Emergency Management Overview

The information on this site is provided to assist the community to better understand emergencies and what to do in the event of an emergency.

Emergency Management involves the plans, structures and arrangements which are established to bring together the activities of government, voluntary and private agencies in a comprehensive and coordinated way to deal with emergency needs. The process of Emergency Management involves four phases - prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.

There are some very common aspects to help identify the difference between an emergency and a local incident. The impact of a local incident on those affected can be traumatic, however in the broader sense an emergency will:

• be unpredictable in terms of when it will occur
• demand response
• involve a sense of urgency (to remedy the situation)
• involve danger to life and/or property
• involve major disruption to normal patterns of life
• result in a high level of impact on the community
• usually involve a number of people

A local incident is identical in many ways to an emergency, but does not require a significant and coordinated response. It can include, for example, blocked stormwater drains, a tree falling or a dog attack.

If you have any questions about how to be better prepared for a particular emergency you can use the following numbers:

Who is responsible for Emergency Management in South Australia?

Emergency Management Act 2004

All State emergencies are governed under the Emergency Management Act 2004. A copy of the Act can be found on the South Australian Legislation website.

State Emergency Management Plan

The Emergency Management Act 2004 provides the authority for the State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP). The SEMP details the responsibilities and strategies of the State Government to manage significant State emergencies.

The SEMP identifies Hazard Leaders and Control Agencies which are responsible for planning and responding to emergencies. Refer to the Emergency Authorities page for further information.

City of Salisbury

Council is not the lead agency to respond to any emergency, but it has a support role for a range of natural emergencies such as bushfires, floods and severe storms.

In supporting communities to recover from emergencies, Council has an important role in planning and preparing for emergencies and in undertaking activities to mitigate the effects of emergencies.

While Council is not fundamentally in the business of providing emergency services in the local community, there are a number of Council services and functions which form an emergency management function (i.e. prevention, response and recovery). Some of these activities include:

• fire prevention
• land use planning
• stormwater management
• public health and disease control
• community capacity building

The City of Salisbury is a member of the Northern Adelaide Zone Emergency Management Committee (NAZEMC), along with the Cities of Tea Tree Gully, Playford and Port Adelaide Enfield. The NAZEMC has been established under the State Emergency Management Plan and is responsible for regional emergency management planning.

City of Salisbury Emergency Management Plan

Council has released the Emergency Management Plan 2021 - 2024 which outlines what Council does in the event of a state emergency, including in the areas of disaster risk reduction, incident operations and recovery.