WA homes unprepared for emergency: ABS

by Brooke Jackson

May 16, 2008

IN the event of an emergency, one in five WA homes would need some form of help, according to a report released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The report highlights households with young children, and elderly people who have limited mobility, as the main reason emergency assistance would be needed.

According to the ABS, nearly a quarter of WA’s households did not have adequate transportation in the event of an evacuation, and would need the State Emergency Service to transport them to alternative accommodation.

Of the households that had already experienced a major emergency, 59.3 per cent had a heightened awareness of the need to be prepared for the future.

Allen Gale from the Fire and Emergency Services Authority says people are “complacent” and are “relying too much on others to deliver a service”.

“People need to be aware of what risks they face,” Mr Gale said. “There is a perception that if your home catches fire, someone else will help.”

He urges people to become more self sufficient in the event of an emergency and be aware of the ways in which they need to be equipped for a disaster. These include stockpiling non-refrigerated goods, installing and maintaining smoke alarms in the home and learning first aid.