Protecting communities with better warnings and communications – an online guide to using the latest research

A new online documentary series profiles key research about warnings, public information and recovery to support emergency services in protecting communities.

The series, Driving change: the evolution of communications and warnings in emergency preparedness, response and recovery, shows the impact of research from five Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC projects. 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.    

The series is structured around three themes – Preparedness, Response and Recovery – as well as an introduction that explains the how and why behind the evolution of communications and warnings in recent years. Each theme includes different types of content to give viewers a taster, the full feature or in-depth interviews with researchers. 

The series is a valuable source of information for anyone volunteering or working in warnings, public information, community engagement, education or recovery roles, and is well-suited to team training or upskilling sessions.

PREPAREDNESS

Child-centred disaster risk reduction

How can children best participate in emergency planning? The key is making the learning place-based, according to Dr Briony Towers, designing learning activities that draw on the natural and social environment that children are in every day, tailoring learning to their personal interests and priorities. Join Dr Towers and CFA’s Neil Munro in exploring how disaster education at Harkaway Primary School on Melbourne’s 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.

Also available on this topic – an interview with Dr Briony Towers.

Managing animals in disasters

Around 62 per cent 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? Join Hon A/Prof Mel Taylor to find out how this research shows that engaging with people about their animals can lead to animal-ready communities and better emergency preparedness for everyone.

Also available on this topic – an interview with Hon A/Prof Mel Taylor.

RESPONSE

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.

Also available on this topic – interviews with Prof Vivienne Tippett and Prof Amisha Mehta.

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 flood events increasing, flood safety has never been so important. For community engagement and communications personnel such as Katie Moulton from the New South Wales State Emergency Service, 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.

Also available on this topic – an interview with Hon A/Prof Mel Taylor.

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.

Also available in this theme – an interview with Prof Lisa Gibbs.

The series would not have been possible without the support of AFAC, the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, and all researchers and agency representatives who feature across the series.

Driving change: the evolution of communications and warnings in emergency preparedness, response and recovery was produced and filmed by Polygraph Productions.