Bushfires and Other Emergencies

In South Australia we have become all too familiar with the devastating loss that takes place when natural disasters occur.

Bushfires, floods, heatwaves, intense storms and biosecurity incidents have a significant impact on individuals, families and communities, and consequences for our people, economy, environment, and infrastructure.

Climate change will continue to increase the frequency and severity of such extreme weather events, leading to even greater impacts upon the South Australian people and government.

South Australia's emergency management arrangements are guided by the key principles of emergency management:

• Prevention — which seeks to eliminate or reduce risk
• Preparedness — which puts people, plans, training and equipment in place to cope should an emergency take place
• Response — which involves activating the plans in place; and recovery, which involves community restoration after an emergency occurs.

All sectors of the community have a collective responsibility when it comes to emergency management. The State Emergency Management Plan outlines the roles and responsibilities of all those who play a part in emergency management — from state and local government agencies to communities and individuals.

The State Government's Emergencies website provides vital information to assist you to:

• Understand the support that council and state government can provide before, during and after an emergency
• Identify who to contact for emergency assistance
• Improve your understanding of emergencies.

We strongly encourage you to become familiar with the contents on this website and make the appropriate arrangements to preserve and save the lives of you and your family, as well as to protect the environment, property and infrastructure where possible.

Our state is divided into eleven Emergency Management Zones and each zone has developed its own Zone Emergency Management Plan. This system ensures that you have access to information on risks associated with natural disasters and other hazards specific to your relevant zone and provides you with information about minimising the impact to you and your family.