Inclusive Emergency Management

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Inclusive Emergency Management

• VDAN / DANA Conference 18th November 2009
• Publications http//afcl.org.au/resources/Pages/P
  ublications.aspx
• Media Releases
• http//afcl.org.au/resources/Pages/MediaReleases.a
  spx
• Susan Stork-Finlay, Project Coordinator
• Disability Emergency Management Advocacy
• Action for Community Living Auspice
• abilitiesot_at_uniting.com.au 0458 98
  1476

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DEMA Disability Emergency Management Advocacy

• Advocating for people with disabilities and
  seniors in emergency management
• Terms of Reference policy, research, monitoring,
  advocacy, coordinating
• Over 180 participants
• Government Departments Emergency Services
• Local Government Disability,Aged Sector
• Health, Community Sector Individuals

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• Forums, Consultations
• Research
• Emergency Management Australia Library,
• Bushfire CRC,
• World Health Organisation,
• Handicap International

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• Submissions
• 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission
• Heatwave Planning Guide, Department of Human
  Services
• Climate Change Green Paper submission
  consultation
• State Budget submission consultation
• Representation
• Community Registers
• Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
  represented on National Communication Guidelines

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• VICTORIA must face up to the prospect that it has
  a higher risk of suffering bushfire fatalities
  than anywhere in the world, Royal Commission
  Chairman Bernard Teague. 011009 www.theage.com.au
• Children, the elderly and vulnerable should go
  to areas outside potential fire zones at the
  beginning of a day of Total Fire Ban.

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• Government would take no responsibility for
  providing transport or emergency accommodation to
  vulnerable people needing help to evacuate.
  Individuals and families will need to make their
  own judgments about how to respond and what
  actions to take,'' Jessica Harris, spokeswoman
  for Premier John Brumby told The Sunday Age
  15/11/09
• "There are many frail members of the community
  who have no means of transporting themselves or
  their pets away from danger.
• The Government claims the onus is on the
  individual to care for themselves in an
  emergency, but this is an impossible task for
  some.'' Peter Ryan, Opposition bushfire response
  spokesman, The Sunday Age 15/11/09

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Who is at risk in emergency management ?

• 20 population report a disability
• 13 population are seniors
• 46 population 15-74 year olds do not have
  functional literacy skills
• .. Single parents, Children,
• cultural and linguistically diverse
• medical conditions,experiencing previous
  trauma,
• low socioeconomic means
• challenging areas environmentally.
• TOTAL is majority NOT minority population

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DEMA Recommendations

• 1.   All hazards approach in community safety
  campaigns, includes heat wave, fire, storm and
  power outages.
• 2.   Policies to include emergency management
  strategies for all people
• 3. Multiple accessible formats for all
  communication
• 4. Multiple accessible formats for all community
  engagement and education
• 5. Provide the whole community with household
  emergency and relocation plans to complete, and
  support to complete these.

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DEMA Recommendations continued

• 6. Provide relocation transport and venues 7.
  Continuity of support services
• 8. Relief centres need to be universally
  accessible
• 9. Recovery services need to incorporate active
  community inclusion and mental health support
  services.10. Rebuilding with universal access
  design for housing and community buildings.

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Disasters human rights of persons with
disabilities a case for an ethical disaster
mitigation policy. A. Parr, Australian Journal
Emergency Management.

• Persons with disabilities should not have higher
  casualty rates in disasters.
• The specific rights of people with disabilities
  are their actual needs
• access to buildings, transport
• Disaster mitigation
• -procedures to facilitate people with
  disabilities preparing to cope
• -emergency services awareness needs people with
  disabilities

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PolicyLegislation

• United Nations Convention on the Human Rights of
  People with Disabilities
• Victorian Charter of Human Rights and
  Responsibilities Act 2006
• Disability Act 2006
• Victorian State Disability Plan
• Local Government Act Section 86
• Emergency Management Act 1986,
• Victorian Government External Communications
  Policy 2006

