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IAEM-OCEANIA NEWS
 Education Opportunity for IAEM-Oceania Members (11 Jan 2012) IAEM-Oceania is proud to announce a partnership with the Emergency Management Academy, whose Disaster Science Fellowship is a global, online 1-year intensive graduate-level learning program. Participants read and discuss 36 of the most important books in emergency management, based on the Emergency Management Graduate Body of Knowledge, books representing the core knowledge of the emergency management field. It is designed for the mid-career and executive emergency managers, and although it focuses on graduate-level discussion, participants are not required to have a previous university degree.
Participants read ~3 books per month, answer web-based questions, and engage in a 2-hour live Skype discussion each week. Participants who successfully complete the Fellowship will receive a certificate and be designated Fellows of the Emergency Management Academy.
IAEM-Oceania members will receive a $500USD discount off tuition, a Kindle Fire, and all books from the Academy's electronic lending library. IAEM-Oceania students who start in January 2013 will receive an additional upgrade to an iPad mini.
University of Canterbury Receives IAEM-Oceania Business & Industry Preparedness Award (26 Sept 2011) The University of Canterbury has received recognition for its emergency management programme. In a ceremony held at the university’s Emergency Operations Centre recently, the President of the Oceania Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), Kristin Hoskin, presented the University with the IAEM-Oceania 2011 Business and Industry Preparedness Award.
The award, presented as part of the 2011 IAEM-Oceania Awards Competition, recognises excellence in implementing a programme that plans for multiple hazards, sets implementation priorities, is cost effective, links all levels of the organisation, and coordinates with local emergency response and management agencies.
The award was accepted on behalf of the university by UC Registrar Jeff Field and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning Resources) Professor Sue McKnight. Professor McKnight said she was proud to accept the award on the university’s behalf. She told the Emergency Management Team, who were at the presentation, they were “heroes” for all the work they had done after the recent earthquakes and for the work they continued to do to ensure the wellbeing of the university community. “We still have a lot to learn and we realise this after each event but it’s extremely pleasing to see that the work we have done is inspiring people and is being recognised.”
Mr Field, who as Registrar had oversight of the emergency planning portfolio, said the policies, plans, structures and practice exercises had reassured him the university was well prepared. “Then to live through a real event you realise that while the systems are important it’s the people on the ground who are the key to an effective emergency response.”
Ms Hoskin said the IAEM-Oceania Council did not award the Business and Industry Preparedness Award every year so it was a credit to the University that its programme stood out from those of other applicants. “I can appreciate all the hard work you’ve been putting into dealing with the effects of the recent earthquakes over the last few months and we think you’ve done a sterling job. But I also want to issue a challenge – as you’ve done such a wonderful job we’d like you to help get every other university in New Zealand up to the same standard.” Source
IAEM-Oceania Council Professional Development Committee Report (June 2011)
Australian National Representative Report (June 2011)
Latest IAEM-Oceania News from IAEM-Oceania President Kristin Hoskin, CEM (18 Apr 2011)
- Continuing Education Credit (CPD/CEU): IAEM Oceania is setting up to recognise continuing education credit for conference attendance for specific conferences. The first of these is the EMPA conference. Attendees will be issued with an email certificate prepared by IAEM Oceania and sent from the conference organisers following the conference. The intention is that these certificates will assist members with the recording of their professional development hours and generate some small income for Oceania to help reduce our debt. If you are organising a conference or know of a conference that you think this would be useful for please contact one of the executive for further information.
- AEM/CEM Candidates: Last year we did a big push to establish our CEM Commission. This year we seem to be falling a bit short on numbers coming through presumably because we've all been focused on response. It has been a pretty busy six months, but please don't let your professional development slide. Document your involvement in recent events, getting verification of your role and add this to your AEM or CEM application folder. If you haven't yet thought about your AEM/CEM but have been involved in recent emergencies, you may not know that you have probably already met one of the AEM/CEM requirements. Have a look at what else you need to do and get started! http://iaem.com/certification/generalinfo/intro.htm
- News from Members: Abigail Walters was recently accepted into the Charles Sturt University Doctor of Police Leadership program. Her thesis will be focusing on the use of exercises in Emergency Management. She is particularly interested in determining what makes an effective exercise and is hopeful that she can develop a generic evaluation tool for exercises.Good luck Abbie. Please keep us informed on your findings.
- Website of interest: A new website for those in the fire industry, http://www.whatsnewinfire.com, may be of interest to you.
