District and local emergency management committees

District and local committees are key players in developing and maintaining effective emergency arrangements.
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Western Australia has 11 emergency management districts, each with its own District Emergency Management Committee (DEMC).

Each DEMC is chaired by a District Emergency Coordinator and supported by a District Emergency Management Advisor as Executive Officer.

The key function of a DEMC is to help establish and maintain effective emergency arrangements in their district.

DEMCs focus on risk in their district and provide guidance and information to the Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs) in the emergency management district. They support the LEMCs with advice on emergency management arrangements, and participate in exercises and testing of local arrangements.

DEMCs report to the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC).

The map below shows the emergency management districts – 7 in WA’s regions and 4 in the Perth metropolitan area.

Map of districts

The 7 regional emergency management districts in WA are: the Great Southern, South West, Wheatbelt, Goldfields, Midwest-Gascoyne, Pilbara and Kimberley. The Perth metropolitan region includes 4 districts: North, East, Central and South Metropolitan. Please see the map below.

District Emergency Management Advisors

District Emergency Management Advisors support the work of the SEMC by providing services to the emergency management sector throughout WA.

Key responsibilities:

  • Supporting local government emergency management arrangements through the LEMCs.
  • Providing executive officer support to the DEMC.
  • Advising local governments on establishment of recovery arrangements following major emergency events.
  • Contributing to the development of SEMC policy and procedures.
  • Advising local governments and district stakeholders on risk, capability and emergency management issues.
  • Developing resources and events to promote awareness in the community.

District Emergency Management Advisors design and implement strategies that increase emergency management awareness, capacity building and skills development in key stakeholder groups. They promote an integrated, community-centred approach to emergency management at local and district level while helping to develop statewide relationships, coordination and priorities.

Advisors are based in Broome, Geraldton, Northam, Perth, Bunbury and Albany.

Living and working in the regions gives them an intimate understanding of local and regional issues, while working at state level gives them access to a network of contacts across WA to support coordination of emergency management.

Advisors play an important role in building local and regional networks by facilitating consultation and introducing local government contacts to subject matter experts across the state.

They also coordinate requests for (or by) other organisations or groups involved in emergency management to present to LEMCs and DEMCs on key seasonal or regional topics.

List of advisors

You can find details for the District Emergency Management Advisor for your region below.

Goldfields-Esperance District 

Shelby Robinson

E: Shelby.Robinson@dfes.wa.gov.au

T: 0488 907 187​

Great Southern District

Charlotte Powis

E: charlotte.powis@dfes.wa.gov.au

T: 0429 104 007 

Kimberley District

Matt Reimer

E: matthew.reimer@dfes.wa.gov.au

T: 0409 415 256

Midwest-Gascoyne District

Ranelle Clarke

E: ranelle.clarke@dfes.wa.gov.au

T: 0428 152 215

Perth Metropolitan Districts

Cate Willey

E: cate.willey@dfes.wa.gov.au

T: 0427 162 486

Pilbara District

Matt Reimer

E: matthew.reimer@dfes.wa.gov.au

T: 0409 415 256

South West District

Erin Hutchins

E: erin.hutchins@dfes.wa.gov.au 

T: 0429 688 130

Wheatbelt District

Shelby Robinson

E: Shelby.Robinson@dfes.wa.gov.au

T: 0488 907 187​

Local Emergency Management Committees

Local governments are key players in Western Australia’s emergency management arrangements and provide expert knowledge about their communities and environments. 

Under the Emergency Management Act 2005, a local government must ensure that Local Emergency Management Arrangements (LEMA) are in place.

LEMA are developed to provide a community-focused, coordinated approach to managing potential emergencies in a local government area. 
Each local government is also required to establish one or more Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs) for its district. Local governments may also work together to form a combined LEMC for their districts. 

Managed and chaired by the local government, the LEMC includes representatives from organisations involved in emergency management in the district.

An LEMC’s main functions include:

  • advising and assisting the local government in ensuring that LEMA are established
  • liaising with public authorities and other key organisations to develop, review and test the LEMA.

The LEMC also carries out other activities as directed by the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) or prescribed by the Emergency Management Regulations 2006.

Each LEMC is supported by, and reports to, a District Emergency Management Committee (DEMC), which, in turn, reports to the SEMC.

Publications

 

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