EMV and Airbnb prepare for fire season

EMERGENCY Management Victoria and Airbnb have encouraged Victorians to prepare for the summer season, including considering opening their Airbnb-listed homes in the event of an emergency to those in need.

Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said the organisations were asking everyone in the community to get ready and prepare themselves as early as possible.

“Importantly, I am pleased to say Victoria continues to lead the nation with this groundbreaking partnership with Airbnb. It gives Victoria an agile and scalable capability to better respond to large-scale natural disasters.”

Airbnb head of global disaster relief and Recovery Kellie Bentz said she had seen the Airbnb community come together many times and help those in need by opening their homes.

“Here in Victoria, I want to continue to give Airbnb hosts the information they need to ensure they are well prepared in case of emergency, and encourage them to consider opening their home if the event of an emergency.”

In 2016, the state government signed an Australian-first partnership with Airbnb to bolster Victoria’s emergency response.

In the event of an emergency or natural disaster, Airbnb will connect local residents who have been displaced – as well as emergency management personnel and volunteers who are coming in to assist – with local Airbnb hosts who are opening their homes free of charge. Under the partnership, Emergency Management Victoria and Airbnb are working together to identify Airbnb hosts who will commit to opening their doors in the event of an emergency, provide emergency preparedness educational materials and facilitate access to community education programs for Airbnb hosts, and use Airbnb technology to notify hosts and guests about significant emergencies.

There are about 27,000 Airbnb listings in Victoria, many of them in regional and remote areas.