Seventy-four Victorian councils are now using a system that is transforming the way municipal resources are managed to support response, relief and recovery agencies, and communities, during and after an emergency.
MECC Central, a cost-effective IT solution that improves councils’ incident management and operation of Municipal Emergency Coordination Centres (MECCs), received a commendation in the 2012 Resilient Australia Awards.
President of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), Councillor Bill McArthur, said the software could improve safety by speeding up response times and coordination of efforts by councils and other emergency agencies.
“Council officers can log on remotely to provide support within their own municipality and to assist other affected councils who may reach the limits of their capacity.
“Where an incident crosses municipal boundaries, the system enables councils to share data. Non-council agencies can also be given access even if they are not physically located in the MECC.
“Prior to the roll-out of MECC Central in late 2011, the majority of councils relied on paper-based systems during an emergency, which could lead to response time lags and duplication of effort. This single standardised system has improved the capacity for coordination; sharing of data and resources; and faster, more accurate responses to emergency support needs,” said Cr McArthur.
Following the 2009 bushfires, the MAV investigated the value and effectiveness of a single incident management system for Victorian councils.
Funded by the Federal Government’s Natural Disaster Resilience Grant Scheme, MECC Central was procured and rolled out to the 74 councils, improving their ability to track tasks, share and manage resources, and meet financial reporting requirements, as part of emergency response, relief and recovery operations.
Datalink Internet Systems supplied the MECC Central system, a web-based software application used by Alpine Shire Council for several years, and which has now been used successfully for a number of Victorian storm and flood incidents in 2012.
“This innovative incident management system is building resilience within councils and across local government, as well as between emergency services agencies and the broader community,” said Cr McArthur.