- IAEM Scholarships: IAEM’s Scholarship Program is available to full-time students pursuing degrees in emergency management, disaster management or related programs. Information, including the application, is available at www.iaem.com/scholarships. The deadline for application is May 13, 2011. Please pass on the attached word document to students you know. Our representative on the Scholarship Commission is Chris Webb. If you have further queries please contact him.
- Upcoming Events:
- 5th Australasian Natural Hazards Management Conference is proudly hosted this year by Gold Coast City Council. Conference information can also be found online by following either of these links:
http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/conference
http://www.hazardseducation.org/conference/2011/2011index.php
- 2011 National Volunteering Conference: Volunteering in response to major emergencies and disasters will be a major theme of the 2011 New Zealand Volunteering Conference – Raising the Bar to be held in Wellington 23 - 24 May 2011.
Developing the Leaders – next steps to advancing the management of volunteers and Episodic and Events Volunteering are the other two major themes. Early bird registrations (NZ$375) are available until 21 April. The full registration fee is NZ$475).
Visit the Conference website for more details and to register.
Latest IAEM-Oceania News from IAEM-Oceania President Kristin Hoskin, CEM (17 Mar 2011)
- Earthquake Offerings
The earthquake response and recovery continues to draw on resources from around New Zealand. On the positive side, it has been an opportunity for growing our collective emergency management strengths and capabilities. Included amongst these, you may be interested to see the progress that has been made in development of open source resources that are applicable to emergency management. eq.org.nz, organised through CrisisCampNZ using Ushahidi, is one example of a global initiative that proved extremely useful to the public and responders by providing all sorts of geographically tagged information. I encourage you to spend some time on the internet looking at this and other initiatives for opportunities that can extend or compliment your emergency management plans.
Another lesson from the response to the earthquake is the diversity of approaches that can be applied to boosting morale. We all know it can be difficult when infrastructure is intermittent or missing for prolonged periods. In February large areas of urban Christchurch lost water and wastewater. This continues to be an issue. As a result, people had to dig long drops initially. Over time, port-a-loos and chemical toilets have become available. If you haven't seen www.showusyourlongdrop.co.nz, I do suggest you take a look. This website shows some excellent examples of how to make the best of such circumstances.
- Oceania News
Two new IAEM discussion lists have been set up. In addition to the one which is used by Vice-President Scott Milne and myself to send information to the entire Council, a New Zealand and an Australian discussion list have been added.
Messages can be sent to these by the national representatives (Chris Ainsworth - AU, Jon Mitchell - NZ), as well as Scott and myself. It is hoped that this will provide better information distribution for local news and help the national reps to more easily communicate with members in their country. If you have anything you want to share locally rather than with the whole Council, please send it to the appropriate national rep and they can send it out in the same way that I forward information in the Oceania Offerings.
By default all members are added to their Council and Country/Region (if set up) distribution lists when they join. This is one of the IAEM-Oceania membership benefits. If you do not want to be on an email distribution list, please contact IAEM Membership Director Sharon Kelly at info@iaem.com and she will remove you from the list, as lists are administered through IAEM HQ.
Cyclone Yasi Update: Considerable Damage in Northern Queensland, Australia, Expected to Result in International Impact Due to Loss of Crops (03 Feb 2011) Described as more than 10 times worse than Cyclone Larry, Cyclone Yasi caused considerable damage across Northern Queensland. The extent of damage will take some time to be fully appreciated, but its impact will hit internationally due to the loss of crops.
Cyclone Yasi: Most Severe Weather System to Hit Australia in More than 100 Years (02 Feb 2011) Cyclone Yasi is the most severe weather system to hit Australia in more than 100 years, is causing considerable damage in Northern Queensland. It is comparable in size to the continental United States.
Devastating Floods in Queensland Australia and Other Events in IAEM-Oceania Area Highlight Service of IAEM Members in Their Communities (13 Jan 2011)
Download article in PDF or read below
As always. IAEM members are continuing to serve in a wide range of capacities when communities are at their greatest need. The media attention on the devastating floods in Queensland Australia has again highlighted this service.
Volunteers and staff from State Emergency Services (SES), Fire and Rescue Services, Police, Ambulance and others are putting their lives at risk across Australia to assist their neighbours in time of need. Spontaneous volunteers likewise come to the aid of their neighbours in selfless acts of bravery and charity. Volunteers and staff of government and non government agencies work long hours in coordination and operations centres, in recovery centres, in the field, and in offices around the country doing their best to delivery complex coordinated assistance to those in need. Community leaders from the Prime Minister to the local Mayor, and their advisors and staff and working hard to augment resources, make decisions and provide information to assist. The primary focus is on saving life and providing support and assistance to those in need whilst building recovery. This magnificent effort is hampered by continuing dangers, significant logistical and transport difficulties, towns being cut off, power outages, mounting fatigue, and the compounding issues of complexity in our modern society.
