Christchurch awarded civil defence prize - before the quake

Just before the 4 September earthquake, Christchurch City Council learned it had been awarded the International Association of Emergency Managers' Oceania Council's 2010 Partners in Preparedness Award.

The Council's Partners in Preparedness category entry was based on 'Tsunami Risks and Response to Warnings in the Christchurch Coastal Evacuation Zone' - work undertaken earlier this year in the South New Brighton/Southshore communities.

The award is being presented at the Asia-Oceania Resilience Conference 2010 in Singapore this week.

The entry highlighted that the 'response and warning project' was a collaboration between national, regional and local government

Acting City Environment Group general manager Terry Howes says the civil defence emergency management response to the 4 September earthquake bore out the Council's focus on preparing the community for the worst.

"Many who were involved with the response to the quake have observed that they were drawing easily from training that they have been doing for years, in the knowledge that disaster can strike anyone at any time. Preparation is never wasted, and this award recognises how dedicated Council staff and community volunteers have been to this important facet of city management," he says.

* The Christchurch City Council is holding a civil defence and emergency management introduction evening on 12 October. This introduction will set the scene for trainee volunteers to gain skills that will help them tackle a range of possible emergencies and help support their community. They may then wish to further their training at Civil Defence courses (the next course, on emergency preparedness, begins on 26 October). To find out more about becoming a civil defence volunteer or about training, please call the Christchurch City Council on 941 8999 or visit ccc.govt.nz/homeliving/civildefence/volunteering/introcdem.aspx and ccc.govt.nz/homeliving/civildefence/volunteering/training.aspx

ENDS

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