Darwin City Council is now online with new computer software and systems in place to better respond to community needs in the event of a cyclone. Council launched the new software in October to coincide with the beginning of the wet season. It also conducted its annual cleanup to minimise the threat of debris and flying missiles due to cyclonic winds that are prevalent in the wet season.
The new software, Guardian, administers disaster management, recovery and emergency control programs. The software suite comprises mapping solutions, accurate address rectification and address reconciliation. This not only assists in the event of cyclones, but other natural disasters, such as bushfires, floods and so forth, which are perennial occurrences in Australia.
Darwin CEO, Brendan Dowd, said with as many as 40 calls an hour from the public requesting assistance in a cyclonic event, the new system allows up to the minute tracking of the situation and monitoring of responses to incidents.
“The introduction of Guardian, together with systems in place to deal with emergencies, will increase efficiencies in response time, the allocation of resources and coordination with other government agencies,” he said. “The software provides electronic management of information received and dispersed during a disaster operation. It automatically produces reports collating data and statistics, as well as maps with icons showing where resources are actively deployed.
“Modules available through the program include reports on road closures, welfare centres, resource tracking, costing of resources and requests for assistance.”
During a disaster management operation, Guardian uses a powerful, multiuser database to track, enhance and distribute tasks for council staff and emergency personnel. Telephone operators take calls for assistance and complete ‘Initial Notification’ forms. These details are logged into the database and trained officers then allocate tasks to appropriate agencies such as police, fire, Northern Territory Emergency Services, ambulance, Council, Red Cross and so forth.
Once a job is completed, a task sheet is signed and returned to the original logger.
At the launch of the software, Darwin Council officers ran a ‘Simulated Exercise for Category 3 Cyclone Klaus’ to not only test the functionality of the Guardian system, but to provide participants with experience in executing their part in the plan.
This allowed strengths and weaknesses to be assessed to improve future performance.
The software is now an integral part of Council’s Counter Disaster Management Plan.
For further information contact Council on (08) 8930 0300.
