In an emergency response you may see fire trucks, Defence Force unimogs, ambulances, Police and councils and ask, "where is Civil Defence?"
You may be surprised to learn that together all of these agencies, make up the Civil Defence system.
In a response they are all coordinated by the 16 Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) groups across the motu. CDEM groups will also work with iwi, hapū, Government agencies and community groups. When they're not in response, CDEM have permanent professionals who work to reduce the risks and hazards in their community.
We all have a role to play in an emergency. Everyone; including individuals, whānau, family and communities share the responsibility for reducing risk and strengthening resilience.
In an emergency, it could be days before emergency services can begin responding to individual communities, and several weeks or months before normal infrastructure and utilities are up and running.
The most immediate source of help will be your neighbours, together with the preparedness actions you took in your household before an event.
Together, we are all Civil Defence.
Find out more about who does what in an emergency and get prepared:
https://getready.govt.nz/
