State Emergency Management Committee strategic projects

We coordinate strategic projects to support emergency management in Western Australia.
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The State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) coordinates projects that enhance knowledge and understanding of risk and preparedness, and projects that improve emergency management capability and community resilience.

See below to find out about our current projects.

LEMA Improvement Program

The Local Emergency Management Arrangements (LEMA) Improvement Program will build a safer and more resilient community through a local approach to emergency management.

Measures adopted from the Program will support ongoing capability development and resilience building in local government and the public sector, that will improve the State’s ability to meet future challenges arising from natural and other disasters.

Review into District and Local Emergency Management Committees

The review into District and Local Emergency Management Committees, to evaluate their effectiveness in achieving the strategic objectives of the SEMC, was completed in December 2023.

WA Community Disaster Resilience Strategy

WA is already experiencing the impacts of a changing climate, including flooding, more frequent and severe bushfires, droughts, heatwaves, and rising sea levels. The impacts of a changing climate are testing the resilience of the State, from front-line responders through to individual community members.

The State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) appreciates the diversity and uniqueness of communities and recognises there is not a single answer or approach to improving community preparedness and resilience.

The path to a more resilient Western Australia requires working with communities in a way that meets their needs. By adopting a culture of preventing and preparing for emergencies rather than simply reacting to them, communities can be made safer.

Recognised in Western Australia’s State Emergency Management Policy as a key principle, disaster resilience is a shared responsibility including all levels of government, business, the non-government sector, and individuals. In understanding this shared responsibility, Western Australians should feel empowered in their activities.

The Community Disaster Resilience Strategy intends to provide the necessary guidance to support all Western Australians to increase their disaster resilience, as well as to identify priorities for activities and projects, and where to direct investment.

WA Community Disaster Resilience Strategy