Prepare and prevent…

Welcome to our new Officer in Charge, Sergeant Mick Bazzo

Welcome to our new Officer in Charge, Sergeant Mick Bazzo

By Senior Constable Mick Emery

As some of you may be aware, I am currently doing some professional development in the realm of Disaster Management. When it comes to disasters (e.g. cyclones) most people are aware that police and other emergency services play a key role in a response capacity (such as evacuations).

However, some of you may be encouraged to learn that – at other times of the year – there is also a significant amount of work that goes on ‘behind the scenes’ in relation to planning for disasters.

Disaster Management Groups regularly meet at a local, district and state level to enhance our capacity to respond to events when they occur. The three other elements of Disaster Management include: Prevention, Preparation and Recovery (in addition to the Response itself).

When seen across all four phases, what starts to emerge is an understanding that we all have an important role to play in becoming more resilient to the events that will come. As Queenslanders, we ‘do life’ in the most disaster affected state – and we must all adopt a posture that accepts the case that: it’s not if…but when….

In other words, we can best mitigate the impact of future disasters if we each take on the personal responsibilities of preparation and prevention.

To support you in this, your local disaster management group (which is based in Gympie) has produced some great resources available on the Gympie Regional Council website – Disaster Dashboard.

Can I encourage you all to take some time to check it out, and also follow the links to getready.qld.gov.au – which elaborates on the ‘3 Steps to get ready’: make a plan, pack supplies, make sure you’re covered.

The ‘silly season’ may be over, but we are still in the ‘cyclone season’ until April!

On a more personal note, can I also take this opportunity to welcome a new senior police officer to the area. Many of you will recall that Darren Grieve retired last year as the Officer in Charge, and his replacement has now taken up the position at Tin Can Bay.

Sergeant Mick Bazzo is now our boss (yep – that makes 3 x Micks!) and he comes to us with 31 years of service, all over Queensland, but most recently as the Officer in Charge at Monto. Welcome Mick #3 !!!

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