Emerald and Cockatoo Emergency Support Team

A new national warning system called AusAlert will be used across Australia from October 2026.

AusAlert will be able to send warning messages to your mobile device as push notifications during:
• Natural hazards such as bushfires, floods, and tsunamis
• Public health emergencies
• Biosecurity incidents
• Security threats

Before the system is introduced, it will be tested.

In Victoria, a local test will happen in the Geelong suburbs of Highton and Belmont on Thursday 18 June at 2 pm, followed by a national test on Monday 27 July at 2 pm.

More about the tests and rollout of AusAlert will be shared on the VicEmergency page in the coming weeks.

To learn more, visit: https://www.ausalert.gov.au

Do you live in an area at risk of bushfires and want to learn more about how you can manage your risk? 🤔 Come along to a practical workshop in Bunyip to learn more about preparing your property for the fire season.

📆 Saturday 16 May, 11am - 2pm
📍 Bunyip (exact location will be provided to attendees prior to the workshop)

The Bushfire Prepare website and online learning program helps residents learn about bushfire fuel management techniques, including low intensity planned burning 🔥

✏️ Registrations are required: https://bushfireprepare.online/events/bushfire-prepare-practical-workshop-16-may-2026/

Testing will soon begin for the new Australian Government cell-broadcast message alert system, called AusAlert. 📱

AusAlert will allow emergency services organisations across Australia to send targeted, near-instant warning messages to compatible mobile devices during disasters.

This means authorities can reach people quickly when it matters most, helping to save lives and property.

AusAlert will be operational by October 2026, ahead of the 2026-27 higher risk weather season.

Community testing will take place across urban, regional, and remote areas in all states and territories in June 2026. Locations include:

🔷 Majura, Australian Capital Territory
🔶 Queanbeyan, New South Wales
🔷 Liverpool, New South Wales
🔶 Port Douglas, Queensland
🔷 Geelong, Victoria
🔶 Port Lincoln, South Australia
🔷 Tennant Creek, Northen Territory
🔶 Goomalling, Western Australia
🔷 Launceston, Tasmania

A national test of AusAlert will take place on 27 July 2026.

During the national test, everyone with a compatible mobile device will receive an alert.

Follow National Emergency Management Agency for updates about AusAlert.

Find more information, including times and dates for all tests, at: http://www.ausalert.gov.au/

A Total Fire Ban has been declared for the whole State of Victoria on Tuesday 27 January 2026.

No fires can be lit, or be allowed to remain alight, in the open air from 12:01 AM until 11:59 PM. More information: www.cfa.vic.gov.au/firebans

Hot weather 🥵 (heat risk for health) and Fire Danger Rating 🔥(fire risk for safety).

At the time of publishing this post, the forecast for Tuesday 27 January is a high of 42deg with a Fire Danger Rating of HIGH (49) for the Central weather district.

📝The best preparation you can undertake is to have a written Personal or Household Safety Plan covering Fire, Storm, Hot Weather impacts to health etc that includes *triggers to act*.

⚠️Every household will have different risk factors and considerations (including existing health conditions, young/aged/mobility or other vulnerabilities, emotional and physical preparedness, transport options, pets and livestock, number of potential exit routes, options for communications, water, cooling in the event of power outages, and more).

✅Develop a plan that meets the needs of YOUR household. Include triggers to act.
‼️Act decisively when those triggers occur.

🦺Monitor your triggers to act using official information sources -
www.bom.gov.au/vic/forecasts/fire-danger-ratings.shtml
www.bom.gov.au/vic/forecasts/index.shtml?ref=hdr
VicEmergency and VicEmergency - Central and the VicEmergency app
📻your local emergency radio broadcaster
*never rely on a single source of information*

🎓This post has helpful info on how to use the VicEmergency app https://www.facebook.com/share/1C1D7yDtSd/?mibextid=wwXIfr

‼️There’s more emergency preparation info at https://emergency.vic.gov.au/prepare/ -do-i-get-information-in-an-emergency-

🥵 Resources for managing health during heat here: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/news/simple-steps-to-stay-safe-during-extreme-heat-this-summer

🕵️‍♀️Remember: everyone needs to plan for their own circumstances. What’s right for you might be different from others. Plan for YOUR risk, triggers and actions to stay safe.

VicEmergency

An excellent program being run at Upwey.

If you have secondary school students in your household, maybe they would be interested in talking to their schools about starting something similar this year.

Five people are gathered around a table adorned with colourful diagrams, bursting with ideas on how to prepare for and respond to bushfires.

Evacuation plans, including safe exit routes and improved accessibility, are some of the items being carefully considered.

This isn't a group of firefighters or decision-makers in high-vis vests.

Instead, a handful of teenagers from Upwey High School — who have taken a keen interest in protecting their bushfire-prone community — are at the helm.

Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-22/school-bushfire-preparation-upwey-high-school-cfa/106180444

Choose your news on the ABC NEWS app and stay in the know: https://ab.co/abcnewsapp

A Total Fire Ban has been declared for the whole state of Victoria - Saturday 24 January 2026.

No fires can be lit, or be allowed to remain alight, in the open air from 12:01 AM until 11:59 PM. more information: www.cfa.vic.gov.au/firebans

Wednesday 21 January

Emerald Fire Brigade will be conducting training exercises around the area this evening from 7pm. You may see our trucks out and about and potentially in your street. Don't be alarmed and feel free to give us a wave.

Got questions about your household fire plan? Need a hand to write your fire plan?
A great opportunity to get some advice this coming Wednesday 21 Jan.

Please stay alert to local conditions.

CFA are advising that there is smoke blowing into our area from the fires in the West and North of Victoria. Please only call 000 if you see flames or a defined column of smoke.

A Total Fire Ban has been declared for the whole state of Victoria - Sunday 11 January 2026.

No fires can be lit, or be allowed to remain alight, in the open air from 12:01 AM until 11:59 PM. more information: www.cfa.vic.gov.au/firebans