Welcome to the State Emergency Information Call Centre Capability Frequently Asked Questions portal which will provide you with a quick and easy way to using key safety messages and navigating to the relevant emergency services advice. 

REMEMBER - if specific incident information is available on the emergency services website/s this is the  information that should be given to the caller- if there is any conflict between the information available on FAQ's and the information relating to an incident , please use the incident information. 

To use this site, you need to select the first letter of the key word or topic which will then  navigate you to the relevant section of the site. 

For example, if you are looking for information relating to schools, please select S for schools. This will then take you to the 'S' page where at the top is a table with the key topics. Schools should be listed at the top of the page. You can then select that topic and it should take you to the relevant part of the page. 

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

In the event that you are unable to identify the incident that caller is requiring information for, the key safety messages below will seek to provide general safety tips and measures that may support the caller. 

Key Safety Messages

Key Safety Messages - Bushfire

Key Safety Messages - Flood

Key Safety Messages - Storm/Severe Weather

No further information script

If you have provided all the information that you can to a caller and are unable to provide any further information, you will need to advise the caller the following:

I am sorry there is no additional information available that I can give to you at present. The emergency services ask that you monitor your local radio station and the **CFS/MFS/SAPOL/SES** website which are updated regularly.  If you do not have access to these, please return a call to us at a later time.

Escalation of calls / returning calls script

We are unable to escalate calls to other emergency services or triple zero (000). We are also unable to provide a return calls to callers. You will need to advise the caller the following:

I am sorry however this is an emergency information service only and we are unable to return calls. If your concern relates to a life threatening emergency then please call Triple Zero (000). The emergency services ask that you monitor your local radio station and the **CFS/MFS/SAPOL/SES** website which are updated regularly.  If you do not have access to these, please return a call to us at a later stage.

 TOP TIPS FOR TAKING CALLS

• Establish a feeling of trust and support
• Allow the caller to speak freely and to ventilate feelings
• Listen carefully, not only to what is being said, but also to what is not being said
• Focus on actions rather than inaction
• Positive vibe language and tone in your response
• Be honest if you do not know an answer or cannot provide the requested information
• Be assertive if the situation requires it -use repetition  to get the message across
• Be prepared for any situation so don't be complacent
• Avoid taking on the callers emotions
• Be realistic - your role is to provide information -what the caller does with that information is outside of your control.

You CAN provide the following information to callers:

• Location of incident (if known)
• Direction of fire travel/ incident if available
• Locations that may be impacted by the incident (if known)
• Road closure information from SAPOL website
• Status of incident if available
• Advice, Watch and Act and Emergency Warning message information
• Water levels & definitions from Bureau of Meteorology website
• Community meeting details

You should NOT provide/do the following

• Alternative routes during Road Closures
• Agency strategies or objectives
• Cause of the fire/incident (advice this is being investigated) 
• Status of an incident unless shown on public website
• Do not tell people to evacuate - the caller must make the decision based on available information Assistance in completing a Bushfire Survival Plan or Emergency Plans during an incident
• Speculation on the impacts of the incident - only use the information from the messages provided by emergency or recovery services.

REMEMBER

Be mindful of limiting imagination - focus on the task and the facts - make sure you take a break.

Useful Numbers

ETSA 131 366 
SA Water 1300 650 950
DECS School Closures 1800 000 279
Road Closures (relating to the emergency) SAPOL - 131 444
Road Closures (country) 

Useful Websites

www.google.com  (select the maps & enlarge South Australia)
www.cfs.sa.gov.au/ (CFS info)
http://eref.dfc.sa.gov.au/ (Recovery information)
www.mfs.sa.gov.au/ (MFS info)
www.ses.sa.gov.au/ (SES info)
www.police.sa.gov.au/sapol/home.jsp  (SAPOL info)
www.bom.gov.au/  (Bureau of Meteorology)

 

Do you have a question that you can't find on here? Is there a link not working? Do you wish to provide feedback on this site?

We are continually seeking to improve this site and make it easy for your use, so please tell the SEICCC team via seicccadmin@safecom.sa.gov.au of any improvements or requirements so we can ensure we fix this and help you support SEICCC.