Australians are not ready for disasters

An Australian Exhibitions and Conferences product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 31, 2006

Experts set to address this year's Safety In Action Conference in May have warned that Australians are not ready for a disaster like a terrorist attack or bird flu.

Experts set to address this year's Safety In Action Conference in May have warned that Australians are not ready for a disaster like a terrorist attack or bird flu.

Ahead of his May 16 opening address at the conference, Victorian emergency services commissioner Bruce Esplin said today's more complex threats meant the community should no longer simply rely solely on emergency services like fire, ambulance and police.

"In recent decades, emergency services have become so capable in handling emergencies that a false impression may have been created that emergency management should be left up to 'the professionals' the commissioner said".

Communities today should not be passive recipients of services, but should be active participants in determining their own safety outcomes.

"Being aware and alert by having personal plans in place can be the difference between experiencing a scare and being part of a tragedy".

Mr Esplin's thoughts were echoed by US-based disaster expert and author, Lee Clarke, who said the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the World Trade Centre disasters showed that ordinary people played a vital role.

"In both cases, most organizations failed us miserably while regular people responded well".

The examples are legion," Mr Clarke said.

"We need to find new ways to draw on the strengths of all those interested in disaster mitigation.

Doing so may upset usual ways of thinking, especially the presumption that command-and-control is a workable model for how to prepare for and respond to disaster".

Perhaps more disturbingly, Western Australia's director of Fire and Emergency Services Authority, Kevin Cuneo, said many emergency services personnel were unprepared or unwilling to deal with many of the new threats".

What many Australian disaster planners haven't considered is the staff's fear of the unknown," he said.

"During responses to suspected CBR (chemical, biological, radiological) or IED (improvised explosive devices) incidents, some emergency service personnel are unwilling to commit in times of uncertainty due to the lack of understanding of what they are dealing with and the recognition of acceptable risk.

"This has also been demonstrated a number of times during the national counter terrorism exercise program".

"It is a major issue facing all of those involved in emergency response".

Where emergency services were ready to respond, RMIT senior lecturer Neville Betts said a lack of preparedness by both government and the private sector would cost lives in the event of a disaster.

"Many of the areas where the public routinely assembles, such as train, shipping and high rise buildings have not yet addressed the need to ensure that their 'organisational arrangements', do not fall short of what is required by the Victorian DISPLAN arrangements," he said.

'Most tend to rely on the emergency services to pick up the slack.

The emergency services are generally well prepared but local staff are not always properly trained and that could lead to tragedy because the first few minutes before the emergency services arrive are vital.

"On top of this, only a handful of Melbourne's high rise buildings might comply with the requirements of the essential services regulations, which require the annual certification of lifesaving equipment - it's being largely ignored".

But while skyscrapers were generally in a poor position to respond, Mr Betts said airports were well prepared, an opinion reinforced by Inspector Gary Tennyson, Victoria Police's regional emergency management inspector.

"It's business as usual for airports," Inspector Tennyson said, speaking from Melbourne Airport.

"In the days before the Games we made sure our existing plans were current because we have well tested plans and have been proactive about exercises, so we know we are well prepared".

Inspector Tennyson said common sense applied and advised the public not to leave bags unattended and to "be more vigilant in this period".

The Safety In Action Conference, which has dedicated a special interest stream to emergency services and the threat of disaster, will be held from Tuesday 16 to Thursday 18 May 2006 at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

Its partner trade show runs concurrently at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.