Council emergency preparation

Under the Emergency Management Act 2013, Council must appoint a Municipal Emergency Management Officer (MEMO) who is responsible for ensuring the coordination of municipal resources during an emergency response.

The MEMO will activate the Municipal Operations Centre (MOC) under the authority of the Municipal Emergency Response Coordinator (MERC), and is responsible for maintaining the MOC at a level of preparedness to ensure prompt activation of resources when required.

To achieve an appropriate response to emergencies, the MEMO liaises with agencies and services in the municipal district, Council’s Municipal Recovery Manager (MRM) and regional authorities, and is responsible for organising a post-emergency debrief if requested by the MERC.

The Loddon Shire Municipal Operations Centre (MOC) is usually located in Council’s Wedderburn office.

In the event of an emergency, Victoria Police's Municipal Emergency Response Coordinator (MERC) may instruct the Council’s Municipal Emergency Management Officer (MEMO) to activate the MOC.

The MOC may be activated when an emergency occurs in Loddon Shire, but it may also be activated to support response and recovery activities in neighbouring municipalities.

The MOC, if activated, will typically be attended by the Municipal Emergency Management Officer (MEMO), Municipal Recovery Manager (MRM), Municipal Emergency Response Coordinator (MERC) or their deputies and other personnel as dictated by the nature and extent of the emergency.

The MOC plays an important role in supporting emergency services and recovery agencies to respond effectively to an emergency through the coordination, allocation and provision of, resources (human and material) in response to an emergency.

Under the Emergency Management Act 2013 council must appoint a Municipal Recovery Manager (MRM) who is responsible for coordinating municipal resources in the recovery phase of an emergency and may be required to attend the MOC during an emergency.

The MRM is Council’s key advocate for ensuring that community needs are met during the recovery phase of an emergency. To achieve this, the MRM establishes priorities for addressing community needs and restoring community services through liaison with the MEMO, Emergency Recovery Victoria, Department of Family, Fairness and Housing and other agencies responsible for recovery.

An Emergency Relief Centre (ERC) is a temporary place sited away from the location of the emergency and is only opened if an emergency is deemed severe enough.

The decision to open an ERC is that of Victoria Police and the controlling agency, for example CFA, SES or other agency.

For notification of the opening of emergency relief centres, listen to ABC Radio 91.1 FM in the Loddon area.

If an ERC is opened, it may be some time after the emergency has started.

If your house has been damaged, destroyed or is in the emergency-effected area and you have nowhere else to go, you can go to an ERC. Similarly if you are unable to get to your house because of road closures and you have nowhere else to go, you can go to an ERC.

An ERC is NOT a refuge or recovery centre; it is a place where affected individuals can go to register their details with Register. Find. Reunite. and access support services to assist with their immediate needs.

An ERC can become very busy, and whilst agency staff are there to assist you and your family, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of any children in your care. There may be no provision for animals at an ERC.  

This service registers, finds and reunites family, friends and loved ones after an emergency.

When you go to an Emergency Relief Centre you can register your own and your family’s details with Register. Find. Reunite.

An Emergency Recovery Centre may be opened after a major emergency, depending on the severity of that emergency.

It is usually opened in the affected community and provides a place where affected individuals can go to access support services, as well as information regarding such things as insurance, accommodation and financial support.

It is intended to function as a 'one stop shop' for people impacted by a major emergency.

It is also commonly used as a meeting place for the community to come together and support one another. 

The Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee is the peak emergency management body within the Shire and provides the opportunity for Council to work in partnership with local and regional emergency services and community organisations, to address the impact of emergencies on the community. It achieves this through its primary responsibility of developing the Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP).

Agencies and organisations represented on the MEMPC include Council's Director Community Wellbeing, Emergency Management Coordinator and Councillor, Victoria Police (Municipal Emergency Response Coordinator), Country Fire Authority, Victorian State Emergency Service, Department of Family, Fairness & Housing, Ambulance Victoria, Australian Red Cross and other local and regional response and recovery agencies. 

The Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP) is developed by the Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee (MEMPC) for the geographic area governed by Council, and details general arrangements for the management of emergencies that may occur in that area.

While the MEMP recognises that the responsibility for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery rests at the local level, it identifies a process for transitioning to the divisional level when an emergency is beyond the capacity of local resources.

The MEMP is essentially a set of guidelines that bring together agencies in Loddon Shire who are responsible for emergency response and recovery, and is tested during emergency exercises involving the agencies listed in the MEMP.

The MEMP is the overarching emergency management document that is underpinned by a number of sub-plans, standard operating procedures (SOP) and guidelines, which include:

• Municipal Animal Welfare Plan
• MOC SOP