SUMMARY OF FINDINGS


COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS FOR EMERGENCY

This Survey collected information related to emergency situations and involved two separate themes. Firstly, information was gathered about the characteristics of households that emergency authorities would need to know should householders need to be evacuated from their homes. Secondly, the survey assessed how prepared householders were in the event of an emergency, e.g. emergency food and water supplies and contact with the outside world.


EMERGENCIES

Emergency events can include fires, medical transport and emergencies, rescues, other natural events (such as floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, heatwaves, cyclones and other storms), consequences of acts of terrorism, technological and hazardous material incidents (such as chemical spills, harmful gas leaks, radiological contamination, explosions and spills of petroleum and petroleum products), and the quarantine and control of diseases and biological contaminants. {From: Emergency management information development plan, 2006, cat. no. 1385.0, page 9}


Experienced any major emergencies

In Western Australia (WA), 7.9% (65,100) of households reported having experienced a major emergency. In Perth, 5.2% (31,800) of households had experienced a major emergency. This contrasted with 12.9% (15,800) of households in Lower Western WA, and 21.3% (17,500) in the Remainder - Balance WA. Within the Perth region, experience of major emergencies was highest in East Metropolitan (9.9% or 10,000 households) and South West Metropolitan (6.1% or 8,200) households.

Responses from households that had experienced a major emergency reflected their heightened awareness of the need to be prepared for another such event. As shown in the graph below, among households that had experienced a major emergency, when asked about a future emergency, 59.3% had an exit plan, 32.6% were unwilling to evacuate their home, 23.4% had a household member who may be called upon to assist in an emergency and 17.8% had an agreed place to meet. In contrast, among households that had not experienced a major emergency, the proportions were 45.4%, 9.6%, 8.1% and 9.8% respectively.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION AND HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS

The level of success in the management of major emergencies is dependent on a number of important factors relating to the affected households. Some households have specific needs including whether the household requires assistance to exit the dwelling or requires transport assistance, whether the household has access to alternative accommodation and whether they have pets that need evacuation. Other factors can include household members who provide unpaid care to a non-household member, household members who have a role that may be called on to assist in the emergency, household members who do not understand English and lastly households that are unwilling to evacuate.


Required assistance to exit dwelling

Almost one in five (19.0% or 155,300) WA households indicated that some members would need help to get out of their dwellings. The biggest demand for exit assistance came from households with at least one child under 15 years of age where half (52.8% or 118,300), were dependent on assistance if dwelling evacuation was required.

Required transport assistance

Some households may require transport assistance to leave the area of an emergency. In WA, 24.6% (201,700) of households said they would require some form of transport assistance. This level of demand was similar throughout the state.

The requirement for transport assistance was highest in households with children. Approximately 39.6% of lone parent with children households and 38.0% of couple with children households required transport assistance compared with 9.5% of couple only households.


Access to alternate accommodation

Access to alternate accommodation reduces demand for emergency accommodation. Most Western Australian households (92.1% or 754,300) reported having access to alternate accommodation in the event of a major emergency.

Access to alternate accommodation was lowest among households living in a flat, unit or apartment or other dwelling (87.8%) and households in rented accommodation (88.9%).


Pets needing evacuation

Overall, 53.3% (436,200) of households in WA reported that they had pets that would need evacuation in the event of a major emergency. In the Perth metropolitan area the proportion with pets ranged from 32.6% in the Central Metropolitan region to 57.4% in the East Metropolitan region. Outside of Perth, 60.3% of households in the Lower Western WA region and 62.8% in the Remainder - Balance WA stated that they had pets that would need to be evacuated..

Having pets needing evacuation was highest among couple with children households (67.8%) and lone parent with children households (62.3%), in households living in a separate house (59.6%) and in households in dwellings that were owned outright or being purchased (57.4%).


Unpaid carers to non-household member

Some household members are unpaid carers of one or more people outside their household. If they were evacuated from their home and were unable to return, the people who usually receive their care could also be indirectly affected by an emergency situation.

