New Controller appointed for Waikato Valley Civil Defence

The Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group has appointed Paul Blewman as Hamilton’s Civil Defence Emergency Management Local Controller for the Waikato Valley Emergency Operating Area.

The role as controller is an additional responsibility to Mr Blewman’s position as Hamilton’s emergency and community safety manager. He says a Civil Defence emergency can happen without warning; the swine flu pandemic is a topical case in point.

Councillor John Gower has stepped down from the position of local controller after six years. His commitment to Civil Defence Emergency Management is widely appreciated by all those involved. Councillor Gower continues to be an active member of the Emergency Management Committee along with councillors Pippa Mahood and Roger Hennebry.

The valley area covers Waikato District, Hamilton, Waipa, Otorohanga and Waitomo. It operates out of the purpose built facility at Council’s Duke Street Depot. The centre provides extensive communications, planning, operational and recovery functions that are comparable with any provided within New Zealand. Coordination of Civil Defence Emergency Management in the valley area is facilitated at the centre with the police, fire service, St Johns, DHB, government and local agencies.

On Monday [4 May] the Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group agreed that the function of Regional Support and Coordination be moved from Council’s Duke Street Depot to Environment Waikato and combined with the Group Emergency Management Office function. This will mean that all Regional Group functions will now be dealt with from Environment Waikato from 1 July. This will leave the Duke Street facility to better deal with local events.

The change was driven by a reemphasis of the importance of the primary role the local response takes in an emergency event.

All Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups are reviewing their Group Plans as required by the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002. The change within the Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group structure will be included in the review of the Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan which is expected to be completed by May 2010.