Reading—le er to the editor

Bushfire Preparedness Workshops

The Beagle Editor, The le er 'Natural Disaster Resilience. Perhaps a lesson in lost opportuni es of what could have been' by Dr Michael Holland, Bega MP dated 6/8/23, clearly outlines the important steps we must take collec vely but also at a local council, state and federal level.

From my research and personal experience, families struggled. They were unsure where to go, for how long for, what to bring, and how to stay safe. We must use the lessons from the extreme bushfire season of 2019/20 to ensure we are be er prepared next me. As Dr Holland outlined, 'we are dangerously vulnerable medically.' We need to ensure the health and safety of all, especially our most vulnerable, is not put at risk by poor sanita on, lack of access to clean water, and exposure to heat and smoke.

As the Community Engagement Officer for the Australian Breas eeding Associa on’s Community Protec on for Infants and Young Children in Bushfire Emergencies Project, it is my goal to see we improve planning for future disasters. Our project aims to increase community resilience to disasters by facilita ng be er planning and preparedness to meet the needs of very young children and their caregivers in emergencies.

Forming the first part of ABA’s Bushfire Project, the Babies and Young Children in Black Summer Bushfires (BiBS) Study surveyed and interviewed 256 parents of children age 0 to 4 years at the me of the Black Summer Bushfires, and 63 emergency responders. The BiBS study has iden fied the challenges faced by parents of very young children, and what can be done to improve emergency response. The resul ng report (available at aba.asn.au/emergency makes 16 recommenda ons to improve emergency response. ABA will be implemen ng the findings in Eurobodalla Shire.

The lessons we have learnt from the BiBs Study are clear.

Suitable evacua on centres need to be formally iden fied and upgraded, to include stored water supplies and access to power, as well as a separate space for parents and caregivers of very young children. These spaces should be resourced with a private space for mothers to sit and breas eed or express milk, snacks and water for breas eeding mothers, a clean space for infant formula prepara on, washing and sterilising supplies, access to hot water for washing, complementary foods and feeding implements, nappy changing facili es, safe sleep spaces, and an appropriate play space for babies to crawl, sit and play along with suitable clean toys. Families should not have to wait in long queues for help or resources, nor must wash feeding equipment in toilet sinks.

Families also need be er informa on on how to prepare to evacuate and where to go.

We also recommend, based on our findings, that exis ng emergency policies, planning and guidance should be evaluated with a ‘young child lens’ to iden fy gaps and allow adjustments to be made to ensure the needs of very young children and their parents and/or caregivers are appropriately met. Individuals with exper se in the needs of babies and toddlers should be involved in evalua ons and planning