PPRR).
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 Municipal Wildfire Preparedness Plan
Emergency Management Coordinator
Emergency Recovery Centres
Emergency Relief Centres
Integrated Fire Management Planning
Municipal Emergency Coordination Centre
Municipal Emergency Management Plan
Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee
Municipal Emergency Resource Officer
Municipal Fire Prevention Officer
Municipal Fire Prevention Plan
Municipal Fire Prevention Committee
Municipal Recovery Manager
| Municipal Wildfire Preparedness Plan | | The Municipal Wildfire Preparedness Plan identifies areas within Cardinia Shire where people and property are particularly vulnerable to wildfire and outlines treatments to lower the risk. It provides support and rigour to the working plans of other fire management agencies and compliments Council’s own Municipal Fire Prevention Plan which has already been reformed to encompass a risk management based approach.
Download a copy of the Wildfire Preparedness Plan Top
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| Emergency Management Coordinator | | The Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) is the person appointed by Council who is responsible for driving emergency management planning, education and continuous improvement in the Shire of Cardinia.
The EMC liaises between Council, emergency services, government agencies and the community, to ensure appropriate prevention, preparedness, response and recovery before, during and after emergencies.
For further information relating to emergency management contact Paul Dickson on 5945 4379 or 1300 787 624.Top
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| Emergency Recovery Centres | | An Emergency Recovery Centre may be opened after a major emergency, depending on the severity of the emergency. It is usually opened in the affected community and is a place where affected individuals can go to access support services from Red Cross, Salvation Army and local services.
It is generally used as a meeting place for the community to come together and support one another.Top
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| Emergency Relief Centres | | An Emergency Relief Centre (ERC) is a temporary place located away from the location of the emergency and is only opened if an emergency is deemed severe enough. The decision to open an ERC is that of Victoria Police and the controlling agency, for example CFA, SES or other agency.
For notification of the opening of Emergency Relief Centres, listen to ABC 774 AM radio.
If an ERC is opened, it will be some time after the emergency has started. If your house is located in the emergency affected area, you will be able to attend the ERC. If your house has been damaged or destroyed, you can go to an ERC. If you are unable to get to your house because of road blockages, you can go to an ERC.
An ERC is NOT a refuge or evacuation centre; it is a place where affected individuals can go to register their details on the National Registration and Inquiry System and access support services to assist with their immediate needs.
An ERC can become very busy, and while agency staff are there to assist you and your family, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of any children in your care. There is no provision for animals at an ERC.
National Registration and Inquiry System (NRIS)
When you go to an Emergency Relief Centre you can register yours and your family’s details on the National Registration and Inquiry System (NRIS).
The NRIS enables families and close friends to find out basic information about your safety and whereabouts if they cannot contact you directly. Often telephone services do not operate during an emergency causing difficulty in contacting people.
For more information you can visit the Red Cross website.Top
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| Integrated Fire Management Planning | | Integrated Fire Management Planning (IFMP) provides a framework to improve the management of bushfire and other emergencies at the local level, and will be introduced across Victoria over the next few years.
It will bring together agencies and services involved in emergency prevention, preparedness, response and recovery to provide more effective emergency management processes. This will improve the management of bushfire and other fire emergencies through improved inter-agency planning and cooperation.
The IFMP will be included within the Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP) and will ensure a more systematic state-wide approach to fire management planning between local government, agencies and emergency services, regardless of whether the land is public or private.
For more information about Integrated Fire Management Planning visit the Municipal Association of Victoria website.Top
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| Municipal Emergency Coordination Centre | | The Cardinia Municipal Emergency Coordination Centre (MECC) may be located at the Municipal Offices, Henty Way, Pakenham. In the event of an emergency, Council’s Municipal Emergency Resource Officer (MERO) may activate the MECC under the authority of Victoria Police (Municipal Emergency Response Coordinator).
Whilst the MECC may be activated when an emergency occurs in the Cardinia Shire, it may also be activated to support response and recovery activities in neighbouring municipalities.
The MECC, if activated, will be typically attended by Council’s Municipal Emergency Resource Officer (MERO), Municipal Recovery Manager (MRM), Municipal Emergency Response Coordinator (MERC) and other personnel as dictated by the nature and extent of the emergency.
