NEWS update: warning system tests under way
1st November 2009Ministerial media release
Emergency Services Minister Steve Whan today said the new National Emergency Warning System (NEWS) was currently undergoing testing, preparing for use this bush fire season.
"NSW is working closely with Victoria on the development and roll-out of this new telephonebased system to help alert communities in the path of major bush fires," Mr Whan said.
The system will send precise localised warning voice messages to all landline phones located in and text messages to all mobile phones with billing addresses in the bushfirethreatened areas. The system is expected to reduce pressure on Triple Zero and other emergency phone lines.
The introduction of NEWS was agreed to by the Commonwealth and State governments following the tragic Black Saturday bush fires in Victoria in February, with Victoria taking the lead on the development of the new warning system.
Mr Whan said Victoria was carrying out technical system tests and that a later public test of the system would occur in the last week of November. NSW will look at implementation of the system following these tests.
"It is important that we comprehensively test the system to ensure it is robust and reliable and also familiarise our emergency services personnel with its operation and abilities," he said.
"NEWS will be a valuable addition to our bush fire messaging capabilities as part of a suite of measures that can be used to warn the public of bush fire danger.
"It's very important that people do not rely solely on receiving a message on their telephone. Residents must still be prepared and have a Bush Fire Survival Plan so they know what they will do in the event of a bush fire," Mr Whan said.
Prepare. Act. Survive by downloading a Bush Fire Survival Plan and taking the Bush Fire Household Risk Assessment tool at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.
NEWS update: warning system tests under way (PDF 35KB)