Emergency Services:
- 000 ONLY FOR EMERGENCY
- 106 TEXT EMERGENCY CALL
POLICE
Fairfield - 9728 8399
Cabramatta - 9725 8999
Police Assistance Line - 131 444 or www.police.nsw.gov.au
Crimestoppers - 1800 333 000
HOW TO PREPARE FOR AN EMERGENCY
- Develop a Personal Emergency Plan to be better prepared in an extreme emergency such as a house fire or flood
- Involve all the family and household members
- Know what sort of emergency you might face in your home or neighbourhood
- Find out if your home is in an area that’s at risk of natural disasters such as severe storms, flash flooding or bushfire. Find out what you can do to prepare for these events and what to do if you are affected by one of these emergencies
- Create a home evacuation plan. Draw a floor plan of your home, marking up the main escape route, and back-up escape routes. It should include routes out of your neighbourhood, the location of equipment and medications you need, and a meeting place outside your home
- Give a copy of your evacuation plan to your family and household members and keep a copy on your fridge. Practice your evacuation plan with all household members
- Create a contact list, including details of all family members/carers and local emergency telephone numbers. Good ones to include are the SES, local council, gas, electricity and water. Keep them near your phone
- Decide how family members will stay in touch in the event of, or after, an emergency. Agree on how you will contact each other if not at home, who will collect children from school, who will check on elderly or disabled neighbours
- Identify meeting places for everyone in your household - one close to your home and one further away in case you are unable to return to your neighbourhood. Organise an out-of-town person that your family can contact in case you are separated and make a list of that person’s contact details and provide them to your workplace or your children’s school. Inform schools and childcare authorities of people who are permitted to pick up your children if you are unable to do so
- Locate where and how to turn off water, gas and electricity supplies in your home
- Learn some basic first aid. It pays to have first aid skills because you can't learn it in an emergency
- Store important documents safely (e.g. wills, passports, birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies) in case of a fire in a waterproof container or safe deposit box.
How you can Get Ready for summer
Aussie summers are iconic. They can also be tragic.
Each year, communities across NSW experience bush fires, home fires, floods, storms, heatwaves, power outages and other emergencies. It’s important to be aware of and prepared for seasonal hazards, whether you’re at home, at work or away on holidays.
Get Ready for summer now in five simple steps:
- Know your risk. Think about the area you’re in or the location of your holiday destination and the types of disasters that could affect you
- Plan now for what you will do. Sit down and talk with your family and plan for what you will do if a disaster affects your area or when you are away on holidays
- Get your home ready. Prepare your home by doing general home maintenance and checking your insurance coverage
- Be aware. Find out how to prepare, what to do if there is a disaster in your area or while you are away on holidays and connect with NSW emergency services or keep on top of news reports if travelling so you can stay informed
- Look out for each other. Share information with your family, friends, neighbours and those who may need assistance.
A small emergency kit stored in an easy-to-reach place is invaluable in a major emergency.
Ensure the whole family knows where it’s stored, it’s in a waterproof box and that you check the use-by dates of its essentials regularly.
Things the kit should contain include:
- Emergency food and water supplies for 24 hours
- Medications (including prescriptions) and toiletries, such as a roll of toilet paper
- Special needs for infants, the aged and people with disabilities
- First aid kit and manual
- Portable battery operated radio with spare batteries
- Mobile phone, spare battery and charger with stored contact details of your agreed out-of-town contacts
- Torch and spare batteries
- Spare clothes and sleeping equipment including strong shoes, broad brimmed hat, leather gloves and sunscreen for each household member, pillows and blankets strong plastic or waterproof bags (for clothing, valuables, documents and photographs)
Other important items include:
- Copies of important papers including emergency contact numbers and identification such as passport, driver’s licence and birth certificate - it is a good idea to scan all documents and have them available electronically by saving them in emails etc.
- Copies of home and medical insurance policies
- Spare car and house keys
- Credit cards, key cards and cash money
- Playing cards or games
- Pen and notepad
Businesses can do much to prepare for the impact of the many hazards they face in today’s world including natural hazards, human-caused hazards or technology related hazards.
In Fairfield City, areas of the city are flood prone where many businesses are located. While properties may not be flooded, access could be disrupted. Employees may also need to be evacuated to avoid rising flood waters. All businesses run the risk of damage from fire, no matter where they are.
The following resources will help your business be prepared for an unexpected emergency.
Emergency management plan guides and templates from business.gov.au:
- How to prepare an emergency management plan template
A free template to help you prepare, take action and recover from an emergency situation. Th guide includes a guide to the Emergency Management & Recovery plan template. It also covers information and advice on creating an emergency management plan with explanations for each section of the template.
- Emergency Management
Includes further information about how to prepare your business for an emergency and how to keep your business running during tough times.
Fairfield City Council’s location on the Georges River means we can be prone to flooding due to heavy rainfall. The scale general used to classify floods is:
- Minor - causes road closures and traffic disruptions only
- Serious - affects residential areas
- Severe - affects homes, shops and factory areas, evacuations of low lying properties
- Very severe - extensively affects homes, shops and factories, evacuations of many residential areas and substantial damage to property and facilities
- Extreme - unprecedented damage/levels of flooding, massive damage to property and facilities, widespread evacuations of residents in life-threatening conditions
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) is responsible for dealing with floods in NSW. During a flood, SES volunteers are responsible for flood safety advice, evacuation, rescue and the provision of essentials to people cut off by flood waters.
The State Emergency Service and energy suppliers recommend that residents take the following steps when flooding and/or storms hit or are close:
Flood Preparation Measures
- Find out if your house or business could be affected by flooding
- Work out a safe route in case you need to evacuate
- Keep your local emergency numbers handy
- Have an emergency kit prepared
During Heavy Rainfall
- Listen to your local radio station for warnings and advice. Ensure your neighbours are also aware and keep in touch in case they need your help
- Secure objects that might float away and cause damage - Move garbage containers, chemicals and poisons beyond the reach of water
- Switch off appliances and electricity supply at the mains (meter box) even when it has been reported that power has been cut off in your area
- Stack your furniture and other possessions beyond the reach of water - place electrical goods on top of any piles
- Check your motor vehicle and keep it full of fuel
When evacuating and moving to safe ground
- Treat all power lines as live, stay at least 8 metres clear. Look out for wires low hanging or on the ground, dangling in flood waters or tangled in trees
- Do not drive across fallen power lines or if they become entangled in your vehicle remain inside your vehicle and call/wait for help
- When travelling by boat through flood waters, keep a good distance from power lines and poles. If your boat is wooden or fibreglass, do not touch the water or metallic parts of the motor when near power lines or poles
- If you are at home, stay there until advised otherwise
- Avoid using electrical or gas appliances
- Avoid driving or walking through flood waters - don’t try to return home until you are sure it is safe
- Don’t drive on roads that have been closed