Flash flooding, and rising flood waters are inundating areas across Australia with some 50 local government areas in Queensland impacted and some 20 particularly hard hit. With around 63 local government areas in New South Wales, some 36 shires in Victoria, in the order of 7 local government districts in Western Australia, and areas of South Australia also impacted. These impacts are causing significant personal, family, business and community hardship. There continue to be floods and flood warnings in rivers and creeks in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. Source: http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/warnings
There also continue to be severe weather warnings in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Source: http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/warnings/index.shtml
A tropical Cyclone outlook remains high for the western region of Australia and Tropical Cyclone Vince is North West of Exmouth in Western Australia moving toward the coast.
A Severe to Extreme fire danger exists in parts of Western Australia, and I noted last night, nine homes were lost in a blaze south of Perth in Western Australia.
We are gratified that the Australian Government, State Governments and Local Government, NGO’s and the community are working together to achieve mitigation measures, respond to distress and provide recovery services. Emergency Service volunteers and staff are being sent away from their own families to assist in other States and communities. Of course, IAEM Oceania members are heavily involved with these government agencies, NGO’s and are involved in a range of capacities to assist in the mitigation, response, and recovery efforts.
Governments and the community are making assistance available to communities, agencies, individuals, small business and primary producers, and for restoration of essential public assets. IAEM Oceania members are involved also in this process.
I am in regular contact with James Gustus, the Secretary of IAEM Oceania who is an Assistant Director in the Australian Government Crisis Coordination Centre (CCC) in Canberra. James has been recalled from leave to work in the CCC on the flood situation and is expected to be deployed to Queensland. We worked together recently in the CCC on the SIEV 221 Incident at Christmas Island.
Kristin Hoskin, the President of IAEM Oceania, has been actively involved in responding to the string of earthquakes in Christchurch NZ. At the time of writing, there have been 4,337 earthquakes in the Christchurch area since 4 September 2010. Source: http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/ Kristin said, “Around six have caused serious damage . . . this could keep going for a couple of years.”
Chris Ainsworth, the Australian National Representative for IAEM Oceania. is working hard and with passion to establish a more coordinated approach to emergency management education in Australia.
Our thoughts are with IAEM Oceania members, and all those impacted by, and working on their emergencies.
Scott Milne, ESM
Vice-President, IAEM Oceania
13 January 2011
News Update: Shipwreck Incident off Christmas Island, Australia (15 Dec 2010) Yesterday's shipwreck off the Australian Coast of an Indonesian fishing boat may have involved as many as 100 passengers. The boat hit rocks near Flying Fish Cove. Forty-four people have been rescued and 28 confirmed dead. The passengers were believed to be asylum seekers from Iran and Iraq.
IAEM-Oceania Endorses 10th Annual Emergency Management Conference
22 & 23 February 2011, Duxton Hotel, Wellington, New Zealand
Ensuring good preparation, quick response and sustained recovery to disasters and emergencies
With the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management’s endorsement, the 10th Annual Emergency Management Conference will be focusing on the Canterbury earthquake and discussing:
- The response - from both a national and local perspective
- Communicating in a disaster
- Developing successful emergency management teams
- Multi-agency coordination and out of town staff integration
- Early lessons identified from MCDEM
view the event online | download brochure
To view the full agenda and to register, visit www.conferenz.co.nz, phone (09) 912 3616, or email info@conferenz.co.nz.
National Memorial Service for Miners Lost to Pike River Mine, Dec. 2, 2010 (30 Nov 2010) On 2 December 2010, there will be a national memorial service for the 29 miners lost to the Pike River Mine. This will be broadcast over National Radio and is accessible via http://www.radionz.co.nz/national.
Status of Trapped Miners Following Coal Mine Explosion in New Zealand
(Update: 24 Nov 2010) Yesterday there was a second explosion in the Pike River Coal Mine where 29 miners were trapped on Friday 19th November. The response is now a recovery mission. Prime Minister, John Key has announced that a national memorial service for the 29 miners will likely be held in Christchurch in December.
(21 Nov 2010) Twenty-nine men are trapped at the Pike River Coal Mine on the West Coast, New Zealand, following an explosion on Friday 19 November 2010. Rescuers have so far been unable to enter the mine due to concerns about the air quality and the safety of the mine for rescue teams. For current information in the Pike River response, refer to the following websites:
IAEM-Oceania Council Website (18 Nov 2010) As a result of ongoing legal issues, the IAEM-Oceania Council is no longer in a position to be able to maintain an independent website. Until such time as the Council is in a position to operate an independent website, this page will be the official page for the IAEM-Oceania Council.
