Agencies go through drills regularly, but community members rarely get opportunities to test their capabilities, even though they often will be the first responders in an emergency. Nillumbik Shire Council in conjunction with community and agencies successfully piloted emergency exercises with residents from Strathewen, Arthurs Creek and St Andrews in October and November 2023.
Similar models have been developed and successful in other countries like Japan and New Zealand, and this pilot shows communities in Australia are keen to follow this trend towards emergency exercises being run with and for community.
Sumarlinah Winoto from Nillumbik Shire Council and Lisal O’Brien, Council volunteer will present on this successful community resilience pilot program on Day 1 of the conference.