GLOSSARY of TERMS

[ Up ] [ SEWS ] [ 000 ] [ Glossary of Terms ]

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z]

[ABBREVIATIONS]

This is a list of terms, definitions and abbreviations taken from the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act, 1989 (as amended), other NSW legislation, the District Displan and the Macquarie Dictionary (Second Edition).  Where possible, the reference source is identified as part of the definition (eg. the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act, 1989 (as amended), is identified as SERM Act).

There may be some slight variation in the definitions or the application of the terms at other levels of Emergency Management.

means the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act, 1989 (as amended) (SERM Act).

means a government agency or a non-government agency. (Source: SERM Act).

means the agency identified in the [the State] Displan as the agency primarily responsible for controlling the response to a particular emergency. (Source: SERM Act).

means the statutory head of the organisation, who has operational control of the resources of the particular combat agency.

means the direction of members and resources of an agency / organisation in the performance of the agency/organisation's roles and tasks. Authority to command is established in legislation or by agreement within the agency/organisation. Command relates to agencies / organisations only, and operates vertically within the agency/organisation.

refers to the Emergency Operations Controller's general idea or notion, given the anticipated problems of the effects of the event, of how the emergency response and initial recovery operation will be conducted. It is a statement of the Emergency Operations Controller's operational intentions, and may be expressed in terms of stages/phases of the emergency operation.

means the overall direction of activities, agencies or individuals concerned. (Source: SERM Act). Control operates horizontally across all agencies / organisations, functions and individuals. Situations are controlled.

means the bringing together of agencies and individuals to ensure effective emergency or rescue management, but does not include the control of agencies and individuals by direction. (Source: SERM Act).

means an occurrence, whether or not due to natural causes, that causes loss of life, injury, distress or danger to persons, or loss of, or damage to, property. (Source: Community Welfare Act, 1987).

means Disaster Plan whether produced at State, District or Local level. The object of Displan is to ensure the coordinated preparation for, response to and recovery from emergencies by all agencies having responsibilities and functions in emergencies.

means the Sydney South West Emergency Management District and includes the areas defined as the Bankstown, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly Local Government Areas.

District Emergency Management Committee (DEMC)

means the Committee, constituted under the SERM Act, is responsible for preparing plans in relation to the prevention of, preparation for, response to and recovery from emergencies in the District, including the District Displan. In the exercise of its functions, this committee is responsible to the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC). (Source: SERM Act).

means the person appointed pursuant the Act to act as Executive Officer to the DEMC and the DEOCON. (Source SERM Act).

means a facility, established at District level, from which the control of District level emergency operations and / or coordination of District resource support is effected.

means the Region Commander of Police, appointed by the Commissioner of Police, as the District Emergency Operations Controller for the Emergency Management District. (Source: SERM Act).

a.    endangers or threatens to endanger the safety or health of persons or animals in the State; or

b.    destroys or damages, or threatens to destroy or damage, any property in the State;

being an emergency which requires a significant and coordinated response. (Source: SERM Act).

For the purposes of the definition of ‘emergency’, property in the State includes any part of the environment of the State. Accordingly, a reference to:

a.    threats or danger to property includes a reference to threats or danger to the environment, and

b.    the protection of property includes a reference to the protection of the environment.

means a centre established at State, District or Local level, from which the control of emergency operations and coordination of resources is effected.

Emergency Services Officer

Fire - Bush

a.    agriculture and animal services;

b.    communication services;

c.    engineering services;

d.    environmental services;

e.    health services;

f.     public information services;

g.    transport services; and

h.    welfare services.

means the nominated coordinator of a functional area, tasked to coordinate the provision of Functional Area support and resources to incidents and / or emergencies, who, by agreement of participating organisations within the functional area, has the authority to commit the resources of those organisations.

Government Agency

Means:

(a)    a government department or administrative office as defined in the Public Sector Management Act, 1988;

(b)    a public authority, being a body (whether incorporated or not) established by or under an Act for a public purpose, other than:

(i)    the Legislative Council or the Legislative Assembly or a committee of either or both of these bodies; or

(ii)    a court or other judicial tribunal

(c)    the Police Service;

(d)    a local government council or other local authority; or

(e)    a member or officer of an agency referred to in paragraphs (a) _ (d) or any other person in the service of the Crown who has statutory functions, other than:

(i)    The Governor, the Lieutenant_Governor or the Administrator of the State;

(ii)    a Minister of the Crown;

(iii)   a Member of the Legislative Council or Legislative Assembly or an officer of that Council or Assembly; or

(iv)   a judicial officer.

(Source: SERM Act)

Material which, without adequate safeguards, may contaminate the environment to the immediate or subsequent detriment of that environment or human society, and includes all dangerous goods and many industrial chemicals and wastes. (Source: HAZMATPLAN and ENVIROPLAN).

Hazardous Material Incident

A spillage or escape, or potential spillage or escape, of hazardous material during its manufacture, use, handling, transport or storage in sufficient quantity to endanger, or threaten to endanger, the health or safety of any person, or damage or destroy any property or the environment, including fires that involve, or may involve hazardous materials, and fires that have the potential to, or are causing pollution. Such incidents may be land based, or occur on or in inland waters of New South Wales. (Source: HAZMATPLAN and ENVIROPLAN)

Incident

means a localised event, either accidental or deliberate, which may result in injury or death or damage to property which requires normal response from a combat agency.

An incident becomes an emergency when the resources of the combat agency are insufficient to deal with the incident and outside resources are desirable or required. Those resources now require coordination.

Local Emergency Management Committee Chairperson

means a senior representative of the council of the relevant local government area, nominated by that council to be the Chairperson of the committee.

