EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS REPORT 2018 State Emergency Management Committee Western Australia Image credits: Cover photo – Nature’s Window, Kalbarri National Park WA – Image: Lisa Allison Images on the divider pages represent the SEMC’s six state core objectives: people, economy, infrastructure, social setting, government and environment. Page 5 PEOPLE – Beach at Coral Bay – Image: Greg Snell Page 11 ECONOMY – Iron ore train, Tom Price WA – Image: Lisa Allison Page 21 ENVIRONMENT – Pink Lake, Esperance WA – Image: Grant Wilson Page 35 INFRASTRUCTURE – Mitchell Freeway, Perth WA – Image: Grant Wilson Page 45 SOCIAL SETTING – Optus Stadium, Perth WA – Image: Grant Wilson Page 129 ECONOMY – Wheat field being harvested – Image: Wesley Tolhurst Page 139 INFRASTRUCTURE – Eyre Highway, WA – Image: Lisa Allison Page 143 GOVERNMENT – Parliament of Western Australia, Perth WA – Image: Grant Wilson Page 151 ENVIRONMENT – Thorny Devil, Kalbarri National Park WA – Image: Thomas Dagger ii Emergency Preparedness Report 2018 Contents FOREWORD ......................................................................................................... 4 4.6 What do people value? ........................................................................42 4.7 Office of Bushfire Risk Management – OBRM ............................... 43 01 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...............................................................................5 4.8 Managing the risks ................................................................................ 44 02 INSIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES ............................................................ 11 05 CAPABILITY .................................................................................................45 03 OVERVIEW ....................................................................................................21 5.1 Legislation ............................................................................................... 47 3.1 Australian emergency management ................................................22 5.2 Policies ..................................................................................................... 47 3.2 National Disaster Preparedness Framework .................................22 5.3 EM plans ..................................................................................................49 3.3 National Disaster Mitigation Framework .........................................23 5.4 Risk assessment ....................................................................................50 3.4 Funding mechanisms ...........................................................................24 5.5 Horizon scanning ...................................................................................52 3.5 Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements ...................24 SPOTLIGHT – MECKERING EARTHQUAKE – 3.6 Emergency management in WA ........................................................25 50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY .................................................................................56 3.7 Organisational change and restructure ...........................................26 5.6 Lessons management ..........................................................................58 3.8 Rural fire reform ..................................................................................... 27 5.7 Alerts and warnings ..............................................................................62 3.9 Bushfire Centre of Excellence ............................................................28 5.8 Public information ..................................................................................63 3.10 Climate change and emergency management .............................28 3.11 A connected and resilient WA ............................................................29 SPOTLIGHT – MAIN ROADS WA – SOCIAL MEDIA ...................................66 3.12 Your neighbour is likely to be your first responder .......................30 5.9 Risk awareness and understanding .................................................68 3.13 Non-traditional stakeholders – community-led programs .............30 SPOTLIGHT – DISTRICT LEADERSHIP GROUPS ........................................70 3.14 Animals in emergencies ......................................................................32 5.10 Shared ownership ................................................................................. 72 04 RISK ...............................................................................................................35 SPOTLIGHT – WHOLE OF COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS PROJECT ....74 4.1 World’s top risks .....................................................................................36 SPOTLIGHT – COMMUNITY-LED BUSHFIRE PREPAREDNESS ...............75 4.2 Assessment of risk ................................................................................36 5.11 Sector information sharing .................................................................. 76 4.3 Prioritisation ............................................................................................39 5.12 Land-use planning ................................................................................. 78 4.4 Australian vulnerability profiling ........................................................39 5.13 Ecosystem management .....................................................................80 4.5 What is exposed to risk? ......................................................................40 Emergency Preparedness Report 2018 1 SPOTLIGHT – APOCALYPTIC SKY HERALDS SUCCESS ..........................82 SPOTLIGHT – THE SPANISH FLU – 100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY ............. 122 5.14 Infrastructure protection ......................................................................85 5.31 Welfare ....................................................................................................124 5.15 Essential services protection ..............................................................86 5.32 Impact assessment ............................................................................. 125 5.16 Minimise single points of failure ........................................................88 5.33 Recovery coordination ....................................................................... 126 5.17 Remoteness planning ...........................................................................89 06 IMPACT ....................................................................................................... 129 5.18 Business continuity planning ...............................................................91 6.1 Flooding in the Kimberley ................................................................. 130 SPOTLIGHT – EMBEDDING RISK AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT ...............93 6.2 WANDRRA ..............................................................................................133 5.19 Community activities .............................................................................95 6.3 Cross-sectoral initiatives .....................................................................134 5.20 People ......................................................................................................96 07 CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................... 139 5.21 Volunteering ...........................................................................................99 7.1 Matters for the sector ......................................................................... 140 5.22 Finance and administration ............................................................... 102 7.2 Technology ..............................................................................................141 5.23 Equipment/Critical resources ........................................................... 103 7.3 Matters for the HMAs ...........................................................................141 5.24 Command, control and coordination (C3) ..................................... 105 7.4 Matters for local government ............................................................142 5.25 Situational assessment ...................................................................... 106 7.5 Matters for the community .................................................................142 SPOTLIGHT – AIR INTELLIGENCE ...............................................................108 08 STRATEGIC DIRECTION .......................................................................... 143 5.26 Evacuation ................................................................................................111 8.1 Lessons learnt – knowledge transfer ..............................................144 5.27 Public protection ....................................................................................112 8.2 Exercise framework – ensuring readiness .....................................145 5.28 Agency interoperability ........................................................................113 8.3 Catastrophic and cascading events ................................................146 SPOTLIGHT – STATE-LEVEL HEALTH EXERCISE – CENTUM .................116 8.4 The Australian Natural Disaster Resilience Index ........................146 5.29 Mass casualty management .............................................................. 119 8.5 Target setting – how do we benchmark our capabilities? .........147 5.30 Mass fatality management ..................................................................121