Ipswich City Council will stage an emergency management exercise on March 1.
Infrastructure and Emergency Management Committee Chairperson Cr Cheryl Bromage said a recent review following Severe Tropical Cycle Debbie which hit Queensland in March 2017 identified several opportunities for improving response to natural disasters.
Key findings from the review included:
- Where disaster management plans were tested, groups were trained and had exercised risks, good outcomes were more evident. This reinforced that emergency management exercises are one of the best ways to test capacity.
- Enhanced shared understanding of roles and responsibilities, critical decision points and information flow is likely if exercising focused on vertical integration and included all levels of the system.
Cr Bromage said a joint exercise has been developed between Ipswich City Council and Scenic Rim Regional Council emergency management programs.
“The exercise is designed to test evacuation centre management capabilities across different council areas, and utilising support from different levels of the Queensland Disaster Management Arrangements,” she said.
“Conducting this exercise will improve the response capability of Ipswich City Council in the event that a natural disaster necessitates opening an evacuation centre.
“It will test plans and procedures, adding to the process of continuous improvement. It also serves to strengthen cooperative ties between neighbouring disaster districts, which helps to increase council’s capacity to respond during an event.”
