Sydney Coastal Councils Group (SCCG) has released an Emergency Management Health Check Tool for all local councils in New South Wales.
The emergency management project entitled ‘Implementing and Embedding an Emergency Management Health Check for Local Government’ was funded through the State Emergency Management Projects Program.
SCCG engaged consulting firm Janellis, to develop and deliver an online Emergency Management Health Check Tool and resource toolkit for local councils in NSW.
Council staff, Regional Emergency Management Officers, and staff from State combat agencies participated in six workshops held across NSW to input into the process of developing the online Tool. In total over 100 stakeholders took part in this engagement process.
The Emergency Management Health Check Tool has been developed to enable NSW councils to better review and assess their preparedness, planning capability, resilience and resourcing in emergency management.
The Tool covers four areas including: i) managing risks; ii) planning for emergencies and disasters; iii) building capability to respond effectively; and iv) providing assurance of capability and capacity.
To log in to the Tool, each council is provided with a unique identification number, ensuring confidentiality of data.
On completion of the Tool a report is generated enabling councils to identify areas of high performance and areas for improved capability in readiness for emergency situations.
This reporting may also assist Councils in building a case for state funding to address emergency management needs.
All NSW councils are encouraged to utilise the resource toolkit and complete the online Emergency Management Health Check Tool. So far 32 NSW councils have accessed the online Tool.
Whilst the online Tool is specific to NSW councils, all councils across Australia can utilise the resource toolkit, including the offline version of the Tool.
The Emergency Management Health Check Tool and resource toolkit are available online at emhealthcheck.com.au
For more information, contact Belinda Atkins, Sydney Coastal Councils Group on 9246 7326 or info@emhealthcheck.com.au