The MECC plays an important role in supporting emergency services and recovery agencies to respond effectively to an emergency through the coordination, allocation and provision of, resources (human and material) in response to an emergency.Top
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| Municipal Emergency Management Plan | | The Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP) is developed by the Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee (MEMPC) for the geographic area of Cardinia Shire Council, and details general arrangements for the management of emergencies which may occur in that area.
While the MEMP recognises that the responsibility for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery rests at the local level, it identifies a process for transitioning to the divisional level when an emergency is beyond the capacity of local resources.
The MEMP is essentially a set of guidelines, that brings together those agencies in Cardinia Shire, who are responsible for emergency response and recovery, and is tested annually during an emergency exercise involving the agencies listed in the MEMP.
The MEMP has four sub-plans:
1. Communications sub-plan
2. Bushfire sub-plan
3. Flood sub-plan
4. Recovery sub-plan
The Municipal Fire Prevention Plan supports the MEMP in the bushfire sub-plan. This will be replaced in the coming years with an Integrated Fire Management Plan (IFMP) which will see the implementation of the recommendations from the 2002–03 Victorian Bushfire Inquiry and the 2003 Auditor-General’s Audit of Fire Prevention and Preparedness Report to improve how local government and emergency services prevent, prepare, responder and recovery from bushfire.Top
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| Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee | | The Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee provides the opportunity for Council to work in partnership, with local and regional emergency services and community organisations, to address the impact of emergencies on the community. It achieves this, through its primary responsibility of developing the Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP).
Agencies and organisations represented on the MEMPC include Council (MERO, MRM, MFPO and Councillor), Victoria Police (Municipal Emergency Response Coordinator), and CFA, SES, Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), Department of Human Services (DHS) and other local and regional response and recovery agencies.
The MEMPC is currently conducting a review of how emergency management is undertaken in Cardinia Shire at the local level. It is anticipated that the findings of the review will lead to an overhaul of emergency practices in Cardinia Shire.Top
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| Municipal Emergency Resource Officer | | The Municipal Emergency Resource Officer (MERO) is responsible to Council for activating and managing municipal resources in the response phase of an emergency. The MERO will activate the Municipal Emergency Coordination Centre (MECC) under the authority of the Municipal Emergency Response Coordinator (MERC), and is responsible for maintaining the MECC at a level of preparedness to ensure prompt activation when required.
To achieve an appropriate response to emergencies, the MERO liaises with agencies and services in the municipal district, Council’s Municipal Recovery Manager (MRM) and regional authorities, and is responsible for organising a post emergency de-brief if requested by the MERC.Top
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| Municipal Fire Prevention Officer | | The Municipal Fire Prevention Officer (MFPO), is responsible for implementing the Municipal Fire Prevention Plan (MFPP), and has the regulatory power to issue fire prevention notices, conduct property inspections and issue permits to burn to fire brigades and members of the public during the fire danger period.
The MFPO is the chairperson of the Municipal Fire Prevention Committee (MFPC) and is responsible for ensuring that the recommendations of the committee are considered by Council. The MFPO is also an active member of the Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee (MEMPC).
Find out about open air burning and applying for a permit to burn.Top
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| Municipal Fire Prevention Committee | | The Municipal Fire Prevention Committee (MFPC) is established under the Country Fire Authority Act 1958. Its primary function is to advise and make recommendations to Council, in the preparation and maintenance of the Municipal Fire Prevention Plan (MFPP), including its implementation and review.
Membership of the Cardinia MFPC consists of individuals and organisations representing local fire brigades, CFA Region 8, Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water, Council staff and community members.Top
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| Municipal Recovery Manager | | The Municipal Recovery Manager (MRM) is responsible for managing municipal resources in the recovery phase of an emergency, and is required to attend the Municipal Emergency Coordination Centre (MECC) during an emergency.
The MRM is Council’s key advocate for ensuring that community needs are met during the recovery phase of an emergency. To achieve this, the MRM establishes priorities for addressing community needs and restoring community services through liaison with the Municipal Emergency Resource Officer (MERO), Department of Human Services and other agencies responsible for recovery.Top
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