STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN

Transcription

1 STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN Version December 2015

2 Authority State Emergency Management Committee pursuant to Section 9(1)(b) of the Emergency Management Act Issuing Agency SA Police. Recent Revision History Version Revision Description Date Version 2.11 Minor Amendment Annex K Version 2.12 Inclusion of Traffic Management Guidelines, Update to Evacuation Guidelines and Amendment of Control Agency Oil Spills inland waters. Version 2.13 Management of Spontaneous Volunteers, Recovery Governance, Logistics Functional Service update Version 2.14 Change to Ambulance and First Aid Functional Service, Addition of State Public Information and Warning Advisory Group, deletion of Riverbank Collapse Hazard Version 2.15 Changes to Logistics Functional Service contact details Distribution List: State Emergency Management Committee members. State Emergency Management Sub-committee members. Classifications: Confidentiality Integrity [I3] Integrity 3 Availability [A4] Availability 4 State Records Act Requirements: Approval: Name Mr Kym Winter- Dewhirst Title Chair, State Emergency Management Committee 12 December June December June December 2015 Information must only be shared on a need-to-know basis. HIGH requirement meaning that a loss of integrity would cause significant embarrassment and disruption and might be difficult to detect. ABSOLUTE requirement meaning that recovery must be virtually instantaneous (no longer than a few minutes). Permanent Retention. Signature Date Page 2 Version December 2015

3 Contents PREFACE... 7 REVIEW OF THE STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN... 7 LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK... 8 RELEVANT RESPONSIBILITIES... 8 STATE COORDINATION... 8 Emergency Management Council (EMC)... 8 Figure 1: S.A. Emergency Management Committee Structure State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) State Advisory Groups State Emergency Management Training Committee (SEMTC) Hazard Leader Emergency Management Zones Zone Emergency Management Committee (ZEMC) State Crisis Centre (SCC) State Emergency Centre (SEC) State Coordinator Figure 2: S.A. Emergency Management Arrangements During an Emergency Assistant State Coordinator Assistant State Coordinator - Recovery SEC Coordinator State Control Centre (Functional Service) Zone Emergency Centre (ZEC) Zone Emergency Management Coordinator (ZEM Coordinator) INTER-JURISDICTIONAL COORDINATION ARRANGEMENTS National Emergency Management Committee (NEMC) Australian Government Crisis Coordination Centre (CCC) Emergency Management Australia (EMA) Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) PREVENTION HAZARD LEADERS ADVISORY GROUPS PREPAREDNESS FUNCTIONAL SERVICES FRAMEWORK OF PLANS Table 1: Emergency Planning Framework REVIEW AND NAMING OF PLANS PLAN APPROVAL PROCESS CLASSIFICATION AND RETENTION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANS AND OFFICIAL INFORMATION HAZARD PLANS SUPPORT PLANS FUNCTIONAL SERVICE PLANS ZONE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION STATE EMERGENCY CENTRE (SEC) STATE EMERGENCY CENTRE OPERATIONS MANUAL ZONE EMERGENCY CENTRE (ZEC) ZONE EMERGENCY CENTRE OPERATIONS MANUAL AUTHORISED OFFICERS - APPOINTMENT AUTHORISED OFFICERS - POWERS CONTROL AGENCY Page 3 Version December 2015

4 COORDINATING AGENCY Figure 3A Command and Coordination arrangements prior to a Declaration Figure 3B Command and Coordination arrangements post a Declaration REVIEW OF INCIDENTS BY THE STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (SEMC) EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TRAINING EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT EXERCISES RESPONSE REPORTING ACTION BUILD UP OPERATION Declaration Guidelines RUNDOWN DEBRIEF PUBLIC INFORMATION AND WARNINGS Principles for dissemination of Public Information and Warnings TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT DURING EMERGENCIES INVESTIGATION EVACUATION AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE RECOVERY RECOVERY CONTEXT What is Recovery? NATIONAL PRINCIPLES FOR DISASTER RECOVERY Components of Recovery RECOVERY PLANNING AND PREPAREDNESS State Recovery Committee (SRC) Chair of State Recovery Committee State Recovery Committee Finance Sub Committee State Recovery Committee Housing Sub Committee State Recovery Office Agency Chief Executives Zone Recovery Planner RECOVERY ACTIVITIES Response to Recovery State Recovery Committee State Recovery Committee Finance Sub Committee Chair of the State Recovery Committee Assistant State Coordinator Recovery State Recovery Office Duty Minister Public Information during the Recovery Phase Media Management during Recovery State Recovery Centre Local Recovery Coordinator Local Recovery Committee Management of Spontaneous Volunteers Donations State Emergency Relief Fund Community Development Enhanced Governance Arrangements for Recovery from a Significant Incident RECOVERY EVALUATION Debrief Rundown of Recovery Phase GLOSSARY Page 4 Version December 2015

5 ACRONYMS ANNEX A - HAZARD LEADERS AND CONTROL AGENCIES ANNEX B - FUNCTIONAL SERVICES ANNEX C - ADVISORY GROUPS ANNEX D - DECLARATION GUIDELINES ANNEX E - MULTI AGENCY DEBRIEF GUIDELINES ANNEX F - PLAN APPROVAL PROCESS FLOWCHARTS ANNEX G - ZONE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE OPERATING GUIDELINES ANNEX H - ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES FOR NATURAL DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY ARRANGEMENTS (NDRRA) ANNEX I - EVACUATION GUIDELINES ANNEX J - PUBLIC INFORMATION AND WARNINGS ANNEX K - CLASSIFICATION AND RETENTION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANS AND OFFICIAL INFORMATION Page 5 Version December 2015

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7 PREFACE 1. The State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP) outlines responsibilities, authorities and the mechanisms to prevent, or if they occur manage, and recover from, incidents and disasters within South Australia. The SEMP will be updated as required and reviewed by the State Emergency Management Committee. 2. The SEMP relies on strong cooperative, coordinated and consultative relationships among State Government agencies and Local Government. State Government agencies and Local Government will also be required to maintain effective relationships with other service and equipment owners and operators to ensure that an efficient and coordinated response can be made to any incident or disaster. State Government agencies and Local Government acting to prevent, respond to, investigate and recover from incidents in Australia, will base their plans on the SEMP. 3. This plan does not assume a particular incident or event, and is based on the All Hazards principles as endorsed by the Emergency Management Council and Emergency Management Australia. 4. The plan is intended for use by senior members of State and Local Government, including commanders, controllers and other senior coordinating officials. 5. This plan will be issued as both public and Government versions. The public version (which is the Government version minus restricted contact details) can be obtained from the State Emergency Management Planning Officer (see contact details in No. 7 below). REVIEW OF THE STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN 6. The State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) is responsible for the preparation and on-going review of the State Emergency Management Plan. 7. State Emergency Service is designated to coordinate the maintenance and distribution of amendments to the SEMP. Inquiries should be directed to: State Emergency Management Planning Officer State Emergency Service Level 8, 60 Waymouth Street, Adelaide 5000 Telephone Facsimile seshq@sa.gov.au Page 7 Version December 2015

8 LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK 8. The Australian Constitution states that each of the States and Territories is responsible for the protection of its citizens. The Australian Government has a role to assist where a State or Territory is unable to meet a need or seeks assistance, but the primary role lies with the respective States/Territories. 9. All emergency management arrangements in South Australia are governed by the Emergency Management Act, 2004 (the Act). The Act establishes the SEMC and lists its roles and responsibilities in section The SEMP is prepared under s 9(1)(b) of the Act to manage all emergencies. It is a function of the SEMC to prepare and keep this plan under review, to ensure arrangements reflect best practice. 11. The Act does not authorise the taking of measures to bring an industrial dispute to an end or to control civil disorder (not being civil disorder resulting from, and occurring during the continuance of, a declared major emergency or disaster). (s4 the Act) RELEVANT RESPONSIBILITIES 12. The South Australian Government: Has primary operational responsibility to respond to an emergency or disaster in this jurisdiction; Maintains policies, legislation and plans; Determines prevention strategies and operational responses to threats and may seek assistance from, or provide assistance to, other jurisdictions. 13. The Australian Government: Is committed to developing national emergency management capabilities; Assists States and Territories in developing their emergency management capabilities; Supports the States and Territories in responding to disaster and emergency incidents in their jurisdictions; STATE COORDINATION 14. Within the State framework, the following bodies have significant coordination responsibilities. Emergency Management Council (EMC) 15. The Emergency Management Council is a committee of Cabinet chaired by the Premier and comprising Attorney-General, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and Regional Development Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Treasurer Page 8 Version December 2015

9 Minister for Health and Ageing Minister for Police/Minister for Emergency Services Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy Minister for State/Local Government Relations Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion 16. Its objective is to ensure the adequacy of the State Emergency Management Plan, disaster preparedness and mitigation arrangements of government for all disasters (natural or man-made and including terrorism) and ensure overarching strategic coordination of emergency management arrangements across the State. The committee will meet its objectives by assuming overall government responsibility for government interests, receiving reports and briefings, making recommendations to Cabinet, and advising Cabinet on particular issues. Page 9 Version December 2015

10 Figure 1: S.A. Emergency Management Committee Structure Emergency Management Council State Emergency Management Committee State Mitigation Advisory Group (SMAG) State Response Advisory Group (SRAG) State Recovery Committee (SRC) State Public Information and Warnings Advisory Group (SPIWAG) Sub committees or working groups (as required) Hazard Leaders Animal and Plant Disease Earthquake Escape of Hazardous Materials Extreme Weather Flood Human Disease Rural Fire Terrorism Urban Fire USAR Sub Committee DVI Sub Committee CBRN Sub Committee CEWT Sub committees or working groups (as required) Finance Subcommittee Housing Subcommittee Sub committees or working groups (as required) Sub committees or working groups (as required) Zone Emergency Management Committees State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) 17. The SEMC is a strategic planning committee that reports to the Emergency Management Council on matters that relate to the preparedness of the State against identified hazards or protective security matters. The SEMC is chaired by the Chief Executive, Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the committee members include the Chief Officers of the Emergency Services the Commissioner of Police Chief Executive Officers of State Government agencies with Emergency Management responsibilities a Local Government representative. Page 10 Version December 2015

11 18. SEMC may establish taskforces or project teams on particular issues that are outside of the role of the Hazard Leaders or that require a specialist activity be undertaken. This may for example be in relation to the outcomes of major inquiries conducted post an emergency incident. The taskforce or project team will have an operating duration as per the direction of SEMC and will normally report direct to SEMC 19. Section 9(1) of the Act lists the functions and powers of the SEMC. State Advisory Groups 20. The SEMC may, at any time, establish Advisory Groups (a) to advise SEMC on any matter; or (b) carry out functions on behalf of SEMC (s 11 (1) (a) and (b) the Act). The SEMC and Advisory Groups may establish sub groups, as required. 21. Advisory Groups report directly to the State Emergency Management Committee on matters relating to the high level aspects of the comprehensive approach to emergency management. To this end the Advisory Groups of Mitigation, Response and Recovery are created. Their Terms of Reference are described in Annex C of this Plan. The Recovery Advisory Group will be known as the State Recovery Committee. 22. Advisory Groups may establish sub committees (standing) or working groups (limited duration) to advise on particular aspects of their respective roles. Those sub committees/working groups will report to the Advisory Group who in turn reports to the SEMC State Emergency Management Training Committee (SEMTC) 23. The State Emergency Management Training Committee (SEMTC) provides a forum to effectively plan for and address emergency management (PPRR) training and higher level exercising requirements of organisations identified in the State Emergency Management Plan. Its Terms of Reference are included in Annex C of this plan. Page 11 Version December 2015

12 Hazard Leader 24. A Hazard Leader is appointed by SEMC and listed in Annex A to this Plan. This appointment is made as the Hazard Leader is the agency which has the knowledge, expertise and resources to undertake a leadership role for the planning of emergency management activities pertaining to the prevention of, preparedness for, response to and recovery from its appointed hazard. It has the authority of the SEMC to bring together all agencies of government and any required Commonwealth, local or non government entities to undertake this planning role. The Hazard Leader provides a facilitation and oversight role to the comprehensive planning process. The Hazard Leader may form sub committees or working groups to undertake detailed planning into aspects of the Hazard. The Hazard Leader reports to the SEMC via the State Mitigation Advisory Group (SMAG). 25. Hazard Leaders may establish sub committees (standing) or working groups (limited duration) to advise on particular aspects of their planning for the respective hazard. Those sub committees/working groups will report to the Hazard Leader who in turns reports to the Mitigation Advisory Group Emergency Management Zones 26. The State is divided into Emergency Management Zones. These Zones are based, with the exception of the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu/Kangaroo Island Zone, on the Government Reform Commission Uniform Regional Boundaries. The Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu/Kangaroo Island regions have been merged to form one Zone for the purposes of emergency management in SA. The Zones are as follows: Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island Barossa Eastern Adelaide Eyre and Western Far North Limestone Coast Murray and Mallee Northern Adelaide Southern Adelaide Western Adelaide Yorke and Mid North Zone Emergency Management Committee (ZEMC) 27. Each Zone will have a Zone Emergency Management Committee (ZEMC) responsible for planning and implementing Zone-level actions in support of the State Emergency Management Plan. The ZEMC will use an all hazards approach across the full PPRR spectrum to conduct emergency risk assessments compliant with the approved risk management process; identify and evaluate risk treatment options and develop Risk Treatment Plans; and develop a Zone Emergency Management Plan, and other plans, as required. Page 12 Version December 2015

13 Operating Guidelines for Zone Emergency Management Committees are attached as Annex G. State Crisis Centre (SCC) 28. The SCC is activated by the State Government when an incident occurs or a significant threat arises. The role of the SCC is to provide State level policy advice and guidance to the State Government. The SCC contributes to the coordination of government agencies and liaises with the Australian Government and other State/Territory jurisdictions. The SCC is the central liaison point for the Premier and Executive Government and provides a focal point for dealing with the media on State Government policy matters. State Emergency Centre (SEC) 29. The State Emergency Centre is established to coordinate the response to an incident that is beyond the capability of day-to-day resources. It is the role of the SEC to meet the information needs of the State Coordinator and facilitate liaison with other agencies through the Functional Services. The operation of the SEC is described in the SEC Operations Manual. The Operations Manual is issued to all Functional Services and is provided in hard copy in the SEC. State Coordinator 30. The State Coordinator is the Commissioner of Police or person for the time being holding or acting in the position of Commissioner of Police, (reference s14 the Act), and is responsible for; managing and coordinating response and recovery operations in accordance with the Act and the SEMP. the declaration of an identified major incident or a major emergency in accordance with the Act and the SEMP if required. Guidelines for the declaration of an incident are in the Annex D to this plan. ensuring, if a declaration is made under the Act, the Emergency Management Council and the State Emergency Management Committee are provided with adequate information to fulfil their roles and functions. 31. Response and recovery operations do not require the State Coordinator to make a declaration for such operations to occur in line with the Plan. Response and recovery operations can occur in respect of any emergency. 32. The role of the State Coordinator does not displace the authority or command structure of a Control Agency or other responding agency, except to the extent required for the State Coordinator to exercise the function of management and coordination and specific powers under Section 25(2)(n) of the Act. 33. The role of the State Coordinator is to manage and coordinate response and recovery operations carried out in conjunction with the conferral of powers. These powers are only conferred when a declaration is made. The process Page 13 Version December 2015

14 of making a declaration does not however transfer all responsibility to the State Coordinator. The State Coordinator only has the authority to direct the Control Agency when a Major Emergency or Disaster is declared. 34. It does not automatically follow that agencies (or agency heads) enjoy a lesser accountability for an emergency because of the State Coordinators role. The responsibilities of the Control Agency as described in this plan continue at all times. 35. The State Coordinator has, subsequent to a declaration, the power to direct authorised officers to undertake specified actions to effect recovery operations in accordance with the Plan. This power does not require that the declaration is still in force, but has been made relative to that emergency, and is permissive (not a duty as per the duties on the State Coordinator under Section 25(1) of the Act). 36. Prior to a declaration being made, the Commissioner of Police, as the head of the Coordinating Agency (SAPOL) ensures that SAPOL will provide a coordination role at all emergencies and ensure that support is provided to the Control Agency. 37. The role of the State Coordinator does not interfere with the lines of authority and command within a Control Agency or other responding agency nor would it necessarily mean a diversion of emergency resources, although that may be the case in a particularly catastrophic event. Page 14 Version December 2015

15 Figure 2: S.A. Emergency Management Arrangements During an Emergency STATE CRISIS CENTRE STATE EMERGENCY CENTRE State Coordinator Assistant State Coordinator/s STATE CONTROL CENTRE COMMAND COORDINATION STATE RECOVERY CENTRE Asst State Coord - Recovery ZONE EMERGENCY CENTRE Zone Coordinator REGIONAL CONTROL CENTRE FORWARD COMMAND AND/OR INCIDENT CONTROL EMERGENCY Assistant State Coordinator 38. The State Coordinator may appoint an Assistant State Coordinator/s (s16 the Act) for the purpose of exercising powers and functions in relation to Specific parts of the State or Specific types of hazards or Specific events. 39. It is anticipated that this role would be used during a protracted response to an incident such as Emergency Animal Disease or similar. 40. All appointments of an Assistant State Coordinator will be in writing. Page 15 Version December 2015

16 Assistant State Coordinator - Recovery 41. The Act requires that the State Coordinator must appoint an Assistant State Coordinator - Recovery as soon as practicable after any declaration is made pursuant to the Act. This position is responsible for the implementation of recovery operations and will continue for the duration of the Recovery process (s 16(2) the Act). 42. The State Coordinator may also appoint an Assistant State Coordinator - Recovery (s16(1) the Act) in order to carry out planning for recovery operations. An appointment vide this section does not negate the requirement to make an appointment as per the paragraph above. 43. The Assistant State Coordinator - Recovery will advise the Emergency Management Council and SEMC of strategic issues arising from the recovery operation. SEC Coordinator 44. The SEC Coordinator: maintains a strategic awareness of serious incidents throughout the State that may require the activation under the arrangements of this plan. provides advice to the State Coordinator at the earliest time in order to ensure a rapid activation of the arrangements including both response and recovery operations. once the SEC is activated maintains an overview of the operations for the State Coordinator. provides appropriate information and briefings for the State Coordinator. 45. Full details of the role are contained in Annex F1 of the SEC Operations Manual. State Control Centre (Functional Service) 46. The State Control Centre is the nominated location from which each Functional Service shall control its operations in order to meet their requirements under this plan. Details of Functional Services and their State Control Centres are contained in Annex B of this Plan. Zone Emergency Centre (ZEC) 47. Each country Zone has at least one location designated as the Zone Emergency Centre (ZEC). The role of the Zone Emergency Centre is to provide coordination of local resources that supports the Control Agency in resolving an emergency by: undertaking tasks assigned or delegated to it by the Control Agency; supporting the sharing of information between the agencies involved; supporting community impact planning and assessment; supporting the development of public information messages and Page 16 Version December 2015

17 dissemination to affected communities; and supporting relief and recovery operations. The State Emergency Centre will fulfil this function for each of the four metropolitan Zones 48. The ZEC is often located in a conference room within the Police complex but may also occupy any other suitable venue. The operation of the ZEC is described in the local ZEC Operations Manual. Zone Emergency Management Coordinator (ZEM Coordinator) 49. The ZEM Coordinator for each country EM Zone will be the SA Police Local Service Area Commander for that Zone. The State Coordinator will appoint the ZEM Coordinator for the metropolitan EM Zones. The ZEM Coordinator is responsible to the State Coordinator for the effective coordination of resources or services within the EM Zone and has the following roles and responsibilities: Determine the Control Agency utilising s20(b) of the Act, as required Ensure that an effective control structure has been established by the Control Agency in responding to an emergency Arrange to provide requested resources to the control, coordinating and support agencies from: Within the EM Zone; or Outside the EM Zone through the State Coordinator Ensure that relief and/or recovery activities are being coordinated and are simultaneous with response activities Ensure that information is gathered that is necessary to properly assess the situation Review and dispatch situation reports to the State Coordinator Ensure that consideration has been given to: o Alerting the public to existing and potential dangers arising from the emergency o The need for evacuation (in consultation with the Control Agency) o Other public information INTER-JURISDICTIONAL COORDINATION ARRANGEMENTS National Emergency Management Committee (NEMC) 50. The NEMC is Australia's peak consultative emergency management forum. It is chaired by the Secretary of the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department and comprises chairpersons and executive officers of State emergency management committees (the various State and Territory peak consultative committees established to coordinate and advise on emergency management/counter disaster matters) and the President of the Australian Local Government Association. The Committee meets twice a year to provide advice and direction on the coordination and advancement of Australian Government and State interests in emergency management issues. As required, it establishes working parties to examine particular issues. Page 17 Version December 2015

18 Australian Government Crisis Coordination Centre (CCC) 51. The CCC is a division of the Australian Government Attorney General s Department (AGD), which provides 24 hour monitoring of all hazards and is the first point of contact for security and emergency management events. The CCC is also the facility through which the Australian Government s emergency management assistance to the States and Territories, as well as Australia s region of interest is coordinated. Emergency Management Australia (EMA) 52. Primary responsibility for the protection of life and property in Australia as a consequence of natural, technological and human caused disasters rests with State and Territory governments. The Australian Government is, however, committed to assisting States and Territories to develop their emergency management capabilities to protect all Australian citizens and their property. 53. EMA is responsible for the day-to-day management of this coordination function. EMA also coordinates Australian Government physical assistance to states and territories, upon request, during major disasters. 54. The organisation promotes a national approach to emergency management in Australia through comprehensive measures, which embrace prevention, preparedness, response and recovery activities. EMA works closely with a wide range of Australian authorities, State and Territory agencies, Local Government and industry bodies. It also maintains close links with similar agencies throughout the world. As an agent of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), EMA has a significant relationship with the countries of the South Pacific region. Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) 55. Natural disasters often result in large-scale expenditure by state governments, in the form of disaster relief and recovery payments and infrastructure restoration. To assist with this burden, the Commonwealth Government has made arrangements to provide financial assistance to the states in some circumstances. The arrangements are set out in the NDRRA Determinations 2011 and broadly cover measures in the form of emergency assistance to individuals to alleviate personal hardship and distress, relief assistance to small business and primary producers, community recovery programs and essential public asset restoration. 56. The NDRRA is not intended to provide compensation for loss, but rather to provide safety net assistance towards meeting clean up and recovery costs. Whilst the Determinations allow a scheme of loan assistance at a concessional rate to individuals and business, and also freight subsidy to primary producers, neither have been supported by South Australia as appropriate measures for past natural disaster responses. The State s Page 18 Version December 2015

19 preferred policy is to provide direct assistance to households, primary producers and small business in the form of grant payments. 57. The NDRRA Determinations advise that assistance by the Commonwealth Government to the State Government for eligible measures should complement other strategies such as insurance and disaster mitigation planning. Further information about the NDRRA in regard to activation, eligible measures and administrative arrangements can be found in Annex H. Page 19 Version December 2015

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21 PREVENTION HAZARD LEADERS 58. Hazard Leaders work with the various Advisory Groups and Functional Services in order to ensure that all aspects of the State s approach to a hazard, including mitigation, response and recovery measures are coordinated. This may include, but not be limited to areas such as risk assessments for the State relative to a particular hazard, land use planning, engineered preventative actions, Natural Disaster Resilience Program works, specific training for response agencies, public information and specific recovery needs. 59. The review function of Hazard Leaders operates horizontally across the aspects of Prevention, Preparedness Response and Recovery. See Annex A. 60. The objective of the Hazard Leader Organisation is to identify and gather together a group of Government, non-government and if necessary private agency stakeholders and develop a State level plan for an identified hazard and any sub-hazards that may be applicable to the same topic. 61. Where any agency planning conflicts with the Hazard Leader, the matter shall be referred to SEMC. 62. Hazard Leaders are to ensure that appropriate processes are in place for Control Agencies to gather information about potential incidents. 63. Hazard Leaders are to ensure that their hazard plan includes any particular issues relative to evacuation of the public and planning for that to occur. 64. The Hazard Leaders are listed at Annex A. ADVISORY GROUPS 65. Advisory Groups have the role of providing an oversight role for the areas of Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. The following Advisory Groups have been established: State Mitigation Advisory Group (SMAG) responsible for prevention and preparedness State Response Advisory Group (SRAG) responsible for Response activities including the Functional Services State Recovery Committee (SRC) responsible for the Recovery activities including integration with response activities. State Public Information and Warnings Advisory Group (SPIWAG provide guidance, advice of best practice and a forum for continuous improvement in public information and warnings across all prevention, preparedness, and response and recovery activities. 66. The Executive Officers of the State Emergency Management Committee and the four (4) Advisory Groups and invited others meet regularly to coordinate Page 21 Version December 2015

22 activities across the group. 67. The role, function and membership of the Advisory Groups is included in Annex C to this plan. Page 22 Version December 2015

23 PREPAREDNESS FUNCTIONAL SERVICES 68. Functional Services are a group of agencies that perform functional roles that support response and recovery activities during an emergency. Functional Services contribute to the coordination role of the State Emergency Centre (SEC). A State Controller heads each Functional Service. 69. Functional Services in the SEC include Agriculture and Animal Services Ambulance and First Aid Communications Defence Force (SA) Emergency Relief Engineering Fire Health and Medical Logistics Police Public Information State Emergency Service Transport 70. Functional Service details including the list of participating agencies are included in Annex B. FRAMEWORK OF PLANS 71. The State s Emergency Management Arrangements are detailed in the State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP), which is further supported by Hazard Plans, Support Plans, Functional Service Plans, the State Emergency Centre Manual, Zone Plans and the Zone Emergency Centre Manual. Page 23 Version December 2015

24 Table 1: Emergency Planning Framework Plan State Emergency Management Plan o Legal and Administrative Framework o Prevention o Preparedness o Response o Recovery Hazard Plans Supporting Plans Functional Service Plans Zone Emergency Management Plans Responsibility for Maintenance SA Police State Mitigation Advisory Group State Mitigation Advisory Group State Response Advisory Group State Recovery Committee Hazard Organisation Leader Lead Agency (as nominated by the State Response AG) Assurance State Mitigation AG State Response AG Authority Chair, State Emergency Management Committee and the State Coordinator Hazard Leader (Agency CE) Lead (CE) Agency Functional Service State Response AG State Controller ZEMC State Mitigation AG ZEMC Chair REVIEW AND NAMING OF PLANS 72. All plans are required to be reviewed annually and their status included in the Annual Report prepared by the SEMC. The following review dates apply to all plans that form the State Emergency Management arrangements. Plan State Emergency Management Plan Hazard Plans Support Plans Functional Service Plans Zone Emergency Management Plans Zone Functional Service Plans (if prepared) Due Date to SEMC 30 May 30 June 30 July 30 July 30 August 30 August Page 24 Version December 2015

