A groundbreaking program to prepare former refugees for extreme central Victorian weather conditions could become a model for other regions, said Bendigo Community Health Services.

Facilitated by BCHS and agency partners, the Emergency Preparedness Program delivered information to approximately 6000 new arrivals in Bendigo over the past six months, in person and online. “And those numbers are just the beginning,” said Refugee Project Worker Nido, as some program participants are sharing their new-found knowledge with their families and communities.

Now in its fourth year, the program delivers critical information to new arrivals on how to keep safe in fire, heat, storm and flood emergencies.

Nido said with more and more Karen, Dari and Dinka-speaking people arriving in Bendigo, arming them with knowledge on emergency situations and services was an important part of helping them settle into life here.

“They come with very little knowledge about Australian bush and grassfires, floods and heat, which makes them very vulnerable to being affected,” he said.

The BCHS Cultural Diversity team reviewed pre-existing online resources and found a lack of eaily-understood information in langauge. So, the team secured funding to then partner with the CFA, VICSES and City of Greater Bendigo to deliver a program that specifically addressed local conditions.

This season’s program included:

• Production of 17 videos recorded in the Karen, Dari and Dinka language.
• Development of resources and fact sheets in Karen, Dari and Dinka.
• A series of in-person information sessions with CFA, VICSES and council representatives, with BCHS staff providing language support.
• Specialised Champions sessions, where emergency services bodies trained participants to share their new knowledge with others.

Topics covered included how to use the VicEmergency App, how to prepare for and manage the impacts of fire, flood and heat and the role of CFA and VICSES volunteers in Australia.

Senior Leader Refugee and Cultural Diversity Kaye Graves said the program was co-designed with BCHS former refugee staff and communities, with the input of emergency services.

“It’s really important to have  VICSES, CFA and the City of Greater Bendigo council involved because they make sure the content is correct, and we make sure it’s easily understood,” Kaye said.

“It’s also about building the capacity of our emergency services to understand the pre-and-post settlement experience of people and the challenges they face in Australia, and how best to help them in an emergency situation.

“People who are new to our city are really worried about fire, heat and flood events. There is real fear. They need a tailored, targeted approach to safely living in Bendigo, in central Victoria.

“This is an amazing program. It needs to be embedded in settlement programs throughout the state, and we’ve now got it to a point where we know it’s culturally safe, and it works.”

The latest program saw approximately 4850 people view the videos online, 1000 people attend information sessions and 15 community champions share knowedge with 200 people in their communities.

 

Above: Nido films a flood safety video at Lake Tom Thumb.

Below: Karen residents receive certificates for taking part in this year’s Emergency Preparedness Program Champions sessions.