What to do During an Emergency

It is important to stay calm and safe during an emergency.

• If you are in a life-threatening or time critical situation, call Triple Zero '000' to contact the Police, Fire Brigade or Ambulance.
• In a flood or storm where life is not in immediate danger telephone the Victoria State Emergency Service (SES) on 132 500.
• Follow your home emergency plan.
  • The following are free emergency plan guides and templates that will get you prepared for any emergency:
  • Emergency preparedness guide | Australian Red Cross
  • Your Bushfire Plan | CFA (Country Fire Authority)
  • Plan for emergencies at home (ses.vic.gov.au)
• Have your emergency kit ready to go.
  • Pack an emergency kit – Emergency Prepare
• Be alert of what is happening in your surrounding area, especially during severe weather - emergencies can happen before a warning is issued.
• Stay informed. Keep listening for more information in case the situation changes. 
• Keep in contact with family members. Make sure they know what is happening and what you plan to do.
• Do not wait for emergency services to knock on your door – seek out information from reliable sources and follow the advice of warnings immediately. 
• If safe to do so - check that family and neighbours are safe, especially the elderly and those with disability or who may not understand English well.
• If you need to evacuate, stay with family or friends that are outside of the emergency affected area.
• If you own pets, don’t forget to include them in your emergency planning and preparation. By law, animal owners have the responsibility for the health and wellbeing of their pets. Remember that you may not be able to take pets to emergency relief centres or shelters.

For more information on protecting your pets in emergencies visit the Pets and Emergencies page on the Animal Welfare Victoria website.

Warnings aim to provide you with the best advice and information on what is happening to help you make good decisions to protect yourself and others. 

When information about emergency weather is given or a Total Fire Ban is declared Greater Dandenong is in the Central District or Central Region.