Roles and Responsibilities

Emergency Management Arrangements

The EM Arrangements section outlines the structural arrangements between agencies for mitigation, planning, preparedness, response (including relief) and recovery activities at a state, regional and municipal level.

Agency Role Statements

The Agency Role Statements document the roles and responsibilities each agency undertakes during mitigation, response (including relief) and recovery phases of emergency management.

Emergency Management Phase – Mitigation

The EM phase for mitigation, as described in this section, encompasses activities that eliminate or reduce incidents or the severity of incidents to minimise their effect. Mitigation activities are primarily included in Business-as-Usual processes of agencies working in the sector.

Participating Agencies for Mitigation Activities

Based on the Emergency Risks in Victoria report, table 8 outlines participating agencies for mitigation activities against each of the 15 emergency risks

Emergency Management Phase – Planning

The EM phase for planning as described in this section, includes the requirement to prepare state, regional and municipal EM plans to provide for an integrated, coordinated and comprehensive approach to EM.

Emergency Management Phase – Preparedness 

The EM phase for preparedness, as described in this section, includes the activities of EM sector agencies to prepare for and reduce the effects of emergencies by having plans, capability and capacity for response and recovery.

Emergency Management Phase – Response for Class 1, 2 & 3 emergencies

The EM phase for response, as described in this section, constitutes actions which are taken during and in the first period after an emergency. This phase includes command, control, and coordination arrangements for Class 1, 2 and 3 emergencies. Table 4 provides high level information on response control, coordination, and consequence management responsibilities for each class of emergency.

Control Agencies and Lead Response Support Agencies

Table 9 names the Control Agencies that lead response activities against a specific form of emergency. Control Agencies are responsible for coordinating actions against a specific emergency and establishing management arrangements for an integrated response to the emergency.

Table 10 names the agencies that may participate in a supporting role in response activities. As Lead Response Support Agencies, they may support the response to an emergency which falls in their functional area, through the provision of services, personnel, and materials.
 

Emergency Management Arrangements - Response

The EM arrangements for response, as described in this section, illustrates command, control and coordination arrangements for Class 1, 2 and 3 emergencies. This section highlights general arrangements around roles, governance and relationships for control and coordination during the response phase.  

Control and Support Agencies for Response

Table 9 names the control agencies that lead response activities against a specific form of emergency. Control agencies are responsible for coordinating actions against a specific emergency and establishing management arrangements for an integrated response to the emergency.

Table 10 names the agencies that participate in a supporting role in response activities. Support agencies for response are the leads in a dedicated functional area. When a specific emergency falls in their functional area, they provide services, personnel, and materials to assist with control activities.    

Emergency Management Phases – Response - Relief

The EM phase for relief, as described in this section, describes relief as the provisioning of assistance to meet the essential needs of individuals, families and communities during and in the immediate aftermath of an emergency. This section further outlines relief activation responsibilities and principles for coordination and delivery of relief which need to be incorporated into planning, decision-making and delivery of services by emergency management agencies.  

Relief Coordination Arrangements

Tables 11 and 12 provides a guide for agencies involved in relief efforts that details responsibilities for relief services and coordinating agencies, relief lead agencies and relief support agencies.  

Emergency Management Phases - Recovery

The EM phase for recovery, as described in this section, follows the National Principles or Disaster Recovery. 

Table 7 shows the four environments into which recovery assistance is arranged. These consist of social, economic, built, and natural environments.  

Recovery Coordination Arrangements

Tables 13–18 each provide a guide for agencies involved in recovery efforts detailing agency recovery coordination responsibilities for social, economic, built, and natural environment.

Recovery Coordination Arrangements

The EM arrangements for recovery, as described in this section, details roles, governance and relationships for assistance and coordination during Class 1, 2 and 3 emergencies.

Recovery Coordination Arrangements

Tables 13–18 each provide a guide for agencies involved in recovery efforts detailing agency recovery coordination responsibilities for social, economic, built, and natural environment.

Victorian Preparedness Framework (VPF)

The Victorian Preparedness Framework (VPF) identifies 21 core capabilities, and subsequent critical tasks that set the foundation for how Victoria effectively mitigate, plan, prepare, respond to and recover from major emergencies. These core capabilities are interdependent, coordinated and overlap across the different phases of emergency management. 

Within the interactive and functional PDF the VPF is described as the sector’s planning tool to prepare for emergencies. The Roles and Responsibilities section provides a comprehensive overview detailing agency roles and responsibilities, whilst recognising their alignment with the VPF core capabilities and critical tasks (table 20 and critical task tables).