SERCon consider a review of existing community-based educational programs, with a view to informing the community
on flood recovery.

FESA promotes a whole-of-community approach, involving FESA, Local Governments and the community, in fire prevention functions, activities and planning.

FESA strengthens its planning process to ensure learnings are incorporated and communicated, levels of preparedness are linked to threat analyses and public awareness and education activities are sustained.

FESA implements an education and awareness campaign to promote the purpose and utility of community information systems.

The State revise the approach to community bushfire safety education in order to: ■ ensure that its publications and educational materials reflect the revised bushfire safety policy; ■ equip all fire agency personnel with the information needed to effectively communicate the policy to the public

Victoria lead an initiative of the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs to ensure that the national curriculum incorporates the history of bushfire in Australia and that existing curriculum areas such as geography, science and environmental studies incl

The Commonwealth lead an initiative through the Ministerial Council for Police and Emergency Management, facilitated by Emergency Management Australia, to develop a national bushfire awareness campaign.

The Country Fire Authority produce for community guidance material on fire-resistant landscape and garden design, including a list of fire-resistant species.

The Victorian Building Commission, in conjunction with the Country Fire Authority, develop, publish and provide to the community and industry information about ways in which existing buildings in bushfire-prone areas can be modified to incorporate bushfire safety measures.

Explain the meaning of ‘timely, relevant and tailored’ community bushfire warnings through training and meetings particularly of Information Section staff and Incident Controllers.

that the Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Local Government and Special Minister of State establish with local government a communication strategy to inform all residents about their fire prevention responsibilities.

The Fire Services, in consultation with the community, develop a methodology for measuring community preparedness. They should also develop tailored education and information sharing opportunities to improve community understanding of bushfire risk, mitigation and preparedness.

The Fire Services identify opportunities for the community to learn about, engage with and influence local emergency management planning.

DSE enhance community engagement programs in East Gippsland to ensure that local communities are more informed about the complexities and interdependencies of prescribed burning and encourage local input.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority, in partnership with local governments, conduct more focused pre-season bushfire education, which emphasises: Water supply is not guaranteed during a bushfire Power supply is not guaranteed during a bushfire Saving life will be a priority over saving prop

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) review its distribution of information material, including Prepare. Act. Survive. FESA should also consider including the community in pre-season exercising, in consultation with the Department for Child Protection and local governments.

The Department of Education oversee the provision of bushfire education in schools that are located in bushfire prone areas, ensuring that all schools in these areas incorporate key bushfire messages in their curriculum.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority consider alternative wording to Total Fire Ban that ensures people gain a more complete understanding of what actions are prohibited.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority work in partnership with Main Roads Western Australia and local governments to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for the use of mobile variable message boards to alert the community to the declaration of a total fire ban and what it means.

The committee recommends emergency service organisations in collaboration with television and radio broadcasters, the print media and other relevant organisations, use regular and ongoing public education well in advance of an emergency situation as an opportunity to teach the public about their

the state undertake a community education program to inform households of their respective flood risk. This may include information on rate notices of heights of houses above flood level and educating people about flash flooding.

the state allocate core funding for the ongoing delivery of the ‘FloodSafe’ program to flood prone communities across Victoria.

the state ensure: • where external assistance is provided to Victoria during emergencies, communities are advised of the specific purpose of that assistance, through media and other information channels; and • all agencies provide incident management personnel with information regarding the arran

The Minister for Emergency Services and the Minister for Local Government provide additional resources to FESA, DEC and WALGA in the 2012-13 Budget to improve the Western Australian community’s knowledge of bushfire safety and to allow these agencies to involve the public in their exercises.

The Minister for Emergency Services commission an independent report to Parliament by June 2012 on the best practices in other jurisdictions to increase the rate of residents likely to be effected by a bushfire who properly prepare their properties before the bushfire season.

The Minister for Emergency Services commission an independent report to Parliament by June 2012 on an assessment of the success of FESA’s Total Fire Ban community education campaign in improving the community’s knowledge on this issue.

The Department of Environment and Conservation develop and implement a strategy to better inform the community about the complexities and decisions surrounding prescribed burns when they are undertaken in the rural urban area.

The Queensland Government, in consultation with councils, should determine which urban areas in Queensland do not have access to flood information from a current flood study.

By reference to the order of priority determined in accordance with recommendation 2.5, the Queensland Government and councils should together ensure that the council responsible for each urban area in Queensland has access to current flood study information. This will include determining: a.

