Following back-to-back years of floods and bushfires, and with a declared El Nino event underway, the Central Coast Local Emergency Management Committee continues to prepare with a rolling program of liaison officer training.
The training involves a range of emergency services and staff in supporting agencies to better prepare and ensure responses to emergency or disaster events are undertaken in an effective manner.
Central Coast Council’s Emergency Management Co-ordinator and Local Emergency Officer, Patrick Quick, partnered with the NSW Police Force’s Regional Emergency Management Officer Andrew Codrington to deliver the training.
The liaison officer training is for those staff members who might be called to respond to an emergency or disaster that requires an all-of-government response as well as disaster recovery operations.
Those officers play an important role in co-ordinating information and actions between emergency services, government agencies, non-government organisations and elements of the community.
More than 65 staff have already participated in the training since the program was rolled out five weeks ago.
Local Emergency Controller, Superintendent Chad Gillies from Tuggerah Lakes Police District, opened the third training session held on September 20 and while addressing the participants thanked Council’s Patrick Quick “for driving this important initiative” with Regional Emergency Management Officer Andrew Codrington.
Agencies represented included Central Coast Council, Police, Rural Fire Service, Ambulance, Volunteer Rescue Association, SES, Marine Rescue NSW and the NSW Reconstruction Authority.
Sue Murray