The Chairperson of a Committee is to be a person who has the authority of the council to coordinate the use of council’s resources in the prevention of, preparation for, response to, and recovery from emergencies. (Source SERM Act).

means the person, appointed by Council under the Act to act as principal executive officer to the LEMC and the LEOCON for emergencies affecting that particular local area.

Local Emergency Operations Controller (LEOCON)

means the Police officer stationed within the Emergency Management District, in which the local area is located, appointed to that position by the District Emergency Operations Controller

Marshalling Area

means an area in which resources from outside the District may either congregate prior to allocation of tasks , or establish a mobile headquarters remote from the District Emergency Operations Centre.

Minister

means the Minister for Emergency Services.

Participating Organisation

means the Government Departments, statutory authorities, volunteer organisations and other agencies who have either given formal notice to agency Controllers, Functional Area Coordinators, or have acknowledged to the State, District or Local Emergency Management Committee, that they are willing to participate in emergency management response and recovery operations under the direction of the Controller of a combat agency, or Coordinator of a Functional Area, with the levels of resources or support as appropriate to the emergency operation.

Preparation

in relation to an emergency includes arrangements or plans to deal with an emergency or the effects of an emergency. (Source: SERM Act).

Prevention

in relation to an emergency includes the identification of hazards, the assessment of threats to life and property and the taking of measures to reduce potential loss to life or property. (Source: SERM Act).

Recovery

in relation to an emergency means the process of returning an affected community to its proper level of functioning after an emergency. (Source: SERM Act).

In this Displan this process is divided into initial recovery and long term recovery / reconstruction.

initial recovery - the aim of initial recovery is to satisfy personal and community needs, and to restore services to the level where the continuing process can be managed by local government and the normal responsible agencies.

long term recovery / reconstruction - long term recovery, reconstruction or rehabilitation measures are the subject of separate arrangements.

means the safe removal of persons or domestic animals from actual or threatened danger of physical harm. (Source: SERM Act).

Response

in relation to an emergency means the process of combatting an emergency and of providing immediate relief for persons affected by an emergency. (Source: SERM Act).

Site Controller

Site Control Point

In this plan means the location from which a Site Controller, agency commanders and liaison officers coordinate the resources deployed to the site. It usually includes the relevant emergency service commanders and representatives of other agencies or Functional Areas operating at the site.

State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC)

means the committee constituted under the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act, 1989 (as amended), as the principal committee established under the Act for the purposes of emergency management throughout the State, and, in particular, is responsible for emergency planning at State level. (Source: SERM Act).

State Emergency Management Structure

the emergency management structure of New South Wales consists of the State, District and Local Emergency Management Committees, and established emergency operations centres at State, District and Local levels, which provides for the control and coordination of emergency response and initial recovery operations by all agencies having responsibilities and functions in emergencies.

State Emergency Operations Controller (SEOCON)

means the person appointed by the Governor, on the recommendation of the Minister, responsible, in the event of an emergency which affects more than one District, for controlling the allocation of resources in response to the emergency. The person appointed as the State Emergency Operations Controller must be the Commissioner of Police or a member of the Police Senior Executive Service. The State Emergency Operations Controller is to establish and control a State Emergency Operations Centre. (Source: SERM Act).

State of Emergency

means a state of emergency declared by the Premier under Section 33(1) of the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act, 1989 (as amended).

Note:    Other New South Wales legislation also provides for a declaration of an emergency which has different meanings and different authorities within that specific legislation - that is: Essential Services Act, 1988; Dam Safety Act, 1978; and Rural Fires Act, 1997 (as amended), etc.

means an action plan required for a specific hazard, critical task or special event. It is prepared when the management arrangements necessary to deal with the effects of the hazard, or the critical task or special event differ from the general coordination arrangements set out in the Displan or Supporting Plans for the area referred to in the Sub Plan.

Supporting Organisation

means the Government Agencies, volunteer organisations or other agencies or organisations who have indicated willingness to participate and provide support resources to an Emergency Operations Controller, combat agency or functional area during emergency operations.

Supporting Plan

means a plan prepared by an agency / organisation or functional area, which describes the support which is to be provided to the controlling or coordinating authority during emergency operations. It is an action plan which describes how the agency / organisation or functional area is to be coordinated in order to fulfill the roles and responsibilities allocated.

Urban Fire

means any type of fire except bush fires, occurring in a town or city, primarily involving established structures such as industrial, commercial or residential buildings, vehicles, vessels and aircraft etc.

Victim

means a person adversely affected by an emergency.

Welfare Centre

means any centre / facility established to provide either short term or long term welfare / recovery services to victims of an emergency. Welfare Centres are to be determined by the agency responsible, at the time, for the provision of Welfare Services, normally the Dept of Community Services.

ADF              Australian Defence Forces

DEMC           District Emergency Management Committee

DEMO           District Emergency Management Officer

DEOC            District Emergency Operations Centre

DEOCON       District Emergency Operations Controller

DACC            Defence Assistance to the Civil Community

Displan       Disaster Plan

EOC              Emergency Operations Centre

EPA              Environment Protection Agency

LEMC            Local Emergency Management Committee

LEMO            Local Emergency Management Officer

LEOC             Local Emergency Operations Centre

LEOCON        Local Emergency Operations Controller

LO                 Liaison Officer

SEMC            State Emergency Management Committee

SEOC            State Emergency Operations Centre

SEOCON        State Emergency Operations Controller

SERM Act      State Emergency and Rescue Management Act, 1989 (as amended)

SITREP         Situation Report

SOP              Standing Operating Procedure

VRA               NSW Volunteer Rescue Association Inc.

[ Up ] [ SEWS ] [ 000 ] [ Glossary of Terms ]