Emergency management in Australia has become more and more bureaucratic over the last 50 years. Are we more or less safe? Have we become overly dependent on official systems and structures and become less independent, resilient and adaptable?

At Refuge 2019, local State Emergency Service (SES) Controller Faye Bendrups challenges communities to take back the power: to develop safety and emergency plans, street by street, with local people using local knowledge to provide local solutions. Emergency service volunteers will be on hand to help, but want to listen more than talk. Come along and join the conversation, contributing your best creative thinking to imagine street plans that are effective, community-centred and fun.

What might this involve? Street Plan: the Big Brainstorm is the first step in a process to get together, know your neighbours and discuss questions such as:

– How can we help each other in a crisis?
– Who is vulnerable in the street?
– What skills and resources can be utilised?
– How can we communicate? In what languages? Through what technology?
– Where is a safe area we could meet?
– What do we need to collect and prepare for an emergency?
– What about our pets?
– Can we ‘rehearse’ our response to an emergency?
– What if we need to leave our street? What next?

The second step will be an active pilot of the Street Plans, implemented in selected streets during 2019-2020. Become a Street Champion and get your street involved.