25 73. Plans shall be named according to the following standards to ensure that their position in the planning framework is reflected. Hazard Plans shall be named the (hazard type) Plan eg Bushfire Hazard Plan Support Plans shall be named the (capability/subject) Support Plan eg CBRN Support Plan Functional Service Plans shall be named the (Functional Service Title) Functional Service Plan eg Engineering Functional Service Plan Zone Emergency Management Plans shall be named the (name of Zone) Emergency Management Plan eg Barossa Zone Emergency Management Plan Zone Functional Service Plans (if prepared) shall be named the (name of Zone, name of Functional Service) Functional Service Plan eg Barossa Zone Engineering Functional Service Plan PLAN APPROVAL PROCESS 74. Upon completion of the draft of a plan, the agency responsible for the plan will forward it to the executive officer of the Advisory Group responsible for the assurance of that plan (see Table 1). Flow charts which describe the process and time frames for approval are attached as Annex F. Once feedback is received, the responsible agency will send the final approved version via the appropriate Advisory Group executive officer to all agencies. CLASSIFICATION AND RETENTION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANS AND OFFICIAL INFORMATION 75. The requirement for classification and retention of Emergency Management Plans and Official Information is outlined in Annex K. The classifications comply with the SA Government Information Security Management Framework in relation to confidentiality, integrity and availability of emergency management official information. Annex K also complies with the requirements of the State Records Act General Disposal Schedule. HAZARD PLANS 76. The hazard plans are State level documents based on the principles of the SEMP but with an emphasis towards a particular hazard. Hazard plans will be prepared by the nominated Hazard Leaders prior to the date listed above. SUPPORT PLANS 77. There are various support plans that are prepared in order to meet specific capability requirements of the State. These support plans are developed and maintained by specialists in that field. Support plans will be reviewed by the SRAG prior to inclusion into the SEMP. Support plans include; Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Support Plan Disaster Victim Identification Support Plan Urban Search and Rescue Support Plan Page 25 Version December 2015

26 78. Further support plans are able to be prepared at the request of the SRAG in order to address specific needs. FUNCTIONAL SERVICE PLANS 79. Each Functional Service is required to have a plan that will allow for a coordinated approach to any incident or disaster. Functional Service Plans shall be updated at least annually and will be subject to assurance by the Advisory Groups prior to approval by the Agency Chief Executive. 80. Hazard Leaders will also review Functional Service Plans in order to ensure that all aspects of their respective hazard have been addressed. 81. Functional Service Plans are to include the provision of cost capture to allow for a State based claim for Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) as appropriate. ZONE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN 82. Each Zone will have a Zone Emergency Management Plan (ZEMP). The plan will be developed by the ZEMC using an all hazards approach across the full PPRR spectrum. The ZEMP will include a summary of outcomes developed through the Risk Assessment process. Each ZEMP shall be reviewed by the ZEMC and be subject to assurance by the Advisory Groups prior to approval by the ZEMC Chair on an annual basis. CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION 83. The State and Australian Government has identified critical infrastructure within the State including State and National vital critical infrastructure. Arrangements have been implemented to ensure that systems and procedures are in place to manage the risk to critical infrastructure in the State. SA Police oversees the implementation of these security arrangements. In any event involving critical infrastructure, regardless of the source of the threat, it will be the police and emergency services that will be the first responders. 84. State Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Critical Infrastructure Advisory Group (CIAG) to provide a whole-of-government coordination of critical infrastructure issues. The CIAG reports to the Chief Executive of the Department of Premier and Cabinet. STATE EMERGENCY CENTRE (SEC) 85. It is from the State Emergency Centre (SEC) that the State Coordinator will coordinate the response and recovery to any incident. There is also an alternate SEC. STATE EMERGENCY CENTRE OPERATIONS MANUAL 86. The method of operation of the SEC is documented in the SEC Operations Manual. This manual is distributed to all Functional Services and a hard copy Page 26 Version December 2015

27 is in the SEC. This manual is maintained and reviewed annually. ZONE EMERGENCY CENTRE (ZEC) 87. Zone Emergency Centres are located within most of the Emergency Management Zones established in South Australia. Zone Emergency Centres will operate from the following Emergency Management Zones; Adelaide Hills/Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island (located at Mt Barker) Barossa (located at Nuriootpa) Eyre and Western (located at Pt Lincoln) Far North (located at Pt Augusta) Limestone Coast (located at Mount Gambier) Murray and Mallee (located at Berri and Murray Bridge) Yorke and Mid North (located at Port Pirie) ZONE EMERGENCY CENTRE OPERATIONS MANUAL 88. The method of operation of the ZEC shall be documented in a ZEC Operations Manual prepared for each Zone. This manual shall be maintained and reviewed annually by the Zone Emergency Management Committee. AUTHORISED OFFICERS - APPOINTMENT 89. The State Coordinator may appoint, individually or by class, such persons to be authorised officers as the State Coordinator thinks fit (s17 the Act). The State Controllers and Deputy State Controllers of each Functional Service are currently Authorised Officers. 90. Authorised Officers are issued with an Identification Card containing their photograph. Any person holding a position of Authorised Officer who subsequently relinquishes that position is required to return their identification to the State Coordinator. 91. By virtue of the Act, every Police Officer is also an Authorised Officer. Their Police Certificate of Identity is considered their Identification Card for the purpose of utilising Authorised Officer powers (s17(3)(a) the Act). AUTHORISED OFFICERS - POWERS 92. An Authorised Officer has certain powers available to them upon the declaration of an Identified Major Incident, Major Emergency or Disaster (s25 the Act). Any Authorised Officer who intends to exercise those powers must produce their Identification Card if requested by the person to whom they intend exercising those powers over. 93. A full list of the powers, and their application is included in Sections 25 and 26 of the Act. CONTROL AGENCY 94. The Control Agency for emergencies in S.A. will be determined by legislation and/or identified in the State Emergency Management Plan (s20(1)(a) the Page 27 Version December 2015

28 Act) Refer to Annex A for the list of Control Agencies for different types of emergencies. 95. If an emergency arises where two or more persons or agencies are assigned the function of exercising control of persons and agencies involved in response operations; or it is unclear which person or agency is assigned that function in relation to such an emergency; or no person or agency is assigned that function then the Control Agency will be determined by the Coordinating Agency. (s20(1)(b) the Act). 96. If two agencies are jointly responding to an incident through agency based mutual aid arrangements, the State Coordinator is able to consult with either or both agencies in seeking information upon which to base decisions. 97. During an emergency that involves mutual aid / joint response arrangements by CFS and MFS, the State Coordinator may utilise the s20(1)(b) authority to determine the Control Agency for the purposes of seeking advice, prior to making a declaration. 98. The responsibilities of the Control Agency in resolving an emergency are, so far as is reasonably practicable to: Take control of the response to the emergency (including the appointment of an incident controller and management structure); Ensure a safe working environment and safe systems of work; Ensure effective liaison, communication and cooperation with all involved; Continually assess the situation, identify risks and share information with all involved; Develop and share plans and strategies that meet the requirements of all agencies responding to the emergency (Incident Action Plan); Implement and monitor the Incident Action Plan; Ensure the effective allocation and use of available resources; Ensure the public is adequately informed and warned so as to enhance community resilience; Facilitate the investigation of the emergency and review of response activities; Ensure transition from response to recovery, including the coordinated handover to the state recovery arrangements. COORDINATING AGENCY 99. South Australia Police is the Coordinating Agency for all emergencies unless otherwise stated in the plan (s19(1)(2) the Act). See figure 3a and 3b Coordination is undertaken by SAPOL as the Coordinating Agency irrespective of any declaration that may be made by the State Coordinator or Governor The Coordinating Agency has the following functions: Page 28 Version December 2015

29 Consult with the Control Agency and take action to facilitate the Control Agency exercising its functions or powers To advise the State Coordinator in accordance with any requirements of the State Coordinator (s19 & s20(1)(b) the Act) 102. The role of the Coordinating Agency requires that they actively seek information from the Control Agency and the Supporting Agencies to ensure that the Control Agency is meeting its responsibilities as described in this Plan. This includes ensuring; That effective command and control arrangements are in place and clear There are incident management objectives and priorities Agencies are working together in a joined up approach That warnings are actually disseminated and appropriate (this is a Control Agency responsibility but coordination requires this it is checked and occurring) That the threat is clearly understood and being actioned accordingly That information is being supplied to the Zone and State Coordinators as appropriate. Figure 3A Command and Coordination arrangements prior to a Declaration. Page 29 Version December 2015

30 Figure 3B Command and Coordination arrangements post a Declaration. REVIEW OF INCIDENTS BY THE STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (SEMC) 103. The SEMC has a role to monitor and evaluate the implementation of this plan (s9(1)(h) the Act). The SEMC will ensure that any incidents that are dealt with in accordance with this plan are reviewed and any required changes to this or any supporting plans are identified All agencies are to ensure that copies of debrief reports for incidents are supplied to the State Emergency Management Planning Officer for this to occur. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING 105. State level emergency management planning is carried out on a day to day basis by the State Emergency Management Planning Officer. Coordination of the review of plans on behalf of SEMC occurs with this position. All agencies are to ensure that copies of their current plans (in both electronic and paper form) are supplied to this person for storage. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TRAINING 106. The State Emergency Management Training Officer coordinates emergency management training. Coordination of attendance at the Emergency Management Australia Institute is also coordinated by this position. Agencies seeking training should make direct contact to access the appropriate Page 30 Version December 2015

31 training Agencies that provide their own training to staff should ensure that consistency is maintained by ensuring that contact is maintained with the State Emergency Management Training Officer The State Emergency Management Training Officer shall provide a report of training provided for inclusion in the SEMC Annual Report The State Emergency Management Training Officer is the Executive Officer to the State Emergency Management Training Committee EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT EXERCISES 110. The charter of the Central Exercise Writing Team (CEWT) is to prepare, manage and debrief significant multi-agency emergency service exercises. The Executive Officer to CEWT is the State Emergency Management Training Officer. All agencies are able to seek support from CEWT should they wish to conduct exercises Debrief reports from exercises conducted will be provided to the State Emergency Management Planning Officer for review against this plan The Executive Officer shall provide a report of exercises conducted (number and type) for inclusion in the SEMC Annual Report. Page 31 Version December 2015

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33 RESPONSE REPORTING 113. Upon any agency becoming aware of an incident that may require the activation of a Zone Emergency Centre (ZEC) or the State Emergency Centre (SEC) they are to contact the State Coordinator via the on duty SEC Coordinator Hazard Leaders are to ensure that appropriate processes are in place so that Control Agencies can gather information about pending incidents, especially weather based incidents, in order to ensure that maximum warning can be obtained. ACTION 115. Upon any advice being received, the State Coordinator, via the SEC Coordinator will ensure that all Functional Services (including State Recovery Office) and Zone Coordinators as necessary, are notified of the incident A decision will be made by the State Coordinator, acting on any advice received of the need to activate the SEC or ZEC. The SEC or ZEC can be activated to a precautionary or full level as required Full details of the operation of the SEC are contained in the SEC Operations Manual Full details of the operation of each ZEC is contained in the appropriate ZEC Operations Manual BUILD UP 119. Upon advice being received, Functional Services will implement the appropriate actions as per their Functional Service Plans. This may include the activation of State Control Centres, notification of staff and advice to participating agencies The SEC Coordinator will ensure that the SEC staffing needs are addressed and those procedures for the further activation if required are prepared. OPERATION 121. Any Functional Service State Controller may request the activation of the SEC or ZEC and the State Coordinator may activate the SEC or ZEC at one of three levels depending upon the magnitude of the situation (see Operations Manual). Upon activation of the SEC or ZEC all Functional Services will be required to activate their plans and have staff attend the SEC or ZEC to perform duties as required Staffing and operation will be as per the SEC or ZEC Operations Manual. Page 33 Version December 2015

34 123. Consideration will be given by the State Coordinator to the need to instigate any necessary declarations under the Act. Guidelines for declarations are included in Annex D to this plan The requirements of the Hazard Plans are to be considered and if appropriate the relevant Hazard Leader consulted Consideration will be given by the State Coordinator to the requirement to activate State recovery arrangements, including the appointment of an Assistant State Coordinator - Recovery for that incident. In any incident where a declaration is made under the Act, the appointment of an Assistant State Coordinator - Recovery is required (s16(2) the Act). Declaration Guidelines 126. The State Coordinator, after considering the advice of the State Controller of the Control Agency or any other person the State Coordinator deems appropriate, may determine whether an emergency, that has occurred, is occurring or is about to occur, should be declared to be an identified major incident or a major emergency Guidelines have been prepared to assist in determining the need to make a declaration under the Act (including a declaration of a Disaster by the Governor). Those guidelines are contained in Annex D. The declaration format and process is contained within the SEC Operations Manual. RUNDOWN 128. The State Coordinator shall make the decision as to when the response can be scaled down and ended. This decision will be taken in consultation with the Control Agency and any other agency that is able to provide information. During this time full details of the response, including equipment and personnel costs are to be collected for the later debrief In most emergencies warranting activation under the arrangements of this plan, recovery activities will have commenced with response activities. If at the completion of response activities the recovery activities will be on-going an administrative process will be followed to ensure clear role responsibilities The State Coordinator, after considering the advice of the State Controller of the Control Agency and the Assistant State Coordinator - Recovery shall seek the endorsement of the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) for the transition time from response activities to on-going recovery. Upon the endorsement of the SEMC, the Assistant State Coordinator - Recovery will be responsible for recovery activities and the State Coordinator will assume a monitoring role as a member of SEMC. Page 34 Version December 2015

35 DEBRIEF 131. Upon completion of any activation under the arrangements of this plan, each agency is to conduct an internal debrief Within 3 weeks of the completion of the response to an event, a formal debrief will be convened by the Control Agency in order to ensure that any lessons learnt are captured. Multi agency debrief guidelines are attached as Annex E to this plan. A summary of the debrief including recommendations and/or actions will be supplied to the State Response Advisory Group via the Executive Officer and to the State Emergency Management Planning Officer to ensure that a review of this and other plans can be conducted. PUBLIC INFORMATION AND WARNINGS 133. The Control Agency is responsible to ensure that the public is adequately informed and warned so as to support community safety. All agencies also have a responsibility to ensure that public information is provided as part of the normal process of engagement with the community. In an emergency situation, the timeliness of that information becomes even more critical. During a declaration the Public Information Functional Service has a responsibility to ensure that information and appropriate warnings are provided by the Control Agency and to ensure that information gaps are addressed Outside of a declaration, SAPOL have the role of providing a coordination function and is responsible for ensuring the control agency is exercising its powers and functions To ensure that both of these activities/actions are taking place in a seamless manner, the Public Information (formerly Media) Functional Service provides an ongoing oversight of all public information activities activated. Full details of the method of operation of the Public Information Functional Service are contained in the Public Information Functional Service Plan The delivery of community emergency information and warnings will be, wherever possible, conducted in consultation with agencies and or functional services to minimise any impact that may arise from the content of the messages. Detailed actions are described in the Public Information Functional Service Plan to address this communication flow. Principles for dissemination of Public Information and Warnings 137. For a detailed description of the various public information and warning systems used, and the principles and requirements that govern their use, refer to Annex J: Public Information and Warnings. Page 35 Version December 2015

36 TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT DURING EMERGENCIES 138. Emergencies have the potential to impact on the movement and safety of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. In order to ensure community safety it is often necessary to alter the normal flow of traffic through or from an area affected by an emergency and its immediate surrounds The management of traffic at an emergency can be a complex task subject to a significant number of variables and many of these variables can continue to change during the course of the emergency. A continual risk assessment approach must be adopted by all people involved in traffic management Traffic management includes but is not limited to the restriction of access to an incident area, the closure of roads and the diversion of traffic on appropriate routes around an area affected by the emergency. A diversion route may be some distance from the actual emergency to ensure the safe and efficient regulation of traffic Traffic management often requires coordinated planning between the Control Agency, South Australia Police (SAPOL) and Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) Traffic Management Centre. SAPOL has the responsibility for assisting the public in emergency situations, regulating road use, and preventing vehicle collisions. DPTI Traffic Management Centre has responsibility for the provision of a safe and efficient road system and liaises with local governments who have responsibilities for their local road networks The return of communities in a timely manner following an emergency assists them to heal and recover, hence it is appropriate to enable certain classes of people into the emergency area where it is reasonably safe to do so and, doesn t adversely impact upon other legislative obligations The Principles that underpin traffic management during emergencies are: The safety of responders and the public is the highest priority in the management of traffic during an emergency. Traffic management plans are to be implemented promptly and be flexible to accommodate any changing circumstances. A continual risk assessment approach to traffic management must be adopted. The Control Agency is responsible for traffic management at an emergency as part of their incident management arrangements. The Control Agency can only undertake traffic management where it has the legislative authority to do so. If no legislative authority to undertake traffic management, the Control Agency may consult with the Coordinating Agency to determine an appropriate course of action. The Control Agency may delegate traffic management responsibilities to another agency provided that agency has the necessary legislative authority and accepts the task. For all emergencies SAPOL has an independent authority to close roads Page 36 Version December 2015

37 (including traffic diversion). Any agency when developing traffic management plans and closing roads must consult with the DPTI Traffic Management Centre. If heavy vehicles are to be detoured onto the local road network, the Control Agency is responsible for ensuring that the respective Council(s) is consulted, where practicable, prior to the heavy vehicle detour becoming operational. The public is to be adequately informed of traffic management information. In consultation with the Control Agency, discretion is to be exercised (based on a continual risk assessment) to allow entry or re-entry to certain classes of people and vehicles at road closures where the entry is appropriate, reasonably safe to do so and doesn t adversely impact upon other legislative obligations. For example, access could be granted for: o emergency services o essential service crews o media representatives o people delivering relief and aid to residents and to animals o residents leaving and/or returning to their homes The restoration of normal traffic conditions is to occur as soon as practicable and reasonably safe to do so and, may involve the staged re-opening of roads. INVESTIGATION 145. Any incident may be subject to a Coronial, criminal or other investigation. The investigating agency will ensure that appropriate investigative procedures are followed. All agencies are to ensure that where possible physical evidence is not destroyed, and that records and notes are maintained in order to assist the investigative process. EVACUATION 146. Evacuation is a risk management strategy that may be used to mitigate the effects of an emergency on a community. It involves the movement of people to a safer location and their return. The primary reason for undertaking an evacuation is to ensure that the public is safe and free from the risk of death, injury or harm Evacuations are categorised as follows: Immediate evacuation - results from a sudden hazard impact that forces immediate action, allowing little or no warning and limited preparation time. Pre-warned evacuation follows the receipt of sufficient and reliable information that prompts a decision to undertake a controlled and managed movement of people ahead of a hazard impact. Self-evacuation the self-initiated or independent movement of people such as individuals, families and community groups on their own volition, away from an area that is likely to be or has been impacted by an emergency, hazard or threat. Page 37 Version December 2015

38 148. The Principles that underpin evacuations are: The priority when considering an evacuation will be the safety of people as it relates to possible loss of life, injury and threat of disease as opposed to damage or loss of property. Hazard Leaders shall ensure the implementation of evacuation related community education programs and information systems for the hazards for which they are responsible. The key objective of the community education programs and information systems will be to provide the community with the capability to make an informed decision as to action(s) they may initiate to ensure their own safety when threatened by or as a result of any emergency. It is the responsibility of the Control Agency to provide the community with timely and relevant information to enable them to recognise a threat and make an informed decision about whether to self-evacuate (well ahead of the hazard beginning to impact on their location) or stay. The Control Agency is responsible for considering evacuation as part of their incident management arrangements and implementing immediate or pre-warned evacuations when determined appropriate. The Control Agency is to use the existing public information and warning systems (refer to Annex J) to inform the community of evacuation decisions including recommendations to self-evacuate. A Control Agency may only cause an immediate or pre-warned evacuation to take place where it has the legislative authority to do so. If no legislative authority to undertake an evacuation exists, the Control Agency may consult with the Coordinating Agency to determine an appropriate course of action. Any decision by the Control Agency to cause a pre-warned evacuation (or recommend self-evacuation) should be made as early as is practicable. Late evacuations may compound the risk by potentially exposing communities and individuals to greater levels of danger. The Control Agency shall liaise with the Emergency Relief Functional Service prior to and during the process of an evacuation to ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place for the activation of Register.Find.Reunite (formerly known as the National Registration and Inquiry System) and the provision of support to evacuees and displaced persons. The decision by the Control Agency to allow the return of evacuees and displaced persons to their properties should be made as early as is practicable after the hazard has passed notwithstanding there may remain secondary or residual risks. The return of evacuees and displaced persons should be undertaken in consultation with the affected community and the Emergency Relief Functional Service. A decision to effect an evacuation by a Control Agency will be communicated to the Coordinating Agency in-line with the normal provision of advice to the State Coordinator. Page 38 Version December 2015

39 149. Any evacuation process will require a dedicated public information strategy to be developed and implemented by the Control Agency Hazard Leaders shall develop specific policies or guidance notes to guide control agencies in undertaking evacuations Guidelines for evacuations are contained in Annex I. AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE 152. The State Coordinator may seek the assistance of the Australian Government, including the Defence Force. Such assistance is provided under the arrangements of the Australian Government Disaster Response Plan (COMDISPLAN) Australian Government assistance under COMDISPLAN is coordinated by Emergency Management Australia. For 24 hour contact details refer to the SEC Operations Manual For further information about Australian Defence Force Assistance refer to the National Counter Terrorism Handbook, Attachment 6. Page 39 Version December 2015

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41 RECOVERY RECOVERY CONTEXT What is Recovery? 155. Recovery is: The conduct of human, economic and environmental measures necessary to re-establish the normal pattern of life of individuals, families and communities affected by an emergency, including: a) the restoration of essential facilities and services b) the restoration of other facilities, services and social networks necessary for the normal functioning of a community c) the provision of information, material and personal needs d) the provision of means of emotional support e) the recovery of the natural environment f) support to assist the recovery of business 156. Recovery is more than the replacement of what has been destroyed and the rehabilitation of those affected. It is a complex social process that provides an opportunity to improve and enhance conditions in an affected community Recovery is a whole of government practice and recovery activities take place at multiple levels, for example zone; local, state and commonwealth governments. Coordination and communication both at and between the various levels of operation assist in ensuring the success of recovery activities for the affected community Recovery requires the active involvement of the affected community. All agencies involved in recovery operations should seek to engage with the affected community during the development of plans, and must involve the community in the development of recovery activities following an emergency Recovery needs change and evolve. Recovery activities therefore need to be directed by ongoing needs assessments, monitoring and evaluation While recovery operations commence during the response phase of an emergency, recovery is a developmental progression that will last for weeks and possibly extend to months or years after an event. NATIONAL PRINCIPLES FOR DISASTER RECOVERY 161. The State s recovery activities are underpinned by the National Principles for Disaster Recovery comprising six key concepts: Understanding the context Recognising complexity Using community-led approaches Ensuring coordination of all activities Employing effective communication Acknowledging and building capacity Page 41 Version December 2015

42 Components of Recovery 162. In assisting individuals and communities to manage their own recovery, recovery activities are delivered holistically and in an integrated manner across four environments: Social Infrastructure and built Economic Natural Social Environment 163. The social environment considers the impact an event may have on the health and well being of individuals, families and communities. This environment is primarily concerned with safety, security and shelter; health; and psychosocial wellbeing Recovery strategies must recognise that human beings do not function separately, but within a complex array of relationships and interdependencies. Activities must respond to the changing needs of individuals, families and communities affected by disaster Social recovery activities may include, but not be limited to: Establishment of a one-stop-shop Recovery Centre to provide multiagency services to the affected community, for example: o financial assistance o dissemination of information on practical advice and social recovery services within the affected community. The above activities/ information may also be provided by outreach Health and medical services, including: o liaising with hospital and non government organisation services for the provision of mental health care o vector and vermin control - including monitoring and surveillance, inspection of high risk areas, undertaking treatment and follow up to determine efficacy o re-establishment of licensed premises relevant to Environmental Health food premises, aged care facilities, child care centres etc Coordinate Community Development Programs as appropriate 166. Social recovery activities are coordinated by the Emergency Relief Functional Service and the Health and Medical Functional Service, in conjunction with their participating agencies and Local Government. Infrastructure and Built Environment 167. The infrastructure and built environment considers the impact that an event may have on essential physical infrastructure those human made assets that underpin the functioning of a community. With the relatively high dependence of modern-day communities on the built environment, large scale disruption to these assets causes broad ranging inconvenience for the community. Page 42 Version December 2015

43 168. Essential assets of the community that are damaged or destroyed during an emergency need to be re-established or replaced as soon as possible after the event. This aim needs to be balanced against the opportunities presented to plan and implement sustainable improvements for the future. Post event, there may be windows of opportunity for significant community development projects to be launched Recovery activities in this section can be subdivided into Infrastructure Assets and Essential Services and Transport Infrastructure and Services. Infrastructure Assets and Essential Services 170. Infrastructure assets and essential services damaged or destroyed during an emergency include: utilities, such as electricity, gas, water, telecommunications public buildings, such as schools, hospitals, banks ICT infrastructure Transport Infrastructure and Services 171. Transport infrastructure and assets of the community that are damaged or destroyed during an emergency may include: roads, air, marine and rail transport infrastructure, facilities and assets the movement of people and goods transport and traffic management on transport networks e.g. road and rail closures, detours, vehicle permits and regulatory services, passenger transport, road traffic management systems 172. Infrastructure and built environment recovery activities are coordinated by the Engineering Functional Service and the Transport Functional Service, working in conjunction with their participating agencies, and Local Government. Economic Environment 173. The economic environment considers the impact that an event may have on the economic position of the area and sometimes broader region affected by a disaster. A vibrant local economy is a vital part of a sustainable community, so economic recovery is critical to the whole of community recovery process The aim is to provide immediate relief from financial hardship as appropriate, and consider the long term consequences of economic disruption, dislocation and destruction. Economic recovery functions include assistance to individuals and households, business and primary producers, with activities that aim to: coordinate business services in disaster affected communities reduce the long term effects on the businesses, local economic welfare and the State s economy assist in the restoration and re-development of businesses through Page 43 Version December 2015

