Coolamon Shire Emergency Management

7 Jan 2020 8:40 AM -

Do you know what to do if you are called upon to evacuate your home?   Do you know where the Evacuation Centre and Community Safe Place are?

The current emergency situation in NSW is a timely reminder for all of us to become more familiar with what happens in the event of an emergency situation impacting on towns and villages within the Shire.

Here is some information on Emergency Management in the Coolamon Shire that everyone should know.

The management of incidents in NSW is normally vested in specific branches of the emergency services.   In the Coolamon Shire, we have NSW Police, Ambulance, NSW Fire and Rescue, SES and RFS Brigades.   Each of these agencies are known as ‘Combat Agencies’ and have different roles which are broadly defined as follows:

Ø  NSW Police (Fulltime Officers Law and Order): - Coolamon, Ganmain and Ardelthan.

Ø  NSW Ambulance (Fulltime Paramedics): - Coolamon and Ardlethan.

Ø  NSW Fire & Rescue (Part time/Retained Firefighters):  Coolamon - Town/structure fires, Primary Rescue Unit.

Ø  NSW SES (Volunteers): Coolamon - Flood, Storm & Tempest.  

Ø  RFS:  Operationally run out of Wagga -  Bush/Grassland fires – Local (Volunteer) Brigades across the Shire.

Ø  Coolamon Shire Service Clubs (Rotary, Lions, CWA) will provide support to the emergency services as required.

In an emergency management situation, the Combat Agency best suited to manage the type of emergency is responsible for co-ordinating the response, (eg:  fire, flood, vehicle accidents etc).   If an emergency is deemed significant, such as the current fire emergency, local Emergency Management Plans may be enacted.

Coolamon Shire Council is responsible for the Shire’s Local Emergency Plan and this is managed by the Local Emergency Management Committee (LEMC) which is jointly manned by representatives from Coolamon & Junee Shires.   The current members from the Coolamon Shire are the Mayor, Clr John Seymour, Councillor David McCann, Mr Tony Donoghue (GM) and Mr Tony Kelly (Shire Engineer).   The responsibility of the LEMC is to support the Combat Agency and to facilitate support to the community during an emergency situation.

Community support includes establishing evacuation places for the community in the event that a call to evacuate is made.  

Evacuation Centre:  This is the place people will be directed towards when the Emergency Management Team determine it to be appropriate.  This place may vary depending on emergency type and population required.  When told to evacuate a situation, information will be provided on where to go.

For major ‘incidents’, information will be provided by the relevant combat Agency and Council when and where required.

Community Safe Places are locations identified by the RFS as being a place of last resort to head to in the event of imminent bushfire attack and you have not had time to prepare your property.   In the Coolamon Shire, the following Safe Places have been identified.

 

·         Ardlethan – Ardlethan Bowling Club grounds

·         Beckom – Beckom RFS Shed

·         Coolamon -  Coolamon Sport & Recreation Club Carpark

·         Ganmain – Ganmain Hall

·         Marrar – Langtry Oval

·         Matong – Matong RFS Shed

 

It is important that everyone considers what they will do in the event of an emergency and plan accordingly.   At the very least, knowing where to go if an emergency situation strikes, or a call to evacuate is made is essential.