‘It will save lives’: Disaster emergency preparedness workshops offered for Tasmanians with disability in pilot project
Taraidh Colquhoun always lived an active lifestyle — but 18 months ago that changed, when a mountain-biking accident in Hobart left him quadriplegic.
“I went over the handlebars and I woke up probably five minutes later, we think,” Mr Colquhoun said.
“Immediately, I realised I’d done something pretty bad.”
Darlene and Taraidh live on a bushy block at Margate, and each summer are aware of the risk bushfires can pose in the region. (ABC News: Jasmine Snow)
It’s a new reality he and his wife, Darlene Svamvur, are still adjusting to — and one that came starkly into focus when a bushfire hit too close for comfort to their bushy property in Margate last year.
While they were not in the line of impact, Ms Svamvur realised she didn’t know what to do if a bushfire did strike closer.
“We realised very quickly that, although we had some plans in place for the farm, we didn’t have so much to get [Taraidh] out and get everything that he needed,” Ms Svamvur said.
A new program underway in Tasmania to better equip people with disability in preparing for an emergency has turned that around.
New program, training ‘will save lives’
Darlene Svamvur completed the training online, and says she now feels far more confident to deal with an emergency situation. (ABC News: Peter Curtis)
Driven by the Tasmania Fire Service and State Emergency Service, the program uses the Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness model, developed in New South Wales, to empower people with disability to actively participate in their own preparedness.
It includes workshops run with service providers, to help people understand their unique circumstances, covering things like what kind of equipment a participant may need to survive in the event of an evacuation, and who needs to be a part of their planning.
Ms Svamvur, who did the training online, said it was “invaluable”.
“With all the equipment, all the considerations, what it would look like to move the family, my husband … it put it into a methodology that I could understand.
“It was sequential, it was logical, it was ‘OK, yep, steps 1, 2, 3, 4’ — but in a world that 18 months ago, I had no idea about.”
“This will save lives in the long run.”
Program building confidence
Taraidh Colquhoun became paraplegic after a mountain biking crash, and has had to adjust what responding to a emergency may now look like for him. (ABC News: Peter Curtis)
Mr Colquhoun said it had been confronting when, last year, he realised he would no longer be able to help pack up, should a bushfire strike.
Now, he said, he felt more confident in the role he could play.
“So, what I do is make lists of equipment I would need in an emergency, and we’ve pre-packaged a lot of this stuff, everything I’d need to survive for a week or so, it’s all ready to go in bags in the shed.”
Darlene and Taraidh have now had multiple conversations about what evacuating in an emergency situation may look like. (ABC News: Jasmine Snow)
He said the pair had also discussed what would happen in the event of a flood or power outage, with Mr Colquhoun reliant on air conditioning to help regulate his body temperature, and his mattress needing to be pressure relieving and height adjustable.
“If fires are coming, or if it floods or power’s cut off, it’s really stressful,” he said.
“The last thing you want to try and do is be thinking of your emergency plan at that point.”
Evacuating in the case of an emergency now means taking two cars — one for Taraidh and equipment, and one for the couple’s animals, including German shepherd Sarge. (ABC News: Jasmine Snow)
Program driven by those with lived experience
SES emergency preparedness facilitator Richard Witbreuk said the program was about ensuring the whole community was engaged in planning, and empowering participants to individually tailor their preparations.
Richard Witbreuk, from the SES, said it was important people felt empowered to lead their own preparation. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)
Mr Witbreuk said that could include considering transport, assistance animals and making sure people had the right phone numbers for emergency contacts.
“Personally, for myself, I have two prosthetic legs, so I need power to charge my legs,” Mr Witbreuk said.
“If power goes out, I need to look at alternatives like battery-powered chargers, and there’d be a range of wheelchair issues impacting on that.”
He said having the program developed, and delivered, by people with disability or lived experience of mobility issues was integral to its effectiveness — as well as making sure participants were heard.
“They know their issues better than we do,” Mr Witbreuk said.
“We can provide resources and so forth, and then spread it throughout communities.”
Learnings occurring on all sides
Georgia Hardy, Community Engagement Officer at ParaQuad Tasmania. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)
ParaQuad Tasmania has been helping deliver workshops.
Community engagement officer Georgia Hardy said too often, people only considered planning when it was too late — but that no matter your experience, there was always something that could be learned.
“What we’ve found with the workshops is you could have the most prepared person possible learning from someone who hasn’t prepared their plan at all,” Ms Hardy said.
“We do see the participants are learning off each other, but also the facilitators … are also learning something new each session as well, which we can then include and pass on to the next participants.”
More workshops are set to be held online, with the overall program running for three years.
Those interested are encouraged to reach out to the SES.
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