44 positive and supportive services that meet business needs and expectations 175. Recovery activities may include: management and distribution of donated monies and/ or government grants participation of business and/or industry representatives in economic recovery decision making work with the insurance sector to coordinate response by insurance companies work to ensure that tourism viability is maintained support and promotion of the economic viability of the affected community through short and long term projects coordination of supply and distribution of emergency fodder, water, fencing, agistment and other materials or services provision of advice on care and management of livestock, including feed, water, fencing, agistment and transport 176. Lead agencies delivering economic recovery functions include the Department for Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy, the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, and Local Government. Natural Environment 177. The natural environment considers the impact that an event may have on the natural and cultural aspects of the community. The aim is to provide recovery strategies that consider safety, viability and sustainability. Natural resource re-establishment programs need to be integrated with other recovery efforts, with the community agreeing priorities. Natural environment functions include: air and water quality land degradation and contamination plant and animal damage/ loss, including the marine environment National Parks, cultural and heritage sites 178. Recovery activities may include: assessment of land degradation extent and importance advice to water users of prescribed water resources advice on areas of surface/groundwater interactions (groundwater recharge and discharge zones) advice on revegetation strategies advice to landowners on the opportunities to improve land management practices of farmers during recovery processes 179. Lead agencies delivering natural resources and environment recovery functions include the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources and the Environment Protection Authority, and Local Government. Page 44 Version December 2015

45 RECOVERY PLANNING AND PREPAREDNESS State Recovery Committee (SRC) 180. The State Recovery Committee (SRC) is a standing committee, which meets every two months The SRC includes representatives from a range of state government departments, local government and non government organisations. Annex C lists the State Recovery Committee Terms of Reference Outside of an event, the SRC undertakes planning and preparedness for disaster recovery. The SRC may have sub committees and working groups that address specific recovery issues. Chair of State Recovery Committee 183. The Chair of the State Recovery Committee is the Chief Executive of the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion (DCSI). The Chair has been formally delegated, by the SEMC, with responsibility for ongoing recovery planning and preparedness. State Recovery Committee Finance Sub Committee 184. The Finance Sub-Committee has been established to provide strategic financial advice to the SRC. State Recovery Committee Housing Sub Committee 185. The Housing Sub-Committee has been established to develop strategies to address mass accommodation requirements in the medium to long term. State Recovery Office 186. The State Recovery Office works in partnership with commonwealth, state and local government agencies; non-government bodies; and communities to ensure the State s disaster recovery plans, arrangements and capacity are ready to operate in a disaster. The Office accomplishes this through: broad engagement, undertaking specific projects, participating in field exercises and regular review of activities and policies. The Office also contributes to disaster recovery planning arrangements at the national level. The Office supports: The Office of the Chief Executive of DCSI in undertaking state emergency functions Volunteer involvement in recovery operations including planning and preparedness activity and activation of arrangements with Volunteering SA-NT, and other relevant partners, to manage spontaneous volunteers. The State Recovery Committee Zone Recovery Planners Page 45 Version December 2015

46 Agency Chief Executives 187. Chief Executives of agencies are responsible for their own portfolio contributions to recovery under the broad umbrella of this plan. Chief Executives are represented on the SEMC and on the SRC. Zone Recovery Planner 188. The Executive of each Zone Emergency Management Committee includes a Zone Recovery Planner, operating independently in regional areas of the State, in the preparation of operational protocols for local recovery activity. Zone Recovery Planners are appointed by the Chair of the SRC, for a period of two years. RECOVERY ACTIVITIES Response to Recovery 189. Recovery processes start while response activities are in progress, gaining momentum as the response phase nears completion. To enable assessment of recovery activities required, the State Recovery Office will be represented when the State Emergency Centre is activated. Gaining a clear understanding of the damage including an assessment of impacts, and an assessment of local capability to manage - is critical to the establishment of priorities and resource allocation. Impact Assessment 190. The Rapid Damage Assessment Support Plan outlines responsibilities, authorities and mechanisms to rapidly gather information about the damages and community losses that occur during and immediately after an incident. The Plan ensures that information is collected from those affected by an emergency and shared with all agencies that have a role in responding to, or recovering from an emergency Rapid damage assessment will be managed by the Control Agency. Other agencies may request the Control or Coordinating Agency to commence an assessment if required. Data collected during an assessment will be provided to the State Recovery Office for use during the recovery process The State Recovery Office will continue to seek and collate assessment information as recovery activities progress The impacts of winding down the response phase, on the recovery phase must be considered, for example resources that have been deployed and declarations under the Act If the recovery operations are to be ongoing at the completion of the response activities, the State Coordinator will ensure that a complete briefing is provided to the Assistant State Coordinator Recovery (if appointed) or Chair of the State Recovery Committee. Page 46 Version December 2015

47 State Recovery Committee 195. During an emergency event, special meetings of the State Recovery Committee may be called. The membership of this event specific committee will reflect the nature of the event and the dimensions of recovery; and will include local representation, for example the local Mayor or council Chairperson. The Control Agency will be represented at event-specific SRC meetings. State Recovery Committee Finance Sub Committee 196. During an event, the finance sub committee will coordinate collection of financial impacts. This is both for internal reporting purposes and for potential reimbursement through submission to the Australian Government under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA). The sub committee will also provide advice to the SRC on approval requirements for recovery expenditure proposals As the body responsible for submissions under the NDRRA, the subcommittee will liaise with the Australian Government NDRRA officials to ensure the State complies with the requirements for reporting emergency events, establishing joint assistance programs with the Australian Government and maximising South Australia's benefit from the arrangement. Chair of the State Recovery Committee 198. Outside the period of a declaration, the Chair of the SRC has ongoing responsibility for managing and coordinating recovery processes following emergency events, and for advising the Government on recovery capability and activities. Assistant State Coordinator Recovery 199. Under Section 16 of the Act the State Coordinator must, as soon as practicable after a declaration, appoint an Assistant State Co-ordinator to exercise powers and functions in relation to recovery operations The functions and powers of the Assistant State Coordinator Recovery are delegated by the State Coordinator or assigned to the Assistant State Coordinator by SEMC with the approval of the State Coordinator. State Recovery Office 201. During an emergency, the State Recovery Office provides management and administrative support to the assigned recovery leaders and consultative bodies at commonwealth, state and local levels. This includes leadership, coordination, advocacy and support roles in recovery operations in all areas of the State. Page 47 Version December 2015

48 Duty Minister 202. Depending on the scale of the event, the Premier may appoint a Duty Minister/s to directly represent the Government within the affected community and facilitate Government assistance to the affected area. Public Information during the Recovery Phase 203. Communication with the public needs to be timely, locally relevant, appropriate, accessible in a range of formats and will be dependent upon the location and scale of the recovery operation. Communication with the public may include one or more of the following methods: Websites Telephone Hotlines Newsletters and Factsheets Community Meetings and Forums Websites 204. Following an event, information and advice will be coordinated by the State Recovery Office and posted on the SA Government website ( Recovery Call Centre 205. If required to provide information and advice on recovery activities, a recovery call centre will be activated using the State Emergency Information Call Centre Capability. The activation process is outlined in the Operational Agreement between the SA Fire and Emergency Services Commission and the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion. Newsletters and Factsheets 206. Newsletters and factsheets will be produced and widely distributed in the affected community (see Media Management below). A copy of newsletters and factsheets may be published in the local newspaper. The frequency with which newsletters and factsheets are produced may diminish as recovery activities progress. Community Meetings 207. Depending on the scale of the event, local community meetings may be held to provide and gather information on a range of issues in one arena. Special Needs Groups 208. A range of special needs groups may be present in a disaster affected community, for example: those for whom English is not their first language those with accessibility and /or mobility needs those who are living in remote areas 209. Consideration must be given to these special needs groups in the development of public communication messages. Page 48 Version December 2015

49 VIP Visits 210. Visits by VIPs, such as the Premier or Ministers/ Duty Ministers, can provide a valuable boost to those affected and those involved in recovery activities. Where possible, VIPs will be briefed prior to the visit. Briefings will be prepared by the State Recovery Office. Media Management during Recovery 211. Following an emergency event, the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion Media and Communications Unit will assign staff depending on the scope, size and duration of the event. Functions of assigned staff will include: liaising with journalists (including arranging and managing interviews, and co-ordinating media conferences, if necessary) liaising with other agencies, organisations and ministerial staff to produce appropriately approved material, media releases and reports organising advertising, checking branding, facilitating translations if needed, and writing newsletters and fact sheets 212. These roles may be provided centrally and also in the disaster affected area, and may be supported by the Public Information Functional Service. In a prolonged event, Chief Executives from other state agencies may be called upon to assist in the provision of media management tasks. State Recovery Centre 213. The State Recovery Centre (SRCtre) is located (removed from the Public Version) The State Recovery Centre may be activated at the request of the Assistant State Coordinator Recovery (if appointed), the Chair of the SRC or the Director of the State Recovery Office to coordinate recovery operations following an emergency event The State Recovery Centre supports the SRC and facilitates liaison with other agencies through the Functional Services. Functional Services will provide personnel to work within the State Recovery Centre as required. The Centre also provides assistance and support to local recovery operations Activation and operation of the State Recovery Centre will be as per the State Recovery Operations Manual, held by the State Recovery Office. Local Recovery Coordinator 217. Depending on the scale of the event, the Assistant State Coordinator - Recovery or Chair of the SRC may appoint a Local Recovery Coordinator. The Local Recovery Coordinator will operate as near as practicable to the affected area to lead the following activities: Establish local recovery structures including recovery coordination and a Page 49 Version December 2015

50 local recovery committee Ensure that regular reports are provided to the Assistant State Coordinator Recovery and/ or Chair of the SRC Ensure that effective communication processes with the public are in place Local Recovery Committee 218. To ensure recovery activities are locally driven and reflective of local needs, a Local Recovery Committee may be established as soon as practicable following an event. The Local Recovery Committee will be supported by the SRC and State Recovery Office. Management of Spontaneous Volunteers 219. The Department for Communities and Social Inclusion, in partnership with Volunteering SA-NT, have arrangements to manage the coordination of spontaneous volunteers. The Director, State Recovery Office, may activate these arrangements when the need to register and manage spontaneous volunteers is evident People who wish to volunteer following a disaster can register via the Volunteering SA-NT website by telephoning the dedicated phone number or face to face in the local community (when available). Donations 221. Following an emergency event, there is a desire among the general population to donate goods and money to the disaster affected community. Unless very specific goods are required to assist the recovery operations, the public will always be encouraged to donate money in preference to goods Community officials and the media should check with the Chair of the State Recovery Committee before initiating public appeals If material goods are donated, the management of the goods will be carried out as per the National Guidelines for Managing Donated Goods available at State Emergency Relief Fund 224. The Emergency Management Act 2004, Section 37 states that: Any money received by the Minister for the relief of persons who suffer injury, loss or damage as a result of a declared emergency or proclaimed situation, or otherwise to assist communities adversely affected by the impact of a declared emergency or proclaimed situation (in response to a public appeal), must be paid into the fund. Page 50 Version December 2015

51 225. The State Emergency Relief Fund (SERF) committee has been established, by the Minister, to administer this fund. The committee ensures appropriate and fair disbursement of publicly donated monies, subject to the directions of the Governor. Following an event, additional members are appointed to the committee to include local representation and relevant expert knowledge. The committee will be named according to the event, for example the Virginia Floods SERF Committee. The Minister responsible for the SERF is the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion. Community Development 226. Community development programs support the affected community in working towards achievable and sustainable outcomes, which the community has identified as priorities Depending on the event, the appointment of one or more Community Development Workers may be beneficial to facilitate a range of activities which will enhance the recovery of both individuals and the broader community If it is determined that a Community Development Worker is to be appointed, the State Recovery Office will coordinate this process. The appointment should be made as soon as possible to ensure that effective partnerships and working relationships are built with the community. Enhanced Governance Arrangements for Recovery from a Significant Incident 229. In the event of a significant emergency, enhanced recovery governance might be required to manage long term operations and ensure broad-scale community engagement In this event, the Emergency Management Council will consider the requirements for, the nature and implementation of any governance enhancements in consultation with the State Coordinator and the Chair of the State Recovery Committee A model will be established for long term recovery, which might be based on a new (statutory) authority, a new administrative unit or a unit under the aegis of an existing department. The term of the model will be specified. Enhanced governance - aspects of performance 232. Enhanced governance will recognise the following aspects of performance in demonstrating effective long term recovery. Legislative foundation Connection to Government and government objectives Visible leadership profile Page 51 Version December 2015

52 Authority to act in accordance with recovery goals Identified resources and operational arrangements Clear strategic direction Financial accountability and performance framework Community connectedness and engagement Risk management processes Enhanced governance considerations 233. The decision to put in place enhanced governance arrangements will have regard to the following factors: Event type: certain event types generate high level of community outrage or complexity in recovery that demand a model of governance outside of the normal emergency management response. Examples include terrorism, events involving vulnerable groups or those considered extraordinary or unknown in the history of South Australia. Loss of life: although all loss of life is tragic, there might be a point at which the loss of life is considered extraordinary and demanding of an enhanced recovery model. Multiple sites: an event that simultaneously affects multiple high demand sites might require a model of governance outside of the normal emergency management response. This could include an event that crosses state jurisdictional boundaries or that involves many local government councils. Long term effort: if recovery is anticipated to require significant intervention over a long term i.e. greater than two years an enhanced model of governance might be considered. Partnering: if the corporate sector or federal government is a significant funding, operational or policy partner there might be a case for enhanced governance. Nature of intervention: if recovery intervention is expected to significantly impinge upon community and personal rights, freedoms or normal decision making processes there might be cause for considering enhanced governance models. Examples include land use planning or permanent evacuation as well as where anti-competitive decision-making, funded services or situations in which significant direct compensation might be required. Page 52 Version December 2015

53 Enhanced governance integration 234. Recovery operations commenced following a declaration under the Act will be integrated within any enhanced governance model with a clear transition of accountability and extension of appropriate powers under the Emergency Management Act. Enhanced governance statutory powers 235. Where required, additional statutory instruments that describe powers supporting long term recovery initiatives will be considered by the Emergency Management Council and Cabinet. RECOVERY EVALUATION Debrief 236. Upon completion of the recovery activities, or at particular stages throughout a prolonged recovery process, debriefs are to be conducted. Debriefs will be conducted by each agency involved and the Local Recovery Committee The SRC will conduct a debrief of the entire recovery process. Lessons identified from the recovery operations will be recorded and included in the SRC Action Plan to be actioned and monitored. Rundown of Recovery Phase 238. In conjunction with the Local Recovery Committee (if established) and the SRC, the Assistant State Coordinator Recovery or Chair of the SRC will determine when recovery activities are to be scaled down or ceased Commemorations and memorial events may be planned, in consultation with the local disaster affected community. Page 53 Version December 2015

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55 GLOSSARY The Glossary provides definitions for terms used within this Plan. These terms and their associated definitions apply to all plans prepared as part of the Emergency Planning Framework (refer to Table 1 of the SEMP). It is essential terms are used in their correct context. Agency regional commander Agency state commander Assistant State Coordinator A generic term meaning the person who has managerial responsibility or command of an agency s regional resources. A generic term meaning the person who has managerial responsibility or command of an agency s state resources. As defined in the Emergency Management Act 2004, section 16. Authorised officer As defined in the Emergency Management Act 2004, section 3. Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear Command Control The intentional use of micro-organisms, toxins, genetic material, radioactive material or chemical substances to produce death or disease in humans, animals, or plants. The direction of members and resources of an organisation in the performance of the organisation s roles and tasks. The overall direction of emergency management activities in an emergency situation. Authority for control carries with it the responsibility for tasking and coordinating other organisations in accordance with the needs of the situation. Control agency As defined in the Emergency Management Act 2004, section 20. Coordination The bringing together of organisations and elements to ensure effective response and recovery operations. Coordinating agency As defined in the Emergency Management Act 2004, section 19. Critical infrastructure Declared emergency Those physical facilities, supply chains, information technologies and communication networks, which if destroyed, degraded or rendered unavailable for an extended period, would significantly impact on the social or economic wellbeing of the nation, or affect Australia s ability to conduct national defence and ensure national security. An emergency that has been declared an identified major incident, major emergency or disaster by the State Coordinator or Governor. Page 55 Version December 2015

56 Defence Assistance to the Civil Community Defence Force Aid to Civilian Authorities The provision of Defence resources, in response to a request for assistance, for the performance of tasks that are primarily the responsibility of the civil community or other government organisations. Defence Force assistance rendered to civilian authorities, with the Commonwealth Government authority, where the resolution of a situation is beyond the capability of the civilian community and the use of force may be required. Disaster As defined in the Emergency Management Act 2004, section 24. Displaced person Disaster Victim Identification Person forced to leave or is displaced from their home or normal place of abode due to an emergency event. The procedures used to positively identify deceased victims of a multiple fatality event to the satisfaction of the Coroner. Emergency Refer to Emergency Management Act 2004, section 3. Emergency management Emergency Management Council Emergency relief centre Evacuation Functional Service Functional Service State Controller Hazard Hazard leader A range of measures to manage risks to communities and the environment. It involves the development and maintenance of arrangements to prevent or mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters. Cabinet committee of the South Australia Government chaired by the Premier to address emergency management issues. The Centre where the provisions of emergency relief services to persons affected by an emergency are met. It may include short term shelter, information, personal support, food, temporary accommodation, practical advice, basic first aid, interpreter services, companion animal care, financial assistance and referrals. Evacuations are categorised as immediate evacuations ; pre-warned or directed evacuations ; and self-evacuation or relocation. Refer to the Evacuation section of the SEMP for their definitions. A grouping of participating agencies coordinated by a lead agency that performs a functional role as part of the State Emergency Centre arrangements to support response and recovery operations for an emergency. The person appointed by the State Emergency Management Committee to head a Functional Service. Source of potential harm. Defined within the Plan under Hazard Leader heading. Identified major As defined in the Emergency Management Act 2004, Page 56 Version December 2015

57 incident section 22. Incident controller Likelihood Loss The person designated by the control agency to lead field response operations. Chance of something happening. It is used as a general description of probability and may be expressed qualitatively or quantitatively. Any negative consequence or adverse effect, financial or otherwise. Major emergency As defined in the Emergency Management Act 2004, section 23. Mitigation Participating agency Preparedness Measures taken in advance of, during or after a disaster, aimed at decreasing or eliminating its impact on society and environment. An agency or organisation that has agreed to be part of a Functional Service. An agency may be involved in more than one Functional Service. Arrangements to ensure that, should an emergency occur, all those resources and services which are needed to cope with the effects can be efficiently mobilised and deployed. Prevention Regulatory and physical measures to ensure that emergencies are prevented, or their effects mitigated. Proclaimed situation A situation or circumstance that is within the ambit of a proclamation made by the Governor for the purposes of the State Emergency Relief Fund. Recovery operations Refer to Emergency Management Act 2004, section 3. Relief Response operations Risk Risk analysis Risk assessment Risk evaluation The provision of immediate shelter, life support and human needs of persons affected by, or responding to, an emergency. It includes the establishment, management and provision of services through emergency relief centres. Refer to Emergency Management Act 2004, section 3. The effect of uncertainty on objectives. For emergency risk assessments the effect is usually a negative deviation from the expected and is characterised by hazardous events and the likelihoods of particular consequences. Process to understand the nature of risk and to determine the level of risk. The overall process of risk identification, risk analysis and risk evaluation. Process of comparing the results of risk analysis with risk criteria to determine whether the risk and/or it magnitude Page 57 Version December 2015

58 Risk management Stakeholders State control centre State Coordinator State Emergency Centre State Emergency Management Committee State Recovery Centre Support agency Support agency field commander Urban Search and Rescue are/is acceptable or tolerable. Coordinated activities to direct and control a community or organisation with regard to risk. Those people and organisations that can affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by a decision or activity. The nominated location from which a Functional Service coordinates activities of its participating agencies. This centre may have a dual role if the agency responsible for a Functional Service is also undertaking response or recovery operations as a control or support agency. The person for the time being holding or acting in the position of Commissioner of Police and who has the strategic state level accountability for the management and coordination of declared emergencies. A facility where the State Coordinator, Functional Services and others come together to share information, coordinate the State s resources and address strategic issues in support of response and recovery operations. Strategic planning committee established by the Emergency Management Act 2004 responsible for the State s emergency management arrangements. A facility that supports the State Coordinator Recovery or Director of the State Recovery Office to coordinate recovery operations following an emergency event. An agency which provides services, personnel or material to support or assist a control agency or affected persons. The person who has managerial responsibility or command of a support agency s field resources. The use of specialised multi-agency and multi-disciplinary team/s with capabilities to; search for, provide initial medical care, and rescue entrapped persons from damaged or collapsed structures: Vehicle As defined in the Emergency Management Act 2004, section 3. Vulnerability Zone Emergency Centre The conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards. A support facility within a country Emergency Management Zone where representatives from local agencies come together to share information and undertake tasks for the Control Agency or other support agencies in support of response and recovery operations. Page 58 Version December 2015

59 Zone Emergency Centre Committee Zone Emergency Management Committee A sub-committee of the Zone Emergency Management Committee with responsibilities to plan for and exercise Zone Emergency Centre operations. The ZEMC is responsible for the Zone-level planning to support the SEMP. The ZEMC will use an all hazards approach across the full PPRR spectrum to conduct emergency risk assessments compliant with the approved risk management process; identify and evaluate risk treatment options and develop Rsk Treatment Plans; and develop a ZEMP, and other plans, as required. Page 59 Version December 2015

60 ACRONYMS (the) Act Emergency Management Act 2004 CALD CBRN CEWT CFS COAG DPTI DVI EMA ICT MFS NDRRA PIRSA PPRR SAAS SAFECOM SAPOL SEC SES SEMP SEMC SEWS SMAG SRAG SRC USAR ZEC ZEMC Culturally and linguistically diverse communities Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear Central Exercise Writing Team Country Fire Service Council of Australian Governments Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure Disaster Victim Identification Emergency Management Australia Information and Communications Technology Metropolitan Fire Service Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements Primary Industry and Regions South Australia Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery South Australia Ambulance Service South Australia Fire and Emergency Services Commission South Australia Police State Emergency Centre State Emergency Service State Emergency Management Plan State Emergency Management Committee Standard Emergency Warning Signal State Mitigation Advisory Group State Response Advisory Group State Recovery Committee Urban Search and Rescue Zone Emergency Centre Zone Emergency Management Committee The above acronyms also apply to the other plans that make up the Emergency Planning Framework (refer to Table 1 of the SEMP). Page 60 Version December 2015

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62 ANNEXURES Annex A ANNEX A - HAZARD LEADERS AND CONTROL AGENCIES HAZARD LEADERS Hazard Animal and Plant Disease Earthquake Escape of Hazardous Materials Extreme Weather Flood Human Disease Rural Fire Terrorism Urban Fire Hazard Leader Primary Industries and Regions South Australia Dept for Planning Transport and Infrastructure Safe Work SA SA State Emergency Service Dept of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Dept for Health and Ageing SA Country Fire Service SA Police SA Metropolitan Fire Service Page 62 Version December 2015

63 CONTROL AGENCIES Type of Emergency Incident Aircraft accident Animal, plant & marine disease Bomb threat Earthquake Fire (Rural and Metro) Flood Food/drinking water contamination Information and communication technology (ICT) failure Fuel, gas and electricity shortages Hazardous or dangerous materials emergencies Siege/Hostage Human epidemic Marine transport accidents Oil spills marine waters Rail accident Riverbank collapse Road / transport accident Search and rescue land and sea Search and rescue structure (USAR) Extreme weather Terrorist incident Control Agency SA Police (SAPOL) Primary Industries and Regions South Australia SAPOL SAPOL SA Country Fire Service (CFS) or S.A. Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) SA State Emergency Service Dept for Health and Ageing Department for Premier and Cabinet Office for Digital Government (ODG) Department for State Development (DSD) CFS or MFS SAPOL Dept for Health and Ageing SAPOL DPTI SAPOL SAPOL SAPOL SAPOL MFS or SES SES SAPOL Page 63 Version December 2015

64 Annex B ANNEX B - FUNCTIONAL SERVICES Functional Service: AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL SERVICES Role: To provide immediate animal relief services, rehabilitation assistance to primary producers and as the lead authority, implement procedures in conjunction with national arrangements for dealing with an outbreak of emergency animal disease or emergency plant disease. State Controller: Executive Director, BiosecuritySA Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA). During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: Between the office of the Executive Director, Biosecurity SA and the State Control Centre (Agriculture & Animal Services) if established Location of State Control Centre: (Removed from the Public Version) Participating Organisations: PIRSA Animal Welfare League Australian Veterinary Association Bureau of Meteorology Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Environment Protection Authority Local Government Authorities Primary Producers SA RSPCA South Australian Veterinary Emergency Management Page 64 Version December 2015

65 Functional Service: AMBULANCE AND FIRST AID Role: To: 1. Provide coordinated emergency ambulance response, initial triage, treatment at scene and transport (including air transport) for affected persons to further care; 2. Coordinate the transfer of medical teams and their equipment to and from incident sites 3. Provide specially trained paramedics to perform the medical component in: Urban search and rescue (USAR) task forces, Police special operations for high risk tactical operations Fire or HAZMAT incidents or CBRN operations in the hot zone and Health monitoring related to operational safety of responding personnel 4. Provide first aid services to casualties in the field, at treatment centres, emergency relief centres and other community assembly areas 5. Deploy key position holders or mobile specialist teams as requested by the state coordinator 6. Maintain core ambulance and first aid services throughout the state during any emergency State Controller Chief Executive Officer, SA Ambulance Service During Disaster/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: State Control Centre Location of State Control Centre: (Removed from the Public Version) Participating Organisations: St John Ambulance Australia (SA) Operations Branch The Royal Flying Doctor Service Surf Life Saving SA State Rescue Helicopter Service Page 65 Version December 2015

66 Functional Service: COMMUNICATIONS Role: To establish and maintain reliable communications and related Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, required by the State Emergency Management Organisation for the coordination of response and recovery operations. State Controller: Officer in Charge, Police Communications During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: State Control Centre (Communications). Location of State Control Centre: (Removed from the Public Version) Participating Organisations: Police Department Communications Branch Vodaphone Telstra Optus DTEI Other Emergency Services Communications Managers Communications Managers of SA-GRN affiliated agencies Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network (WICEN) Australian Citizens Radio Emergency Monitors (ACREM) Page 66 Version December 2015

