Municipal Council roles

Municipal Emergency Management Officer

The Municipal Emergency Response Officer (MERO) is superseded by the Municipal Emergency Management Officer (MEMO).

Its responsibilities are to:  

• liaise with agencies in relation to emergency management activities for the municipal district  
• assist in the coordination of emergency management activities for the municipal council. 

Municipal Recovery Manager

The Municipal Recovery Manager (MRM) is formalised with responsibility for coordinating recovery activities at the municipal level. Its responsibilities are: 

• coordinating, in consultation with agencies, the resources of the municipal council and the community for the purposes of recovery 
• liaising with any municipal emergency management officer appointed for the municipal district in relation to the use of the municipal council's resources for the purposes of recovery 
• assisting any municipal emergency management officer appointed for the municipal district with planning and preparing for recovery.  

Municipal Fire Prevention Officer

The Municipal Fire Prevention Officer’s (MFPO) planning function is discontinued.

The Country Fire Authority Act 1958 (External link) and the Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958 (External link) require each municipal council to appoint:  

• a MFPO 
• any number of assistant fire prevention officers.  

The MFPO provides its municipal council with expertise in:

• fire prevention 
• providing a connection to local fire services.  

The role of the MFPO no longer includes a legislated planning function. Instead, fire planning will fall under the new integrated planning arrangements. 

Municipal Emergency Manager

The Municipal Emergency Manager (MEM) is not required. It was outlined as a suggested role in the discontinued Emergency Management Manual Victoria. There is nothing stopping a council from continuing with a MEM at its own discretion.