Local Government & Emergency Management

Your local council has a wide range of roles to play in planning for and responding to an emergency. It works in cooperation with key State government emergency management agencies such as the police, fire authorities, ambulance services and VICSES to ensure a coordinated approach to emergency events and a safer outcome for communities.

Municipal councils are required to appoint committees to plan for the use of municipal resources in emergency management. They are also required to appoint a municipal emergency resources officer and a municipal recovery manager to coordinate the allocation of council resources in emergencies.

Each council is required by law to prepare a Municipal Emergency Management (MEM) Plan. This plan must consider each potential emergency situation and develop generic principles and arrangements that can be activated in any emergency situation.

A MEM Plan records a municipality’s emergency management arrangements and includes:

1. key geographic and demographic information about the municipal district
2. the results of emergency risk analyses performed
3. outlines of risk reduction strategies
4. information about public awareness and education campaigns and other actions taken to increase community resilience
5. arrangements for the management of response and recovery activities
6. contact lists of key council staff and other personnel needed during an emergency
7. information on access to resources owned or controlled by the council, which are available for prevention, response and recovery activities, including the contact details of suppliers.

Emergency Service Agencies

There are many emergency service agencies in Victoria that specialise in preparing for, and responding to, specific emergency situations. You are encouraged to contact the relevant emergency service agencies to assist you with your emergency management planning.

Following is a list of important contacts for a range of emergency incidents.

NB: Do not call triple zero for information or advice only. Triple zero operators are not provided with information specific to an emergency and cannot assist with such advice. Calling triple zero unnecessarily may put others who are in a genuine emergency situation at risk.