Emergency Management
Who do you call in an Emergency?
If you require an Ambulance or are unsure of which agency you should call in an emergency, phone 000. Alternatively, the following list may assist you with identifying who you should call in an emergency:
| Type of Event | Response |
| Aircraft Accident | SA Police (SAPOL) |
| Animal, Plant & Marine Disease | Primary Industries and Resources South Australia (PIRSA) |
| Bomb Threat | SA Police (SAPOL) |
| Earthquake | SA Police (SAPOL) |
| Escape of Hazardous Materials | SA Metropolitan Fire Service (SA MFS) |
| Extreme Weather | SA State Emergency Service (SASES) |
| Fire | SA Metropolitan Fire Service (SA MFS) |
| Flood & Storm | SA State Emergency Service (SASES) |
| Food / drinking water contamination | Department of Health |
| Human Disease / Epidemic | Department of Health |
| Oil Spills - marine & inland waters | Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure (DPTI) |
| Rail Accident | SA Police (SAPOL) |
| Riverbank Collapse | SA Police (SAPOL) |
| Road / Transport Accident | SA Police (SAPOL) |
| Search & Rescue - land and sea | SA Police (SAPOL) |
| Siege / Hostage | SA Police (SAPOL) |
| Terrorism | SA Police (SAPOL) |
For emergencies caused by or affecting Council property please call the City of Charles Sturt on 8408 1111. A local incident is identical in many ways to an emergency, but does not require a significant and coordinated response. It can include, for example, blocked stormwater drains, a tree falling or a dog attack. While Council is not the lead agency to respond to any emergency, it does have a support role for a range of natural emergencies such as floods and severe storms. The City of Charles Sturt is committed to maintaining a safe environment in the City for residents and ratepayers. To assist us with providing this, Council has response teams both during and after business hours to respond to incidents that arise.
Planning & Responding to an Emergency
What is an Emergency?
There are some very common aspects to help identify the difference between an emergency and a local incident. The impact of a local incident on those affected can be traumatic, however in the broader sense an emergency will:
- be unpredictable in terms of when they will occur;
- require a coordinated response;
- involve a sense of urgency (to remedy the situation);
- involve danger to life and/or property;
- involve major disruption to normal patterns of life;
- result in a high level of impact on the community; and
- usually involve a number of people.
Emergencies may include floods, major storm, bushfire, and earthquakes and are an inherent part of the Australian environment. While we cannot prevent them, we can minimise the risks they pose. For more information about specific hazards that may affect the community, see the following information which is provided by the SES:
Who is responsible for Emergency Management?
All South Australian State emergencies are governed under the Emergency Management Act 2004. This legislation provides the authority for the State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP), which details the responsibilities and strategies of the State Government to manage significant State emergencies. The following agencies and authorities are responsible for planning and responding to emergencies:
The following agencies are the leaders in planning and responding to emergencies as defined by the Emergency Management Act 2004.
The following contacts may also be of assistance:
- After Hours Crisis Care
- AGL (ETSA Power) and ETSA Utilities
- Ambulance Service (SAAS)
- Animal Welfare League
- Bureau of Meteorology
- Disaster Assist
- Disaster Recovery
- Fauna Rescue
- Poisons Information Centre
- Red Cross
- SA Water
- TeliCross REDI Call Service (extreme weather support calls)
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Recovering from an Emergency
The City of Charles Sturt will try and return to normal business activity as soon as possible after an emergency event. For further information on recovery assistance, please refer to the following websites:
- Families SA Emergency Management Program provides advice and practical assistance to help people and communities recover from major emergencies such as floods, droughts, storms and bushfires. This includes the provision of food, accommodation, financial support, information and referral.
- The Disaster Assist website lists public information messages, relevant free call numbers, information on Australian Government Assistance Packages offered and links to other relevant websites and information.
- Volunteering is another valuable way of contributing to recovery efforts. For more information on volunteering refer to the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion or the Red Cross websites.
If you would like to donate goods after an emergency it is important to wait for a specific appeal. If there is no specific appeal, consider joining with friends or neighbours to raise money which can be donated to the recovery fund.
Related links:
- After Hours Crisis Care
- AGL (ETSA Power) and ETSA Utilities
- Alert SA
- Ambulance Service (SAAS)
- Animal Welfare League
- Bureau of Meteorology
- Disaster Assist
- Fauna Rescue
- Poisons Information Centre
- Red Cross
- SA Water
- TeliCross REDI Call Service (extreme weather support calls)
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital
