New fire warning system will boost community safety

31/12/03
A new State-wide fire alert system will give people the latest details and evacuation information during wildfire emergencies.
"This will be particularly important for people in the regional WA as well as those in fire prone areas around the city of Perth," Dr Gallop said.
Premier Geoff Gallop today launched the new system, which was created by the Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA), and would be available via radio, telephone, television and the Internet.
Dr Gallop said the new warning system in Western Australia had been developed following the devastating fires in Canberra last January.
"The loudest and most common complaint from the people who survived those Canberra fires was the lack of public information," he said.
"We don't want a repeat of that in WA and with the introduction of this broad based alert system we are a long way down the road to ensuring it doesn't happen."
Dr Gallop said the alert system was designed to relay up-to-date information to as many residents as possible quickly and clearly.
He said details were relayed via updated multi-caller phone lines, an emergency page on the FESA website, the WA Police Services PCCops systems (which dials directly into homes with a recorded warning message) as well as radio alerts (through ABC and commercial radio) and TV alerts.
"FESA has liaised with radio and TV stations and received overwhelming support for the initiative. I applaud the media for pulling together and being prepared to help the community in its time of need," Dr Gallop said.
The Premier said information about the wildfire was supplied to the service from FESA, CALM and Local Council incident managers at the scene.
He said the alerts would only be used for major fires that threaten lives and property. The also said it was imperative that the community understands that getting the information from a fire ground is not always easy.
"A wildfire is a very chaotic and stressful situation but firefighters and managers are mindful it is essential to get information out into the community on what precautions can be taken or if evacuation is necessary," Dr Gallop said.
"FESA is mindful of not overusing this resource, to the point where residents become immune to the warnings.
"We want people to take action when they hear the alerts on the radio or see them on TV and know that it is a serious situation."
The Premier commended FESA on developing this new system in the interests of making communities throughout WA safe and secure at all times.
The FESA website address is http://www.fesa.wa.gov.au and the recorded alert message number is 1300 657 209.
Premier's Office - 9222 9475