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United Nations Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities

• Article 11 - Situations of risk and humanitarian
  emergencies
• Parties shall take all necessary measures to
  ensure the protection and safety of persons with
  disabilities in situations of risk, including
  the occurrence of natural disasters

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Victorian Charter of Human Rights and
Responsibilities Act 2006

• Sets out our freedoms, rights and
  responsibilities.
• Shows our human rights
• Protects people from injustice
• Allows everyone to participate in and contribute
  to society. (www.humanrightscommision.vic.gov.au)

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Victorian State Disability Plan States

• People with a disability should take part in
  their local communities.
• People with a disability have the right to live
  and take part in community life as citizens of
  Victoria.
• (www.dhs.vic.gov.au)

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Disability Action Plans

• Section 28 Disability Act
• Each government department will write a
  Disability Action Plan.
• The plan will show how the government department
  will
• Support people with a disability to take part in
  the community
• Make it easier for people with a disability to
  use services that are in the community
• Government departments must put their plans into
  action and they will give a report every year.

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Emergency Management Act 1986

• Emergency Management Manual Victoria (EMMV).
• policy and planning framework for emergency
  management in Victoria and
• essential information for emergency management
  practitioners.

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Policy Recommendations State

• Create policy statements regarding people with
  disabilities and their needs in emergency plans
  and policies referenced to existing charters and
  legislation.
• Universal Declaration, Charter Human Rights
• Federal, State, Municipalities, Accommodation.
• Investigate best practice in emergency management
  policy.
• Develop policy blueprint for emergency management
  in Australia with adaptations for the local
  context
• Universal access and other requirements must be
  considered in all aspects of policy development.
• 5. Include emergency management in individual
  service plans
• 6. State government, emergency services,
  corporations and service sector must be aware of
  needs of people with disabilities

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Policy Recommendations Local

• Seniors and people with disabilities needs must
  be met in policy and all stages of emergency
  management planning and implementation
• Community engagement and consultation to discover
  the needs of the community
• Train local government, emergency services,
  corporations and service sector to include the
  needs of people with disabilities
• Local Government, key stakeholders, disability
  organisations and emergency services to share
  Municipal Emergency Management Plans and Risk
  profiles

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• 11. Assess risks and include specific data about
  individuals, organisations and larger facilities
  within the municipality re geography, disability,
  socioeconomic, CALD communities.12. Include
  emergency management in service plans for people
  with disabilities13. Well after other stages of
  an emergency there must be services and
  assistance for people with disabilities, long
  term access to relief centres, recovery and
  rebuilding services.

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State Health Emergency Response Plan

• www.dhs.vic.gov.au/emergency/health_displan
• Introducing a new State Health Emergency Response
  Plan (Health Displan) (pdf 1.07mb)
• State Health Emergency Response Plan
• First Aid Subplan (pdf 106kb)

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For further information on DHS and DH activities
leading up tobushfire season, e-mail
prepared_at_dhs.vic.gov.au. Copies of fact sheets
are available from the Better Health Channel at
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bushfire
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Emergency Management Branch http//www.dhs.vic.gov
.au/emergency

• - information available updating fire
  preparedness and emergency management plans
• - target resources, information, offer
  practical
• assistance when required
• - in response to Code Red days DHS will decide to
  relocate or shut down services where there is a
  high risk to staff, clients and property.

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• Public Health
• Bushfire
• Essential Service DisruptionFlood
• Other languages
• Fact sheets are also available in languages other
  than English

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• Bushfires Includes Bushfire smoke health, Fire
  retardants and health, Cleaning up after a
  bushfire, Ash from CCA-treated timber, Water
  tanks bushfires, Food safety and Heat stress
• FloodsIncludes Flood hazards - Protecting your
  health and safety, Protecting yourself from
  animal and insect-related hazards, Mould growth
  and your health, and Power blackouts - Using
  alternative fuel and electricity generation
  safely
• Heat stress Includes Heat stress - preventing
  heat-related illness
• Dust storms and health

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Disability Action Plan MFB

• Identify gaps in safety issues for older people
  and people with disabilities
• Develop programs / strategies or advocate for
  new technologies to address these gaps.
• Develop local profiles on disability services
  and disability communities relevant to each
  station.
• Continue to identify particular groups with fire
  safety issues and facilitate processes to
  determine actions, including advocacy, to address
  the issues.

