The purpose of the Local Emergency Management Arrangements (LEMA) Guideline is to provide a resource to assist local government and local emergency management committees to meet their obligations under the Emergency Management Act 2005 (EM Act) and develop compliant, effective, and contemporary emergency management arrangements based on best practice principles.
To support this guideline, a model Local Emergency Management Arrangements template (Microsoft Word document) is provided to assist with the development of the document.
While the guideline and template provide best practice principles, you will need to tailor the final document to the needs of your local government. You may include any additional information that will enable your local government to support the community in times of emergency.
Updates
(August 2026)
New LEMA templates and guidance have been developed through the LEMA Improvement Program and are available on EngageWAEM. Local governments are encouraged to use the new templates, which separate strategic and operational content into distinct documents and clearly define the minimum requirements of the Emergency Management Act 2005 and State EM Policy to be addressed in the LEMA.
Use of the new templates is optional. Local governments may continue to use the existing LEMA Guideline template below or an alternative format but should refer to the new guidance to ensure their LEMA meets the minimum requirements. More information on the LEMA minimum requirements outlined by the State Emergency Management Committee is available on EngageWAEM.
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