When to call VICSES during a storm

About us
About us
- About the Inspector-General for Emergency Management
  About the Inspector-General for Emergency Management
  
  An independent statutory role providing assurance to government and community in respect of Victoria's emergency management arrangements and fostering continuous improvement
- Profile
  Profile
  
  Supporting Victoria’s emergency management sector to learn, improve, and deliver positive community outcomes
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  Structure
  
  The Inspector-General is supported by an office provided by Department of Justice and Community Safety
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  Contact us
  
  How to contact the Inspector-General for Emergency Management
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  Information about how we use social media
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  Who we work with
  
  IGEM connects with a range of agencies, departments and sector-related bodies with a variety of roles in emergency management
Our work
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- Assurance Framework for Emergency Management
  Assurance Framework for Emergency Management
  
  The Framework supports continuous improvement and promotes a coordinated sector-wide approach to assurance
- Evaluation and review
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  Facilitating ongoing improvement of emergency management arrangements and supporting desired community outcomes
- How we work
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  A collaborative, evidence-based and community-focused approach
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  Tracking the implementation of agreed actions and recommendations
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Assurance in Emergency Management
Assurance in Emergency Management
- All hazards
  All hazards
  
  Risks spanning across multiple hazard types and across the emergency management system.
- Biosecurity
  Biosecurity
  
  Exotic animal and plant disease outbreaks and pest incursions can have significant economic, community and environmental impacts.
- Bushfire and other fires
  Bushfire and other fires
  
  Bushfire and other fires have potential consequences including loss of life and property, and damage to infrastructure and environment.
- Climate change
  Climate change
  
  Risks include more days of extreme heat, harsher fire weather, less rainfall and rising sea levels.
- Communications disruption
  Communications disruption
  
  Communications services are crucial in keeping communities safe, connected and informed before, during and after emergencies.
- Cyber security and ICT systems failure
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  Risks relating to the confidentiality, availability, integrity of information and data and disruption of services.
- Energy supply disruption
  Energy supply disruption
  
  Reliable energy supplies are critical to many social and economic activities.
- Flood
  Flood
  
  Major flood events have occurred in Victoria every 10 to 20 years, with much of the increasing risk created by human settlement.
- Hazardous material incident
  Hazardous material incident
  
  Potential risks relate to many places where Victoria’s hazardous materials are manufactured, stored, transported, used and disposed.
- Heatwave
  Heatwave
  
  Heatwaves are considered to be the ‘silent killer’ of extreme weather events and are the leading cause of weather-related deaths in Australia.
- Public health emergency
  Public health emergency
  
  Risks may relate to the delivery of public health services, with impacts on community health and wellbeing and potential for loss of life.
- Supply chain disruption
  Supply chain disruption
  
  Geopolitical, environmental, economic, societal and infrastructure-related shocks can expose supply chains to wide ranging consequences.
- Terrorism and extremism
  Terrorism and extremism
  
  Attacks carried out by individuals or non-state groups with ideological, political or religious goals can result in loss of life, severe injury and/or material damage.
- Water supply disruption
  Water supply disruption
  
  Risks include collection, storage, treatment, delivery, availability and allocation of water for consumption and environmental, recreation and cultural uses.
- Workforce and resourcing
  Workforce and resourcing
  
  Risks may relate to human resource supply and skills to support emergency management operations.
Implementation Tracker

When to call 132 500 for emergency assistance from storm or flood

During storm emergencies

Stay informed with VicEmergency (External link), Bureau of Meteorology (External link), and listening to emergency broadcasters (External link) such as ABC local radio, designated commercial radio and TV news stations.
Call 132 500 for emergency assistance from VICSES. Call Triple Zero (000) in life threatening emergencies which need police, fire, ambulance
During major storms, please be patient when calling 132 500.
If your request is not an emergency, a gardener, arborist or skilled tradesperson may be able to assist with your needs which frees up the SES to assist those that need priority help.