Local governments are closely involved in emergency management and have specialised knowledge about their communities. In an emergency, they use this knowledge to respond to the situation and to provide support and resources.
Under the Emergency Management Act 2005 (EM Act), local governments are required to have local emergency management arrangements (LEMA) in place.
LEMA is the collection of all emergency management strategies, plans, agreements and other documents that apply to the local government district. In an emergency, any of this information can be used, depending on the circumstances.
Local governments are responsible for developing, maintaining, and testing their LEMA.
Effective LEMA enhances the community's resilience and readiness for emergencies through plans that cover the phases of emergency management:
- prevention/mitigation
- preparedness
- response
- recovery.
Find out more about LEMA in the Local Emergency Management Arrangements Guideline and Model, which is part of the Strategic Framework for Emergency Management in WA.
LEMA Improvement Program
The State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) Business Unit and the WA Local Government Association (WALGA) are working with stakeholders to support changes to reform local emergency management to adapt to the changing landscape.
