Public school closure alerts now available on Emergency WA

Public school closures will be displayed on the Emergency WA website this bushfire season, giving Western Australian parents a more detailed picture of how an emergency could impact them and their children.

The latest enhancement to Emergency WA enables the Department of Education to plot school closures directly onto the Emergency WA map so users can quickly identify where their school is in relation to a bushfire warning area.

This new feature is the result of collaboration between the Department of Education and Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), which manages the Emergency WA platform on behalf of the State Government.

The partnership is part of the Department of Education’s emergency preparedness activities.

Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm AFSM welcomed the addition of public school closures to the website.

“Emergency WA is the State’s official website for community warnings, delivering real-time information during bushfires, cyclones, floods and other emergencies,” Commissioner Klemm said.

“The addition of public school closures means parents will quickly be able to find out if the school their children attends is at risk during an emergency.”

The website’s map-based display provides vital information to help people in impacted areas make informed decisions for their safety.

It is used by a growing number of State Government agencies to publish information and advice to the community during emergencies.

“The school closure alert feature is the latest in a range of enhancements that have been made ahead of this bushfire season, including the addition of weather layers such as wind speed and direction, and a new collapsible warning structure to improve readability,” Commissioner Klemm said.

All of the improvements made to Emergency WA stem from community and stakeholder feedback.

The DFES Public Information Branch was recognised last week for its outstanding work improving emergency information, receiving the Silver Award for Best Practice in Collaboration Across Government Agencies at the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) WA Achievement Awards.

Media Contact: DFES Media and Corporate Communications 9395 9543