Shire to form new emergency management committee

THE Surf Coast Shire council has updated its arrangements for emergency management planning as part of a statewide reform process.

Council officers, together with the Surf Coast Municipal Emergency Management Committee (MEMPC) and Emergency Management Victoria EMV, have been working through changes needed to transition to the requirements of the Emergency Management Legislation Amendment Act 2018.

The changes to the act strengthen the focus on collaboration, efficiency and effectiveness, interoperability and integration, the local needs of communities, promoting community resilience and the importance of emergency management planning.

At the local level, the key changes include:

• The MEMPC must be chaired by the relevant council CEO or a council officer delegated by the CEO (previously, the committee or the council could determine the chair)
• Municipal Emergency Management Plans (MEMPs) that must cover mitigation, response and recovery will be developed by the MEMPCs and approved by the relevant Regional Emergency Management Planning Committee, not the municipal council
• VICSES audits are replaced with a new assurance framework that applies at all planning levels
• Specific requirements for MEMPC membership. For example, certain agencies must be represented with representatives nominated by that agency, and
• The existing Municipal Emergency Resource Officer (MERO) becomes the Municipal Emergency Management Officer (MEMO) with similar but updated responsibilities.

As well as the shire, the core membership of the new MEMPC will include representatives from the Country Fire Authority, Ambulance Victoria, State Emergency Services, Victoria Police, Australian Red Cross, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The MEMPC – which the council is establishing but will exist separately to the council – must also invite at least one community representative, at least one recovery representative, and at least one other representative (such as an industry, business or additional agency).

Councillors resolved at their February meeting to disband the previous MEMPC and to authorise the chief executive officer to facilitate the establishment of a new MEMPC.

“As we go into the next phase of the new era, I’d like to thank all the people who have worked on previous MEMPCs,” Cr Rose Hodge said.

“They’ve worked very well in the local area, we’ve got an extremely good team and no doubt the new organisation will not let us down.”