Driving change: the evolution of communications and warnings in emergency preparedness, response and recovery

Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC research has shaped warnings, public information campaigns and recovery to help emergency services protect communities from floods, bushfires, heatwaves and other natural hazards, and to help communities bounce back after a disaster.

This documentary series highlights some of that research. It follows communications and engagement practitioners from different sectors as they meet the researchers and learn how they can apply this knowledge to their own work.  

How to use this documentary series

Start with the introduction that provides an overview of the series - this video explains the how and why behind the evolution of communications and warnings in recent years.

The series is structured around three themes: Preparedness, Response and Recovery. 

Each theme includes:

• Features (yellow) - documentaries on specific topics that draw on the expertise of a range of researchers, agency and volunteer workers, and community members.
• Trailers (orange) - short videos that provide a taste of the topic and are good for sharing with small groups and online.
• Interviews (white) - in-depth interviews with the individual researchers. 

All videos will play large once clicked, and subtitles are provided.

The series was produced and filmed by Polygraph Productions.

Driving change: the evolution of communications and warnings in emergency preparedness, response and recovery

Communication and warnings are now seen as a priority in any emergency, but this hasn’t always been the case. With historical roots in military-style command and control, emergency management has undergone massive changes in the last few decades, in response to changing hazards, changing communities and a growing appetite for information.  

The knowledge and relationships that have formed between researchers and emergency services, from 2003 to the present, are now informing highly effective approaches to emergency communication and warnings and have become a vital tool in informing and evaluating the impact of emergency information. 

Preparedness 1: Child-centred disaster risk reduction

How can children participate in emergency planning? The key is making the learning place based, according to Dr Briony Towers, designing learning activities to everyday environments and tailoring learning to children's personal interests and priorities. Join Dr Towers and CFA’s Neil Munro in exploring how disaster education at Harkaway Primary School on Melbourne’s leafy urban fringe is upskilling and empowering children to prepare for a bushfire at home, at school and in their town. In this video, Neil learns about the research findings, meets Ruby and Tom, their mothers and their principal, and reflects on how he can use the research to continue to improve bushfire education.

Preparedness 2: Managing animals in disasters

Around 62% of Australian households have pets, and a majority of these households consider their pets to be part of the family. How can people take into account the safety of their pets during an emergency and consider the extent that their pets will change their emergency response? This research has worked with communities in fire and flood prone areas, alongside emergency services, to develop more effective ways to reach animal owners that enable and empower animal ready communities. Join Hon A/Prof Mel Taylor to learn that engaging with people about their animals can lead to better emergency preparedness for everyone. 

Response 1: Effective risk and warning communication during natural hazards

Warnings are a critical component of emergency management, and the evolution of both policy and practice over recent years has highlighted the power of warnings to save lives and a need to learn more about why some warning strategies were more successful than others. With more organisations outside of traditional emergency response agencies now having greater responsibility with public information and warnings, this video follows Cathy Buck, Disaster Management Coordinator at the Sunshine Coast Council in Queensland. Cathy explores the key research findings with Prof Vivienne Tippett and Prof Amisha Mehta from the Queensland University of Technology, and sees firsthand how the research has improved the warnings issued by from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services with Information and Warnings Manager Kath Ryan.

Response 2: Flood risk communication

The sight of people walking, driving or playing in floodwaters is a source of great frustration for the emergency services. With populations in flood-prone areas growing and the frequency and intensity of floods increasing, flood safety has never been so important. For community engagement and communications personnel such as Katie Moulton from the New South Wales SES, finding ways to connect with people around flood safety is a constant challenge. In this video Katie learns about the psychology behind people’s responses to floods and warning messages from Hon A/Prof Mel Taylor as they visit areas flooded in the Hawkesbury region of NSW in March 2021, and speak with Kevin Jones, Unit Commander of the Hawkesbury SES. The research shows that there are more opportunities to cut through and influence the decisions of those faced with floodwaters to stop them before they enter.

Recovery: Understanding and using Recovery Capitals research

While knowledge on effective recovery has changed significantly in the past two decades, and continues to develop through research and practice, recovery is an area that has traditionally been poorly understood and applied by response agencies. This research produced a disaster recovery guide for people, organisations and governments managing emergency recovery, which aims to support wellbeing after disasters by providing evidence-based guidance to aid decision making. This video follows Rowena Frost, Municipal Recovery Manager for the Surf Coast Shire Council in Victoria, as she explores the research findings and recovery guide with Prof Lisa Gibbs from the University of Melbourne, learning how to use the research to improve relief and recovery with her local community.