On October 4 2022 Council staff from Waimate, Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils took part in a training session to prepare them for working together in an emergency.
In an emergency trained Civil Defence personnel set up an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) which becomes the hub from which emergency responses are coordinated. This training for new staff from the three councils was to enable them to work effectively in an EOC, to understand the core roles and how they interact, and to be able to work effectively with in conjunction with the emergency services, partner agencies and community.
In recent weeks Mackenzie, Timaru and Waimate District Councils, who are all members of the Canterbury Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group, have been joining forces to run training as part of building capability to provide a professional and coordinated response during and after a major disaster.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has given Councils clear directions setting a vision of “New Zealand as a disaster resilient nation that acts proactively to manage risks and build resilience in a way that contributes to the wellbeing and prosperity of all New Zealanders”. This training contributes to building resilience in our communities.
The training was delivered by Andrew Howe (Canterbury Group Civil Defence) and Phill Mckay (Timaru District Team leader Emergency Management Adviser). The training was also supported by Mark Offen and Joe Rush (Waimate and Mackenzie Emergency Management Officers).