Response involves actions taken immediately before, during, or directly after an emergency to save lives and property, and to help communities recover.
Agencies respond to emergencies by activating their own plans and coordinating their activities with other agencies to manage the consequences of the emergency.
Civil Defence Emergency Managegement undertake initial assessments of the emergency, and extent of the consequences, of the emergency and potential further risks to people, property, and services within the affected area. CDEM co-ordinates the local and regional efforts of agencies and communicate assessments and actions required to the appropriate agencies, the community and central goverment.
Response objectives include:
- The preservation of life
- The prevention of escalation of the emergency
- The maintenance of law and order
- The provision of safety and security measures for people and property
- The care of sick, injured, and dependent people
- The provision of essential services
- The preservation of governance
- The protection of assets (including buildings and their contents and cultural and historic heritage assets)
- The protection of natural and physical resources and the provision of animal welfare (to the extent reasonably possible in the circumstances)
- The continuation or restoration of economic activity
- The putting into place of effective arrangements for the transition to recovery.