67 Functional Service: EMERGENCY RELIEF Role: To identify and coordinate the provision of practical advice and personal support services required by individuals, families and communities. The aim is to support the affected community towards management of its own recovery. Responsibilities include: 1. In liaison with Police and/or lead response agency, establish Emergency Relief Centres to provide short term shelter, information and personal support services such as food, temporary accommodation, basic first aid, interpreter services and pet care. 2. Activation of the National Registration and Inquiry System (NRIS) with linkages to Police Casualty Information and Disaster Victim Identification processes. 3. Establish Recovery Centres as a one-stop centre for affected people to receive financial assistance, gather information and seek referral into the wide range of recovery services. 4. Ensure information on practical advice and social/psycho recovery services is disseminated within the affected community. State Controller: General Manager Housing Services, Housing SA, Department for Communities and Social Inclusion. During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: State Control Centre (Emergency Relief) Location of State Control Centre: (Removed from the Public Version) Participating Organisations: Housing SA Pastoral Ministry Services Insurance Council Interpreter and Translating Services St John Ambulance Lions Club Rotary Club Australian Red Cross Centrelink Page 67 Version December 2015

68 Functional Service: DEFENCE FORCE (SA) Role: To provide support as appropriate to the conduct of response and recovery operations by other Functional Services and in accordance with the policy and procedures contained in Australian Defence Force instructions for assistance to the civil community. State Controller: Manager Joint Operations Support Staff, Keswick Barracks During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: State Control Centre (Defence) Location of State Control Centre (Removed from the Public Version) Phone: Fax: Page 68 Version December 2015

69 Functional Service: ENGINEERING Role: 1. Coordination of the protection, restoration of essential infrastructure, including: o Water supply and sewerage; o Energy supplies - electricity and gas; o Cyber communications systems o Public and private buildings, including structural assessment, demolition and shoring-up ; o Public transportation infrastructure, ie. roads and bridges (supporting Transport Functional Service and local government). 2. Coordination of engineering support to other functional services once their own capabilities have been exhausted or as required. State Controller: Senior Manager, Business Resilience SA Water Corporation During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: State Control Centre (Engineering) Location of State Control Centre: Where required Participating Organisations: Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure: Transport Services Division Energy Division Infrastructure Division Building Services Infrastructure Division ICT Services Page 69 Version December 2015 SA Water Electricity Supply Industry Planning Council ElectraNet SA ETSA Utilities Epic Energy Origin Energy Santos SEAGas Environmental Protection Agency Local Government Engineers Australia SA Division Primary Industries and Resources South Association of Consulting Australia Architects Australia The South Australian Crane Association The Association of Consulting Engineers Australia Telstra SA Fire and Emergency Service Commission Civil Contractors Federation Environment Protection Agency

70 Functional Service: FIRE Role: To provide emergency response services by: 1. Dealing with outbreaks of fire, both urban and rural, and the rescue of persons in fire endangered areas. 2. Taking such measures as may be practicable to prevent the outbreak of fires. 3. Dealing with the escape of hazardous materials or a situation which involves the imminent danger of such an escape. 4. Assisting in any other response or recovery operations for which the Fire Services' training and equipment are suitable eg. the provision of emergency water supplies and the rescue of people trapped in collapsed buildings. 5. In those areas of the State where the responsible emergency service is not located, to undertake the role and responsibility of that service until relieved. State Controller: 1. Bushfires - Chief Officer, SA Country Fire Service 2. Fire (emergencies other than bushfires) - Chief Officer, SA Metropolitan Fire Service During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: State Control Centre (Fire) Location of State Control Centre: Bushfires (Removed from the Public Version) Fire (Removed from the Public Version) Participating Organisations: SA Metropolitan Fire Service SA Country Fire Service Local Government Authorities Department for Environment, Water and Natural Resources PIRSA, Forestry Bureau of Meteorology Page 70 Version December 2015

71 Functional Service: HEALTH AND MEDICAL Role: To provide, maintain and coordinate health services with an emphasis on early intervention and quality care. Specific tasks would include provision of: 1. Hospital, specialist health and medical services required for the treatment and care of a large number of casualties, including Mental Health care. 2. Field medical teams in the event of a Mass Casualty Incident. 3. Public Health directives to prevent and control infectious diseases in the community by minimising potential environmental health risk factors arising from air, water, soil and hazardous substances. 4. Environmental Health directives concerned with the health, well being and safety of people and the environment in which they live, work or visit. State Controller - Health: Director of Trauma Service, Royal Adelaide Hospital During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: State Control Centre -Health and Medical Location of State Control Centre: (Removed from the Public Version) Participating Organisations: Department for Health and Ageing Major Public Hospitals Australian Red Cross Blood Service SA Divisions of General Practice Private Hospitals Association Australian Medical Association (SA) Royal District Nursing Service Specialist Medical Colleges Local Government Authorities Page 71 Version December 2015

72 Functional Service: LOGISTICS Role: During a major emergency or disaster the Logistics Functional Service will coordinate non-specialist supply and catering support to other functional services once their own capabilities have been exhausted. This situation may also arise where there are multiple Functional Services competing for limited resources. In respect of any request to the Logistics Functional Service adequate lead time is required to source and procure supply and catering. State Controller: Manager Capability Development, Emergency Management Office, SA Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM) During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: Logistics State Control Centre Location of State Control centre: (Removed from the Public Version) Participating Organisations: SA Fire and Emergency Services Commission Page 72 Version December 2015

73 Functional Service: POLICE Role: To maintain law and order and to protect life and property. Specific tasks would include: 1. Traffic and crowd control including the control of evacuation operations if required. 2. Identifying the dead and injured and notifying next of kin. 3. Establishing temporary mortuaries. 4. Maintaining the security of property. 5. Statutory investigative requirements. 6. Assess the need for the registration of disaster victims and subsequent advice to the State Controller (Emergency Relief) State Controller: Assistant Commissioner Protective Security Service During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: State Control Centre (Police) Location of the State Control Centre: (Removed from the Public Version) Participating organisations: South Australia Police Department Coroner's Office Funeral Directors Association Red Cross (Casualty Information Centre) Forensic Science Centre Page 73 Version December 2015

74 Functional Service: PUBLIC INFORMATION Role: To assist the effective conduct of response and recovery operations by coordinating the release of official and current information to the media and the public about the disaster/major emergency, including measures being undertaken or planned. This will require: 1. Ensuring the free flow of accurate information to the public. 2. Coordinating the preparation and issuing of official warnings and advice to the public for broadcast via the media other than those relating to an immediate need to preserve life. (For example, Bushfire warnings issued by the CFS.) 3. Providing a single liaison point to ensure accurate, timely and relevant information is provided and disseminated to the community from all services involved in the emergency. State Controller: Officer in Charge, Corporate Communications Branch SA Police During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: The State Emergency Centre Location of State Control Centre: (Removed from the Public Version) Participating Organisations: Police Corporate Communications Branch Departmental Media/Public relations officers Australian Broadcasting Corporation Commercial TV Stations Federation of Australian Radio Broadcasters Print media Page 74 Version December 2015

75 Functional Service: STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE Role: To be the Control Agency for storm and flood incidents and to provide rescue, search and reconnaissance services for any disaster/emergency in South Australia. Specific tasks should include: 1. Taking such measures as may be practicable to prevent injury and death from storms and floods. 2. Taking such measures as may be practicable to mitigate property damage from storms and floods. 3. To provide search and rescue teams to rescue the trapped and injured and to render first aid. 4. Reconnaissance to establish the nature and extent of the disaster/emergency. 5. In conjunction with the Bureau of Meteorology, to issue flood and storm warnings to alert the community to the potential for death, injury and property damage from flooding and storms. State Controller: Chief Officer State Emergency Service SA During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: State Control Centre (SES) Location of State Control Centre: (Removed from the Public Version) Participating Organisations: State Emergency Service Units Local Government Authorities Volunteer Marine Rescue SA Bureau of Meteorology Page 75 Version December 2015

76 Functional Service: TRANSPORT Role: To coordinate the provision of transport support as required by other Functional services, whilst maintaining as far as practicable, the normal operations/activities of public and commercial transport services. Tasks for providing transport to other Functional Services might include: 1. Movement of emergency equipment and personnel. 2. Movement of emergency supplies and goods including water, fuel and food. 3. Evacuation of people. 4. Assistance for medical transport. 5. Movement of earth-fill and debris. 6. Public transportation infrastructure, ie. roads and bridges. State Controller: Director, Metropolitan Operations, Department for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. During Disasters/Major Emergencies, State Controller is located in: The State Emergency Centre (SEC) Location of State Control Centre: (Removed from the Public Version) Participating Organisations: Public Transport Board Metropolitan Taxi Cab Board Bus Proprietors Association (SA) Inc. SA Road Transport Association Inc. Chamber of Shipping Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure Australian Government Department of Aviation Australian Government Department of Transport Mobil Oil Local Government Authorities Page 76 Version December 2015

77 Annex C ANNEX C - ADVISORY GROUPS Mitigation is defined as: STATE MITIGATION ADVISORY GROUP Measures taken in advance of a hazardous event which are aimed at decreasing or eliminating its impact on society and environment. Objectives The State Mitigation Advisory Group (SMAG) provides leadership in the mitigation sphere and promotes the collective action of all sectors of society, including all levels of government, business, the non-government sector and individuals to drive improvements in disaster resilience in SA. SMAG contributes to this by: Understanding, communicating and contributing to the reduction or elimination of risks arising from natural and non-natural disasters Identifying and promoting the investment and savings opportunities provided by mitigation Functions 1. Advise the State Emergency Management Committee on all aspects of mitigation in South Australia including strategic, mitigation-related policy advice. 2. Contribute to the development of South Australian Emergency Risk Management Systems, consistent with national standards and using nationally agreed methodologies as appropriate. 3. Promote the development of effective emergency risk management practices by Hazard Leaders, Zone Emergency Management Committees, State and Local Government including through facilitation and support of research, training and sharing of information. 4. Ensure mitigation is considered across the full spectrum of prevention preparedness response and recovery activities. 5. Support Hazard Leaders to develop adaptive, flexible, resilience-based Hazard Plans, and provide oversight and assurance of those Plans. 6. Support Zone Emergency Management Committees to develop adaptive, flexible, resilience-based Zone Emergency Management Plans, and provide oversight and assurance of those Plans. Page 77 Version December 2015

78 Membership Chair Chief Executive, SA Fire and Emergency Services Commission Members (Senior level from following organisations) Organisation Australian Red Cross Bureau of Meteorology Dept for Education and Child Development Dept for Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy Dept of Planning. Transport and Infrastructure Dept of the Premier and Cabinet Dept of the Premier and Cabinet, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation Division (AARD) Dept of the Premier and Cabinet, Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) Dept of the Premier and Cabinet, SafeWork SA Dept of Treasury and Finance Dept of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Local Government Association Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) SA Ambulance SA Country Fire Service SA Fire and Emergency Services Commission SA Health SA Metropolitan Fire Service SA Police SA State Emergency Service SA Water Member agencies will nominate suitable representatives to provide hazard planning and mitigation advice. SMAG can co-opt other members and establish subcommittees or working groups as required. Timeframe The Committee will review its Terms of Reference at intervals of not more than every three years. SA Police SA Water State Emergency Service Other members may be co-opted by the Committee, especially for task groups. Timeframe The Committee has an initial time frame of 3 years to address its Terms of Reference, at which time the terms of reference will be reviewed. Page 78 Version December 2015

79 State Response Advisory Group Terms of Reference: Advise the State Emergency Management Committee of South Australia s level of response preparedness. Support the State Coordinator and Assistant Coordinators in the management of response operations as required. Collaborate with the Mitigation Advisory Group and State Recovery Committee to ensure that emergency management in South Australia is a seamless process that recognizes planning, preparation, response and recovery. Advise the State Emergency Management Committee on policy and planning aspects of response management. Develop strategic policies and procedures to ensure effective inter-agency coordination in relation to response matters and the coordination of response and recovery arrangements. Develop and maintain the State Emergency Response section within the State Emergency Management Plan with particular reference to the: roles and responsibilities of all agencies supporting the response process, identification of agencies responsible for particular aspects of the response process, planning of systems and procedures for the coordination of the response and, resolve urgent matters regarding the plan. Provide expert advice and guidance to hazard leader organisations and Zone Emergency Management Committees (ZEMC) to ensure the development of hazard plans include appropriate aspects as they relate to the State Emergency Response section within the State Emergency Management Plan. Investigate and report on any response matters referred by the SEMC. Approve functional sub-committees plans and coordination arrangements. Membership South Australia Police (Chairperson) Department for Communities and Social Inclusion Department for Environment, Water and Natural Resources Department of Primary Industries and Regions S.A. Fire and Emergency Services Executive Officer (SAPOL) Bureau of Meteorology S.A. Ambulance Service St John Ambulance Department for Health and Ageing S.A. Metropolitan Fire Service S.A. Country Fire Service S.A. State Emergency Service Page 79 Version December 2015

80 Commission Department for Planning Transport and Infrastructure Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) Environment Protection Authority SA Water Local Government Association Central Exercise Writing Team State Emergency Management Planning Officer Page 80 Version December 2015

81 Recovery is defined as: State Recovery Committee The conduct of human, economic and environmental measures necessary to reestablish the normal pattern of life of individuals, families and communities affected by an emergency, including: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) the restoration of essential facilities and services the restoration of other facilities, services and social networks necessary for the normal functioning of a community the provision of material and personal needs the provision of means of emotional support the recovery of the natural environment support to assist the recovery of business Terms of Reference: Reporting Advise the State Emergency Management Committee of South Australia s preparedness for recovery management. Advise the State Emergency Management Committee on policy and planning aspects of recovery management and during an event give regular reports on progress. Investigate and report on any recovery matters referred by the SEM Committee. Planning Develop and maintain the State Emergency Recovery section within the State Emergency Management Plan with particular reference to the: roles and responsibilities of all agencies supporting the recovery process; identification of agencies responsible for particular aspects of the recovery process including personal support, psychological services; community development, case management, environmental management, accommodation and information management; planning of systems and procedures for the delivery of recovery services to affected people, communities and agencies. need for emphasis on working with local communities, strengthening what is already in place. Establish and maintain links to National Emergency Management forums. Collaborate with the Mitigation and Response Advisory Groups to ensure that Emergency Management in South Australia is a seamless process that recognises prevention, preparation, response and recovery. Page 81 Version December 2015

82 Provide advice and guidance to Hazard Leader Organisations and Zone Emergency Management Committees to ensure hazard plans integrate the key aspects of recovery. Develop strategic policies and procedures to ensure effective inter-agency coordination in relation to recovery matters. Establish and abolish sub-committees as necessary for the conduct of its responsibilities. Declaration phase and ongoing recovery Support the State Coordinator and Assistants Coordinators in the management of emergency operations as required. Support the Assistant Coordinator Recovery in coordinating the recovery process. Ensure the State Emergency Relief Fund is established and donated money is managed in accordance with the Act. Monitor and review Monitor and coordinate activities to ensure preparedness. Evaluate recovery operations and report on key findings. MEMBERSHIP Department for Communities and Social Inclusion (Chair) Executive Officer Families SA South Australia Police Department for Health and Ageing Department of Primary Industries and Regions Department of Treasury and Finance Department for Planning Transport and Infrastructure Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources SA Water Local Government Association of South Australia Department of Manufacturing Innovation Trade, Resources and Energy Department of Education and Child Development Centrelink Australian Red Cross Insurance Council of Australia Logistics Functional Service Page 82 Version December 2015

83 State Public Information and Warnings Advisory Group Terms of Reference Public Information and Warnings is defined as any activity that seeks to inform or warn the public about an actual emergency or possible emergency. This includes activities conducted as part of emergency management prevention, preparedness, response and recovery activities that seek to improve the public s understanding of what to do should a warning message be received. Objectives Through reporting to the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC), the State Public Information and Warnings Advisory Group (SPIWAG) provides leadership in public information and warnings and promotes the collective action of all sectors of society, including all levels of government, business, the nongovernment sector and individuals, to drive improvements in public information and warnings in South Australia. Functions Identify, establish, and ensure the maintenance of the standards by which public information and warning (PIAW) activities are conducted across all levels of government Maintain the State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP) PIAW annexure and report to SEMC on compliance with it Maintain strategic oversight of PIAW systems to ensure their capability including the State Emergency Information Call Centre Capacity Ensure representation on national committees, reference groups and working parties is maintained to provide input to and maintain knowledge of best practice in PIAW to: o Identify and recommend the development of new systems to provide for currency of warning tools o Identify and promulgate best practice in policies and procedures Ensure agencies receive and conduct appropriate training in the policies, procedures and use of the Emergency Alert system and other systems used to distribute public information and warnings Liaise closely with SMAG, SRAG and SRC to ensure consistency in PIAW activities Reporting Relationships SPIWAG will regularly report to SEMC on the actions and proposals within the context of the PIAW Annex State Emergency Information Call Centre Capacity (SEICCC) Operational Reference Groups (Spoke and Emergency Services Organisation groupings) will report to SPIWAG Alert SA Web Channel Reference Group will report to SPIWAG The reference groups are to provide assurance and specialist advice to SPIWAG and Alert SA. Page 83 Version December 2015

84 Membership Member agencies will nominate suitable representatives to provide public information and warnings advice. SPIWAG will consist of: SA Fire & Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM) (Senior executive position Chair) State Controller Public Information (Deputy Chair) Department of the Premier and Cabinet representative Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Office for Digital Government representative Department of Treasury and Finance representative Local Government Association representative SA Country Fire Service representative SA Metropolitan Fire Service representative SA Police representative SA State Emergency Service representative State Recovery Office representative Alert SA Manager SAFECOM are the Responsible Records Agency and will be responsible for preparing minutes and other secretariat services. Quorum A quorum for SPIWAG shall consist of at least five members, where at least two of the emergency services organisations are represented. Should there not be a quorum, the meeting shall be rescheduled. Members are expected to attend a majority of meetings. A proxy member is expected to attend to represent their agency at meetings if members are unable to attend. Confidentiality Where agreed by the SPIWAG, members will keep confidential the information discussed in meetings. Conflict of Interest If a member of the SPIWAG Program Board believes that a conflict of interest exists or would be perceived to exist in respect of any matter placed before the advisory group, that member should declare the interest and not take any part in the discussions or decisions in respect of that matter. Review of Terms of Reference These terms of reference will be reviewed annually. Approval of Terms of Reference Approved by SEMC 25 June 2015 Page 84 Version December 2015

85 State Emergency Management Training Committee Terms of Reference 1. Title The name of the Committee shall be the State Emergency Management Training Committee (Committee). 2. Purpose To provide a forum that can effectively plan for and address emergency management (PPRR) training and higher level exercising requirements of organisations identified in the State Emergency Management Act. 3. Reporting Relationship The Committee is to report to State Advisory Group Chairs. 4. Membership Membership to consist of: o One representative from each State Advisory group, o One representative from the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, o Advisory Groups to nominate a proxy from their membership, and o A Chairperson to be nominated by the Advisory Group Chairs 5. Support to Committee The State Training Officer is to provide executive support to the Committee. 6. Terms of Reference The State Emergency Management Training Committee, taking into account comprehensive emergency management (all-hazards, PPRR), will, in the first instance: Consider and make recommendations on contemporary emergency management training that may include review of course content, accreditation and mode of training delivery. Advise the Advisory Group Chairs on the adequacy of emergency management training in South Australia, including (but not limited to): - on ways to make improvements, - resource issues for emergency management training, and - investigate opportunities for cross training and resource sharing within the sector. Develop a proposed State Emergency Management Training Plan that includes exercise management for consideration by Advisory Group Chairs and the State Emergency Management Committee. Subject to its approval, ensure that the training plan is implemented so that capabilities across all hazards are maintained at appropriate levels. The Committee, in carrying out its work, may establish sub-groups/project teams to progress specific outcomes. Sub-groups could focus on, for example: Page 85 Version December 2015

86 relationships with Emergency Management Australia Institute planning for high level exercises (multi-agency and State) that: - engages relevant agencies, - explores opportunities for flow-on exercises to exercise agencies dealing with the consequences of the primary exercise, and - ensures that agencies are not excessively impacted by the exercise program. Once the training plan is approved, the Committee will exercise broad oversight of its ongoing use, updating it as necessary. 7. Scope Training for core business outcomes remains the responsibility of agencies and will not be considered by the Committee. Page 86 Version December 2015

87 Page 87 Version December 2015

88 Annex D ANNEX D - DECLARATION GUIDELINES There are three declarations available under the State Emergency Management arrangements. There are two available to the State Coordinator. The primary differences in the two declarations that affect the decision of what declaration to make are listed below: Identified Major Incident (IMI) May be oral (but must subsequently be written) Continues while RESPONSE OPERATIONS are occurring but not longer than 12 hours Cannot be renewed or extended May be revoked Major Emergency (ME) Does not require previous declaration of Identified Major Incident Must be written Continues as per period in declaration but cannot exceed 14 days May with approval of Governor be renewed or extended May be revoked Considerations What is to be achieved by the declaration? Full activation of State Plan including State and Zone Coordination Centres, and Functional Service State Control Centres To support the Control Agency (Has a request been received from the Control Agency or the Coordinating Agency) Are further resources required? Is coordinated public information required? Are Section 25 Powers required by any agencies, including support agencies? To support recovery operations To signify seriousness of the event Is a determination required as to the Control Agency? To directly manage response and/or recovery operations What limitations / scope are required? What information is there available about the incident? What is the nature and scope of the incident? Is it for a specific area? Is it required urgently (consider Identified Major Incident initially)? What time frame is likely to be required? Page 88 Version December 2015

89 The following further declarations may be made by the Governor if required. Due to the time frame for implementation it is suggested that they will normally be made subsequently to a State Coordinator declaration. Major Emergency A renewal or extension of a previous declaration made by the State Coordinator: Must be in writing Remains in force for such further periods (which may be of any length) as approved by the Governor. May be revoked at any time by the State Coordinator. Disaster Does not require any previous declaration Must be in writing Remains in force for the period specified in the declaration which must not exceed 30 days. May be revoked at any time by the Governor. May only be extended for such further periods (which may be of any length) on authority of both Houses of Parliament. Considerations Will the incident require sustained response operations? Will the incident required extended recovery operations? To support the Control Agency (Has a request been received from the Control Agency or the Coordinating Agency?) Are further resources required? Is coordinated public information required? Are Section 25 Powers required by any agencies, including support agencies? To signify seriousness of the event Is a determination required as to the Control Agency? To directly manage response and/or recovery operations? What limitations / scope is required? What information is there available about the incident? What is the nature and scope of the incident? Is it for a specific area? Is it required urgently (consider IMI initially)? What time frame is likely to be required? Page 89 Version December 2015

90 Annex E ANNEX E - MULTI AGENCY DEBRIEF GUIDELINES Page 90 Version December 2015

91 Contents INTRODUCTION APPLICATION PURPOSE OF DEBRIEF WHEN REQUIRED WHO SHOULD CONDUCT DEBRIEF DEBRIEF PROCEDURES PREPARATION INTRODUCTION ASPECTS TO BE EXAMINED Information / Intelligence Planning Operations Logistics Public Information Investigation Relief Control and Coordination Safety Recovery AT THE COMPLETION OF THE DEBRIEF DEBRIEF REPORT TEMPLATE CHANGES TO THESE GUIDELINES REFERENCES Page 91 Version December 2015

92 INTRODUCTION The State Response Advisory Group (SRAG) is established by the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) by virtue of Section 11 of the Emergency Management Act, The roles and functions of SRAG are further explained in the State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP), which also includes the terms of reference of SRAG. One of the roles of SRAG is to develop strategic policies and procedures to ensure effective interagency coordination in relation to response matters and the coordination of response and recovery arrangements (SRAG TOR). SRAG has identified that multi agency debriefs require certain levels of information in order to provide sufficient detail to identify lessons that can be learnt from the response to an emergency. The Control Agency is responsible for the conduct and reporting of a multi agency debrief. These guidelines have been developed based on the existing procedures from agencies represented on SRAG as a means of providing advice to the Control Agency involved in a multi agency emergency. APPLICATION These guidelines are prepared to ensure that the Control Agency for a multi agency emergency is able to adequately conduct and report on the response to that emergency. These guidelines do not apply to individual agencies and how they prepare and record their internal debriefs. PURPOSE OF DEBRIEF A debrief is a continual improvement process tool. It is not a tool for apportioning blame. A debrief is part of the education process in the learning circle. It links to training and the adequacy of processes and procedures. A multi agency debrief is conducted in order to ensure that all agencies are able to identify and document actions relating to an emergency. These actions may be those that worked well and should be used at future emergencies, or actions that need to be improved prior to future use. A debrief report allows the learning s that have been identified to be shared with all agencies and personnel that were not present at the emergency in order to increase the level of knowledge of all response personnel. Page 92 Version December 2015

93 WHEN REQUIRED The State Emergency Management Plan requires the submission of a debrief whenever the arrangements under the SEMP are activated. A copy of the multi agency debrief summary is required to be submitted to SRAG via the Executive Officer for distribution to the members of SRAG and also to the State Emergency Management Planning Officer. The SEMP requires the Control Agency to convene a formal debrief within three weeks of the completion of the response to an emergency. The provision of debrief reports allows the SEMC to carry out its role pursuant to section 9(1)(h) of the Emergency Management Act of monitoring and reviewing implementation of the SEMP. A multi agency debrief should be conducted: When a declaration under the Emergency Management Act is made or requested for any emergency; When a full activation of the State Emergency Centre or Zone Emergency Centre occurs; Whenever a directed evacuation is carried out; When requested by the Control Agency due to the complexity, size, nature or sensitivity of the emergency; When requested by a Supporting Agency due to the complexity, size, nature or sensitivity of the emergency; When requested by the State Coordinator or Zone Emergency Management Coordinator. WHO SHOULD CONDUCT DEBRIEF Where possible the multi agency debrief should be conducted by someone who was not involved in the emergency and who has broad emergency management experience and is practiced in conducting debrief meetings. This may be from the Control Agency or another suitable person. The State Coordinator or Zone Emergency Management Coordinator may nominate the person to conduct the debrief. DEBRIEF PROCEDURES The procedure for a multi agency debrief includes: PREPARATION Ensure that all agencies involved are advised of the time, date and place of the debrief. Ensure that all operational logs / incident records / communication chronological record have been collated and are available for reference if required. Page 93 Version December 2015

