Disabilities and disaster preparedness.

Eduardo

Despite making up 18% of the population, people with disability account for nearly half of fire related fatalities in a country where bush fires are a constant fear, advocates argue systemic failures in emergency preparedness put lives at risk Powerd Media's reporter Emma Myers has this exclusive report.

Emma 00:19

Megan Spinler Smith, Deputy CEO of People With Disability Australia, lives on a property in semi-rural New South Wales as an ambulant wheelchair user, they recall being faced with an impossible choice in late 2019 as the Belpin fires headed in their direction.

Megan Spinler Smith 00:44

At the time, I was a full time wheelchair user, and I live in the Hawkesbury, and was unexpected that the fires would come this far. So I had to choose between a non-accessible place that I couldn't bring my animals or stay in situ in a way that meant that I could potentially not survive, and at the point that the decision had to be made, it was not a choice. The local evacuation center did not have a wheelchair accessible space. I would not have been able to use a bathroom. I would not have been able to have a shower. I could do that in my home. And so instead, I had to make the decision to try and shore up my home and stay and sadly, the local area, which I will note, has very much changed, but the local emergency services did not have other options. It got hot, and we did lose power, and it was a matter of just finding ways to stay cool and safe. And we did get a couple of spot fires here and there that I was metaphorically running around, because really, I was just kind of dragging myself around to put out. I was scared. I wasn't prepared. I didn't know how to be prepared to leave.

Emma 02:08

According to the NDIS quality and safeguards commission, people with disability are at disproportionate risk of being affected by fires and other emergencies in their homes. The Australian Journal of emergency management says people with disability accounted for 47% of five fatalities in Australia, between 2003 and 2017 is a volunteer SES emergency serviceman who has over 25 years experience responding to different types of emergencies.

Stuart Mulvey 02:50

Well, it's the old federal system, isn't it? Because, you know, the states have the primary responsibility and the legislative power, the constitutional clout, to make sure that these emergency agencies exist in every state in Australia. They've all got different ways of doing things, and they don't coordinate, they don't talk to each other all that much. They go off and they do their own things. And they all got their own little laws, which are a little a little bit different. So it's does come down to sort of the problems of Federation and not talking to each other.

Emma Myers 03:26

Claire Gibilini is the policy officer for Women With Disabilities Australia. She volunteers with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Claire says it's important to know what to do when to do it, and to notify your contacts in advance.

Claire Gibilini 03:44

I think all Australians have this idea that we can just call triple zero and someone will come. But when things are happening on and happening on a big scale, that might not necessarily work. From where I sit, we need to do what we can in terms of knowing what we're going to do, when we're going to do it, having a plan that we we've got in place and communicated to other people that work with us or support us. There's no point having a plan and keeping it to yourself. So doing things like getting all the phone numbers of important people and getting all of your important documents together, all of those sorts of things are achievable for us, but there are some systemic things that are, you know, obviously not within our control. So I think it's absolutely a partnership and for those emergency services, but also the service provider sector and wider community to activate and think about this as well, and think about what part they've got to play in supporting people with disability.

Emma 04:39

Megan Spinler Smith says people with disability Australia, it's looking to host a forum in the coming months.

Megan Spinler Smith 04:48

One of the things we want to do, and work with both states and territories is provide a forum in the coming months to really discuss the reform that's required and those ways that we can. And advance disaster preparedness, because in the long run, it doesn't matter what we do in the fire at the time, it's how we prepare for the fire. And we're not doing enough, from a state and territory perspective, to ensure people with disability know how to prepare for the fires, the floods and the evacuation needs well in advance.

Eduardo 05:20

Deputy CEO of People With Disability Australia, Megan Spindler Smith, ending the report by Powerd Media’s Emma Myers and to read more about the realities of people living with disability when a disaster strikes, you can go to Power media's website on P, O, W, E, R, D, dot media.