Waikite Valley test Community Emergency Response Plan
Waikite Valley residents followed their Community Emergency Response Plan, to achieve these key goals;
- Set up a Community Emergency Hub at Waikite Valley hall, or at another local meeting place
A community emergency hub is a meeting point used to provide assistance to those impacted by an event, to gather and share information, offer food, shelter, and emotional support, and provide first aid where required. - Use the Critical Incident Management System (CIMS) Structure to coordinate the response
The CIMS framework organises groups in a way that ensures a more effective response in an emergency by giving people roles and tasks to complete. - Establish Incident Management Team (IMT) CIMS roles
The Incident Management Team is made up from locals who volunteer for key roles in the first response. These people have had previous training in CIMS, or have essential skills required to support the community in an emergency. - Establish communication with Council
It is important that the community is able to reach local government and emergency services. This helps civil defence emergency operations teams to better understand the extent of the impact, so they can direct assistance and resources to those affected by the event. - Initiate Emergency Response Tasking
Key team members are given a role and the responsibility of undertaking the tasks associated with that role. For example, those people with first aid training will be tasked to provide preliminary first aid to anyone with injuries.
The Waikite Valley Civil Defence team successfully achieved all these objectives, and collected feedback from participants to incorporate into future civil defence planning.
Congratulations to the Waikite Valley community for organising and running the successful event. The test scenario helped them to understand and refine their Community Emergency Response Plan, so that they can respond quickly and efficiently in the event of a real civil defence emergency.
To set up a Community Emergency Response Plan, or to organize a civil defence drill for your community, school or business, email emergency.management@rotorualc.nz.