Suite of systems selected for regional alerting

A decision has been made by the region’s Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Joint Committee to adopt a suite of public alerting systems and to further investigate fixed siren systems for the region.

The suite of systems includes public education emphasising natural warning awareness, community response and evacuation plans, radio and TV messaging, community contact trees, SMS text, email, mobile loudspeakers and door to door alerts.

The Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management Joint Committee, which is made up of the region’s City and District Council Mayors and the Regional Council Chairperson, agreed at its Friday 6 May 2011 meeting that there was a need to provide a range of alerting mechanisms.

Ōpōtiki District Council Mayor John Forbes, who is Chair of the Joint Committee, said the region’s Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) group agreed there are valid reasons to consider the instalment of fixed siren systems but the option required further investigation.

“Siren systems come at a great cost and time needs to be taken to consider if and how these would best be put in place,” Mr Forbes said.

“It’s important to note that the recommendations from the review we commissioned, which are supported by expert scientific advice, highlight the fact that an effective warning system must have several components,” he said. “While sirens may alert people to risk, they do not inform them of what to do next.”

Mr Forbes said the Committee had requested information from the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management on the possibility of a telecommunication alerting system such as that used in the recent Australia floods, and was still awaiting a response.

“The Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management Group recognises and supports that this type of technology, which comes at considerable expense, would be better implemented, coordinated and controlled at a national level,” he said. “The Bay of Plenty CDEM Group, while committed to implementing the best possible system in the Bay of Plenty, fully supports nationwide consistency on tsunami warning systems.

Additionally, he said the CDEM Group was close to launching ReadyNet this month, a community engagement tool which will help the community with undertaking response planning. It also has an alerting function which will be included in any warning system.

Mr Forbes said that a robust set of tools will now be put in place to warn people in the event of a disaster and assistance will be provided to communities to help them better plan for their safety.

“The events of the last couple of months have highlighted the fact that people still need to be as prepared as they can be for any civil defence emergency. People need to plan ahead and think about how they are going to look after themselves and their loved ones. This includes ensuring your disaster kits are well stocked, that you’ve sat down with your family and prepared a household evacuation plan, and that you’ve taken some responsibility for knowing the risks associated with living in the Bay of Plenty.”

Mr Forbes said as well as the Tsunami Inundation Maps which are available on the Bay of plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management website, people should also be proactive about looking into the various disaster scenarios.

“People should also not underestimate their own abilities to make decisions, based on what they might feel or experience,” Mr Forbes said. “I encourage people to learn about the natural hazards our region is associated with and the things they can do to increase their own ability to respond to them.”

For more information visit the regional Civil Defence Emergency Management Group website, www.bopcivildefence.govt.nz