94 Agency representatives unable to attend the debrief and having information which is pertinent to the debrief, should be invited to submit their written comments prior to the meeting date. Nominate a capable person to formally record the debrief. The level of detail recorded (eg. full minutes or action plan) will depend on the seriousness of the emergency. INTRODUCTION The Officer conducting the debrief should: Carry out necessary introductions and advise of any potential conflict of interest Stress that the aim of the debrief is to examine the response to determine what went right, what went wrong and why, and what should occur next time if a similar situation arises Outline the format for the debrief Control the debrief Ensure each agency has the opportunity to present information on each aspect of the debrief. ASPECTS TO BE EXAMINED The following heading are provided as a guide. This is not a conclusive list. Information / Intelligence Items to be critically examined include: The effectiveness of the analysis and distribution of the information received prior to the emergency? The effectiveness of the analysis and distribution of the information gathered during the emergency? The timeliness of the sharing of that information? Planning Items to be critically examined include: The adequacy of pre-incident plans, if any? The effectiveness and sharing of Incident Action Plans developed as a result of the initial intelligence received? The effectiveness of plans developed during the response and recovery? Operations Items to be critically examined include: The effectiveness of the actions taken? The adequacy of the resources utilised? The effectiveness of the applied resources in resolving the emergency? Logistics Items to be critically examined include: The adequacy of the resources utilised? The efficiency of the procedures required to obtain those resources? The successfulness of those requests for resources? Page 94 Version December 2015

95 Public Information Items to be critically examined include: The adequacy of public information disseminated during the emergency? The accuracy and timeliness of the information? The effectiveness of the information in meeting community needs? Investigation Items to be critically examined include: The appropriateness of the investigation response? The effectiveness of the investigation? The consequences arising from the investigation? Relief Items to be critically examined include: The effectiveness of the actions taken as a result of the information received? The adequacy of the resources utilised? The effectiveness of the applied resources in supporting the community? Control and Coordination Items to be critically examined include: The effectiveness of control by the Control Agency? The effectiveness of coordination by the Coordinating Agency? The appropriateness and timeliness of taskings for support agencies and others? The effectiveness of support agencies in actively supporting the Control Agency? Safety Items to be critically examined include: The effectiveness of plans and procedures relative to the safety of responders The effectiveness of plans and procedures relative to the safety of the public during the emergency? The adequacy of documentation and reporting on safety issues? Recovery Items to be critically examined include: The appropriateness of the recovery response to the emergency? The adequacy and timeliness of any handover from response to recovery staff? The conclusiveness of the recovery response to this emergency? AT THE COMPLETION OF THE DEBRIEF The Officer conducting the debrief should: Allow nominated participants to have access to and verify the written record of the debrief Follow up the Action Plan to ensure that it has been complied with and appropriate feedback given to relevant personnel Submit the debrief as required in these guidelines and the guidelines of their respective agency. Page 95 Version December 2015

96 DEBRIEF REPORT TEMPLATE A debrief report template is attached to these guidelines. The template is based on the general responsibilities of the control agency in resolving an emergency. In some cases sections may not be relevant and can be left blank, however the template should not be altered. The template can be used by individual agencies to compile responses before a multi agency debrief meeting for collation in the final report. An executive summary document can be prepared by collating the summary / actions tables into an annex to this document. CHANGES TO THESE GUIDELINES Suggestions for improvements to these guidelines or the template should be made to the Executive Officer, State Response Advisory Group for consideration. REFERENCES These guidelines were developed based on information contained in the following documents CFS Chief Officers Standing Orders & Standard Operating Procedures COSO 4 Operational Debriefing. MFS Standard Operational Procedure No 12 Command and Control Procedure at incidents. St John Standard Operating Procedure 22 Debrief of a Major Incident, Public Duty or Event SAPOL General Order Incident Management Debriefs PIRSA AAS Control Centre Management EMA Australian Emergency Manual - Managing Exercises NZ Ministry of CD & EM Organisational Debriefing Examples provided by: SA Water CFS Page 96 Version December 2015

97 MULTI AGENCY DEBRIEF SUBJECT DATE LOCATION STAR T FINISH ATTENDEES APOLOGIES 1. Welcome 2. Apologies 3. Summary of Event 4. Intelligence Agency Comments SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ACTIONS 5. Planning Agency Comments SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ACTIONS Page 97 Version December 2015

98 Page 98 Version December 2015

99 6. Operations Agency Comments SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ACTIONS 7. Logistics Agency Comments SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ACTIONS 8. Public Information Agency Comments SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ACTIONS Page 99 Version December 2015

100 9. Investigation (post incident) Agency Comments SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ACTIONS 10. Relief Agency Comments SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ACTIONS 11. Command and Control Agency Comments SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ACTIONS Page 100 Version December 2015

101 12. Safety Agency Comments SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ACTIONS 13. Recovery Agency Comments SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ACTIONS 14. Any other comments Agency Comments SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ACTIONS 15. Summary of Actions Action Responsible Agency Page 101 Version December 2015

102 Page 102 Version December 2015

103 Annex F ANNEX F - PLAN APPROVAL PROCESS FLOWCHARTS Page 103 Version December 2015

104 APPROVAL PROCESS HAZARD PLANS Draft Hazard Leader Plan prepared by Hazard Leader Consultation with appropriate reference Group as required P R E P A R A T I O N Executive Officer, Mitigation Advisory Group (Allow 4 weeks for the assurance process) Executive Officer, Response Advisory Group Plan reviewed by State Response Advisory Group Plan reviewed by State Mitigation Advisory Group Executive Officer, State Recovery Committee Plan reviewed by State Recovery Committee A S S U R A N C E Executive Officer, Mitigation Advisory Group Hazard Leader prepares final plan for approval by Hazard Leader Agency CEO Final plan to Executive Officer SMAG for distribution to all Advisory Group members (Due 30 June each year) A P P R O V A L Page 104 Version December 2015

105 APPROVAL PROCESS FUNCTIONAL SERVICE PLANS Draft Functional Service Plan prepared by Functional Service Lead Agency Consultation with appropriate Participating Agencies as required P R E P A R A T I O N Executive Officer, Response Advisory Group (Allow 4 weeks for the assurance process) Executive Officer, Mitigation Advisory Group Plan reviewed by State Mitigation Advisory Group Plan reviewed by State Response Advisory Group Executive Officer, State Recovery Committee Plan reviewed by State Recovery Committee A S S U R A N C E Executive Officer, Response Advisory Group Final Functional Service plan prepared for approval by State Controller Final plan to Executive Officer SRAG for distribution to all Advisory Group members (Due 30 July each year) A P P R O V A L Page 105 Version December 2015

106 APPROVAL PROCESS SUPPORTING PLANS Draft Support Plan prepared by Lead Agency Consultation with appropriate Agencies as required P R E P A R A T I O N Executive Officer, Response Advisory Group (Allow 4 weeks for the assurance process) Executive Officer, Mitigation Advisory Group Plan reviewed by State Mitigation Advisory Group Plan reviewed by State Response Advisory Group Executive Officer, State Recovery Committee Plan reviewed by State Recovery Committee A S S U R A N C E Executive Officer, Response Advisory Group Final Support Plan prepared for approval by Lead Agency CEO Final plan to Executive Officer SRAG for distribution to all Advisory Group members (Due 30 July each year) A P P R O V A L Page 106 Version December 2015

107 APPROVAL PROCESS ZONE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANS Draft Zone Emergency Management Plan prepared by Zone Emergency Management Committee Consultation with Community P R E P A R A T I O N Executive Officer, State Mitigation Advisory Group (Allow 4 weeks for the assurance process) Executive Officer, Response Advisory Group Plan reviewed by State Response Advisory Group Plan reviewed by State Mitigation Advisory Group Executive Officer, State Recovery Committee Plan reviewed by State Recovery Committee A S S U R A N C E Executive Officer, Mitigation Advisory Group Final Zone Emergency Management Plan approved by Chair Zone Emergency Management Committee Final plan to Executive Officer SMAG for distribution to all Advisory Group members (Due 30 August each year) A P P R O V A L Page 107 Version December 2015

108 Page 108 Version December 2015

109 Annex G ANNEX G - ZONE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE OPERATING GUIDELINES Page 109 Version December 2015

110 CONTENTS 1. PURPOSE OF THE GUIDELINES ZONE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A ZEMC MEMBERSHIP OF THE ZEMC ZONE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE POSITION FUNCTIONS ZONE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING GUIDELINES ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS ZEMC PERFORMANCE TARGETS Page 110 Version December 2015

111 1. PURPOSE OF THE GUIDELINES 1.1 These guidelines, provided by the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) to Zone Emergency Management Committees (ZEMCs) in accordance with Section 9(1)(e) of the Emergency Management Act, 2004, have been prepared to guide and assist ZEMCs in understanding their role and discharging their responsibilities. 2. ZONE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 2.1 The SEMP establishes a regional structure of eleven Emergency Management (EM) Zones, Zone EM Coordinators and ZEMCs, each with distinct responsibilities. 2.2 This structure will: ensure effective emergency risk management occurs at Zone level contribute to the development of state-wide disaster resilience. 2.3 ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A ZEMC Role The role of a ZEMC includes: working within the Zone Emergency Risk Management Framework to identify, analyse and evaluate emergency risks that could impact the Zone; identifying and evaluating treatment options and developing a Zone Emergency Management Plan (ZEMP) to address residual risk; providing assurance that arrangements are in place to prevent and/or mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies, the aim being to create safer and more resilient communities within the Zone. 2.4 A ZEMC does not have an operational role during emergencies. When an emergency occurs the SAPOL Local Service Area Commander / Zone EM Coordinator may, following consultation with the Control Agency, activate the Zone Emergency Centre (ZEC) to support the actions of the Control Agency. Some ZEMC members, as part of their broader day-to-day role, may attend the ZEC during its operations. Responsibilities 2.5 A ZEMC will: establish and maintain emergency management networks across the Zone, and with adjacent Zones; build emergency management knowledge and capability across the Zone; use an all hazards approach and work within the Zone Emergency Risk Management Framework methodology to ensure that emergency risks to a Zone are identified, analysed and evaluated, community vulnerabilities Page 111 Version December 2015

112 are considered, treatment options are identified, and residual risk is managed through a Zone Emergency Management Plan (ZEMP); ensure when developing the ZEMP that relevant plans are considered e.g. the State Emergency Management Plan, Hazard Plans, Functional Service Plans, ZEMPs of adjacent Zones and any Zone hazard or special plans (e.g. Council EM Plans, Bushfire Management Area Plans, Climate Change Integrated Vulnerability Assessments (IVA), Natural Resources Management Plans and Plan Amendment Reports); regularly monitor, review and improve processes across all elements of the Zone emergency risk management process; report annually to the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) (via the State Mitigation Advisory Group (SMAG)) on activities and issues relating to Zone emergency management and specific training requirements of ZEMC members; review debriefs of major emergencies and exercises, Inquiries, Royal Commissions etc relevant to the Zone; use existing national guidelines when communicating risk to stakeholders within the Zone; and establish a succession plan for ZEMC members. 2.6 Outputs that a ZEMC is responsible for include: Zone Risk Study Zone Risk Register Zone Risk Treatment Plan Zone Emergency Management Plan Assurance that the ZEC(s) will operate effectively Exercise Program a process for the monitoring, review and improvement of planning processes 2.7 MEMBERSHIP OF THE ZEMC ZEMC membership will include: ZEMC Chairperson; Zone Emergency Management (EM) Coordinator (SAPOL); Zone Recovery Planner; Executive Officer (SES); Senior Managers from Local Government that know Local Government EM arrangements, capabilities etc. within the Zone; and Members representing agreed stakeholders, key agencies or functions. 2.8 The National Strategy for Disaster Resilience (NSDR) calls for an integrated approach, enhanced partnerships and shared responsibility, and recognises that building disaster resilience is not solely the domain of emergency management agencies; rather it is a shared responsibility across the whole of society. A ZEMC will consider this when determining membership. Representation on the ZEMC Page 112 Version December 2015

113 2.9 The membership of the ZEMC will be: representative of communities, Local Government and State Government agencies in the context of mitigation, development and land use planning; connected to the range of community and government organisations associated with recovery functions; representative of the business and corporate sector; and able to effectively deliberate on and contribute to the emergency risk management process, the preparation of plans and other committee business ZEMCs may establish working groups, as required. Representatives, particularly from multiple member organisations such as local government, must ensure that communication and consultation arrangements are in place to enable effective community engagement in the business of the ZEMC Some agencies and organisations may not be physically located within the boundaries of the Zone. Providing stakeholders have the ability to contribute to the overall emergency risk management and planning process and meet their emergency management objectives, overlap with other administrative or geographical boundaries is acceptable A balanced membership of the Committee will ensure: a comprehensive prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and resilience focus is maintained; a holistic emergency risk management and planning process is implemented; diversity factors within the community/zone such as location, gender, age, culture and vulnerability are reflected; and proposals to mitigate hazards can be assessed It is important that the responsibilities of the ZEMC members are clear and communication channels and reporting relationships to agencies, councils and others are clearly established. 3. ZONE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE POSITION FUNCTIONS 3.1 The functions of positions with relation to the ZEMC are described below. These functions are in relation to the ZEMC function only. Other functions or roles may be performed by members during emergencies. ZEMC Chairperson 3.2 This is a senior person elected by the ZEMC biannually whose interests span the broader range of community safety and emergency management issues. This person will preferably have a long term investment in and connection with the Zone e.g. a senior role in Local Government. Page 113 Version December 2015

114 3.3 Responsibilities of the position include: ensuring the effective operation of the ZEMC; assisting the ZEMC to meet its core emergency risk management, planning and assurance functions; ensuring the ZEMC focuses on high level, high consequence risks that could impact on the Zone; providing advice and support to the Zone Emergency Management Coordinator, Zone Recovery Planner, Executive Officer, Zone EM Project Officer and other stakeholders e.g. Local Government in relation to the operations of the committee; liaising, as appropriate, with the community on relevant matters as raised though the committee; reporting to the State Emergency Management Committee via the State Mitigation Advisory Group on the state of the Zone s preparedness for emergencies and any issues that need to be escalated to a higher decision making level; ensuring that all ZEMC members have a nominated proxy; and ensuring that a succession plan is in place for ZEMC members. Zone Emergency Management Coordinator 3.4 The Zone Emergency Management Coordinator for each regional EM Zone will be the Police Local Service Area Commander for that Zone. The State Coordinator will appoint the Zone EM Coordinator for each metropolitan Adelaide EM Zone. This person exercises functions and powers under the Emergency Management Act 2004 as delegated by the State Coordinator. 3.5 Responsibilities of the position in relation to the ZEMC include: develop and review a Zone Emergency Centre (ZEC) Operations Manual; assuring the ZEMC that the ZEC will operate effectively; providing advice on Zone EM arrangements to the State Coordinator; coordination of post event debriefs in relation to the effectiveness of the Zone Emergency Management Plan and arrangements. Zone Recovery Planner 3.6 The Zone Recovery Planner is appointed by the Chair, State Recovery Committee. 3.7 Responsibilities of the position include: ensuring a holistic approach to recovery is considered across all emergency risk management, planning and preparedness activities of the ZEMC; ensuring the National Recovery principles are understood and adopted in Zone EM planning; developing and maintaining, with assistance of the State Recovery Office, the recovery component of the ZEMP; assisting in the engagement of government, local government and Page 114 Version December 2015

115 community resources in recovery planning; liaising, consulting and negotiating with recovery organisations; and assisting with collating and evaluating information gathered for any debrief and review of the ZEMP. Executive Officer 3.8 The Executive Officer is appointed by the Chief Officer, SA State Emergency Service (SES) and facilitates the delivery of ZEMC outputs. 3.9 The Executive Officer will: provide effective executive support to the ZEMC; book venue(s) for meetings; draft an agenda for the ZEMC Chair, incorporating details of the time and location of the meeting, and once approved send the agenda to all ZEMC members at least five working days prior to the meeting; take minutes and send a draft to the ZEMC Chairperson for approval prior to the minutes being sent to all ZEMC members within seven working days of the meeting; provide advice in developing, implementing and maintaining the ZEMP assist the ZEMC with the preparation of mitigation strategies, public information, public education and emergency response training programs; assist in the development of an exercise program to practice the Zone arrangements; collate post event and post exercise debriefs for the committee to consider; and maintain copies of all minutes and agendas in line with the requirements of the State Records Act. Zone Emergency Management Committee Member 3.10 The ZEMC is responsible for the selection and appointment of ZEMC members Responsibilities of members include: presenting the collective views of the agency or area of responsibility they represent; providing advice to the committee in their respective areas of expertise; validating the strategic emergency management focus for the Zone; validating the assessment of emergency risks across the Zone ; reporting to the organisation(s) they represent; consulting outside of the ZEMC; advocating the functions of the ZEMC within their agency or area of responsibility; ensuring effective communication between their area of responsibility or function and the ZEMC; contributing to the development of effective exercise programs; presenting issues and matters for the attention of the ZEMC; and Page 115 Version December 2015

116 contributing to the review of event and exercise debriefs. Zone Emergency Management Project Officer 3.12 Zone Emergency Management Project Officers (ZEMPOs), recruited on contract by the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM) using Natural Disaster Resilience Program funding, have been allocated to the State s 11 EM Zones The role of a ZEMPO includes: conducting research, compiling information, and preparing for and facilitating workshops; summarising workshop outputs for ZEMC approval; preparing draft documents for the next stage of the emergency risk management cycle; and compiling (with ZEMC and other stakeholders input) a Zone Risk Register, Risk Treatment Plans, and a ZEMP to address residual risks A ZEMPO is a resource of a ZEMC, not a voting member. A ZEMPO reports to the ZEMC Chairperson and the ZERMS Project Manager (SAFECOM). ZEMC Executive 3.15 A Zone Emergency Management Committee Executive, of up to six persons, consisting of key office holders (Chairperson, Zone EM Coordinator, Zone Recovery Planner, Executive Officer and other representative/s) will meet regularly and separately from the full ZEMC to ensure that ongoing issues identified by the full ZEMC are continually progressed Where possible, an Executive member will chair any working group formed. 4. ZONE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING GUIDELINES 4.1 Proceedings of the Zone Emergency Management Committee The Chairperson will preside over the meeting. In the absence of the Chairperson, the Zone Emergency Management Coordinator shall preside over the meeting. A quorum consists of one half the total number of its members (ignoring any fraction resulting from the division) plus one. A decision carried by a majority of the votes cast by the members present at a meeting is a decision of the ZEMC. Each member present at a meeting has one vote on a matter arising for decision and, if the votes are equal, the member presiding at the meeting may exercise a casting vote. A conference by telephone or other electronic means between the members of the ZEMC will, for the purposes of this section, be taken to be a meeting of the ZEMC at which the participating members are present if: Page 116 Version December 2015

117 (a) (b) notice of the conference is given to all members in the manner determined by the committee for the purpose; and each participating member is capable of communicating with every other participating member during the conference. A ZEMC must have accurate minutes kept of its meetings. 4.2 Options if a quorum will not be achieved If it is anticipated that a scheduled meeting will not achieve quorum, the Chairperson may: proceed with the meeting and seek endorsement of any proposed resolutions via out of session ; reschedule the meeting this is the preferred option if there are proposed agenda items requiring discussion or endorsement; cancel the meeting whilst not the preferred option, subject to requirements regarding minimum annual meetings, the Chairperson may cancel a meeting if the proposed agenda items can be held over until the next scheduled meeting; or progress the business out of session via , if the meeting is cancelled or rescheduled - this option allows progression of any urgent agenda items whilst not requiring a physical meeting of the ZEMC. 4.3 Out of Session Business The ZEMC may conduct out of session business to meet specific business demands. Out of session business must be recorded in the minutes of the following meeting. 4.4 Resolutions can be made by the ZEMC, even if not passed at a ZEMC meeting, if a majority of the members provide written agreement to the resolution and if notice of the resolution is given under procedures approved by the ZEMC. 4.5 An may be used to progress business of an urgent nature in the instance where convening a meeting of the ZEMC is not practicable. 4.6 Some guidelines for out of session business are: a resolution must be provided in writing and should detail necessary background on the matters being raised and should clearly articulate recommendations for ZEMC members consideration; the resolution should contain a section for members to complete and indicate whether they agree or disagree with the proposed resolution; out of session communiqués are only used for urgent business; they may be conducted via ; the motion must be passed by a simple majority; and once the vote is decided, the results must be given to the members. Page 117 Version December 2015

118 4.7 Member attendance at meetings ZEMCs are encouraged to hold meetings, or allow members of the group to take part in its meetings, by using any technology that reasonably allows members to hear and take part in discussions as they happen. 4.8 Accordingly, members may attend meetings via teleconference or video conference if appropriate. A member who takes part in a ZEMC meeting via teleconference or video conference is taken to be present at the meeting and should be marked on the attendance sheet. 4.9 Member non-attendance at meetings If a member does not regularly attend ZEMC meetings it is suggested that the ZEMC Executive Team meet with the member to discuss the ongoing nonattendance at ZEMC meetings. A formal record of ZEMC member attendance should be maintained and this can be used to monitor member attendance across meetings Establishment of Working Groups A ZEMC may, at any time, establish working groups: (a) to advise the ZEMC on any matter, or (b) to carry out functions on behalf of the ZEMC. The membership of a working group will be determined by the ZEMC and may include people who are not members of the ZEMC. The ZEMC will determine who will be the presiding member (usually a member of the Executive) of a working group. The procedures to be observed in relation to the conduct of the business of a working group will be: (a) as determined by the ZEMC; and (b) in so far as a procedure is not determined under paragraph (a) - as determined by the working group Frequency of Meetings The ZEMC will meet as a minimum on a quarterly basis. More regular meetings may be required to deal with specific business demands. ERM workshops will be scheduled as required Special Meetings The Chairperson may call a special meeting of the ZEMC at the request of at least two members. Special meetings of ZEMCs may be held at any time Notice of Meetings The Chairperson is to ensure that each member of a ZEMC is provided, where practicable, with a notice of an ordinary meeting of a ZEMC at least three clear days before the meeting. In the case of a special meeting, at least one day s notice is required. The notice must be in writing and identify the date, time and location, and include the meeting agenda. Page 118 Version December 2015

119 4.14 Order of Business There is no set order of business for committee meetings, however, the following agenda structure is recommended: Opening of the meeting; Apologies Confirmation of the minutes of previous meeting(s) and actions Business arising Correspondence In/Out Reports by Chairperson, Zone EM Coordinator, Zone Recovery Planner, Zone EM Project Officer, and members Reports/Recommendations from ZEMC working groups Presentations Review of Debriefs/Exercises conducted since last meeting Training Programmed discussion topics Closure of the meeting Minutes The Chairperson is responsible for ensuring that minutes are recorded for ZEMC meetings. The Executive Officer is responsible for taking the minutes. The minutes of every committee meeting must include: the names of everyone present, and the times they entered and left the meeting; details of all motions and amendments including the names of the mover and seconder and the outcome of the motion or amendment; actions and agreements; and major points from presentations. Minutes must be kept in a format with pages that are consecutively numbered. Each member of the ZEMC must, within seven working days after a ZEMC meeting, be supplied with a copy of the minutes of the proceedings of the meeting Confirmation of the minutes The minutes of the proceedings at a meeting must be submitted for confirmation at the next meeting. Any correction to the minutes must be by resolution of the meeting. Corrections should be included in the motion to confirm the minutes. No discussion may occur before confirmation except as to the accuracy of the minutes as a record of proceedings Chairing the meeting The role of the Chairperson is to ensure that: the business of the meeting is conducted in a proper and orderly manner; guiding principles are observed; all members who wish to contribute to the debate have an opportunity to do so; all motions moved are legal, clear and able to be implemented; discussions are kept to the subject being discussed and irrelevant and Page 119 Version December 2015

120 repetitious discussions are prevented; discussions focus on higher-level, strategic emergency risk management issues of significance to the Zone; and a review of the ZEMC s effectiveness is regularly conducted. 5 ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS 5.1 State and Local Government members will not be reimbursed for their costs associated with attending meetings or other activities. Resources may be identified by the SEMC for the support of the outcomes of committees. 5.2 Administrative support to the ZEMC will be arranged through the offices of the Executive Officer (SES) for the Zone. 6 REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS 6.1 The SEMP requires ZEMCs to report annually (by 30 August) to the SEMC on its activities and achievements. 6.2 In addition, ZEMCs will report through SMAG any matters that need to be brought to the attention of SMAG or SEMC, or that need to be escalated to a higher level of decision-making. 6.3 ZEMCs communicate with SEMC through the Executive Officer - SMAG. As ZEMCs cover matters associated with prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and resilience, they may be referred or seek to refer items to any of the Advisory Groups established under the SEMP or the State Coordinator. In such cases direct reporting is appropriate. 6.4 Advice to the State Coordinator is to be provided through the Zone EM Coordinator or the SAPOL Emergency and Major Event Section. 6.5 Zone EM Plans are to be reviewed annually by the ZEMC and submitted to SEMC for endorsement by 30 August each year. 6.6 ZEMCs will keep records of formal meetings, workshop outputs, deliberations and reports. 6.7 All minutes, agendas and working papers will be stored and collated as per the State Records Act and the determinations issued. Page 120 Version December 2015

121 7 ZEMC PERFORMANCE TARGETS 7.1 ZEMCs are expected to adopt a business planning approach to their deliberations. Efforts are generally scoped on a 12 month rolling basis and linked to the planning and reporting cycles of the SEMC. 7.2 The following draft targets have been suggested for ZEMCs: A Zone EM Plan, focused on high level risks that could impact on a Zone, is completed and approved in line with the timelines specified in the ZERMS cycle. The Zone EM Plan is reviewed by 30 August each year. Zone emergency risk assessments are reviewed biennially. The ZEC Operations Manual is reviewed by 30 August each year. An annual report from the ZEMC is provided to the SEMC by 30 August each year. At least four ZEMC meetings are conducted annually. The scope of the meetings is broad and focuses on prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and resilience themes. Two ZEC exercises are conducted per annum and other exercises are conducted as deemed necessary by the ZEMC. Page 121 Version December 2015

122 Page 122 Version December 2015

123 Annex H ANNEX H - ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES FOR NATURAL DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY ARRANGEMENTS (NDRRA) NDRRA Contact: Account Manager, Emergency Management Department of Treasury and Finance Page 123 Version December 2015