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MFB Disability Action Plan

• Maintain a watching brief on technologies for
  early warning and addressing fire safety issues
  for people with disabilities.
• Continue education program for special schools,
  groups of people who have disabilities.
• audit local venues and public facilities for
  accessibility and egress of the staff and public
  - which may include people with a range of
  disabilities, in emergency situations

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Community Inclusion

• Straws in emergency relief centre kits.
• Community Boards in emergency relief centre kits
  -hard copies electronic
• DHS Shire of Yarra Ranges pilot project
  F.A.S.T. (Flexible, Achievable, Safe Timely)
  Emergency Management Plan for Aged Care
  Facilities
• Emergency Management Plan in Disability Action
  Plan

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Local GovernmentDisability Action Plan

• Governance Ensure that people with disabilities
  can equitably access Council governance
  structures and participate in consultation,
  decision making, and other processes and
  activities that are available to the broader
  community.
• Strategy Support and promote active citizenship
  and participation of people with disabilities as
  part of Council decision making.
• Actions Ensuring people with disabilities their
  families and carers are fully included in
  Council Emergency Management Planning.
• Responsible Business Unit/s and Officer role
  
• Manager Emergency Management
• Community Inclusion Planner

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Municipal Emergency Management Plan Sections to
consider vulnerable people

• 1.Introduction
• 2. Area description
• 3.Management Arrangements
• Municipal Emergency Management Plan committee,
  resource officer
• Public information warning
• Response/recovery handover
• 4.Prevention Arrangements
• Preparedness
• Risk management Prevention/mitigation plans
• Community awareness

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• 5. Response arrangements
• 6. Recovery arrangements
• - implementation
• Recovery subcommittee
• -transport -aid distribution volunteer
• - aged disability support, children, young
  people families
• -accommodation - information media liaison
• -personal support relief centres catering
• - health municipal recovery services
• -community recovery committee agencies
• 7. Support arrangements

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Municipal Emergency Management Plan aged
disability support, children, young people
families

• Impact Assessment
• Attendance initial briefings, updates
• Number, location, circumstances affected people
• Ethnicity
• Age cross-section of affected community
• Special needs groups- age, disability, CALD
• Number houses, buildings damaged/destroyed
• Extent of damage to essential services
• Establishment of visitation / outreach program

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Emergency Management Australia Guidelines for
Emergency Management in Culturally and
Linguistically Diverse Communities

• Develop a community profile
• Engage with community to build relationships to
  discover their needs
• Improve community access to the services relevant
  to emergency management
• Greater community preparation and resilience to
  respond to and recover from emergencies
• Skills and access to guidance and training
• Continue to feedback to the community
• Maribyrnong City Council Emergency Relief Centre
  Management for Culturally And Linguistically
  Diverse groups

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Communication Recommendations

• 1.      Investigate best practice to warn people
  of emergencies in many formats.
• 2.      Text information to be in Easy English
• 3.      Emergency warnings need to reach people
  with visual or hearing impairments, are
  illiterate and who do not understand English.
• 4.      Develop other plans for when electricity
  and telephone lines, mobile transmitters
  unavailable, or websites overloaded.
• 5.      Community sirens need to have all hazard
  usages. Now sold to towns separately, the sound
  may be different or have different meaning in
  different towns.
• 6.      Review distribution of information during
  emergency
• 7.      Sensitively enable emergency services
  personnel to keep in touch with family under
  threat whilst serving elsewhere.
• 8. Balance the emergency updates supplied to
  emergency services

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NEWS Office of Emergency Service Counselor
06/11/09