In WA, 6.3% (51,600) of households had at least one member who looked after or provided unpaid care for someone living in another household. Within the Perth metropolitan area, the proportion ranged from 6.2% in the South West Metropolitan region to 8.4% in the East Metropolitan region.


Household member has role that may be called on in emergency

Respondents were asked whether anyone in their household had a role such as a firefighter, police officer, medical personnel, emergency services officer, volunteer or defence reserves that may require them to assist during an emergency. These people may find themselves called away from their home leaving other household members vulnerable.

Almost one in ten (9.3% or 76,300) WA households had members who had a role that could be called upon during an emergency. In Perth 7.2% of households had a member who could be called on during an emergency compared with 12.6% of households in Lower Western WA and 20.6% of households in Remainder - Balance WA.

The level of participation in activities likely to be called upon in an emergency was higher among households that had experienced a major emergency, 23.4% compared with 8.1% of households that had not experienced an emergency.


PREPAREDNESS FOR EMERGENCY

Indicators of preparedness for an emergency include whether households had an exit plan, an agreed meeting place, stored water and food, access to communication, a member with a first aid qualification and the keeping together of medication and important documents.


Exit plan

Householders were asked whether they have plans on how to get out of their dwellings if there were an evacuation. Almost half (46.5% or 381,100) WA households reported having such a plan. Within the Perth metropolitan region, the East Metropolitan region had the highest percentage of household with an exit plan (51.1%) followed by the Central Metropolitan region (46.7%) and the North Metropolitan region (45.3%).

Having an exit plan was highest among person living alone households (62.4%). Of the remaining household types, the proportion with an exit plan ranged from 39.0% for couple with children households to 43.2% for couple only households.

Of households in a separate house, 44.2% had an exit plan compared with 56.6% for households in semi-detached, row or terrace houses and 54.7% in flats/units or apartments and other dwellings.


Agreed meeting place

Householders were asked whether their households had an agreed place to meet if after an emergency evacuation from their home they became separated. In WA, 10.5% (85,800) of households had an agreed place to meet if they became separated following evacuation.

In households that had previously experienced a major emergency the proportion with an agreed meeting place was (17.8%), almost double the proportion found in households that had not faced a major emergency (9.8%).


Available stored drinking water

Most Western Australians get their drinking water from reticulated mains supply. During a major emergency this source may be cut-off or contaminated. Survival may depend on having available potable drinking water. Householders were asked how much water they had stored in bottles, containers or tanks.

Overall, 30.1% (246,100) of WA households had no stored drinking water, 30.2% had between 1 to less than 5 litres and 18.2% had 20 litres or more.

Among households that had experienced a major emergency, 42.1% had 20 or more litres of stored drinking water compared with 16.1% of households that had not experienced an emergency.

Over one fifth (21.5%) of households living in a separate house had 20 or more litres of drinking water compared with 5.3% of households living in semi detached, row or terrace houses and 5.0% in flat and unit apartments or other dwelling types.

Similarly, 20.7% of households living in fully owned or being purchased dwellings had 20 litres or more litres of water stored compared with 10.6% of in rented accommodation.


Food that does not need cooking or refrigeration

In an emergency, cooking facilities and electricity may not be available. Having emergency food, i.e. food that does not need cooking or refrigeration, could be essential for survival.

About one in three (35.9% or 293,600) households had enough emergency food to last 1-3 days, 26.8% had enough to last 7-14 days, 23.6% had 4-6 days supply and 6.2% had supplies for more than 14 days. In 7.2% of households no emergency food was stored.

Within the Perth region, approximately half of the households either had food for 4-6 days (23.7%) or 7-14 days (24.4%), while 37.5% had food for 1-3 days. Households in the Balance of Western Australia were better prepared with 34.3% having sufficient emergency food supplies for 7-14 days.

In households where all members understood English, 93.3% had at least one day's supply of emergency food compared with 77.2% of households where at least one member did not understand English.


First aid qualifications

Householders were asked whether anyone in their household had a first aid qualification.