124 CONTENTS 1. AIM OF THE GUIDELINES NATURAL DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY ARRANGEMENTS (NDRRA) OBLIGATIONS ON SOUTH AUSTRALIA DISASTER MITIGATION PLANNING RECOGNITION OF COMMONWEALTH CONTRIBUTION NDRRA ELIGIBLE EVENT CRITERIA HOW STATE EXPENDITURE IS CALCULATED NDRRA ELIGIBLE MEASURES HOW NDRRA ASSISTANCE IS CALCULATED EXPENDITURE THRESHOLDS AND ELIGIBLE MEASURES TAXATION TREATMENT OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS NDRRA ADMINISTRATION AND CLAIMS PROCESSES APPENDIX 1 - NDRRA ELIGIBLE MEASURES APPENDIX 2 - NDRRA ADMINISTRATION AND CLAIM PROCESSES APPENDIX 3 - NDRRA AGENCY CONTACT LIST APPENDIX 4 - NDRRA ADMINISTRATIVE FORMS Page 124 Version December 2015

125 NATURAL DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY ARRANGEMENTS 1. AIM OF THE GUIDELINES The NDRRA Administrative Guidelines outline the: Australian Government Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) Determination for Australian Government cost share with states and territories. State government claimable expenses (known as Eligible Measures) and related administrative arrangements. Role and function of the State Recovery Committee (SRC) Finance Sub-Committee and state government agencies. The Guidelines include the following appendices that may be used as stand alone information sheets for state agencies. Appendix 1 outlines the eligibility criteria and provides a list of Eligible Measures (claimable expenses). Appendix 2 describes the roles and responsibilities of the State Recovery Committee, state government agencies and the Australian Government. Appendix 3 provides an NDRRA Contact List. Appendix 4 is the NDRRA Administrative forms. The State Recovery Committee Finance Sub-Committee is responsible for updating and maintaining the Administrative Guidelines. 2. NATURAL DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY ARRANGEMENTS (NDRRA) The Arrangements recognise that natural disasters often result in large-scale expenditure by state and territory governments in the form of disaster relief and recovery payments, and also infrastructure restoration. To assist with this burden, the Australian Government has made arrangements to provide financial assistance to states and territories in certain circumstances through the NDRRA cost share arrangements. The NDRRA Determination 2007 defines a natural disaster as: A serious disruption to a community or region caused by the impact of a naturally occurring rapid onset event that threatens or causes death, injury or damage to property or the environment and which requires significant and coordinated multiagency and community response. A disaster can be caused by any one, or a combination, of the following natural hazards: bushfire; earthquake; flood; storm; cyclone; storm surge; landslide; tsunami; meteorite strike; or tornado, and; Natural disasters do not include disasters where poor environmental planning, commercial development or personal intervention (other than arson) or accidents Page 125 Version December 2015

126 are significant contributing factors to the event. Social, environmental and technological disasters are ineligible. Also ineligible are droughts, frosts, heatwaves, and epidemics (Determination clause 2.1). The Attorney-General s NDRRA Determination 2007 establishes (a) the eligible financial thresholds for reimbursement to the State, (b) the nature of eligible state expenditure and (c) the processes for making a claim to the Australian Government. It is the responsibility of the State Recovery Committee - Finance Sub-Committee to administer the NDRRA on behalf of the State. The NDRRA Determination 2007 is available on the Emergency Management Australia website. 3. OBLIGATIONS ON SOUTH AUSTRALIA 3.1 DISASTER MITIGATION PLANNING A condition of NDRRA assistance for restoration or replacement of an Essential Public Asset is that the State has developed and implemented natural disaster mitigation strategies in respect of likely or recurring disasters, and has also encouraged local government bodies to develop and implement such strategies (Determination clause 4.4). Many councils have completed emergency risk assessments and undertaken mitigation projects in partnership with the State and Australian Government. The partnership is promoted through the following 3 tier government funding programs. 1. Natural Disaster Mitigation Program (Administered by SAFECOM) 2. Regional Flood Mitigation Program (Administered by SAFECOM) ceased Bushfire Mitigation Program (Administered by CFS) 4. Working Together to Manage Emergencies Local Grant Scheme (SAFECOM) 5. Working Together to Manage Emergencies - National Emergency Volunteer Support Program (Administered by SAFECOM) 3.2 RECOGNITION OF COMMONWEALTH CONTRIBUTION If the Commonwealth provides assistance to the State for an Eligible Measure, the State must publicly acknowledge the Commonwealth s contribution. At a minimum the acknowledgement is to appear (Determination clause 4.3): 1. in announcements of assistance to victims such as press releases and websites; 2. in recovery centres or the like; and 3. in advice to the public about the availability of relief and recovery assistance. Evidence that acknowledgement has occurred is to be provided to the Commonwealth at the time the State submits a claim (Determination clause 4.3.3). Page 126 Version December 2015

127 4. NDRRA ELIGIBLE EVENT CRITERIA The Australian Government recognises an Eligible Disaster when the following criterion is met. 1. The event is a Natural Disaster (Determination clause 2.1) and; 2. The State Expenditure on Eligible Measures exceeds the Small Disaster Criterion of $240, HOW STATE EXPENDITURE IS CALCULATED Definition of State Expenditure State Expenditure is the amount spent within a financial year on all Eligible Measures, and for all Eligible Disasters within the Allowable Time Limit. Costs incurred by Local Government are not directly claimable under NDRRA. Local Government costs should be referred to the Local Government Disaster Fund. Expenditure by the Fund (or other reimbursement) to local government for eligible measures is deemed State Expenditure for the purpose of NDRRA. State Expenditure Exclusions State Expenditure does not include costs that the agency would normally incur such as substantive salary costs and other fixed operating costs. Nor does State Expenditure include costs that are expected to be recovered by the State. The Determination clause identifies the following as non-claimable items: Amounts that the State has recovered or may recover from any source Amounts that a person is liable to reimburse to the State (including amounts attributable to GST) Amounts directly or indirectly receivable from the Commonwealth under a joint Commonwealth/State financial arrangement or some other form of specific purpose financial assistance to the State Amounts attributable to salaries or wages or other ongoing administrative expenditure for which the State would have been liable even when the eligible measure had not been carried out (eg: substantive salaries) Amounts that have been transferred from a state to a department or other agency of the state government for possible expenditure on an eligible measure but have not yet been spent by that agency. Examples 1. Where a permanent employee is deployed to a disaster, the salary is not an eligible cost because it is an existing liability (fixed cost) to the agency. If the substantive position is left vacant because the permanent employee is deployed elsewhere to directly assist with the emergency, then back-filling the position with contracted staff, or through increasing part time hours is an eligible cost (extraordinary cost). 2. If a helicopter is hired to drop off food parcels to an isolated community, the hire of the helicopter is a claimable expense (extraordinary cost). 3. Salaries of permanent employees are not claimable, however staff overtime and on-call allowances is an eligible expense (extraordinary expense). Page 127 Version December 2015

128 4. Logistics costs to support the operations (catering, accommodation, specifically purchased personal protective equipment) are eligible expenses. Allowable Time Limit The Australian Government reimburses State Expenditure on Eligible Measures for costs incurred up to 24 months after the end of the financial year in which the emergency or disaster occurred (Determination clause 5.3). In exceptional circumstances the Commonwealth may recognise a longer period for the replacement of Essential Public Assets (Refer Category B Measures & Determination clause 3.6). The time limit for reimbursement of financial and personal counselling under Category A is costs incurred up to 12 months after an Eligible Disaster. 6. NDRRA ELIGIBLE MEASURES Definition of Eligible Measures Expenses that may be claimed under the NDRRA are known as Eligible Measures, being acts of relief or recovery that:; are carried out to alleviate damage or distress arising as a direct result of a natural disaster; and are of a type described in the Determination as a Category A, Category B, Category C or Category D measure In carrying out or contributing to the cost of Eligible Measures, the State must act consistently with the general policy that its assistance is not to supplant or operate as a disincentive for self help by way of either insurance, or appropriate strategies of disaster mitigation (Determination clause 4.1). The Commonwealth is reluctant to provide a list of Eligible Measures because each event is different. Appendix 1 provides a list of Eligible Measures that have been claimed previously under the NDRRA. The Finance Sub-Committee will speak with Emergency Management Australia at the time of an event to discuss any measures that need to be clarified. The following Categories and Eligible Measures are explained in more detail in Appendix 1. Category A Measures Personal Hardship and Distress Category A measures aim to protect life and individual property. The measures fund emergency relief activities and emergency relief grants that alleviate personal hardship and distress. Category B measures Public Assets, Grants and Counter Disaster Operations Category B measures contribute to: Page 128 Version December 2015

129 Restoration and replacement of Essential Public Assets damaged as a direct result of a natural disaster Loans, subsidies or grants to alleviate the financial burden of costs incurred by certain business, primary producers, voluntary non-profit bodies and individuals as a direct result of a natural disaster The South Australian Government has not provided loans as part of emergency relief services for several years. In part this is because it is complex to administer. The State has previously offered grants and subsidies Eligible Claim Limits for Clean Up and Relief Grants. A maximum grant of $5,000 for needy individuals A maximum grant of $10,000 for voluntary non-profit bodies A maximum grant of $10,000, and up to $25,000 in exceptional circumstances for *small business and primary producers. Clean up and relief grants beyond these limits may be considered under Category D Extraordinary Measures. Definition of Small Business (refer NDRRA Community Recovery Package Guidelines 2007, page 17-19) The Australian Bureau of Statistics definition will apply. This specifies that a small business is one which has less than 20 full time equivalent employees. An eligible small business may have no employees, however where the applicant is the sole trader/employee, the business must represent the primary source of income (51% for the applicant). This is intended to exclude a potentially large number of applications from home based hobby businesses where the provision of the grant will not impact on the community as a whole (page 18). Counter Disaster Operations to protect the public (community at large) A number of Category B Eligible Measures to protect life and property are also listed in Category A. Category A measures however are more narrowly defined to protecting individual life and individual property (fire break or sandbagging to protect an individual property) whereas Category B measures protect the broader community (fire breaks or sandbagging to protect the town). Essential Public Asset Betterment (Determination clause 3.6.5) Betterment means the restoration or replacement of an Essential Public Asset to a more disaster resilient standard that its pre-disaster standard. If the State s contribution to the betterment of a local government asset represents two-thirds or more of the cost, the Commonwealth will consider reimbursement to the State (Determination clause 5.9). Definition of Essential Public Asset An Essential Public Asset is an asset of an Eligible Undertaking that in the judgement of the State (Determination clause 3.6): is an integral and necessary part of the State s infrastructure; and would, if lost or damaged, severely disrupt the normal functioning of a community; and Page 129 Version December 2015

130 would if lost or damaged, be restored or replaced as a matter of urgency. Definition of An Eligible Undertaking is a body that is one of the following: A department or other agency of a state government; or established by or under a law of a State for public purposes (for example, a local government body), and provides community, social or economic services free of charge or at a nominal charge well below the cost of production. Category C Community Recovery Package A Community Recovery Package is funded by agreement of both the Premier and Australian Government First Minister. The Package MUST NOT be announced before such agreement is made. South Australia must also comply with any EMA funding announcement protocols. Assistance measures available under the Community Recovery Package include: A community recovery fund to restore social networks, functioning and community facilities. This may include clean up and recovery grants for charities and nonprofit organisations. Clean up and relief grants for small business and primary producers. Eligible Claim Limits for Clean Up and Relief Grants. A maximum grant of $10,000 for voluntary non-profit bodies. A maximum grant of $10,000, and up to $25,000 in exceptional circumstances for small business and primary producers. The State Recovery Committee Finance Sub-Committee is responsible for preparing Category C cabinet funding submissions. Category D Exceptional Circumstance Measures Category D measures are acts of relief or recovery carried out to alleviate distress or damage, in circumstances that are in the opinion of the Commonwealth Minister, exceptional (Determination clause 3.5). Category D is not discussed in Appendix 1 because the eligible measures are agreed at the time of an event. The rate of reimbursement from the Commonwealth is also determined at the time. For example, Category D funded Operation Farm Clear in Qld after Cyclone Larry for clearing primary producer landholds. 7. HOW NDRRA ASSISTANCE IS CALCULATED EXPENDITURE THRESHOLDS AND ELIGIBLE MEASURES State Expenditure on all Eligible Measures (Category A, B, C & D) must exceed $240,000 to trigger the NDRRA. The Commonwealth will reimburse between 50% and 75% of State Page 130 Version December 2015

131 Expenditure on Eligible Measures based on the following state expenditure threshold criteria. Small Disaster Criterion State Expenditure on Eligible Measures under Category A, B, C & D, and in relation to the particular event is $240,000 (NDRRA Determination Schedule 1 Clause 5.5). When State Expenditure reaches the Small Disaster Criterion the State may apply for 50% reimbursement of Category A and Category C Eligible Measures. First STATE Threshold ($26.5 million**) When the First State Threshold is exceeded, the State may claim reimbursement for 50% of costs for Category A, B, C and D Eligible Measures. Second STATE Threshold ($46.3 million**) When expenditure exceeds the Second State Threshold, the State may claim 50% of State Expenditure between the first ($26.5 million) and second threshold ($46.3 million) on Category A, B, C & D Eligible Measures, plus 75% of State Expenditure in excess of the State Second Threshold. ** 2008/09 State Expenditure Thresholds. For additional information on the formula refer to Determination clause TAXATION TREATMENT OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS The following information was provided to victims of the Eyre Peninsula Bushfires (2005) on advice from the Australian Taxation Office (EP Bushfire Newsletter 11 February 2005). In response to some media commentary over tax treatment of financial assistance to bushfire victims in SA, the facts are: Government grants to resident individuals are not taxable. Grants to businesses are generally assessable, but are expected to be offset by a range of tax deductions and losses that are available to businesses. In many cases, it is expected that allowable deductions would offset the tax on the grant and therefore the net effect would be tax neutral. For example, a farmer who immediately spent the entire amount of business grant on feed for his livestock would pay no tax on the grant. 9. NDRRA ADMINISTRATION AND CLAIMS PROCESSES The following outlines the key roles and responsibilities in South Australia for administering NDRRA. Appendix 2 provides a detailed list of specific agencies responsibilities and tasks. State Recovery Committee - Finance Sub-Committee Page 131 Version December 2015

132 The Finance Sub-Committee, chaired by the Department of Treasury and Finance is responsible for: The collection (from State agencies) and reporting (to Emergency Management Australia) of State Expenditure on Eligible Measures Provision of advice on approval requirements for expenditure, and where necessary the seeking of any appropriate approvals. Informing the communication between the jurisdiction and the Commonwealth in relation to the NDRRA Overseeing and co-coordinating Cabinet Submissions During an event, the SRC Finance sub-committee will co-opt members from key agencies at a senior level eg: PIRSA if there is significant impact to primary industries. Department of Treasury and Finance The Dept of Treasury and Finance, Account Manager, Emergency Services acts as the primary liaison point for the Commonwealth, state agencies and interstate counterparts regarding NDRRA. Dept of Treasury and Finance notifies EMA of an Eligible Event and also manages the claim process to the Commonwealth. SA Fire and Emergency Services Commission SAFECOM Emergency Management notifies the Dept of Treasury and Finance when state expenditure on a particular event has, or is likely to reach the Small Disaster Criterion. SAFECOM continues to provide Incident Reports (Sitreps) to the Dept of Treasury and Finance and Emergency Management Australia for a notified event. State Government Agencies State Government agencies must establish systems and processes to enable expedient and accurate capturing, recording and reporting of NDRRA eligible measures. The Dept of Treasury and Finance, Account Manager Emergency Services collects and reports on State Expenditure to Emergency Management Australia. Commonwealth Government Emergency Management Australia, Disaster Mitigation and Relief Section administer the NDRRA on behalf of the Australian Government. Page 132 Version December 2015

133 Appendix 1: APPENDIX 1 - NDRRA ELIGIBLE MEASURES Page 133 Version December 2015

134 Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements CATEGORY A MEASURES PERSONAL HARDSHIP AND DISTRESS Category A measures are; actions taken to protect life and individual property during an event; and assistance to individuals to alleviate personal hardship and distress (NDRRA Determination clause 3.2). Definition of State Expenditure State Expenditure is the amount spent on Eligible Measures by the State Government (Determination clause 3.1). This includes the cost of non-monetary assistance (for example goods, waived revenue, free or subsidised services). Also contracted staff, staff allowances and/or overtime and logistics costs to support staff and volunteers carrying out eligible measures (eg: catering, accommodation, transport and PPE). Eligible costs do not include substantive salaries costs and other fixed operating costs that would normally be incurred by the agency. Eligible Time Limit 24 months after the end of the financial year in which the relevant disaster occurred. 12 months after the event for Financial and Personal Counselling Services. Eligible Measures The following is a list of Category A Eligible Measures. Clean Up and Relief Grant eligible claim limits (Determination Schedule 1). A maximum grant of $5,000 for needy individuals. ACTIONS TAKEN TO PROTECT LIFE AND INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY Eligible Measure Extraordinary counter disaster operations of direct assistance to an individual, for example: Indicative List of Agencies Control Agencies and participating functional services. Page 134 Version December 2015

135 Operations to protect a threatened house or render a damage house safe and habitable (eg: sand bagging or fire breaks to protect an individual property) Pre-emptive evacuation strategies such as community risk assessment (eg: aerial observation and door knocks) and standby costs to establish Emergency Relief Centres. Community Information Meetings (eg: during campaign fires) Rescue of stranded individuals or groups. Supply drops of food and water to stranded people either by boat or helicopter. Control Agencies and participating Functional Services. Control Agency Functional Services State Recovery Office. Control Agencies and participating Functional Services. Control Agencies and participating Functional Services ACTIONS TAKEN TO ALLEVIATE PERSONAL HARDSHIP AND DISTRESS (PHD) Establishment, operations and decommissioning of Emergency Relief Centres. Assessment of relief needs to isolated individuals and communities. Food and water supplies to isolated households and communities, including transport costs. Emergency Relief Functional Service and participating state and NGO agencies. Control agencies Control Agencies and participating Functional Services. Personal Hardship and Distress Grants (PHD Grants). Emergency Food, Clothing and Temporary Accommodation Essential repairs to housing Replacement of essential household effects Rendering a damaged house safe and habitable by eg: covering the roof with a tarpaulin, electrical safety inspections. Removal of debris from residential properties to make properties safe and habitable (eg: removing large tree branch from roof to deem property safe and habitable). Portable housing where there is large scale destruction. Emergency Relief Functional Service and participating agencies. Control Agencies and participating Functional Services. Control Agencies and participating Functional Services. State participating agencies. Page 135 Version December 2015

136 Temporary storage facilities for personal goods and belongings. Loan of portable and/or temporary medical equipment for the duration of the event to individuals (eg: oxygen bottles) equipment provided to hospitals is excluded. Public Information and Communication Programs This may include: Public information meetings. Public newsletters. Public outreach programs. Relief and Recovery websites. Public Hotline. Personal and financial counselling to alleviate hardship and distress for first 12 months. In rural areas specifically: Emergency transport for displaced or isolated people (eg: special bus service to enable a small town that is reliant on a damaged rail network to reach essential services, and school bus passes for displaced students). State participating agencies.. Health and Medical Functional Services SAAS State and Local Recovery Committee Control Agencies and participating Functional Services. State participating agencies State participating agencies Page 136 Version December 2015

137 NATURAL DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY ARRANGEMENTS CATEGORY B MEASURES PUBLIC ASSETS, GRANTS AND COUNTER DISASTER OPERATIONS Category B measures provide (Determination clause 3.3): Loans, subsidies or grants to alleviate the financial burden of costs incurred by certain businesses and primary producers, voluntary non-profit bodies and individuals as a direct result of a natural disaster (Determination clause 3.7). NB: The South Australian Government has not provided loans as part of emergency relief services for several years. In part this is because it is complex to administer. The State has previously offered grants and subsidies. Restoration and replacement of certain essential public assets damaged as a direct result of a natural disaster (Determination clause 3.6) Counter disaster operations for the protection of the general public (Determination clause 3.8) Definition of State Expenditure State Expenditure is the amount spent on Eligible Measures by State Government to alleviate damage and distress arising as a direct result of a natural disaster (Determination clause 3.1). This includes the cost of non-monetary assistance (for example goods, waived revenue, free or subsidised services). Staff allowances and/or overtime for counter disaster responders (those directly involved in counter disaster operations), as well as their logistics costs such as catering, accommodation and transport are included. Eligible costs do not include substantive salaries and other fixed operating costs that would normally be incurred by the agency. Allowable Time Limit (Determination clause 5.3) Expenditure may be incurred within 24 months after the end of the financial year in which the relevant disaster occurred. In exceptional circumstances for restoration and replacement of essential public assets, a longer time limit may be permitted by the Australian Government upon application by the State. Eligible Measures The following is a list of Category B Eligible Measures. Page 137 Version December 2015

138 Clean Up and Relief Grant eligible claim limits (Determination Schedule 1). A maximum grant of $5,000 for needy individuals. A maximum grant of $10,000 for voluntary non-profit bodies. A maximum grant of $10,000, and up to $25,000 in exceptional circumstances for small business and primary producers. Relief grants beyond these limits may be considered under Category D Extraordinary Measures. ACTIONS TAKEN TO RESTORE OR REPLACE AN ESSENTIAL PUBLIC ASSET An essential public asset is an asset of an eligible undertaking that in the judgement of the State (Determination clause 3.6.4): Is an integral and necessary part of the State s infrastructure; and would, if lost or damaged, severely disrupt the normal functioning of a community; and would if lost or damaged, be restored or replaced as a matter of urgency. An eligible undertaking is a body that is one of the following: A department or other agency of a state government; or Established by or under a law of a state for public purposes (for example, a local government body), and Provides community, social or economic services free of charge or at a nominal charge well below the cost of production. Local government owned water and sewerage systems for example that are non-commercial are eligible. The Commonwealth Minister may agree to treat other bodies as eligible undertakings upon written request by the State. An asset being restored or replaced must be done in accordance with current building and engineering standards to be a claimable measure. Essential Public Asset Betterment (Determination clause 3.6.5) Betterment means the restoration or replacement of the asset to a more disaster resilient standard than its pre-disaster standard. Betterment of an asset will be considered an eligible measure if: i. The asset is an essential public asset; and ii. The State informs the Secretary (AG Department) of its decision to restore the asset to a more disaster-resilient standard, and of its reasons for doing so; and iii. The Secretary is satisfied with the cost effectiveness of the proposal; and iv. The Secretary is satisfied that the increased disaster-resilience of the asset will mitigate the impact of future natural disasters. The Department of Treasury and Finance, NDRRA contact can provide further advice on eligibility at the time. Page 138 Version December 2015

139 SUBSIDIES AND LOANS TO SMALL BUSINESS AND PRIMARY PRODUCERS The South Australian Government has not provided loans as part of emergency relief for several years. In part this is because it is complex to administer. The State has previously offered grants and subsidies. Clean Up and Relief Grant eligible claim limits (Determination Schedule 1). A maximum grant of $10,000, and up to $25,000 in exceptional circumstances for small business and primary producers. Relief grants beyond these limits may be considered under Category D Extraordinary Measures. COUNTER DISASTER OPERATIONS TO PROTECT THE GENERAL PUBLIC The Australian Government is reluctant to provide a detailed list of Eligible Measures because each event is different. The following is a list of Eligible Measures that have been claimed previously by states and territories for Category B. The Department of Treasury and Finance will check with EMA at the time on measures that need to be clarified. Eligible Measure Aerial Fire Fighting including spotting and aerial command operations to protect life and property Indicative List of Agencies Control Agencies and participating Functional Services. Plant hire (vehicles, plant and equipment) to support Category B activities. Temporary traffic management required for public safety. Control Agencies and participating Functional Services. SA Police State Emergency Services Fire breaks and sand bagging to protect the community at large. Aerial Surveys of disaster area (rapid damage assessment) Disposal site for demolition waste Control Agency and participating agencies. Control Agencies and participating Functional Services. State participating agencies Page 139 Version December 2015

140 Felling of damaged trees on Crown lands for public safety. Levee banks immediate spillway repairs for public safety. Disposal sites for demolition waste. State Emergency Services Other participating agencies. State Government State Government Removal and disposal of dead animals (domestic or wildlife) State Government Relocation of public stores, plant and equipment to a place of safety. Landslip assessment and full or part remediation only where a dwelling is at risk or if there is risk to public safety. State Government State Government NDRRA assistance for remediation will depend on a number of factors including contributory factors such as landfill, council drainage systems, insurance and development approvals and conditions. Logistics support for remote volunteer clean up work camps State participating agencies Page 140 Version December 2015

141 NATURAL DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY ARRANGEMENTS CATEGORY C MEASURES COMMUNITY RECOVERY PACKAGE Agreement between First Ministers MUST occur prior to announcement of the Category C Community Recovery Package. The Community Recovery Package consists: A community recovery fund to restore social networks, functioning and community facilities. This may also include clean up and recovery grants for charities and non-profit organisations. Expenditure is aimed at community recovery, community development and community capacity building for the future. Clean up and relief grants for primary producers Clean up and relief grants for small businesses (refer NDRRA Community Recovery Guidelines 2007 page for definition of small business ) Category C measures are tailored to the needs of the impacted community. Refer NDRRA Determination clause 3.4 and Community Recovery Package Guidelines. Allowable Time Limit (Determination clause 5.3) 24 months after the end of the financial year in which the relevant disaster occurred. Eligible Measures (a) Community Recovery Package Possible measures include, but are not limited to (Determination Guideline 4/2007). Employment of community development worker/s Funding for a range of community activities Grants to community service organisations providing recovery services Assistance for restoration of facilities owned by non-profit organisations Community information initiatives Funding commemorative events and/or memorials Advocacy and monitoring services Tourism and small business initiatives Economic development initiatives Heritage and cultural site initiatives The Community Recovery Package may include Clean Up and Recovery Grants for Charities and Non-profit Organisations Page 141 Version December 2015

