Emergency Planning
The Northern Region of the QAS provides valuable participation and input to the safety and emergency and disaster planning of its communities. This includes natural disasters, such as floods and cyclones, and other incidents such as multi-casualty vehicle and industrial and Hazardous Materials Incidents.
The QAS is involved proactively with Queensland Police Service, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, State Emergency Service, Queensland Health, local government and other relevant community groups. The Royal Australian Air Force and Australian Regular Army also participate in emergency planning activities.
Representatives of the QAS regularly attend multi-organisational planning meetings to develop and revise strategies to best suit the needs of communities in times of emergency and disaster, and in planning preventive and recovery strategies for those communities. For example, local Officers in Charge from QAS stations throughout the region attend meetings of the local counter disaster committees to assist in the planning, development and implementation of local disaster plans. As much of the Northern Region is in a cyclone and flood prone area, this particularly includes flood and cyclone preparedness and response planning.
Representatives of the service also assist with the emergency and disaster planning for local industry and for locations such as the Port Authorities and the local Airports. Industrial sites in the Townsville area include the Sun Metals Zinc refinery, Queensland Nickel and the Copper Refinery. Multi-organisational exercises are held on a regular basis to test the plans and to provide experience for operational and managerial staff.
The types of emergency and disaster for which plans are in place include:
- Cyclone
- Flood
- Other storm damage
- Oil spill in the Port/marine environment
- Airport
- Industrial incidents
- Incidents in remote location eg island locations
- Multi-Casualty Incidents
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