AWARDS WINNERS
EMPA Australia Awards for Excellence in Communication
The Annual EMPA Awards for Excellence in Emergency Communication have been established to recognise those who have made a significant contribution to emergency communications in Australia and New Zealand.
WINNERS & HIGHLY COMMENDED 2023
The Australian EMPA Awards for 2023 were presented at the conference dinner and awards evening on Wednesday 7 June 2023.
JUMP TO: READINESS AND RESILIENCE | COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT | RESPONSE | MEDIA | RESEARCH
For emergency communication – READINESS and RESILIENCE
A project or activity that contributes to improved community preparedness and / or resilience.
WINNER
Get Ready Queensland, Queensland Reconstruction Authority
Check out what you need: A behaviour-change mission by Get Ready Queensland
A six-week campaign which aimed to increase the percentage of Queensland households with a new or updated emergency kit.
After 100 declared natural disasters in Queensland over the past 10 years, the campaign utilised multiple strategies and channels to encourage the primary shoppers of households to purchase items for their emergency kits.
Kate Retzki, right, and Kasey Donald from Reconstruction Queensland with Barb Ryan.
The Flagstaff Group
EMBER program – Emergency Management Backpack Evacuation Resource
A project that aimed to prepare and ready people with disability in the Shoalhaven and Illawarra region, for emergencies.
The project involved research and the development of an emergency planning tool kit involving practical information, a phone app which provides links and alerts, and a Ready-to-Go bag of essential items for emergencies.
Barb Ryan, left, with Alison Turner of the Flagstaff Group.
Wollombi Rural Fire Brigade, NSW Rural Fire Service and Cessnock City Council
GET READY CESSNOCK – Emergency Preparedness Program
A project conducted in 2022 that engaged with the Cessnock community via workshops to increase awareness of bushfire risk, flood risk and fire safety in the home. The program also aimed to guide participants in devising their emergency plans.
Ben Shepherd, left, from NSW Rural Fire Service accepting the award on behalf of the Wollombi Rural Fire Brigade and Cessnock City Council.
For emergency communication – COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Collaborating effectively with diverse and varied communities.
Promoting collaborative communication methods and engagement with the aim that communities will eventually drive their own programs.
WINNER
The Flagstaff Group
EMBER program – Emergency Management Backpack Evacuation Resource
A project that aimed to prepare and ready people with disability in the Shoalhaven and Illawarra region, for emergencies.
The project involved research and the development of an emergency planning tool kit involving practical information, a phone app which provides links and alerts, and a Ready-to-Go bag of essential items for emergencies.
Barb Ryan, left, with Alison Turner of the Flagstaff Group.
Dr Margaret Cook
Reducing the Flood Hazard: Communicating Lessons from History
A project that aimed to reframe disasters with an historical and cultural dimension, to dispel myths and better inform discussion on the future management of floods.
Barb Ryan, left, with author Margaret Cook.
Bureau of Meteorology
Delivering community messaging in Gurindji language during major NT floods
A project that sought to maximise the reach and impact of messaging about extreme weather and preparedness to target communities where the majority of people have an Aboriginal first language. The project established relationships between the Bureau of Meteorology, NT Police Fire and Emergency Services and the Northern Territory Aboriginal Interpreter Service and built capacity among interpreters to participate in media conferences in emergencies. Interpreters have since successfully interpreted messages for communities in the Northern Territory floods in March 2023.
Barb Ryan, left, with Fiona Dunstan from the Bureau of Meteorology.
For emergency communication – RESPONSE
Communicating effectively during an emergency response.
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WINNER
Department of Fire and Emergency Services
Innovative Crisis Communication Excellence: MCC Team’s Outstanding Achievement in the Kimberley Floods Response
A project that responded to the significant communication challenges of the Kimberley floods in January 2023, by providing communities with multi-lingual daily updates of the key messages from response agencies. The updates were distributed via flyer, email, radio and social media and saw significant increases in social media engagement in the region.
Deana Pullella, left, from Department of Fire and Emergency Services, WA, with Barb Ryan.
CEQ-Engage and Clinical Excellence Queensland
Co-designing and responding with clinicians during a global pandemic.
A project that, in response to the challenges highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, aimed to improve the way that system-level directives are delivered to frontline clinicians of the various units of Queensland Health.
Barb Ryan, right, with Katie May and Craig Brown from Clinical Excellence Queensland, Queensland Health.
ABC Emergency
Expand our emergency messaging to people with disability
A project that aimed to expand its emergency messaging on social media to people with disability and community members with higher communication needs. The project was led by a team member with lived experience of disability, experience in advocacy and expert knowledge of digital accessibility.
Barb Ryan, left, with Bec Hogan from ABC Emergency.
For MEDIA
In-depth and balanced coverage of a topic that increases public understanding of a hazard or an emergency response.
Comprehensive and accurate reporting before or during an emergency response, contributing to public safety
WINNER
SBS Audio, Audio Language Content Division
SBS Settlement Guide, Emergency Essentials
A 10-episode Special Edition podcast and article series for migrant communities who use languages other than English. The series raised awareness about common natural hazards, risk prevention, how to interpret and react in emergencies and how to access emergency services and information in Australia.
Each episode was reproduced (on average) in 25 languages by SBS’s in-language broadcasters across various platforms.
Barb Ryan, left, with Roza Germian and Ildikó Dauda from SBS Audio (ALCD)
ABC North West Queensland
ABC coverage of the Gulf floods, March 2023
The multi-platform coverage provided important updates for the community throughout the crisis and led to the Queensland government’s announcement of a desperately needed assistance package for graziers and small businesses.
The ABC’s work on the Gulf floods also provided data to the District Disaster Management Group, through the compiling of rainfall totals and river level counts via ABC’s local contacts in an area where there is a lack of gauges.
Barb Ryan, left, with Anne O’Keefe of ABC Emergency, accepting on behalf of the team at ABC North West Queensland
For published RESEARCH that advances emergency communication by
Improving community preparedness and/or resilience
Increasing the effectiveness of communication during an emergency response;
Enabling agencies to better support communities recovering from an adverse event.
WINNER
Reducing risk and increasing community resilience in culturally and linguistically diverse communities through culturally appropriate communication.
The project has been co-led by University of Technology Sydney (UTS, School of Communication) and Fire and Rescue New South Wales and funded by NSW Reconstruction Authority.
The project aims to:
- Understand the current state of communication in public safety, emergency and disaster management for CALD communities in NSW
- Identify scope for improvement
- Explore the use of technology in engaging CALD communities in emergency response.
Barb Ryan, left, with Kate Delmo from University of Technology Sydney.