Slightly more than half of WA households (51.4% or 420,700) included someone who had a first aid qualification. Within Perth, the proportion of households with first aid qualifications ranged from 46.1% in the South East Metropolitan region to 52.9% in the North Metropolitan region. Outside Perth, 59.5% of households in Remainder-Balance WA region had someone with a first aid qualification while the Lower Western WA region reflected the WA average of 51.4%.

Of the 243,100 couple with children households, two-thirds (67.6%) had someone with a first aid qualification. In contrast, 49.3% of lone parent with children households had a first aid qualification. In couple only households and person living alone households the proportion with first aid qualifications were 50.1% and 31.8% respectively.


Storage of medication

Householders were asked whether anyone in their household was on medication for any long term medical conditions (e.g. asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, angina) and if so, whether they keep their medications together so they could be easily collected if an emergency required them to evacuate their home.

In WA, 42.7% (349,600) of households had a family member on medication for a long term medical condition, comprising 40.5% who kept their medication together and 2.2% who did not keep their medication together.


Keeping documents together

Another indicator of whether householders were prepared for emergencies was whether they kept their important documents, such as wills, passports or insurance policies together so they could be easily located and taken with them in the event of an emergency. Householders who reported that they kept their important documents in premises outside their home (e.g. a bank or in storage) were included with those who kept their documents together at home.

The majority of households (81.8% or 669,600) in WA reported that they kept their important documents together.


Communication

For authorities to transmit information relating to emergency situations and for households to receive information about the level of the emergency and evacuation procedures, communication is essential. Respondents were asked whether they had a portable radio with working batteries (in the event of electricity cuts), the type of landline telephone if any, that was in their household, how many mobile telephones their household had and whether they had access to the internet.

Portable radio - Almost half (47.7% or 390,700) of WA households did not have a portable radio with working batteries. Not having a portable radio with working batteries was less common in couple only households (37.8%) and more common among households in rented dwellings (55.6%).

Landline telephones - In WA, 89.3% (731,600) of households had a landline telephone connection comprising 32.6% with a cordless handset, 20.8% with a fixed handset and 35.9% with both types of handsets.

Mobile telephones - Three in five (60.5% or 495,100) WA households had more than one mobile telephone, 29.6% had one mobile telephone and 10% had none.

In households where all members understood English 60.8% had more than one mobile telephone, 29.4% had one and 9.8% had none. In households where there was a member who did not understand English the proportions were 49.5%, 34.6% and 16.0% respectively.

Families with children represented households with the highest level of multiple mobile telephones. Of couple with children households, 91.7% had more than one mobile telephone, compared with 66.0% of lone parent with children households and 65.7% of couple only households.

Internet access - One in three (32.3% or 264,700) households in WA did not have internet access. More than half (58.3%) person living alone households were without internet access. In contrast, among couple with children households 10.8% were without the service. For couple only households and lone parent with children households the proportion having no internet access were 31.0% and 33.1% respectively.

Age of household members was a distinctive factor in levels of access to communication. Access to the modern methods of communication such as mobile telephones and the internet was more prevalent among younger households. In households where there was at least one child under 15 years of age, 1.7% had no access to a mobile telephone and 17.7% had no internet access. In contrast, where a household contained at least one person aged 60 years and over, 28.2% had no mobile telephone and 54.7% had no internet access.

For portable radios and landline telephone connection the reverse was the case. In households where there was at least one child under 15 years of age, 55.0% had no portable radio with working batteries, 8.7% had no landline telephone connection, while in households with at least one person aged 60 years or over 37.1% had no portable radio and 3.7% had no landline connection.


Torch for ready use

One aspect of preparedness for an emergency is having a torch which is ready to use in the home, in the event of power failure during darkness. In WA, 89.0% (729,100) of households had a torch that was ready to use.

Having no torch ready for use was reported by 24.4% of households in flats, units and apartments and other dwellings, 18.3% in semi-detached, row or terrace house etc. and 8.4% of households in a separate house.