• National Telephone Warning System Guideline is
  almost ready.
• Advertisements will be translated into 30
  languages
• National market research testing by
• VicDeaf
• Vision Australia
• Australian Communication  Exchange
• Disability Emergency Management  Advocacy  
• Council of the Aging Victoria
• Centre for Disaster Studies (James Cook
  University)

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Official emergency broadcasters Office of
Emergency Service Counselor website 1426 /10/09

• Sky News 24 hour television channel, some
  commercial radio broadcasters
• share warnings straight away, repeat for as long
  as needed if asked by emergency services
• Includes interrupting programs and continuing
  coverage where needed
• All hazards include floods, earthquakes,
  windstorms and fires
• Skype television, website SMS message to their
  subscribers

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2. Hold the tabs to protect your hands. Stretch
out your arms in front of you.
1. Take hold of the two tabs. Pull the blanket
out of its container
3. Walk slowly towards the fire.
4. As the blanket hits the bottom of the pot,
drape the blanket over the fire.
MFB Home Fire Safety Simple English
7. Call 000. Firefighters will attend.
6. Turn off the gas/electricity at the stove or
at the main supply, but only if you feel safe.
5. Leave the blanket over the pot.
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Communication Resource Centre.

• Easy English Writing Style Guide.
• http//www.scopevic.org.au/therapy_crc_easyengli
  shstyleguide.html
• Using Images for Easy English.
• http//www.scopevic.org.au/ImagesforEasyE
  nglish.pdf
• Website Access - being developed
• Powerpoint Guide - soon to be published

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Community Engagement and Education
Recommendations

• Participation of seniors and people with
  disabilities in community consultations.
• Emergency personnel need disability awareness
  training.
• Develop community education across the services
• Emergency services, disability services and the
  local government to work together to provide
  community education.
•     

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Community Engagement and Education
Recommendations continued

• 5. Develop community education tools in a variety
  of formats
• 6. Deliver community education in a variety of
  settings
• 7. Provide individual community education
  resources for support staff to share
• 8. Provide home-based education for people unable
  to attend community education.
• 9. Provide follow-up and evaluation of community
  education.

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• Emergency Management DHS
• Resources available in coming weeks
• DHS website 051109 http//www.health.vic.gov.au/
  bushfire/

• Specific materials prepared for each service type
  and client group
• Feed these materials into emergency planning
  being undertaken at a regional, municipal and
  individual organisational level.
• Residential aged care providers, Home And
  Community Care providers, community disability
  service providers and people with a disability
• Public and community housing, homelessness
  support services, out of home care services for
  children and young people, youth justice
  custodial facilities, mental health and drug
  services, community health services and
  hospitals.

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Health and Human Services Emergency Management
People with a disability and bushfires Are you
prepared for bushfire?

• Your home
• Have your gutters been cleared?
• Are your lawns regularly cut?
• Have any branches overhanging your home been
  removed?
• Are the outside walls of your home clear of any
  stacked or stored things?
• Is your yard tidy with all rubbish removed?

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• Yourself
• Do you know the warning for high fire danger in
  your area?
• Have you organised with your family, friends or
  neighbours to stay in contact
• on high fire danger days?
• Do you have transport to leave your home on high
  fire dangers days?

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Yourself-continued

• Do you know what you need to take with you?
• Have you organised where you will go?
• Do you know where your local community will
  evacuate to if a fire occurs
• suddenly?
• Have you organised how you will get there if a
  fire occurs suddenly?

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• www.cfa.vic.gov.au 1800 240 667 TTY 1800 122
  969
• About Fire Danger Ratings     Fire Danger
  Warnings
•  Travelling during the fire season
• Health and mental health
• New school procedures
• School / kinder closures
• New clearing regulations
• Community Meetings
• Community Fireguard
• It is now the fire season and you should be
  fully prepared.