Councils and the Queensland Government should display on their websites all flood mapping they have commissioned or adopted.

Flood maps, and property specific flooding information intended for use by the general public, should be readily interpretable and should, where necessary, be accompanied by a comprehensible explanatory note.

Queensland Urban Utilities, and other distributor-retailers and councils, that have identified a practice of stormwater drains being connected to sewerage infrastructure, should conduct a program of education to raise public awareness that this practice is illegal and impedes the operation of the

Councils should conduct education campaigns directed to ensuring that all residents and property owners in areas identified as being at risk of backflow flooding are aware of the circumstances in which backflow flooding can occur, the hazard it presents and what should be done if it occurs.

TFS make their community education and safety material available to the culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Tasmania.

Ensure the SES has the long-term capacity to plan and exercise for the full range of flood events in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley

Undertake, coordinate and evaluate community education programs on flood risk and response.

Monitor, investigate and address community response to flood warnings

Develop mechanisms and arrangements to promote and provide greater access to flood risk information.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service develop a strategy to better inform the community and NSW Rural Fire Service members about the NSW bush fire management system and its components.

That Bush Fire Risk Management Plans be posted on the NSW Rural Fire Service website.

That Bush Fire Risk Management Plans be tabled at Local Emergency Management Committees for comment.

That emergency management plans specifically include processes for effectively engaging with local communities and using community resources, including volunteers.

That a bushfire community education and information strategy be professionally developed and coordinated across the fire authorities by Tasmania Fire Service.

That the State Emergency Management Committee develops and coordinates a whole-of-government community resilience strategy for emergencies in a form that can be practically implemented, as a priority.

That where, in the future a similar process for land clearing is adopted, the rationale and process is better explained and widely promulgated.

That recovery policy incorporates the need for regular public meetings which give access to officials and representatives of agencies, as required

The State, led by Emergency Management Victoria, develop a community engagement model for emergency management to ensure all State agencies and local governments engage with communities and already identifed trusted networks as an integral component of emergency management planning.

Staff and consultants skilled in community engagement practice should be specifically included in bushfire risk management planning and preparedness building programs undertaken by State agencies and/or local government.

DFES should prepare a Standard Operating Procedure for the conduct of community meetings, and have available the appropriate audio visual and other equipment, to ensure that such meetings are able to fulfil their function in providing information and direction

improves engagement with communities to prepare for and respond to bushfires by:
- increasing focus on monitoring the effects of educational materials it develops

Media Engagement Consideration should be given on future recovery operations to adopting a more structured approach to media engagement, with regular media briefings undertaken at a frequency dependent upon the phase of the recovery activities and the level of media interest.

Improving Community Preparedness and Resilience
Noting work ongoing to improve the quality of planning at LEMC level, communities should
be encouraged and assisted where possible to make simple assessments of their risks and

The Tasmanian fire agencies review: • their pre-season engagement with groups such as (but not limited to) environmental groups who might beneft from a greater understanding of fire management tactics, in order to inform them of and receive feedback on intended approaches to firefghting and fire

The Committee finds that on the evidence presented, that the State Fire Commission should assess whether community engagement programs of the State Fire Services and State Emergency should be centralised.

The Committee finds that on the evidence presented, the State Fire Commission introduces key performance indicators reporting in relation to its work in community engagement to measure its success in program delivery and community engagement.

That all councils include an easily identifiable website link for the public to locate their Municipal Emergency Management Plan and community safety information.

That SES and Tasmania Fire Service share resources and align their community education programs and adopt an all-hazards approach to awareness.

Develop practical policy outcomes to support resilience (e.g. the 72- hour model) and promote this broadly to community through media, awareness campaigns, policies etc.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service develop and implement a comprehensive community education campaign aimed at increasing community understanding of and support for hazard reduction burns.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services should consider developing and implementing mechanisms, such as face-to-face forums, for disaster management practitioners to share knowledge, contemporary research findings and document good practice about warnings.

Continue the Bushfire Ready Neighbourhoods Program.

Continue the Community Bushfire Protection Program with a renewed focus on vulnerable groups.

Expand the existing Fire Ready Schools Program with enhanced support and incorporate other sites used by vulnerable groups.

Introduce child-centred household level disaster risk reduction strategies in school programs.

Develop coastal inundation education materials that meet the needs of exposed communities.

