Protecting communities with better warnings and communications

NATHAN MADDOCK

Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC

An online guide to using the latest research to prepare, respond and recover from hazards.

A new online documentary series profiles key Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC research about warnings, public information and recovery to support emergency services in protecting communities.

The series, Driving change: the evolution of communications and warnings in emergency preparedness, response and recovery, shows the impact of the research. It follows communications and engagement practitioners from different sectors as they meet the researchers and learn how they can apply this knowledge to their own work. Watch the full series at www.bnhcrc.com.au/communicationswarnings-video-series.

The series is structured around three themes—preparedness, response and recovery—and includes an introduction that explains the how and why behind the evolution of communications and warnings in recent years. Each theme includes different types of videos to give viewers a taster of the topic, the full feature or in-depth interviews with researchers.

The documentaries give a big picture view of the impact CRC research has on policy and practice and how it can be used, explained Dr Richard Thornton, CEO of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC.

“We know that emergency service agencies have used this research to improve their practices and what they deliver to their communities, whether that is educating kids in the classroom, informing the warnings that go out when bushfires flare, or helping to plan for post-disaster,” Dr Thornton said.

“But we also know that as the role of providing public information expands to different types of organisations, more and more people and different types of organisations outside of traditional emergency response will need to do this in the future. The series showcases how the research is being used and the difference it is making, to guide those who need to do this in the future.”

The series will be a valuable source of information for anyone volunteering or working in warnings, public information, community engagement, education or recovery roles, and is well-suited to team training or upskilling sessions.

PREPAREDNESS Child-centred disaster risk reduction

How can children best participate in emergency planning? According to Dr Briony Towers the key is making the learning place-based, designing learning activities that draw on the natural and social environment that children are in every day, and tailoring learning to their personal interests and priorities. Join Dr Towers and Country Fire Authority’s Neil Munro in exploring how disaster education at Harkaway Primary School on Melbourne’s urban fringe is upskilling and empowering children to prepare for a bushfire at home, at school and in their town. In this video, Mr Munro learns about the research findings, meets students Ruby and Tom, their mothers and their principal, and reflects on how he can use the research to continue to improve bushfire education.

Also available on this topic is an interview with Dr Towers.

Managing animals in disasters

Around 62 per cent of Australian households have pets, and most of these consider their pets to be part of the family. How can people consider their pets’ safety during an emergency and the extent to which their pets will change their emergency response? Join Honorary Associate Professor Mel Taylor to find out how this research shows that engaging with people about their animals can lead to animal-ready communities and better emergency preparedness for everyone.

Also available on this topic is an interview with Hon A/Prof Taylor.

RESPONSE Effective risk and warning communication during natural hazards

Warnings are a critical component of emergency management, and the evolution of both policy and practice over recent years has highlighted the power of warnings to save lives and a need to learn more why some warning strategies were more successful than others. With more organisations outside of traditional emergency response agencies now having greater responsibility for public information and warnings, this video follows Cathy Buck, Disaster Management Coordinator at the Sunshine Coast Council in Queensland. Ms Buck explores the key research findings with Professor Vivienne Tippett and Professor Amisha Mehta from the

Ruby and Tom from Harkaway Primary School explain their knowledge of bushfire to CFA’s Neil Munro and Dr Briony Towers.

Queensland University of Technology, and she dissects with Information and Warnings Manager Kath Ryan how the research has improved the warnings issued by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.

Also available on this topic are interviews with Prof Tippett and Prof Mehta.

PHOTO: BUSHFIRE AND NATURAL HAZARDS CRC

Flood risk communication

The sight of people walking, driving or playing in floodwaters is a source of great frustration for emergency service workers. With populations in flood-prone areas growing and the frequency and intensity of flood events increasing, flood safety has never been so important. For community engagement and communications personnel such as Katie Moulton from the New South Wales State Emergency Service, finding ways to connect with people around flood safety is a constant challenge. In this video, Ms Moulton learns about the psychology behind people’s responses to floods and warning messages from Hon A/Prof Mel Taylor as they visit areas flooded in the Hawkesbury region of NSW in March 2021 and speak with Kevin Jones, Unit Commander of the Hawkesbury SES. The research shows that there are more opportunities to cut through and influence the decisions of those faced with floodwaters to stop them before they enter.

Also available on this topic is an interview with Hon A/Prof Taylor.

RECOVERY Understanding and using Recovery Capitals research

While knowledge on effective recovery has changed significantly in the past two decades—and continues to develop through research and practice—recovery is an area that has traditionally been poorly understood and applied by response agencies. This research produced a disaster recovery guide for people, organisations and governments managing emergency recovery, which aims to support wellbeing after disasters by providing evidence-based guidance to aid decision-making. This video follows Rowena Frost, Municipal Recovery Manager for the Surf Coast Shire Council in Victoria, as she explores the research findings and recovery guide with Professor Lisa Gibbs from the University of Melbourne, and learns how to use the research to improve relief and recovery with her local community.

Also available in this theme is an interview with Prof Gibbs.

The series would not have been possible without the support of AFAC, the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, and all researchers and agency representatives who feature across the series.

Driving change: the evolution of communications and warnings in emergency preparedness, response and recovery was produced and filmed by Polygraph Productions. Watch the full series on the CRC website at www.bnhcrc.com.au/ communications-warnings-videoseries.

Cathy Buck from the Sunshine Coast Council (left) hears insights from Kath Ryan (right) about how the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services have used the research to improve their warning messages.

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