Major emergencies are an unfortunate fact of life and can come in many forms, or types of hazards, including bushfire, severe storm, flooding and major road transport crashes.

The Shire of Busselton faces the potential risk of a variety of emergencies, natural and man-made, due to the combination of the Shire's topographical features and land development.

The way we prepare for these events can make the difference between them being an emergency that is managed without unnecessary loss, or a disaster that has major effects on life, property and the environment.

History shows that to minimise the occurrence and impact of emergencies, we need to remove the common elements of disasters by acknowledging:

• the inevitability of severe events;
• that emergency services may not be able to immediately meet all individual and community needs;
• that people with special needs require additional support; and
• that the prepared communities are less likely to suffer consequences of severe disasters, and are more able to recover form them.

This guide applies the philosophy of shared responsibility to all hazards, and provides information on how you can be better prepared.

This means that all emergency service agencies, support organisations and the community of the Shire have a role to play in preventing, preparing, responding to, and recovering from disasters. 

This guide provides important practical prevention information for general emergencies, and specific hazards considered significant in the Shire of Busselton; and important practical information about how to prepare for incidents such as bush fire, severe storms, house fire and information relating to the support agencies involved in those emergencies.

Development of this guide has been enabled by funding by the Australian Federal Government through the "Working together to Manage Emergencies (WTME)" Program.

For all your latest information on Fire and Emergency Services please click on the links below:

BRAG (Bush Fire Ready Action Group)http://www.fesa.wa.gov.au/internet/default.aspx?MenuID=324

FESA
http://www.fesa.wa.gov.au/

Bureau of Metrology (Bush Fire Weather) http://www.bom.gov.au/inside/services_policy/fire_ag/bushfire/bushfire.htm

Bush Fire Control Information
http://www.busselton.wa.gov.au/services/fire