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CFA community education www.cfa.vic.gov.au
16/11/09

• Neighbourhood Safer Places Assessment Guideline
• Household Bushfire Site-Assessment Workbook
• Bushfire Survival Guide

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SES community education update

• Consultations with
• seniors
• Culturally And Linguistically Diverse communties
• Jewish Emergency Management Plan group
• Ethnic Commission Committee in Stonnington
• Project with
• Bureau of Meteorology
• Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Committees
  on appropriate interpretations
• Easy English, FloodSafe and StormSafe brochures

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Red Cross Rediplan www.redcross.org.au

• Get ready! children's activity bookletAfter the
  emergency children's activity bookletHousehold
  preparedness for seniors bookletCoping with a
  major personal crisis bookletCleaning up after
  flooding bookletGet ready! children's activity
  bookletAfter the emergency children's activity
  bookletHousehold preparedness for seniors
  bookletCoping with a major personal crisis
  bookletCleaning up after flooding booklet

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MFB http//www.mfb.vic.gov.au 05/11/09

• Through a variety of community education
  campaigns and programs, MFB firefighters work
  closely with Melbournes diverse communities,
  across all age groups, to promote community
  safety and coordinate emergency prevention
  activities.
• Older adults are a high risk group in fire. Some
  medications decrease mobility and hearing
• This can reduce your ability to detect and escape
  from fire.
• Hoarding project

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• Impairments can make it difficult for some people
  to respond quickly to a developing fire.
• Living alone can also increase your vulnerability
  to fire.
• You can do something about minimising the risk of
  fire in your home by considering the following
  important prevention advice and strategies...
  MFB Retire Ed

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• Reading available
• Backpacker Fire Safety Brochure (152.75 kb)
• Fire Safety for High Rise Apartments (145.17 kb)
• Child Minders Pocket Guide (60 kb)
• Retire Ed Brochure (789.61 kb)
• Summer Fire Safety (4.83 MB)
• Only Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives (739.46 kb) 
• Student Fire Safety Brochure (313 kb)
• Campus Fire Safety Brochure (1.72 MB)
• Home Fire Safety - Standard English (3.31 MB)
• Home Fire Safety - Simple English (3.31 MB)
• Home Fire Safety - Indigenous (3.31 MB)

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Household Emergency Plans and Survival Kits
Recommendations

• 1.      Emergency Services, Department Human
  Services, local government and support services
  need to work with seniors and people with
  disabilities to develop community and personal
  emergency plans.
• 2.      Best practice models of community
  education developed for household emergency
  plans, relocation and survival kits.
• 3.      Develop template for household emergency,
  relocation plans and survival kits.
• 4.      Consider extra needs of seniors and
  people with disabilities and their carers.

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• 5.      Resources available in multiple formats
  for people with sensory impairments, low literacy
  and cognitive processing difficulties
• 6.      Everyone provided with a household
  emergency plan and resources to create a survival
  kit.
• 7.      Provide individual support to help
  complete emergency and relocation plans and
  create survival kits.
• 8.      People with disabilities and their carers
  need to be aware of the relocation process by
  practicing a drill
• 9. Each year household emergency plan and
  survival kits to be updated

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Relocation Recommendations

• 1.      Improve processes that identify
  households at risk and need help to relocate.
• 2.      Use existing and new community registers,
  local and state government department databases
  of people who may need help to relocate.
• 3.      Enable emergency management sharing of
  database information.
• 4.      Develop plans to help people with
  disabilities to relocate.
• 5.      Develop plans for relocation transport
  for people
• with impaired mobility
• who dont have private transport.
• 6.      Enable people with disabilities to
  evacuate with their mobile aids and medical
  equipment.
• 7.      Consider duty of care for emergency
  services, support services and family.
• 8.      Provide appropriate accessible venues to
  relocate to with continuous support services.

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At Risk Registers

• Municipal Home And Community Care registers
• Personal Medical Alarm Services
• Unaccounted Persons
• Community Register InitiativeOffice Senior
  Victorians 06/11/09
• - 23 applications for new registers.
• All new registers will include people with a
  disability.
• -7 applications existing registers to include
  people with a disability.
•   Recommendations made, announcement of the
  successful applications is expected shortly.

