Health Emergency Response core capability
The planning, provisioning, response and coordination of pre-hospital and health emergency care, including triage, treatment and distribution of patients, in a timely and structured manner, using all available resources to maximise positive health outcomes.
Critical Task Table 14: Agency roles mapped to the VPF, by critical tasks within the Health Emergency Response core capability
Critical Task 14.1: Identify existing and developing health risks
| Agency | Activity | Additional alignment to critical tasks |
|---|
| AV | Identify existing and developing health risks. | |
| LSV | Provide first aid and other medical response support services to AV (as co-responder/emergency medical responder) | 3.2, 14.2 |
| Relief Support Agency (RelSA) to provide support to lead agencies for pre- hospital care for people affected by emergencies | 3.2, 14.2 |
Critical Task 14.2: Assess patients
| Agency | Activity | Additional alignment to critical tasks |
|---|
| Airservices Australia | Subject to its regulatory obligations and only if spare capacity permits, Airservices Australia may provide assistance to state agencies in other emergencies that cause or threaten to cause death or injury to persons, damage to property, harm to the environment and disruption to essential services, including first aid services for potential life threatening medical emergencies on or in the vicinity of designated aerodromes | 3.2 |
| AV | Assess patients and determine treatment priorities. | |
Relief Lead Agency (RelLA) to:
* Coordinate pre-hospital care to people affected by emergencies | 3.1, 14.8 |
| Respond to requests for pre-hospital emergency care. | |
| CFA | Fire Medical Response (FMR) from designated stations to relevant events to support AV | 3.2, 14.4 |
| FRV | Provide key support for the provision of EMR to relevant, as defined, events to support AV | 3.2, 14.4 |
| LSV | Provide first aid and other medical response support services to AV (as co-responder/emergency medical responder) | 3.2, 14.1 |
| Relief Support Agency (RelSA) to provide support to lead agencies for health and medical relief (first aid) assistance measures | 3.2, 14.7 |
| Relief Support Agency (RelSA) to provide support to lead agencies for pre- hospital care for people affected by emergencies | 3.2, 14.1 |
| St John Ambulance | Provide first aid and medical services support to community within the scope of the SEMP Health Emergencies Sub-Plan, including Emergency Relief Centres and staging areas | 15.2 |
| Provide response and resources to other emergency service agencies and public, e.g. Mobile first aid vehicles, first aid/first responder trained teams, medical assistance teams and provide standalone communication system all supported by a self-sufficient logistics operation | 14.4, 14.7 |
| Provide response and resources within the scope of the SEMP Health Emergencies Sub-Plan, e.g. Mobile first aid vehicles, first aid/first responder trained teams, medical assistance teams and provide standalone communication system all supported by a self-sufficient logistics operation | 14.4, 14.7 |
| Relief Support Agency (RelSA) for DH as the lead to coordinate other health and medical relief assistance measure, through the provision of first aid and medical services within the scope of the SEMP Health Emergencies Sub-Plan | 3.2, 14.7 |
| Support agency for the provision of first aid and medical services to other emergency service agencies and public | 3.2, 14.7 |
| TZV | Process calls for assistance in line with agency direction, including the provision of pre-ambulance life support advice via the telephone and connect to specialist referral services as required for medical emergencies | 13.4, 14.4, 14.8 |
Critical Task 14.3: Establish primary patient treatment points
| Agency | Activity | Additional alignment to critical tasks |
|---|
| AV | Establish and manage primary patient treatment points. | |
Relief Support Agency (RelSA) to:
* DH to coordinate other health and medical relief assistance measures | 3.1, 14.4, 15.1, 15.2 |
| St John Ambulance | Activate an Emergency Operations Centre to provide higher level support as required | |
Critical Task 14.4: Deploy specialised resources as required
| Agency | Activity | Additional alignment to critical tasks |
|---|
| AV | Maintain and deploy specialised resources as required. | |
Relief Support Agency (RelSA) to:
* DH to coordinate other health and medical relief assistance measures | 3.1, 14.3, 15.1, 15.2 |
| Support pre-hospital health requirements (including patient care, transport, and support for other agency responders) for search and rescue operations, including in specialist response environments i.e. wilderness, aquatic, USAR, air, 4WD and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE). | |
| CFA | Fire Medical Response (FMR) from designated stations to relevant events to support AV | 3.2, 14.2 |
| DH | Access additional resources for the provision of appropriate care during an emergency with health consequences | 14.6 |
| Coordinate training, development and deployment of health professionals (e.g. under the AUSMAT program) to enable Victoria to contribute to national or international deployments of health and medical teams | 3.2 |
| Through the SEMP Health Emergencies Sub-Plan (HESP) and relevant sub-plans, ensure a safe, effective and coordinated health, wellbeing and medical response to emergency incidents that go beyond day-to-day arrangements | 3.2, 14.6, 14.8 |
| FRV | Provide key support for the provision of EMR to relevant, as defined, events to support AV | 3.2, 14.2 |
| Services Australia | Implement agreements with States, Territories and Commonwealth agencies, and outline the arrangements in place with States, Territories and Commonwealth agencies for the provision of support services if resources are overwhelmed during an emergency. Note: Other agreements outline the arrangements between the department and policy agencies about how they will work together to deliver the best possible services (within their portfolio of responsibility) to the community | 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 3.2, 7.3, 12.4 |