142 Environmental restoration initiatives are not eligible measures under the NDRRA (Recovery Package Guidelines pg 3). (b) Clean Up and Relief Grants Eligible claim limits (Determination Schedule 1):. A maximum grant of $10,000 for voluntary non-profit bodies.. A maximum grant of $10,000, and up to $25,000 in exceptional circumstances for small business and primary producers. Relief grants beyond these limits may be considered under Category D Extraordinary Measures. 1. Clean Up and Relief Grant for Small Business The grant contributes to the cost of clean-up and restoration to assist small business to continue operations as quickly as possible. Grants may also be provided to assist with the costs of relocation to temporary premises in cases where immediate re-opening of damaged premises is not possible. The definition of Small Business is explained in the NDRRA Community Recovery Package Guidelines (page 16). Assistance Package Example (Refer page 16 of the NDRRA Community Recovery Package Guidelines 2007): Tier 1: A grant of up to $X to all eligible small businesses. Applicants should be advised to keep all quotes, estimates or receipts in case they wish to make a further claim under tier 2. Tier 2: A grant of up to $Y based on the provision of evidence of impact/cost and quotes or receipts/tax invoices for total funds claimed where cost are in excess of tier one payment. This payment may be made up front, or a reimbursement of costs. Tier 2 applicants must certify that insurance has been refused, or that their insurance will not cover all the costs. Applicants may lodge a grant application pending the outcomes of an insurance claim. In these cases it is the applicant s responsibility to advise [the agency] of the outcome of the claim. Written evidence from the applicant s insurer of the outcome of the claim must be provided. 2. Clean Up and Relief Grant for Primary Producers The grant aims to provide short term assistance for clean-up, removal of debris, disposal of dead livestock, and further restoration following a natural disaster where the impact on the farming sector has been particularly severe and could result in production and viability being disrupted beyond the current season. Assistance Package Example: Eyre Peninsula Bushfires (January 2005) Emergency Farm Business Support Grant (up to $10,000) to farmers to purchase Page 142 Version December 2015

143 emergency fodder, water, temporary fencing, transport livestock to agistment fees, emergency repairs to plant, vehicles. Appendix 2 APPENDIX 2 - NDRRA ADMINISTRATION AND CLAIM PROCESSES Page 143 Version December 2015

144 Appendix 2: NDRRA Administration and Claims Process STATE RECOVERY COMMITTEE - FINANCE SUB-COMMITTEE AGENCY RESPONSIBLE REFERENCES Determine if the event is an Eligible Event If State Expenditure on Eligible Measures has, or is likely to reach the Small Disaster Criterion. SAFECOM to advise Dept of Treasury and Finance and provide a situation report. State Expenditure on Eligible Measure for Category A, B, C and D. Notify EMA of the Eligible Event EMA will provide Dept of Treasury and Finance with an Event Number Department of Treasury and Finance Appendix 3 NDRRA Contact List NDRRA Determination Attachment A. Determination clause 4.2 Situation Reports to Department of Treasury and Finance and Emergency Management Australia EMA contact: ema.imf@ema.gov.au SAFECOM Emergency Management Appendix 3 NDRRA Contact List Event Situation Reports. State Recovery Committee - WOG Situation Report Provide advice on NDRRA Financial Thresholds and Eligible Measures Dept of Treasury and Finance. Appendix 1 Eligible Measures Page 144 Version December 2015

145 STATE RECOVERY COMMITTEE - FINANCE SUB-COMMITTEE Provide advice to the State Recovery Committee and state agencies as required. Provide advice to government on approval processes, and where necessary seek any appropriate approvals. Provide advice on how NDRRA measures can be packaged. AGENCY RESPONSIBLE SAFECOM State Recovery Committee State Recovery Office SRC Finance Sub-Committee REFERENCES NDRRA Community Recovery Package 2007 Consider previous packages provided under the NDRRA. Notify and Advise State Government Agencies Provide State Government agencies with: List of Eligible Measures to capture. EMA Event Number. Agency Eligible Event Claim Template and instructions. Protocol for publicity of Commonwealth contribution, and at a minimum: In announcements of assistance to victims, such as press releases and websites. In recovery centres or the like, and In advice to the public about the availability of relief and recovery assistance. Evidence that acknowledgement has occurred is to be provided to the Commonwealth at the time the State submits a claim. Dept of Treasury and Finance Account Manager, Emergency Services SAFECOM can provide State and Commonwealth badging. State Recovery Office to check EMA promotion protocols. Appendix 1 Eligible Measures Attachment B Agency Eligible Event Claim Form NDRRA Determination clause Page 145 Version December 2015

146 STATE RECOVERY COMMITTEE - FINANCE SUB-COMMITTEE Prepare Cabinet Submissions Prepare Cabinet Submissions for extraordinary funding requirements as requested by the State Recovery Committee. AGENCY RESPONSIBLE SRC Finance Sub-Committee State Recovery Office State Recovery Committee REFERENCES Previous NDRRA Cabinet Submissions as examples. Category B & D Measures: Evidence of appropriate Mitigation A condition of NDRRA assistance for restoration or replacement of an essential public asset is that the State has developed and implemented natural disaster mitigation strategies in respect of likely or recurring disasters, and has also encouraged local government bodies to develop and implement such strategies. State Government Agencies Disaster Mitigation Grant Coordinators Department of Treasury and Finance. State Mitigation Advisory Group NDRRA Determination clause 4.4 and NDRRA Guideline 3 NDRRA State Expenditure Reporting Provide regular expenditure reports and expenditure estimates to the State Recovery Committee. SRC Finance Sub-Committee Dept of Treasury and Finance Account Manager, Emergency Services SRC Finance Sub-Committee Submitting a Claim to the Australian Government The claim may be submitted at any time and must be in a form set out in Guidelines Attachment C and Attachment D (Determination clause 6.1). A Commonwealth payment is generally made after a state has submitted a claim but it may make advance payments if there are exceptional circumstances. Dept of Treasury and Finance Account Manager, Emergency Services NDRRA Determination clause 6.1 Attachment C General Claim Form Attachment D Expenditure Breakdown Form Attachment E Independent Audit Report Attachment F Audited Financial Statement Page 146 Version December 2015

147 STATE RECOVERY COMMITTEE - FINANCE SUB-COMMITTEE Provide evidence of (Determination clause 4.3 and 4.4) Publicity of Commonwealth contribution. Statement of mitigation. AGENCY RESPONSIBLE REFERENCES Claim Form Expenditure Estimates to EMA The State must provide for budgetary purposes its latest estimates of total state expenditure for the remainder of the current financial year, and for the next financial year. The estimates must be provided by 31 January of each year, and if EMA request at any other time. Dept of Treasury and Finance Account Manager, Emergency Services NDRRA Determination clause 4.6 Submit a Post Disaster Assessment Report Post Disaster assessment reporting allows for the collection of consistent national data on the cost of natural disasters and will enable improved national understanding on the cost of response, relief and recovery measures. A Post Disaster Assessment Report must be submitted to the Secretary within three years after the end of the financial year in which an eligible disaster occurred. Chair, SRC Finance Sub Committee Dept of Treasury and Finance Account Manager, Emergency Services SAFECOM State Recovery Committee Attachment G Post Disaster Assessment Report Maintain and Develop NDRRA Administrative Guidelines Review and update the Guidelines after each eligible event. SRC Finance Sub-Committee Event feedback and review. Page 147 Version December 2015

148 Page 148 Version December 2015

149 STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES Collection and reporting on Eligible Measures It is important that agencies start to capture costs as early as possible. Implement systems to capture Eligible Measures (detailed in Appendix 1). REFERENCES Attachment B - Agency Eligible Event Template Appendix 1 Eligible Measures Provide expenditure reports to the DTF Account Manager, Emergency Services by completing the Attachment B Agency Eligible Event Claim Template. The Claim Form and other expenditure reports to DTF must state the EMA Event Number (provided by DTF Account Manager) Recognition of Commonwealth Contribution If the Commonwealth provides (or is likely to provide) assistance to the State for an eligible measure, the State must acknowledge the Commonwealth s contribution of relief and recovery assistance. At a minimum this acknowledgement is to appear: In announcements of assistance to victims, such as press releases and websites; In recovery centres or the like; and In advice to the public about the availability of relief and recovery assistance Evidence that acknowledgement has occurred is to be provided to Dept of Treasury and Finance when an agency submits a claim. NDRRA Determination clause 4.3. SAFECOM Emergency Management can provide EMA and State Government badging. Page 149 Version December 2015

150 STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES REFERENCES Category B and D - Statement of Mitigation A condition of NDRRA assistance for restoration or replacement of an essential public asset is that the State has developed and implemented natural disaster mitigation strategies in respect of likely or recurring disasters, and has also encouraged local government bodies to develop and implement such strategies. Agencies claiming for restoration and replacement of Essential Public Assets (Cat B and D) will need to provide evidence of appropriate natural disaster mitigation strategies. NDRRA Determination clause 4.4 Page 150 Version December 2015

151 APPENDIX 3 - NDRRA AGENCY CONTACT LIST NDRRA - Agency Contacts Trevor Pearce SAFECOM (Finance) Joel Schirmer and Andrew Lawson CFS Tony Norman and Ray Sedunary MFS Mark Blute and Matt Maywald SES Albert Gerace DEWNR Robert Cox SAAS Ronnie Faggotter DFC Peer Skouborg and Catherine Freriks DFC (Families SA) Ian Hartmann SAPOL Jamin Woolcock and Val Smyth Health David Place SAFECOM Chris Dearman or Julie Frittum SAFECOM (Incident Reports) Ian Heinrich and John Badgery PIRSA Jim Gifford & Robyn Rudge Engineering FS Ronnie Faggotter State Recovery Office?? DTED Department of Treasury and Finance Account Manager, Emergency Services Nick Ashley Account Manager, Emergency Services Finance Branch, Dept of Treasury and Finance P E ashley.nick@saugov.sa.gov.au Emergency Management Australia Sophie Beaton Assistant Director, Relief and Recovery Emergency Management Australia Phone: sophie.beaton@ema.gov.au Kevin Rheese Director, Disaster Mitigation and Relief Emergency Management Australia Phone: Mobile: kevin.rheese@ema.gov.au State Recovery Committee - Financial Sub-Committee David Reynolds Chair (Dept of Treasury and Finance) Nick Ashley (Dept of Treasury and Finance) Geoff Lamshed (Dept for Families and Communities) Peer Skouborg (Dept for Families and Communities) Julie Frittum (SAFECOM) Clare Speechley (Dept of the Premier and Cabinet) Page 151 Version December 2015

152 Appendix 4: APPENDIX 4 - NDRRA ADMINISTRATIVE FORMS Page 152 Version December 2015

153 ATTACHMENT A EMA NOTIFICATION FORM (Refer NDRRA Determination 2007 Attachment A) Page 153 Version December 2015

154 Page 154 Version December 2015

155 ATTACHMENT B AGENCY ELIGIBLE EVENT CLAIM FORM Excel (and readable) version available from DTF Account Manager. Page 155 Version December 2015

156 ATTACHMENT C EMA GENERAL CLAIM FORM (Refer NDRRA Determination 2007 Attachment B) Page 156 Version December 2015

157 Page 157 Version December 2015

158 Page 158 Version December 2015

159 ATTACHMENT D EMA EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN FORM (Refer NDRRA Determination 2007 Attachment C) Page 159 Version December 2015

160 Page 160 Version December 2015

161 ATTACHMENT E EMA INDEPENDENT AUDIT REPORT (Refer NDRRA Determination 2007 Attachment D) INDEPENDENT AUDIT REPORT TO THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL SERVICES SCOPE OF AUDIT I have audited the attached Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements claim/s ( the claims ) for the financial year ended 30 June 200[X] for [state/territory] comprising the Audited Financial Statement Claim Form and the Expenditure Breakdown Form. The [insert responsible officer position] is responsible for the information contained in the claim. I have conducted an independent audit of the claims in order to express an opinion on them to the Department of Transport and Regional Services. The claims have been prepared for the purposes of fulfilling the reporting requirement of the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements Determination. I disclaim any assumption of responsibility for any reliance on this report or on the claims to which it relates to any person other than the Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, or for any purpose other than for which it was prepared. My audit has been conducted in accordance with Australian auditing standards. My procedures included: (a) examination, on a test basis, of evidence supporting the amounts and other disclosures in the Claims; and (b) examination of whether amounts disclosed in the claims constitute state expenditure on eligible measures in respect of eligible disasters as defined in the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements Determination. These procedures have been undertaken to form an opinion whether, in all material respects, the claims are presented fairly in accordance with the requirements of the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements Determination. The audit opinion expressed in this report has been formed on the above basis. AUDIT OPINION In my opinion: (a) the claim is based on proper accounts and records, and fairly presents the relevant expenditures by [state/territory]; and (b) the reported expenditures by [state/territory] are only in respect of eligible measures of natural disaster relief and recovery and conform with the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements Determination. [Name of auditor] [Position] [Organisation] Signature: Date: Page 161 Version December 2015

162 ATTACHMENT F EMA AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENT CLAIM FORM (Refer NDRRA Determination 2007 Attachment E) Page 162 Version December 2015

163 Page 163 Version December 2015

164 ATTACHMENT G EMA POST DISASTER ASSESSMENT REPORT (Refer NDRRA Determination 2007 Attachment F) Page 164 Version December 2015

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166 Page 166 Version December 2015

167 Page 167 Version December 2015

168 Annex I ANNEX I - EVACUATION GUIDELINES Page 168 Version December 2015

169 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION PURPOSE AUTHORITY OBJECTIVES ASSUMPTIONS EVACUATION EVACUATION PROCESS CATEGORIES OF EVACUATIONS MANAGEMENT OF EVACUATIONS AUTHORITY TO EVACUATE STAGES OF EVACUATION DECISION TO EVACUATE WARNING WITHDRAWAL SHELTER RETURN VULNERABLE PEOPLE Page 169 Version December 2015

170 1. INTRODUCTION Evacuation is a risk management strategy that may be used to mitigate the effects of an emergency on a community. It involves the movement of people to a safer location and their return. The primary reason for undertaking an evacuation is to ensure the public is safe. Whilst the decision to evacuate people who are at immediate risk is reasonably clear, the decision to evacuate people based on predictive information, incomplete or unverified data in a developing situation requires significant consideration and planning. The necessity for an evacuation will always vary according to the hazard and type of emergency being faced. An evacuation may apply to individuals, a house, a street, a large institution (ie: school or hospital), a suburb, a town or a large area of the State. The role of the Control Agency is to consider and if necessary, recommend evacuation of people from potentially dangerous areas. Once a recommendation is made to evacuate, it must be undertaken in a manner that is controlled and monitored, with the primary objective being the personal safety of all involved. The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission Report stressed that a primary responsibility of an incident controller is to assess whether evacuation should be recommended to communities potentially threatened by the hazard and provide that advice through every available means as early as possible. A shared responsibility The report of the Perth Hills bushfire February 2011 review did not dispute the renewed priority given to protecting life, however, it had become concerned that the widespread use of evacuation as a strategy to protect life has the potential to disempower communities, rather than building resilience as set out in the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience. If residents believe the default response to an emergency is to evacuate, there is a risk they may choose not to engage in community level preparations, fail to consider what action they would take during an emergency or fail to take adequate steps to protect their properties. The decision to evacuate needs to take into account prevailing conditions and the level of threat, the level of preparedness and capability of individuals and vulnerable populations within the area. These sentiments were supported by the 2013 Tasmania Bushfire Inquiry. On some occasions it may be assessed that people would be safer staying and sheltering in place rather than evacuating. Shelter in place should be considered as an alternative when the risk associated with evacuation is seen as greater than that of sheltering in place, for example, hazardous materials plume or where time and the situation does not permit a safe evacuation. Page 170 Version December 2015

171 1.1 PURPOSE The purpose of this document is to establish an all hazards, all incidents guide for a coordinated multi-agency response to a significant emergency where the need for an evacuation has been determined. The information is provided to assist control agencies (or the agency delegated the task of conducting an evacuation) in undertaking this task. Due to the dynamic nature of each emergency, these guidelines are designed to provide advice and information about the process and are not the definitive policy to be adopted. It is acknowledged that this document does not stand alone but is complementary to South Australia s existing emergency management arrangements. 1.2 AUTHORITY This document is issued under the authority of the State Emergency Management Plan. 1.3 OBJECTIVES The objectives of the Evacuation Guidelines are to provide guidance on: facilitating the safe movement of people from the emergency or area of danger acting as a guide for decision makers when considering an evacuation articulating the evacuation process. 1.4 ASSUMPTIONS The following assumptions are made in relation to these guidelines: the responsibility for the decision to evacuate remains with the Control Agency the Control Agency retains responsibility for an evacuation, however the planning, implementation and management of an evacuation are tasks that may be delegated to another agency the Control Agency will notify the Coordinating Agency (for further advice to all support agencies) prior to an evacuation being initiated the existing public information and warning systems (refer to Annex J) is to be used to inform the community of emergency and evacuation information there may be challenges in providing warnings to culturally and linguistically diverse communities, other persons with a cogitative or sensory impairment and other vulnerable or isolated community members. Plans should identify if these communities are within the expected evacuation area and take these factors into account in planning it may take some hours to stage sufficient resources to support the evacuation processes (including Emergency Relief Centres) that not all people may comply with instructions or guidance from emergency service personnel. Page 171 Version December 2015

172 2. EVACUATION 2.1 EVACUATION PROCESS Where practicable, the evacuation process described in the Australian Emergency Management Handbook, Evacuation Planning, Third Edition is to be applied. The process, adjusted to meet the local context, has been adopted by the majority of jurisdictions including South Australia. There are five distinct stages in the evacuation process: 1. Decision to evacuate - includes evacuation plan development 2. Warning - advice to the affected community 3. Withdrawal evacuation of the affected community 4. Shelter - supporting the evacuated community 5. Return managing the return of the affected community. The evacuation process is diagrammatically shown in Figure 1 below. Figure 1: Evacuation process (Source: Emergency Management Handbook, Evacuation Planning Third Edition) 2.2 CATEGORIES OF EVACUATIONS Immediate Evacuation (using an authority under legislation) Page 172 Version December 2015

173 Where people are at immediate risk from an emergency or dangerous incident, they may be evacuated on the direction of a person holding an appropriate legislative authority. This task is carried out with little or no pre-planning with decisions being made with urgency at the front line. A decision to effect an immediate evacuation should always be based upon a risk assessment that determines that: the threat to life or injury is likely or imminent staying is now a greater risk than leaving the evacuation can be undertaken relatively safely. Examples of events that may require immediate evacuation include a hazardous material spill, air crash, bushfire or earthquake. There will be circumstances that dictate that an evacuation will not be possible due to the inherent danger of initiating the action at the given time in which case shelter in place becomes the alternate strategy. Pre-warned Evacuation (using an authority under legislation) Pre-warned evacuation is the preferred option if time and circumstances permit. This planned type of evacuation enables greater control and coordination due to the increased ability to obtain accurate information and sufficient resources to carry out the task. Pre-warned evacuation may also allow recommendations to be made to the public to create opportunities for individuals to: evacuate in a controlled manner, notifying friends and relatives that they have moved evacuate in a timely manner and obtain alternative accommodation with friends or relatives evacuate with assistance of family and friends. This decreases reliance upon the emergency services and other agencies, allowing them to concentrate on the actual hazard or to assist more vulnerable people within the community. Examples of the type of event when pre-warned evacuation may be used include bushfire, flood, cyclone and storm surge. Self-evacuation People may choose to self-evacuate away from an area that is likely to be impacted by an emergency, hazard or threat with or without formal advice from a relevant authority. These people may require support and assistance, along with others who are part of a formal evacuation process, if there are road closures or other circumstances preventing their return. The use of self-evacuation by the Control Agency is one of the preferred options for action before a hazard impacts. Page 173 Version December 2015

174 2.3 MANAGEMENT OF EVACUATIONS Irrespective of the hazard being faced, the management of an evacuation is the responsibility of the respective Control Agency. Where the Control Agency is unable to facilitate the necessary components required to implement an evacuation, they must liaise with the Coordinating Agency to identify a suitable support agency to perform or assist with the required task. 2.4 AUTHORITY TO EVACUATE The authority to effect an evacuation rests with the Control Agency under their respective legislation, the Emergency Management Act or other relevant legislation. For example, the Fire and Emergency Services Act 2005 provides certain members of MFS, CFS and SES with the authority to cause or undertake evacuations (refer to Sections 42, 97 and 118 respectively). The Emergency Management Act 2004 provides a similar authority to authorised officers upon a declaration of an identified major incident, major emergency or disaster (refer to Section 25). Once the decision to evacuate is made, the Control Agency must communicate that decision to the Coordinating Agency (SAPOL) in line with the normal provision of advice to the State Coordinator. 3. STAGES OF EVACUATION The key aspects and changes to the evacuation process described in the Australian Emergency Management Handbook, Evacuation Planning, Third Edition to meet the South Australia context are described below: 3.1 DECISION TO EVACUATE The decision to evacuate will be made by the Control Agency when the members of the community at risk do not have the capacity to make an informed decision, there is a material risk of loss of life or injury not preventable by other means, and there is sufficient time and resources to safely undertake the evacuation. Evacuations to be based upon, but not limited to, consideration of: nature, type, size and severity of the emergency location of the emergency time of the day weather conditions population density identified vulnerable people appropriate evacuation transport corridors physical resources available to carry out the evacuation access to safe places to evacuate to capacity of agencies and others to facilitate a safe evacuation level of pre-planning and community education/engagement expert advice from agencies including: o Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure in relation to traffic flow, road conditions and capacity Page 174 Version December 2015

175 o Emergency Relief Functional Service in relation to support and relief facilities o Bureau of Meteorology in relation to current and future weather predictions o Engineering Functional Service for infrastructure considerations. The evacuation is to be based on a continuous risk assessment model, taking into consideration the availability of timely and relevant information. If the decision is made too early and the hazard recedes, the evacuated community may have been exposed to unnecessary risk, inconvenience and cost. If the decision is made too late, the affected community may have no other option but to evacuate under highrisk conditions or shelter in place. Due to the complex nature of an evacuation operation it should be treated as a separate response operation and appropriately planned and resourced, including delegating the responsibility to a particular person (ie: Evacuation Manager) who in turn, depending on the size of the task, may need to build their own team to manage the process. The evacuation plan would become an attachment to the Incident Action Plan (IAP). 3.2 WARNING Once a decision has been made to evacuate an area, it is imperative that the Control Agency, in collaboration with the Coordinating Agency, ensures effective communication strategies are implemented. The provision of consistent and clear advice is critical in reducing panic and facilitating an effective and coordinated evacuation. This includes general advice and directions to all potential evacuees and specific advice to appropriate sections of the community. The Incident Controller is responsible for ensuring that any evacuation recommendation to a community is provided appropriately in the most timely and effective manner and in accordance with their agency s standard operating procedures. 3.3 WITHDRAWAL Evacuees may be requested to: evacuate under their own means evacuate with assistance (their own or other) move to a designated safer area move to specific locations for transport out of the area (Assembly Area) move to an emergency relief centreo identify themselves if they have specific needs. In planning an evacuation, consideration must be given to the following: where they will be evacuating to possible duration of the evacuation items evacuee to take with them, eg: wallet/money, mobile phone, medication limitation of other items an evacuee is allowed type and number of animals permitted to accompany an evacuee Page 175 Version December 2015

176 management of road convoys, if used information releases to evacuees return policy / procedure for evacuees. There needs to be close and on-going liaison between the person delegated responsibility for the evacuation process and the Incident Controller as it may be necessary for the Incident Controller to divert resources to safeguard the lives of those being evacuated or circumstances of the hazard may have changed requiring changes in the evacuation plan Refusals to Evacuation It is recognised that some people will refuse to comply with a lawful request to evacuate. When confronted with this situation it is important for the member faced with the refusal to accurately report the status of the hazard being confronted and the decision to maintain primacy of life over other considerations. In situations where a constant refusal is faced, a risk assessment is to be undertaken based on achieving the greater good, for example, available time and resources are spent on notifying and evacuating others. In this situation a member should only exercise their authority to forcible evacuate if there is no detriment to other community members and they have the capacity and ability to do so without further endangering themselves or others Traffic Management The evacuation process may require the implementation of traffic management plans and establishment of traffic management points to control the flow of traffic. This can be a significant task and may need to be delegated to a particular person to manage. Specialist support from the South Australia Police and Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, Traffic Management Centre may be required. 3.4 SHELTER Emergency Relief Functional Service may be tasked with preparing for and supporting persons evacuated from a designated hazard. Pre-determined sites may be utilised by the support agency in this endeavour, with support from government and non-government agencies as required. It is imperative that evacuated persons that are situated in emergency relief centres are: registered maintained in family groups have the needs of their pets considered are provided with information about the situation. In situations where evacuees or displaced persons must remain away from their homes for an extended period of time, temporary accommodation may be required. Arrangements for this support are managed under the: Displaced Persons Accommodation Support Plan State Recovery Arrangements. Page 176 Version December 2015

177 The sheltering process includes supporting displaced people (absent from the evacuated area at the time the withdrawal was undertaken) but are now prohibited from returning to their home or business. The level of support required will be dependent on the circumstances. For short term events, support in the form of providing information about the emergency and when one can return to an evacuated area may be sufficient. 3.5 RETURN The Control Agency is responsible for determining when the community can return to an evacuated area. Whilst this decision is reasonably clear for emergencies which have caused minimal damage, it is not clear when significant damage occurs or there remain secondary or residual risks. For example, following a bushfire there may be various levels of risks from falling trees or branches, integrity of structures, site contamination, hazardous materials and health threats. The objective is to return the affected community at the earliest opportunity after the principle hazard(s) has been negated, when it is reasonably safe to do so, and the returning people are aware of the likely secondary risks and are prepared to manage them. Delayed returns and inconsistent practices of agencies have adverse effects on the recovery and resilience of the impacted community. For example: people who choose to stay rather than evacuate being allowed to move about the cordon area while evacuees had to wait considerable time to be allowed in the media provided access to show the destruction of homes long before owners were permitted to return home to see the damage for themselves. Return of evacuees to the impacted area should be managed and co-ordinated on a case by case basis. The type, scale and location of the incident may result in a staged return of people as sectors of the evacuated area are made relatively safe whilst other areas continue to be isolated or restricted. On-going support may be needed for those who have experienced property loss or injury. 4. VULNERABLE PEOPLE People with significant health issues and those who care for them, including specific care facilities, face numerous challenges because they may need more time, resources, support and assistance to safely evacuate. Specific care facilities should have existing evacuation plans in place to appropriately plan for and effect evacuations when this is recommended. There will be vulnerable people who neither identify themselves as vulnerable nor have appropriate support through carers, friends or families to respond appropriately to a decision or direction to evacuate. Evacuation plans need to be flexible to cater for circumstances where these people or groups are identified. Page 177 Version December 2015

