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Questions On Notice Questions on notice are usually asked when a more detailed answer is required and are in writing, and are forwarded by the Clerk of the Parliament to the relevant Minister who prepares a written answer which is presented to Parliament.
Question on Notice No. 1745 |
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| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Nov 25 2004 |
| Questions On Notice >> |
Mr Lawlor, Member for Southport asked the Minister for Emergency Services (Mr Cummins) - What safety advice does he have for the elderly this summer?
MR CUMMINS:
I thank the Member for his question and for the strong support he has shown to all sections of the Department of Emergency Services within his electorate. The Department of Emergency Services has a number of community safety messages that will impact on this demographic group. This year the elderly have been identified as a key target group for our heat stress safety campaign. My department will be alerting families of the dangers to the elderly of dehydration and heat stress in the summer months and encouraging people to regularly check on their family members, friends and neighbours. The department's 'Older & Wiser' program is a course in injury prevention for older people. The aim is to familiarise Queenslanders with basic strategies to reduce the risk of injury to people over 65 years of age in and around a residential setting.
The Department's generic messages advising the dangers of the need to call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency and our general holiday safety messages, for example, the Queensland Fire & Rescue Service are asking residents to ensure they switch off all their non-essential electrical appliances and equipment before they head off on holiday and further, If you are going away on holiday, before leaving your property unattended to the elements during that time, the Department is encouraging residents to leave a contact number with their neighbours. If your neighbours know how to reach you, then they can advise you of any storm damage to your property straight away, rather than waiting for your return from holidays, perhaps several weeks later. These messages are just as important/relevant to the elderly as other citizens in the community.
QFRS has the Seniors' Fire Ed Program - this is a fire safety program for the over 50's. This program is delivered by retired firefighters, and covers four main components of fire safety: smoke alarms; home evacuation plans; security versus fire safety; and fire hazards around the home. The Department also has Operation Safehome. This is a free home safety service to help you safeguard your home and family against fire dangers.
Over the holiday period the Department will also have media staff oncall, ready to react to any threat of a natural disaster or change in weather conditions. In these situations the elderly and the disabled are our key concern. If a natural disaster is imminent or does occur, departmental media staff will immediately promote messages calling on all residents to check on elderly and disabled neighbours. Historically the Queensland media has been very supportive with such campaigns and members of our emergency response teams also recognise their role in checking and caring for elderly citizens in emergency situations. Last changed: [PUBLISHED_DATE] at 11:00 PM
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