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Relief Recommendations

• 1.      Ensure relief centres are accessible,
  including amenities, change tables.
• 2.      Ensure emergency accommodation includes
  accessible facilities
• 3.      Registration processes need to include
  indication of support needs required
• 4.      People who relocate need to have
  registration process so that they are included in
  relief efforts
• 5.      Plan for attendant care and nursing at
  relief centres for people with disabilities and
  those who become impaired in the emergency.
• 6.      Enable attendant carers and support
  services to service clients at the relief centres
  to provide care and expertise as to the
  individual needs.
• 7.      Enable people who relocate to another
  municipality continued support services at their
  temporary accommodation.

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• 6.      Enable attendant carers and support
  services to service clients at the relief centres
  to provide care and expertise as to the
  individual needs.
• 7.      Enable people who relocate to another
  municipality continued support services at their
  temporary accommodation.
• 8.      Provide food services meeting dietary
  requirements.
• 9.      Provide accessible transport for those
  without private transport to relief centre
  services.
• 10. Provide outreach of relief centre services
  for those who are unable to physically or
  mentally access the relief centres.

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• 11. Provide consistent case management, with
  understanding of ageing, cultural or disability
  issues.
• 12. Notification of community meetings needs to
  be delivered to the whole community, including
  those housebound.
• 13. Community meetings need to be held in
  accessible venues and information presented in
  alternative formats
• 14. Community meetings to be broadcast on
  community radio, web for those still unable to
  attend community meetings.
• 15. Outreach and mental health support services
  need to continue in the medium term after a
  significant emergency.

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Relief Centres

• SES
• Red Cross
• Municipal

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Recovery Recommendations

• 1.      Continue to provide relief services in
  the medium term as people access support
  services.
• 2.      Provide alternate support to those unable
  to access relief services and find it difficult
  to seek assistance.
• 3.      Commit to providing ongoing services for
  the next 2 years to the affected communities.
• 4.      Renew mental health support
• i)     Expand the Renew program to support people
  with mental health issues and trauma directly
  affected by the bushfires.
• ii)    Enhance the general counselling and mental
  health services for the general population, who
  have had limited access whilst resources have
  been diverted to the bushfire affected
  communities.
• iii)    Extend the Renew program for at least 2
  years as people affected by the bushfires process
  their experience, move through the stages of
  grief and reclaim their life and livelihood.

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www.health.vic.gov.au/mentalhealth.
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Health and Wellbeing Projects for Older People
Office Senior Victorians 06/11/09

• 2 year 1.3 Million grants Victorian Bushfire
  Appeal Fund.
• health and well being projects from older people
  affected by the 2009 bushfires start in early
  2010.
• grants
• o     Physical Activity Programs
• o     'Looking Forward' Gardening Activities and
• o     Social Connections

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Rebuilding Recommendations

• People with disabilities are given priority
  funding to rebuild accessible dwellings
• Bushfire-affected communities showcase universal
  access design principles to enable seniors, young
  families and people with disabilities to have
  access to all properties.
• All community buildings meet the best possible
  Australian Standards to enable universal access
  for all people
• Community buildings in high-risk areas enable
  universal access.
•  

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Actions for people with disabilities

• Develop your own emergency plan
• Seek assistance to complete
• Plan for
• When the power goes out
• Evacuating your house
• Relocating from your area
• What you need to take when moving
• Ensure someone else knows your plan

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Still At RiskInclusive Emergency Management
Forum

• Monday 9th November 2009
• Publications http//afcl.org.au/resources/Pages/P
  ublications.aspx
• Media Releases
• http//afcl.org.au/resources/Pages/MediaReleases.a
  spx
• Susan Stork-Finlay, Project Coordinator
• Disability Emergency Management Advocacy
• Action for Community Living Auspice
• abilitiesot_at_uniting.com.au 0458 98 1476