178 Page 178 Version December 2015

179 Annex J ANNEX J - PUBLIC INFORMATION AND WARNINGS Page 179 Version December 2015

180 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. This document forms part of the content of the State Emergency Management Plan, a requirement of the State Emergency Management Act The intent of this document is to provide the South Australian emergency management community with a best practice framework around the issue of public information and warnings with the aim that increased public safety will be achieved by ensuring standardisation in the consideration, construction, dissemination and resultant consequence management of public information and warnings To this end, all agencies and individuals responsible for, or involved in, the management of emergency and disaster situations, where public information or warnings are a necessary and expedient tool, are required to comply with the guidance and principles contained within this document This document considers public information as part of an ongoing process, utilising a variety of different mediums, in order to educate and inform the public about events and situations that may be of general interest or impact upon their safety in some way. By agencies normalising this information flow to the public, as part of day to day business, communities are more likely to know where to find and more likely to trust specific, threat based, information and act in an appropriate way. 2. LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE OBLIGATIONS 2.1. This Annexure has been written to support compliance with the following legislative, contractual and national policy obligations that relate to the issuing of public warnings: 2.2. NATIONAL Telecommunications Act (Cwlth) 1997 Telecommunications Act (Cwlth) Amendment 2006 Telecommunications Act (Cwlth) IPND Amendment 2009 Telecommunications (Data for Emergency Warning Systems) (Cwlth) Instrument 2009 National Emergency Warning System Contract: Schedules Sept 2009 Deed Poll User Agreement Location Based Number System Deed Poll User Agreement Schedule A: Notice for Disclosure of IPND Data Page 180 Version December 2015

181 2.3. STATE Emergency Warnings Choosing your Words. Edition 2. December ISBN Link: Warnings/Pages/Emergencywarningscommunication.aspx National Guidelines and Broadcast Levels Chart for the Broadcast of Emergency Public Warnings ISBN Australian Emergency Management Arrangements ISBN National Principles for Warnings (MCPEM approved 2008) National Telephony Warning System Guidelines V /2012 Emergency Management Act (SA) 2004 Fire and Emergency Services Act (SA) The Core Principles of Public Information and Warnings 3.1. Public safety is the highest priority The primary responsibility for public information lies with the control agency as per the SEMP Information flow should be provided regularly to keep the public informed and should only be restricted in the interests of safety and/or operational security Public information and media responses/ releases must undergo all necessary clearances by the responsible agency/ies preparing the response/release Agencies aim to coordinate messages to ensure consistency of information being provided Agencies should aim to avoid unapproved comment on, or speak on behalf of, another agency s area of responsibility All agencies have a responsibility to ensure adequate training and resources to respond to any situation/incident The above principles have been adopted from the National Security Public Information Guidelines. Whilst they relate to the release of information on matters relevant to national security, they have equal relevance during any emergency or major incident. 4. Context of this Document 4.1. Public Information is one of the 13 Functional Services that perform functional roles that support response and recovery activities during an emergency. Page 181 Version December 2015

182 4.2. Under the Public Information Functional Service (PIFS), there is an appointed State Controller Public Information (SCPI) The SCPI assists in the effective conduct of response and recovery operations by coordinating the release of official, timely and accurate information to the media and public concerning the disaster/major emergency, including measures being undertaken or planned to respond to such situations The primary responsibility for the release of public information rests with the control agency. The coordinating agency or any other agency can assist by amplifying the message (without altering the intent) through their respective communication mediums In addition to this the PIFS will support the release of public information by: ensuring the consistent and coordinated free flow of accurate and timely information to the media and the community; monitoring the preparation and broadcasting of official warnings and public information without taking away the responsibility of the control agency to promulgate information relating to the incident. monitoring all communication mediums, including social media to identify gaps and/or debunk false or misleading information; and, providing a single liaison point to ensure accurate, timely and relevant information is provided and disseminated to the community from all organisations or agencies involved in the emergency The PIFS membership comprises media/public affairs representatives from each of the Functional Services, and other agencies that may be involved in preparedness, response or recovery operations. The PIFS maintains a contact list of all government media/public affairs representatives During any period of major incident or emergency members on the PIFS contact list may be called upon to assist the Functional Service or another agency in releasing or monitoring public information relating to the particular incident or emergency Any request by an agency for additional support (under paragraph 4.7.) should be directed through the SCPI This annexure provides state level protocols required to support a consistent and compliant position on the use of community information Page 182 Version December 2015

183 and warning systems during emergencies in accordance with nationally agreed guidelines and protocols Control agencies will integrate this Annexure into their agency specific emergency management operational practices. Agencies shall ensure that warning procedures are well documented, communicated and understood by all relevant emergency services staff. Page 183 Version December 2015

184 National Guidelines/Principles/Plans/Protocols National Warnings Principles (12 system framework principles, MCPEM 2008) AFAC Scaled Advice and Warnings Framework (bushifre) Emergency Warnings Choosing your words (2009) Model arrangements for leadership during emergencies of national consequence (AEMA) National Guidelines for the use of SEWS National Disaster Resilience Strategy National Inclusivity Communication Guidelines (DRAFT) National guidelines for the Broadcast of Emergency Warnings National Telephony System Guidelines Emergency Alert User Guide State Guidelines/Principles/Plans/Protocols State Emergency Management Plan Alert SA protocols State Emergency Management Plan Public Information Annexure Agency Operating Protocols/Procedures Control agencies Page 184 Version December 2015 Hazard leaders

185 5. COMMUNITY INFORMATION AND WARNING PROCESS 5.1. The twelve principles for dissemination of public information and warnings as approved by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2008: 1. Coordinated: a warning system should avoid duplication of effort where possible and support a shared understanding of the situation among different agencies involved in managing the incident. 2. Authoritative and accountable: warnings are to be disseminated on the decision of an authorised person. Authorities should be able to interrogate the system components for later analysis. 3. Consistent / Standards based: the information content is coordinated across all of the mechanisms used for warnings. Messages must be consistent across different sources if they are to be believed by the general population. Conflicting messages tend to create uncertainty and will delay responsive action. Any relevant identified standards will underpin the agreed System Framework. 4. Complete: message content should include relevant pertinent details, including possibly a direction on the need to consult other sources, presented in a way that is easily and quickly understood by the population. This includes multiple languages in some cases, as well as the use of multi-media for those who are illiterate or people with a disability (eg hearing or vision impaired). 5. Multi-modal: warnings are to be disseminated using a variety of delivery mechanisms and in multiple information presentation formats that will, in some circumstances, complement each other to produce a complete picture, with planning and processes to allow for maximum reach to all members of the community and to provide for redundancies in the case of critical infrastructure failure (eg power or telecommunications). 6. All-hazards: any emergency warning system developed will be capable of providing warnings, where practicable, for any type of emergency. 7. Targeted: messages should be targeted to those communities at risk in order to reduce the complacency that can result from people receiving warnings that do not apply to them over warning. Page 185 Version December 2015

186 8. Interoperable: has coordinated delivery methods capable of operation across jurisdictional borders for issuing warnings. 9. Accessible and responsive: capable of responding to and delivering warnings in an environment of demographic, social and technological change. Recognise the criticality of adopting universal design and access principles, particularly in the development and acquisition of technologies. 10. Verifiable: the community is able to verify and authenticate the warnings to reduce incidents of accidental activations and prevent malicious attempts to issue false alerts to a population. 11. Underpinned by education and awareness raising activities: the system, any delivery mechanisms that constitute it and the language used in the warning messages it delivers, should be underpinned by appropriate education and awareness raising activities. 12. Compatible: with the existing telecommunications networks and infrastructure without adversely impacting on the normal telephone and broadcast system. The system should avoid any adverse operational, technical or commercial implications for the provision of current communications services to consumers and on the integrity of communications networks South Australian control agencies will seek to implement community information and warnings that are consistent with these principles. 6. TERRORISM SPECIFIC PUBLIC INFORMATION ARRANGEMENTS 6.1. During any incident suspected of being terrorist related, the public information spokesperson arrangements will change At this time, the only spokespersons for the State Government are the Premier and the Commissioner of Police The State Controller Public Information will ensure all agencies are aware of the changes to the public information arrangements. Agencies will be required to work with the Commissioner of Police Media Director and Premiers Media Officer, to ensure that the requirements of the National Counterterrorism Plan are followed. Page 186 Version December 2015

187 7. MESSAGE DISSEMINATION AND SUPPORTING SYSTEMS 7.1. Community information and warning methods are utilised by authorities to warn or inform relevant communities of an impending emergency and/or provide them with appropriate information or advice on heightened risk situations Control agencies will need to consider the integrated nature of the communication systems and the potential for miscommunication The method chosen for issuing information and warnings will vary depending on the nature of the emergency, community demographics, availability of systems and desired action from the community Control agencies should use all possible means to disseminate community emergency information and warnings to ensure, as far as practicable, that individuals within the community have suitable and sufficient information delivered in a timely fashion, regarding emergencies as defined by the State Emergency Management Act 2004 and Fire and Emergency Services Act The following public information and warning methods are available for use by all control agencies It should be noted that the advantages and disadvantages listed are provided as guidance only. Page 187 Version December 2015

188 Methods Advantages Disadvantages s Emergency Alert (telephone warning system) Time effective Reviewable by recipient Able to target specific at risk location with warning. Provides a quick alert to a specific community Availability and currency of database / contact list 160 character Short Message Service (SMS) and 5000 for landline. Requires consequence management Emergency Information Call Centres Ability for control agencies to provide authoritative information supportive of either an EA or other media campaign Control agency responsible for providing information content to Interactive Voice Response (IVR) messages Ability to manage and satisfy public information request with minimum agency resources. Time to set up and maintain current and accurate content Likely overflow to available call operators Leaflets/newsletters Livestream Video Comprehensive information Person/s in authority can have their complete message broadcast rather than edited by a media outlet providing a level of comprehensive information. The full conference can be archived allowing the public who may have missed the live version Timeliness of distribution Resources for distribution during emergency event Viewing of a Livestreamed event requires a person to have access to an appropriately enabled device. Livestream range is limited by 4G coverage so the conference itself must occur currently within the Adelaide CBD. That is there is no capacity to conduct a Livestreamed press conference from the scene of an Page 188 Version December 2015

189 Loud hailers to access it at any time. It is accessible from a desktop or smartphone device with internet access. Immediate warning tool that can be used on the ground incident, however this would not preclude a recorded conference being later downloaded for viewing. Specific target group only Media releases Fairly rapid tool to warn media outlets Events likely to be newsworthy and result in rapid promulgation. Miscommunication Increased media attention and management Availability of media resources Time of day publishing deadlines etc Mobile Phone Applications (Apps) Increasing availability. Ability to push information based on user selected preferences. Limited by connectivity to data service National Registration and Inquiry System Provides a self initiated resource for displaced persons to get in contact with relatives etc National Registration and Inquiry System Neighbourhood/community meetings Person-person/door knocking Able to provide key safety message to a large group of potentially impacted communities Less confusion in meaning to targeted individuals Timeliness of meeting Resources Time available Page 189 Version December 2015

190 Radio Positive action response Local radio warnings well known Carry SEWS signal where required Wide coverage potential Risk to personnel Unknown public access to radio at time of warning Availability of media resources Time of day publishing deadlines etc Sirens (if used by control agency) Local impact Availability and consistency in application Intent in use and resultant understanding by public may differ May create fear disproportionate to threat Social media Accessibility Moderation of content Standard Emergency Warning Signal (SEWS) Alerting sound to increase awareness of broadcasted emergency warnings. Standard signal across all hazards. Specific criteria for its use. Television Carry SEWS signal where required Wide coverage potential Unknown public access to television at time of warning Time of day broadcast deadlines etc Websites Readily populated and updated content Good accessibility to authoritative information Unknown public access to internet Page 190 Version December 2015

191 7.7. Factors that need to be considered by control agencies when considering the most appropriate method for issuing a warning include: Type of emergency, incident or threat The community at risk Urgency/timeliness of the message Impact and threat to lives, property and environment Consequences of the message Actions required of the community as a result of the message Authorisation processes and timescales for this Community behaviour and perceptions at the time of issuing the message (including debunking any misinformation or myths surrounding the particular incident) Communication mediums that may have been impacted by the emergency, e.g. mobile phone towers, telephone landlines In addition to other methods of disseminating public information and warnings, the Control Agency is responsible to ensure that all live televised warnings, or major public information press conferences (eg attended by the Premier, State Coordinator and or State Controller) issues for declared emergencies are supported with the use of an accredited Australian Sign Language (Auslan) interpreter. In the event that securing an accredited Auslan interpreter would cause critical delay in the broadcasting of an urgent message to the community the Control Agency will determine if the message should be broadcast without that support Control agency plans, hazard plans and support plans will describe the application of these methods as appropriate for the hazard It is the responsibility of control agencies to ensure that this is taken into consideration in any community information and warning process. 8. DECISION MAKING AND AUTHORISATION / ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR COMMUNITY INFORMATION AND WARNINGS 8.1. The Control Agency has the responsibility to issue warnings to the potentially affected community, and to provide advice to other agencies of this notification. Control agencies are responsible for ensuring they have pre-planned triggers, Page 191 Version June 2015

192 procedures and systems in place to ensure that accurate, timely and relevant warnings can be issued The control agency may have arrangements in place with an official warning agency, such as the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), to issue messages that will be constructed and issued by that official warning agency. During a non declared emergency, SAPOL maintains its coordination role by using the resources and facilities of the Public Information Functional Service Plan to ensure control agencies and support agencies are providing appropriate public information. The SCPI will be the SAPOL representative for this task During a declared emergency the Public Information Functional Service Plan will be activated to undertake the same roles and has a responsibility to ensure that information and appropriate warnings are provided by the control agency, and to ensure that any information gaps are addressed. It has an oversight role in ensuring public information and warnings are distributed as appropriate The role of the Public Information Functional Service is described in Annex B of the State Emergency Management Plan. The Public Information Functional Service Plan describes its methods of operation in detail To ensure that both of these activities/actions are taking place in a seamless manner, the Public Information Functional Service maintains an ongoing oversight of all media public information activities During the recovery phase, a Communications Co-ordinator will be appointed to undertake public information duties. To assist in maintaining the continuity in the use of community emergency information and warning systems there will be a handover and ongoing support provided as required from the Public Information Functional Service. 9. MESSAGE CONSTRUCTION 9.1. The Commonwealth Government defines the purpose of public warnings as achieving two outcomes: a) Inform the community of an impending or current threat. b) Promote appropriate responsive actions. Page 192 Version June 2015

193 9.2. It may not, for example, be appropriate or desirable for a Control Agency to identify information that has the potential to cause widespread panic, for example in the event of a potential or confirmed CBRN incident The use of limited information, or indeed, public subterfuge may be appropriate under these circumstances Control agencies should also be aware of the definition of an emergency when considering the use of public warning systems The issuing of information and warnings to the South Australian community has two outcomes firstly to inform the community of an impending or imminent threat, and to promote appropriate actions as a result of that threat Information and Warnings issued by SA control agencies will be worded to support these two outcomes utilising available information, decision making and risk assessment methods While control agencies provide information and warnings to the SA community, the overall success of the information and warning is determined by the communities ability to understand the message and take appropriate actions as a result. 10. Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) Warnings Where a BOM warning has been issued, agencies disseminating that warning should use BOM warning terminology precisely. 11. Levels of Public Information and Warnings South Australia has adopted the nationally agreed Scaled Advice and Warnings Framework which encompasses: a) Advice These messages are to keep people informed and up to date with developments. b) Watch and Act These messages support the need for people to be aware of their situation and the circumstances around them and to take action to prepare and protect themselves, their family and neighbours. c) Emergency Warning This is calibrated to the highest level of risk to life and aligned with the principle message that the Page 193 Version June 2015

194 safest option is to not be near the fire or emergency threat. The standard emergency warning signal (SEWS) would be played with this message To assist the public in recognising the various warning types used, and their associated meanings, the following colours should be used. Advice Blue Watch & Act Yellow Emergency Warning Red The following colour formulas are provided as a guide: Blue (H:160 S:240 B:120 R: 0 G: 0 B: 255) Yellow (H:60 S:100 B:100 R:255 G:255 B:0) Red (H:0 S:240 B:120 R:255 G:0 B:0) Colours should be used by the issuing agency to appropriately identify the warning type in any image or graphic device used to support their publication e.g. web based media Control agencies will ensure their community information and warnings align with this framework Control agencies should also include in their operational policies the need to down-grade or close off the warnings cycle once the threat has passed or reduced. Advice or Watch and Act messages can support this requirement. 12. Emergency Warnings - Choosing Your Words Control agencies will endeavour to comply with the guiding principles contained within the Emergency Management Australia - Choosing your Words when drafting and issuing messages This document can be located by following the link shown in section 2.2. Legal and Administrative Obligations. 13. STANDARD EMERGENCY WARNING SIGNAL The Standard Emergency Warning Signal (SEWS) is a distinctive audio sound designed to alert radio/television listeners/viewers that an official emergency warning is about to be made concerning an actual or imminent emergency that has the potential to affect them. Page 194 Version June 2015

195 13.2. Criteria for the use of SEWS The SEWS is only to be used in threatening circumstances when it is necessary for the population to take some action to reduce potential loss to life or property. Care must be taken to maintain the status and effectiveness of the signal by limiting its use to significant events as determined by the Control Agency in close consultation with the Coordinating Agency. These may include: Major urban or rural fires; Extreme weather; Major flooding and/or dam burst; Major earthquakes; Major hazardous material emergencies; Major pollution emergencies; Human caused events; Tsunami, Terrorism Decision to use SEWS The decision to use SEWS and to broadcast / transmit an emergency warning rests with the relevant Control Agency who will advise the Coordinating Agency (SAPOL) as soon as practicable Control agencies should consider the use of SEWS when developing operational policies for issuing community information and warnings and integrate the use of SEWS into their warnings frameworks Authority to use SEWS The SEWS is only to be used under strict instruction. It can only be broadcast when approved by a State Controller, who is also authorised under s17 of the Act Cancellation of the SEWS request The cancellation of a SEWS request will be undertaken by the State Controller of the respective Control Agency. Telephone and facsimile message or telephone and electronic communication to the relevant radio/television station and stakeholders will be used to confirm a cancellation. Page 195 Version June 2015

196 14. EMERGENCY ALERT Emergency Alert can assist to provide a quick warning delivered via Short Message Service (SMS) or landline messaging to members of the community. The Emergency Alert warning system can be utilised to directly inform the community of emergencies based on a geographical area within a relatively short timeframe The warnings are geographically defined to ensure they target the intended communities in the most effective and timely manner. It should not be used as the sole means of communicating with an affected or potentially affected community as there are limitations to the length of content for the message and the time taken to disseminate a message To ensure the Emergency Alert warnings reach the appropriate community members, control agencies must consider as a minimum a geographical boundary determined by available information, potential impacts and appropriate risk assessment Overall governance of the Emergency Alert system and its use is through the Alert SA State Protocol Control agency operational procedures for use of the Emergency Alert system will be embedded into control agency policy and procedures To ensure that inappropriate use of the system does not lead to complacency, there is a strict criterion for when an Emergency Alert can be issued. a) a purpose connected with persons being alerted to an emergency or a likely emergency; and b) for the purpose of reasonable testing of whether, in the event of an emergency occurring, persons would be able to be alerted to that emergency ('permitted purposes'). 15. Use of Emergency Alert by Other Government Agencies Agencies that may need to use the Emergency Alert System are the identified Control Agencies in Annex A of the SEMP. These include Agencies where access to the EA system is not provided under law and include, but is not limited to; Department of Primary Industries and Regions Department of Health Page 196 Version June 2015

197 Department for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Safe Work SA 15.2 Triggers for the use of Emergency Alert by other Government agencies are the same as those that would be applied to any event that may be considered as an Identified Major Incident (IMI), Major Emergency (ME) or Disaster, where the use of Emergency Alert is considered as an option to warn people about an emergency situation as defined by the Emergency Management Act Control agencies without direct access to Emergency Alert are able to request its use via the Commissioner of Police in his/her capacity as the State Coordinator under the State Emergency Management Plan. The final decision as to whether the incident meets the legislative criteria for issuing the message using the Emergency Alert system rests with the State Coordinator Requests for the use of Emergency Alert by hazard leaders will be managed on a case by case basis If an Emergency Alert was issued by SAPOL (as the coordinating agency) on behalf of the control agency, then the requesting agency would also be asked to meet the associated costs for issuing the message and any supporting systems or consequence management strategies put in place such as supporting information call centres and usage charges of the system Contact details for the State Coordinator are contained in Annex B Functional Services of the SEMP, under Police. 16. Warning Message Coordination In the event that multiple Emergency Alert warnings are simultaneously required by the one Control Agency, the relevant Control Agency will decide the prioritisation of the messages In the event that multiple agencies require the use of Emergency Alert simultaneously the State Coordinator will provide direction and decision making in the prioritisation of the messages. 17. INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE (IVR) IVR is an automated telephone answering system which provides recorded messages relating to an incident and allows callers to be directed to further information or a call centre Page 197 Version June 2015

198 operator. IVR information may be used for significant incidents in its own right or as an adjunct to the Emergency Alert system IVR messages should support the intended community emergency information and warnings process and not contradict any aspect of the information already provided. Overall governance of IVR system and its use is through the Alert SA State Protocol Agencies are responsible for developing and publishing appropriate operational policy and procedure to define and support the use of IVR including content management and supporting systems during incidents. 18. AGENCY EMERGENCY INFORMATION CALL CENTRES Emergency information call centres such as the CFS Bushfire Information Line and SES response and information line work to support the incoming calls and enquiries for information from the community These calls may be as a direct result of issuing a warning to the community or a request as a result of an increased risk to the community Control agencies are responsible for maintenance, testing and training of their individual agency emergency information call centre. 19. STATE EMERGENCY INFORMATION CALL CENTRE CAPABILITY (SEICCC) The State Emergency Information Call Centre Capability is a call centre capability able to provide emergency information to the community relating to the response and recovery phases of major incidents. This service can be activated where the control agency or the State Recovery Office (SRO) is not able to manage the incoming call volumes from the community. These calls may be, but not exclusively, prompted by the sending of an Emergency Alert message Control agencies and the SRO should ensure agreements are in place to support the SEICCC and the necessary information flows to enable information provision to the SA community through this method The SEICCC on call manager can be contacted on Page 198 Version June 2015

199 20. NATIONAL EMERGENCY CALL CENTRE SURGE CAPABILITY (NECCSC) In the event of an emergency where the Control Agency's call centre capability and that of State Emergency Information Call Centre Capability reaches peak capacity and is unable to meet demand, or it can be reasonably anticipated that such circumstances are likely to occur, assistance can be requested from the Commonwealth to access the NECCSC All requests for assistance must be made via the Chief Executive, SA Fire and Emergency Services Commission whom is the State point of contact for the NECCSC. 21. SOCIAL MEDIA Control agencies may decide to utilise social media channels to support the dissemination of their community information and warnings. The use of social media in disseminating community information and warnings will be documented by control agencies with consideration of multi agency incidents and the management of multiple messages When considering the use of social media, recognition of existing topics or hashtags (# tags) that are being used needs to be included and strategies for multi agency response considered. The Control Agency, in conjunction with the SCPI, is responsible for determining the hashtag for use with Twitter during large scale, multiple agency events to ensure consistency of messages is maintained Control agencies are responsible for the distribution of their messages and supporting agencies should seek to support dissemination of community information and warnings through the redistribution of information whilst maintaining the originators ownership for that message The Alert SA website ( is provided by the CEIWS program board to bring together the social media feeds from SAPOL, MFS, CFS and SES as well as RSS feeds from the BOM Other Agencies are able to request the placement of ad-hoc feeds on the Alert SA Website by contacting the CEIWS Program Senior Project Officer on Page 199 Version June 2015

200 22. CROSS BORDER WARNINGS For emergencies impacting or crossing State borders, Control Agencies will be responsible for engaging with other impacted State/s to discuss cross-border issues and warning requirements. These arrangements should mirror existing cross-border arrangements Control agency operating procedures for community information and warnings are to reflect these cross-border considerations The overriding principle is that if the emergency is life threatening the warning should be issued without delay. Where practical, the Control Agency issuing the warning should advise the other State/s that the emergency may be or is impacting on that State and that the warning issued has cross-border coverage. 23. Consequence Management of Public Information and Warnings Control agencies are responsible for ensuring that appropriate information should be made available at alternate information sites (radio, web, information call centres etc) prior to the release of the warning to reduce the reliance on telephony information services It is recognised that on some occasions, community information and warnings will need to be issued without the establishment of supporting systems and/or notifications to other potentially impacted agencies. In the event that an emergency warning is required to be issued immediately and it has not been possible to ensure consultation has occurred with any other agency likely to be impacted prior to it being issued, control agencies will commit to ensuring that the situation will be communicated to these other agencies as soon as possible after issuing. 24. Impact upon Emergency Triple Zero Control Agencies issuing an emergency warning are responsible for ensuring all state emergency call centres have been advised to allow the agency to monitor the impact upon Emergency Triple Zero (000) and their respective public information lines and call centres operators To minimise the potential impact created by members of the public dialling Emergency Triple Zero (000) seeking information by rather than to report or access emergency assistance, control agencies should ensure that Emergency Warnings clearly Page 200 Version June 2015

201 identify their public information lines in the construction of the messages to the community Interactive Voice Response (IVR) lines provide pre-recorded incident information to a caller (as well as the option to speak to someone), will further assist the agency call centres to manage potentially large call volumes during emergency events, whilst minimising the impact on call centre operators. 25. OPERATIONAL LOGS AND RECORDING All control agencies are to ensure that they maintain accurate records of all decision-making activities, processes and messages issued to the community. These arrangements should be documented within control agency operational procedures. 26. OPERATIONAL DEBRIEFING At the end of the emergency, a post emergency assessment and debriefing process is also to be undertaken by the relevant control agencies to routinely review the effectiveness of community information warning systems, including, but not limited to: the degree to which the warnings resulted in intended changes in behaviour the appropriateness of information provided the effectiveness of warning delivery methods, and the cost benefit and cost efficiency of the warning system and/or methods used This process may form part of a broader debrief for an incident. Page 201 Version June 2015

202 Appendix A: Page 202 Version December 2014