LOCAL emergency services have been working with Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council to produce podcasts aiming to get key messages to people of all backgrounds.
\nA Preparing for Emergencies series of the BRMC Community Matters Podcast has been released on all main platforms, hosted by pharmacist and broadcaster Bobby Mehta.
\nTopics covered include the first 72 hours of an emergency, bushfire risk and preparing properties, extreme heat, and water safety.
\nBRMC staff got local emergency services involved to ensure all information shared was accurate and region appropriate.
\nCFA community engagement officer, Nicole McGrath, is part of the project, and her professional role is to help people to understand fire, and to plan and prepare in case there\u2019s one near them.
\n\u201cThat includes all parts of our community, including our multicultural communities who we know have additional requirements and needs around how they might receive their information,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve come into the podcast with CFA\u2019s messages to see if we can communicate them in a way that means something to our multicultural communities.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s vital that we find ways, and speak in a way, that means something to all parts of our community, and is contextualised to their needs, whether that\u2019s the multicultural community, or those living with high risk due to disability or age.
\n\u201cThrough projects like this we can ask, what do you need, and how can we adapt what we\u2019re doing to meet your needs? It\u2019s about getting the information out to the parts of the community that need it the most.\u201d
\nWith a community radio background and awareness of the podcast boom in recent years, Mr Mehta organised to have a recording studio set up in the BRMC Welcome Centre at Barkly Square.
\n\u201cPodcasts are a great accessible tool and resource for all sorts messaging in all languages, and even just to get the word out in English in a cool, simple, easy way,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWe used the podcast through COVID, and now we\u2019ve done the four emergency episodes.
\n\u201cWe know people are coming to Ballarat, they\u2019ve arrived here from all sorts of places, and they\u2019re the ones most at risk, so it\u2019s important we get the messages out there and they understand the risks.
\n\u201cSome may not have been exposed to the emergencies we have here, and that\u2019s not necessarily a cultural thing either. Coming from the UK, I\u2019d never had to deal with bushfires, for example.\u201d
\nEven though it can feel like an urbanised area away from the bush, Ms McGrath said there\u2019s still potential for Ballarat to be in the firing line.
\n\u201cWe have those bushy fringe areas of Ballarat, like Nerrina, and so it\u2019s important people understand that Ballarat is still at risk of fire,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cEverybody needs to be prepared and know where to source their information from.\u201d
\nAs a pharmacist with an interest in health and wellbeing, and Indian heritage, Mr Mehta said the podcast blends his expertise, passions, and culture.
\nHe plans to release more BRMC Community Matters episodes to highlight different people and issues across Ballarat.
\n\u201cBRMC does such amazing work for all the great communities here in Ballarat, and we want to keep pushing the boundaries and having a voice, to make sure people can see what\u2019s happening and they can get involved,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s super valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LOCAL emergency services have been working with Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council to produce podcasts aiming to get key messages to people of all backgrounds. A Preparing for Emergencies series of the BRMC Community Matters Podcast has been released on all main platforms, hosted by pharmacist and broadcaster Bobby Mehta. Topics covered include the first 72 […]<\/p>\n