| Provide National Emergency Call Centre surge capacity on behalf of the Victorian Government on a cost recovery basis, under a separate agreement | 3.2, 3.4, 3.5 |
Provide the following services:
* have staff available with specialist skills (for example social workers, community engagement officers, indigenous service officers) to work with disaster affected individuals and communities in relation to Services Australia payments and services | 3.2, 6.1, 15.4, 15.5, 20.6 |
| St John Ambulance | Provide response and resources to other emergency service agencies and public, e.g. Mobile first aid vehicles, first aid/first responder trained teams, medical assistance teams and provide standalone communication system all supported by a self-sufficient logistics operation | 14.2, 14.7 |
| Provide response and resources within the scope of the SEMP Health Emergencies Sub-Plan, e.g. Mobile first aid vehicles, first aid/first responder trained teams, medical assistance teams and provide standalone communication system all supported by a self-sufficient logistics operation | 14.2, 14.7 |
| TZV | Provide timely and effective dispatch services in line with agency direction and provide situational awareness information through operational communication networks, including managing times of peak demand | 3.2, 7.3, 12.4 |
| Process calls for assistance in line with agency direction, including the provision of pre-ambulance life support advice via the telephone and connect to specialist referral services as required for medical emergencies | 13.4, 14.2, 14.8 |
| Provide timely and effective operational communications services to relevant emergency services organisations and related services organisations | 3.2, 3.4, 7.3, 12.4 |
Critical Task 14.5: Undertake and coordinate patient transport
| Agency | Activity | Additional alignment to critical tasks |
|---|
| AV | Undertake and coordinate patient transport, including initial notification and distribution of patients to appropriate care facilities. | |
| CCOV | Facilitate the transportation of deceased persons to a coronial mortuary | 8.4, 8.5 |
| St John Ambulance | Provide community transport services | 15.2 |
| Support AV by providing non-emergency patient transport as a licenced operator | 3.2 |
| TZV | Support the transport of patients through call taking, dispatch and operational communications functions | |
Critical Task 14.6: Work with hospitals to identify strategies and resources that may be implemented in response to a surge in demand
| Agency | Activity | Additional alignment to critical tasks |
|---|
| AV | Work with hospitals to identify strategies and resources that may be implemented in response to a surge in demand. | |
| DH | Access additional resources for the provision of appropriate care during an emergency with health consequences | 14.4 |
| Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) responsible to support community access to appropriate health services through DH funded health care services and other primary, community and acute health services | 13.1, 13.3, 14.8 |
| Through the SEMP Health Emergencies Sub-Plan (HESP) and relevant sub-plans, ensure a safe, effective and coordinated health, wellbeing and medical response to emergency incidents that go beyond day-to-day arrangements | 3.2, 14.4, 14.8 |
Critical Task 14.7: Provide treatment and ongoing medical care
| Agency | Activity | Additional alignment to critical tasks |
|---|
| AV | Provide expert pre-hospital treatment and care. | |
| LSV | Relief Support Agency (RelSA) to provide support to lead agencies for health and medical relief (first aid) assistance measures | 3.2, 14.2 |
| St John Ambulance | Provide response and resources to other emergency service agencies and public, e.g. Mobile first aid vehicles, first aid/first responder trained teams, medical assistance teams and provide standalone communication system all supported by a self-sufficient logistics operation | 14.2, 14.4 |
| Provide response and resources within the scope of the SEMP Health Emergencies Sub-Plan, e.g. Mobile first aid vehicles, first aid/first responder trained teams, medical assistance teams and provide standalone communication system all supported by a self-sufficient logistics operation | 14.2, 14.4 |
| Relief Support Agency (RelSA) for DH as the lead to coordinate other health and medical relief assistance measure, through the provision of first aid and medical services within the scope of the SEMP Health Emergencies Sub-Plan | 3.2, 14.2 |
| Support agency for the provision of first aid and medical services to other emergency service agencies and public | 3.2, 14.2 |
Critical Task 14.8: Coordinate across the health sector to provide advanced clinical care, specialty services, and investigations required for patient treatment and care
| Agency | Activity | Additional alignment to critical tasks |
|---|
| AV | Coordinate across the health sector to provide advanced clinical care, speciality services and investigations required for patient treatment and care. | |
| Liaise with control agencies to ensure the safety of responders, health care workers, and the public for identified and emergent risks from an incident. | 3.2 |
Relief Lead Agency (RelLA) to:
* Coordinate pre-hospital care to people affected by emergencies | 3.1, 14.2 |
| DH | Provide a State and Regional Health Coordination response during an emergency with health consequences | 3.1 |
| Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) responsible to support community access to appropriate health services through DH funded health care services and other primary, community and acute health services | 13.1, 13.3, 14.6 |
| Through the SEMP Health Emergencies Sub-Plan (HESP) and relevant sub-plans, ensure a safe, effective and coordinated health, wellbeing and medical response to emergency incidents that go beyond day-to-day arrangements | 3.2, 14.4, 14.6 |
| TZV | Process calls for assistance in line with agency direction, including the provision of pre-ambulance life support advice via the telephone and connect to specialist referral services as required for medical emergencies | 13.4, 14.2, 14.4 |
The department acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.