Develop and deliver earthquake hazard awareness products.

Develop and implement a targeted community flood awareness program.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service develop and implement a comprehensive community education campaign aimed at increasing community understanding of and support for hazard reduction burns.

Banana Shire Council coordinates the development of a strategy to significantly enhance public education regarding local disaster management arrangements within the Banana Shire, focusing on key identified risks.

SunWater provide downstream residents with easily understood information regarding operation of the dam, and the impacts that various outflows may have for them, in accordance with mapping prepared for the Emergency Action Plan.

A comprehensive pre bushfire season communications strategy, that supplements and extends the information provided on the DNRETAS website, be implemented to inform and educate landholders.

Develop a continuing education program for new members of the Bushfires Council, the Regional Committees and stakeholders’ representatives, to ensure that all stakeholders clearly understand the role and processes involved in the Bushfires Council advisory function.

Professional communications and educational resources be contracted to develop an integrated communications and engagement strategy and program for implementation by Bushfires NT.

Ensure educational material is available prior to the commencement of each fire season in each region.

Information for all landholders, in appropriate cultural and language formats be developed and distributed through events and multiple media.

Arrange a forum that includes all stakeholders in large scale fire management for the purposes of aligning the various stakeholder strategies across the Territory.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority, in partnership with local governments, conduct more focused pre-season bushfire education, which emphasises:
- Water supply is not guaranteed during a bushfire
- Power supply is not guaranteed during a bushfire

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) review its distribution of information material, including Prepare. Act. Survive. FESA should also consider including the community in pre-season exercising, in consultation with the Department for Child Protection and local governments.

Local governments continue to include information on bushfire risk and preparedness with rates notices.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority work in partnership with the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia to develop a package of information for new residents moving into bushfire prone areas, and a process to ensure this information is provided through real estate agents.

The Department of Education oversee the provision of bushfire education in schools that are located in bushfire prone areas, ensuring that all schools in these areas incorporate key bushfire messages in their curriculum.

A. The CFA further develop community education programs to specifically engage culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to address the importance of ethnic diversity.

That the President of the South Australian Farmers’ Federation of South Australia draws these recommendations and findings to the attention of its members and constituents

That the Minister for Emergency Services in conjunction with the South Australian Country Fire Service conduct tuition courses to be made available to the general public to enable members of the public to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to implement their preparation and planning for b

That the Minister for Emergency Services and the South Australian Country Fire Service implement programs to develop in the minds of citizens a heightened awareness of bushfire risk, and in particular to encourage citizens to listen for radio announcements relating to the progression of a fire du

The Australian Government initiative to improve the coordination and dissemination of flood-risk information should proceed in the most cost-effective way, be regularly updated and be expanded over time to encompass other natural hazards.

That the Emergency Services Agency take measures to ensure that the community regularly receives up-to-date information on the risks of bushfires

That the Emergency Services Agency establish annual targets for the introduction of community education programs and provide resources to conduct regular independent assessments of the level of community preparedness engendered as a result of the programs

That implementation of the Bushfire Wise Program continue and include a letterbox drop of the updated Bushfire Information Booklet

That consulations and negotiations occur between the Emergncy Services Agency and the NSW Rural Fire Service to ensure that fire risk and safety messages to the community are coordinated.

That the Emergency Services Agency develop a clear policy for disseminating information to the public and the media in times of emergency and that, as required, that policy incorporate advance door-knocking of homes in the area affected, as well as regular broadcasts by local radio and television

That the Canberra Urban Development Working Group referred to in Mr Peter Dunn's letter consider the report prepared by Mr Leonard and note particularly that the community awareness information currently available to householders in connection with measures they can take to better protect their h

That community education programs provide information about fire behaviour, urban design principles that contribute to a specific level of risk, and the benefits of fitting basic ember protection materials in areas at risk from bushfire

That the community be made aware of the risk presented by heavy loads of garden fuels and certain types of vegetation around their houses and take active, regular measures to reduce that risk

That community education programs include unambiguous information that at times of unusually high water demand there might be a drop in or loss of water pressure and it might be appropriate for residents who intend to remain and fight a fire to have auxilary water pumps or booster pumps

Improve community educational information.

Include heatwave in existing preparedness programs.

Develop and implement a community storm safe awareness program.

Enhance the community development program.

Up-skill isolated communities in emergency PPRR skills.