Animal Emergency Management Special Interest Group Available (19 Sept 2010) This Special Interest Group (SIG) is available to any and all with an interest in animal emergency management, including welfare and logistics. IAEM membership is not required to join, nor is this group restricted by geography. It is managed and provided by the IAEM Oceania Council.
http://groups.google.com/group/animal-emsig?hl=en
IAEM-Oceania Council Awards Announced (13 Sept 2010) Three award winners were named in the IAEM-Oceania Council's first annual council-level awards competition:
- IAEM-Oceania 1st Place Public Awareness Award, Division 1: The Public Education Group, a sub-group of the Wellington Region Civil Defense Emergency Management Group for its publication of “It’s Easy! Get Prepared for an Emergency,” a step-by-step emergency preparedness guide that enables people to complete 12 steps required
to be prepared for an emergency.
- IAEM-Oceania 1st Place Technology & Innovation Award, Division 2: The Australian Red Cross for its "After the Emergency" youth recovery resources developed in response to the 2009 Victorian bushfires as immediate and long-term resources for young people (12-25) affected by disasters.
- IAEM-Oceania Partners in Preparedness Award: The Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury CDEM Emergency Management Office, and the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) for its collaboration on "Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Conversations: Tsunami Risks & Response to Warnings in the Christchurch Coastal Evacuation Zone." a project to pilot resilience-building initiatives in metropolitan areas.
Massive 7.4 Earthquake Hits New Zealand Near Christchurch
(13 Sept 2010) Update from IAEM-Oceania President Kristin Hoskin, CEM: Christchurch is getting back to normal despite continuing aftershocks.
Today most Canterbury schools were operating after a week long closure affected many following the M7.1 earthquake on September 4th. Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District Council and Waimakariri District Council continue their response efforts assessing homes and repairing infrastructure. Further north in Canterbury a large slip has closed the main road connecting Christchurch and Kaikoura and closing rail service. These routes are likely to be closed until at least Thursday. Over 400 aftershocks have occurred since the M7.1 hit Canterbury on September 4th. To see New Zealand's latest quake records, go to www.geonet.org.nz.
(06 Sept 2010) Update from IAEM-Oceania President Kristin Hoskin, CEM: "I'm basically doing 16-hour shifts for thre days, giving briefings and debriefing building assessment teams non-stop. My teams did an amazing job today. I've got some 30+ engineers, 20 or so USAR technicians and about 60 others that I'm deploying. We managed to assess 36 CBD city blocks today. Tomorrow we are hitting arterial roads and high priority areas and hope to be able to get it so the police can reduce the CBD cordons to six blocks. Tomorrow I am on all day and then phasing out back to the city council tomorrow late afternoon, so I can get back to client work (and IAEM of course). We continue to be very fortunate and have made great progress in getting the city operating again."
(05 Sept 2010) Update from IAEM-Oceania President Kristin Hoskin, CEM: "New Zealand's South Island has been doubly hit with emergencies this weekend. In addition to the Christchurch earthquake on the east coast, New Zealand has experienced its worst air accident in years on the West Coast when nine people died in a plane crash at Fox Glacier later in the same day. Christchurch Update: Frequent aftershocks continue. Christchurch and Kiapoi CBDs have a curfew in effect from 7pm-7am. Both Chrischurch City Council and Selwyn District Council have declared a state of local emergency. Power has been restored to 90% of the Christchurch urban area and 80% of the rural area. Weather was kind today - warm and still. Forecast overnight is for freezing temperatures and asevere weather warning has been issued for tomorrow - expecting heavy rain and winds with gusts of up to 120kph (75 mph) that may bring down chimneys and loose masonry. To date no lives have been lost but there have been two serious injuries. There are many stories of near misses and, given the extent of damage throughout the affected areas, this has been extremely fortunate."
(04 Sept 2010) IAEM-Oceania President Kristin Hoskin, CEM, alerted IAEM Headquarters that a massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit New Zealand's South Island at 4:35 a.m. Sept. 4, 2010 local time, causing widespread damage and knocking out power to much of the area. The quake was centered about 20 miles west of Christchurch. Local media reports there have been strong aftershocks and power outages throughout the city. Christchurch is New Zealand's second largest city with a population of approximately 372,000. "I'm putting updates on my Facebook page as are other NZ members," noted Kristin. "Cell phone is intermittent. There are no injuries reported as yet, [but there is] significant damage to unreinforced masonry buildings in town and [we're experiencing] continuous aftershocks." Obtain details here.
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