Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
As climate changes, Sydney is at greater risk to bushfire events. In an extreme bushfire events Sydney would not be able to cope due to our management hierarchy system. The solution will be to reconstruct our emergency management system. The new system will be more efficient in response time, true coordinated government hierarchy, accountability for each level of government involved and better allocated and multi skilled resources.
Citation preview
GOVERNANCEcrisis and the melt down of emergency
management communications
chora.org
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT3 LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT IN
AUSTRALIA
In the Sydney Metropolitan area there are 38 LGA’s –
17 ‘Outer Sydney’ and 21 ‘Inner Sydney’
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS
WHO CONTROLS SYDNEY?
There are 330 Agencies and Departments with a vested interest in Sydney and NSW…
Department of Environment
and Climate Change
Department of Community Services
Department of Health
Rural Fire Service NSW
Police Force NSW
State Emergency
Service
State Rescue Board of NSW
Fire Brigade NSW
Ambulance Service NSW
Department of Planning
BUSHFIRE IN SYDNEY• Sydney is situated:
At latitude 35°, sub-tropical high pressure system:clear skieslight windslow humidity warm conditions
Highest bushfire incidence area in Australia (recurrence-interval pattern of major bushfire outbreaks of less than three years) (Chapman, 2000)
Seasonal variation can result in climate differences:summer temperatures over 30’s centigrade low humidity warm winds
• Ecological habitatLocated on a green crescent which extends across south-eastern Australiapredominate by fire adapted sclerophyll eucalyptus forests and bushland (Chapman, 2000)
BUSHFIRE IN SYDNEYThe combination of hotter days due to climate change (Australian
Greenhouse Office, 2007) , increasing levels of evaporation and demographic pressures for development in and near to bush land in the next few years will
result in greater vulnerability to effects to bushfire events.
STATISTICS
• Over 85 fires• 4,500 firefighters
• 90 aircraft • Over 1million acres burned
• 50 houses destroyed •1 death
• Power blackouts • Road & Rail chaos
• Estimated cost over A$100 million
SYDNEY 2002-2003 BUSHFIRE
Source: University of Wollongong, 2007, Fire History of Australia
CRISIS
What would happen in the case of an extreme bushfire event which engulfs
Sydney?
How would our current emergency management hierarchy cope?
A melt down of the system
A slow response to a quick approaching & devastating fire
HIERARCHY MELTDOWN
SYDNEY
THE SOLUTION
CRISIS
2 LGA POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO METROPOLITAN
STRATEGY
RESOURCE ALLOCATION
RESTRUCTURING OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
NEW STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT BODY
THE SOLUTION
CRISIS
2 LGA POLICY
SOLUTION
RESTRUCTURING OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
2 LGA POLICY
CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHEN NEW STATE
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT BODY
GETS INVOLVED
WHEN EMERGENCY CROSSES AN LGA OR
GOVERNMENT BOUNDARY
THE SOLUTION
CRISIS
2 LGA POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO METROPOLITAN
STRATEGY
SOLUTION
RESTRUCTURING OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
SYDNEY METROPOLITAN STRATEGY
NO MENTION OF BUSHFIRE MANAGEMENT POLICIES IN STRATEGY:
• REVISED POLICY:Increase set back to a minimum 100 metres between
developments and forests and bush land (Existing minimum setback required 20 metres) - (Planning for Bushfire 2001)
• REDUCE THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE FIRE PRONE BUSH LAND AND FRINGES OF THE CITY BY:
• Increase densities of existing LGAs• condense the proposed new south-west and north-west growing zones
THE SOLUTION
CRISIS
2 LGA POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO METROPOLITAN
STRATEGY
RESOURCE ALLOCATION
SOLUTION
RESTRUCTURING OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
RESOURCE ALLOCATIONNEW STATE EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT BODY
• INVESTING IN LOCAL RESOURCES
• TRAINING OF LOCAL RESOURCES
• MULTI-SKILLED RESOURCES
• VOLUNTEER AND PAID WORKERS
TO PROVIDE A STATE WIDE LOCAL NETWORK
RESOURCE ALLOCATIONRESPONSIBILITIES
LGA BOUNDARY CROSSING NEW
STATE BODY ALLOCATES RESOURCES
5 OR MORE LGA BOUNDARY CROSSING
AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE IS PUT
ON ALERT
AUSTRALIAN GOVT
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
TAKES CONTROL
CONCLUSION
In the event of a large scale emergency such as bush fires
the new structure would provide:– More efficient response times– A truly coordinated government hierarchy– More accountability for each level of government
involved– Better allocated and multi-skilled resources
All lead to limiting the loss of lives and property in emergency situations
