Disaster Management & Council's SES Unit

Introduction
Disaster Management
Recognised Threats to the Somerset Region
Somerset Region SES Unit


Introduction


Disaster Management System

The Disaster Management System in Queensland is defined through the Disaster Management Act 2003 and operates at four distinct levels, each with defined roles and responsibilities.  These levels are:

  • Local Government - to maintain a Local Disaster Management Group and a Local Disaster Management Coordination Centre.
  • Disaster Districts - to maintain a District Disaster Management Group and a District Disaster Management Coordination Centre.
  • State Government - to maintain a number of overseeing Groups such as the Major Incidents Group, State Disaster Management Group, State Disaster Coordination Group, and the State Disaster Coordination Centre.
  • Commonwealth Government - to maintain Emergency Management Australia and the National Emergency Management Coordination Centre.


Disaster Management Act 2003

The Disaster Management Act 2003 (Queensland) sets out to achieve the following:

  • To help communities:
    • mitigate the potential adverse effects of an event; 
    • prepare for managing the effects of an event; 
    • effectively respond to, and recover from, a disaster or an emergency situation.
  • To provide for effective disaster management for the State.
  • To establish a frame work for the management of the State Emergency Service (SES) and emergency service units to ensure the effective performance of their functions.


Council and Disaster Management

The Somerset Regional Council plays an integral part in the response and recovery to emergencies and disasters.  Council participates in Disaster Management through two processes.  One is the preparation and ongoing review of a Local Disaster Management Plan; the other is the maintenance and support of the Somerset Region State Emergency Service (SES) Unit.


Disaster Management


General

Council has prepared a detailed Local Disaster Management Plan that sets out how the Somerset Region

  • plans for;
  • prepares for;
  • responds to, and
  • recovers from

naturally occurring and manmade disasters and emergencies.  This plan is maintained by the Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) and reviewed annually to ensure that details are relevant and up to date.

The LDMG meets several times a year in Council's Library & Gallery Building in Esk to discuss disaster related arrangements and is chaired by Council's Mayor.  The group consists of representatives from:

  • Council's Operations section
  • Police, Ambulance and Fire (urban & rural) services
  • Esk & Kilcoy Hospitals & other community health organisations
  • State Emergency Service 
  • Communications and electricity providers
  • Emergency Management Queensland
  • South East Queensland Water
  • Community support services, and
  • Media


Recognised Threats to the Somerset Region

The threats or events which pose a potential risk to the community within the Somerset Region and considered by the Group as likely to require a coordinated (multi-agency) response include:

  • flood
  • storm/cyclone
  • bushfire
  • hazardous material accident
  • major transport accident
  • exotic disease
  • epidemic
  • earthquake

Functional (rather than threat-specific) plans have been developed to facilitate an all-agencies approach to a disaster situation.  These functional plans (particularly where common to various disasters) include communications, emergency welfare, medical and evacuation needs.

The various agencies involved in disaster management operations generally operate in accordance with their respective standard operating procedures.  However, the senior officer of the controlling authority or lead agency is able to coordinate the response of these agencies.


Somerset Region SES Unit


General

One of the primary disaster management tools available to the community is its local SES unit. The Somerset Region SES Unit consists of community-minded citizens, between the ages of 16 and 65, who offer their time to train as volunteers in various fields of expertise to serve their community in times of disaster and emergency.  More information on the SES can be found at http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/SES.


The Local SES Unit

The Somerset Region SES Unit (originally the Esk Shire SES Unit) was formed in 1978 with two SES groups, Lowood and Toogoolawah/Esk.  Subsequently, a separate Esk Group was established.  More recently, the Lowood Emergency Services Cadet Unit was formed, catering for aspiring SES members from the local high school, and following the amalgamation of the shires of Esk and Kilcoy, the Kilcoy SES Group became the fourth within this Unit.
 
Members of the Esk, Kilcoy, Lowood and Toogoolawah Groups are drawn from a wide cross section of the community bringing with them a range of skills and experience.   More information can be found by visiting http://www.somersetSES.com.


Training

These members are encouraged to increase their skills in specialised areas of training and can elect to undergo accredited training in the areas of: 

  • Instruction and assessment;
  • Leadership and mentoring;
  • Incident management;
  • Land Search and Rescue; 
  • Flood Rescue;
  • Storm and Water Damage Operations;
  • Traffic Control and Road Crash Rescue Support; and
  • Chainsaw Operations.


Operations

SES members are called on to assist other emergency services and statutory bodies involved in response to: 

  • floods - to transport persons, medical needs, groceries etc. to isolated areas
  • storms - to carry out temporary repairs to storm-damaged residences
  • search and rescue - to locate, extricate and recover missing or trapped persons
  • bushfires - to co-ordinate operations and provide field communication facilities
  • road crashes - to secure the accident scene, control traffic, provide emergency lighting and assist with the extrication of injured persons.


Equipment

A wide range of equipment is supplied by Federal, State and Local Government as well as local support bodies including service clubs and the respective SES groups' financial support and social clubs.

Members are issued with an extensive "kit" of personal protective equipment.

Each group trains in the use of four wheel drive vehicles, flood boats, radio communication equipment, emergency power generators and lighting, general rescue gear, hydraulic cutting gear, and basic first aid and field craft equipment.