• Multi-Agency Approach to Disaster Resilience

Multi-Agency Approach to Disaster Resilience

Marty Webster
Community Safety Officer Far South Coast
NSW Rural Fire Service

Alexandra McFadden
Community Engagement Coordinator
NSW State Emergency Service

Bega Valley Shire agencies experienced difficulty engaging communities who perceived their level of risk to natural hazards, such as bush fires or floods, as low. In seeking to address this challenge, Local Emergency Management Committee members recognised that the fundamentals of messages across most man-made and natural hazards were consistent – people have to acknowledge their risk, prepare and plan, in order to increase their chances of survival in an emergency.
Significant advantages have been realised in combining agency efforts rather than individually competing for community attention. The inter-agency approach has enabled the partner agencies (NSW Rural Fire Service, NSW State Emergency Service and Red Cross) to access a much wider cross-section of the community than would have been possible independently.