VIC.GOV.AU | Policy and Advisory Library

Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning

Policy last updated

15 August 2025

Scope

  • Schools

Date:
January 2020

On this page:

Policy

Policy

Schools are required to develop and maintain an Emergency Management Plan (EMP) that complies with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) registration requirements.

Summary

Schools must:

  • follow this policy to comply with the legislative and registration requirements for planning for emergencies and critical incidents and take all reasonable steps to safeguard the health and safety of their school community
  • fully assess, plan for and mitigate risks, hazards and threats unique to their school site
  • develop and maintain an up-to-date EMP that outlines their emergency and critical incident planning and management arrangements, using the Online EMP Portal (staff login required)External Link
  • review and approve (by principal) the EMP at least annually by 1 September of each year and after a significant incident
  • plan for the impact of incidents and emergencies on the school community and clearly communicate with them during an emergency, including any relocation or closure arrangements
  • test emergency response procedures by conducting drills at least once every term.

Details

Schools must have an up-to-date EMP that describes their risk mitigation and emergency response arrangements.

The plan must comply with VRQA requirements and be site-specific. It must include hazards and local threats which have the potential to result in emergencies and critical incidents, and corresponding response procedures.

Additionally, schools on the BARR must:

  • plan for and provide information to staff, students and parents/carers on bushfire preparedness arrangements
  • plan and complete drills each term and conduct evacuation drills in Term 1 and 4.

Emergency Management Plans

The EMP must:

  • be developed and maintained using the online EMP Portal (staff login required)External Link
  • be reviewed and approved by the principal at least annually by 1 September of each year and after a significant incident
  • describe actions to be taken before, during and after an emergency to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students, staff and others
  • address all circumstances where the school is responsible for student and staff safety, including offsite school activities such as camps and excursions.

If a school is operating an out-of-school-hours care (OSHC) or school holiday program, the service/program will need to complete the EMP template using the Guide for early childhood services and non-government schools (DOCX)External Link .

Key elements that must be included in the EMP are as follows.

1. Risk assessment: identify and assess emergency risks specific to the site

  • Schools must complete a risk assessment that clearly identifies the specific threats and hazards relevant to them. A risk assessment enables schools to:
    • identify the school’s unique threats and hazards
    • assess and review any risk mitigation measures that are currently in place
    • identify any further actions that can be taken to reduce the risk
    • delegate roles and responsibilities to manage risks.
  • Factors such as the local natural and built environments are likely to be a source of risk, for example, schools located in dense bushland, on waterways, near industrial sites or proximal to major roads and highways.
  • Risk information such as bushfire or flood management overlays are available through local government and VicEmergencyExternal Link websites.
  • Schools also need to consider risks deriving from human behaviour such as arson, hostile intruders and cyber-attacks.

For detailed guidance on completing the risk assessment table in the online EMP, refer to the Emergency and critical incident management planning guide for government schools (PDF)External Link .

2. Governance: define roles and responsibilities for before, during and after an emergency

  • For each risk identified, schools must consider what appropriate and reasonable actions should be taken to reduce the risk and when these actions should be taken, that is, before, during or after an emergency.
  • For each action, schools must delegate clear roles and responsibilities to staff and ensure that they are adequately trained and qualified, where relevant, to perform their roles.
  • Schools must also consider what decision-making structures would be necessary in an emergency, such as a formal Incident Management Team.

3. Communication: maintain situational awareness and keep the community informed

Schools must:

  • document lines of communication to provide advice, notify others and maintain situational awareness during emergency events
  • consider how the school community, including parents and carers, will be made aware of an emergency and kept informed throughout
  • consider how their school community can seek support and advice during an emergency
  • consider how any relocation or closure and other pre-emptive arrangements will be shared if their site is at bushfire or grassfire risk – refer to the Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness policy
  • provide any other information that the school considers essential to prepare the school community for action during an emergency.

For resources to support communication with parents and carers, refer to the Resources tab.

4. Recovery: plan for recovery strategies tailored to your unique needs and context

  • Schools must plan for and consider the recovery needs for their site including wellbeing and psychosocial needs.
  • Where possible, schools should familiarise themselves with proactive approaches to recovery and understand how to leverage these in a post emergency context.
  • By preparing for recovery prior to a known emergency event, schools increase their resilience and ability to respond to the changing needs of students and teachers post emergency.

For recovery resources and tools to assist schools in preparing for and responding to critical events, primarily natural disasters, refer to the Resources tab.

5. Continuous improvement: schedule activities to test the effectiveness of the EMP and update the plan as needed

  • Schools must regularly review their procedures and test the effectiveness of the EMP through drills, exercises, scenarios and debriefs from incidents.
  • It is recommended schools conduct reviews after critical incidents where practicable.
  • Schools must identify opportunities for improvement and adjust the EMP where necessary.

Support to develop and maintain an EMP

For detailed guidance on developing and maintaining an EMP, refer to the Guidance tab.

Planning for offsite emergencies (camps and excursions)

Schools must also consider emergency risks and warnings, weather conditions and fire danger ratings when taking students offsite for excursions, overseas trips and camps.

Planning for all offsite activities must be undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Excursions policy and guidelines.

Schools must use the Student Activity Locator (SAL) (staff login required)External Link to record offsite activities at least five business days prior to the excursion date (and onsite activities outside of normal school hours). In the event of an emergency, the SAL enables swift notification of student locations to first responder agencies.

Drills and debriefs

Drills

All schools must conduct emergency response exercises, also known as drills, at least once every term. Drills are recommended to test either the school’s response to a specific hazard (for example, fire or intruder) that the school site may face, or test core response procedures such as:

  • onsite or offsite evacuation
  • the shelter-in-place
  • locking down (or out).

A drill schedule must be included in the school’s EMP. Performing a range of drill types is highly recommended as this will best prepare schools for real emergencies.

Drills ensure that:

  • staff and students are familiar with emergency response procedures, including how to perform delegated roles
  • emergency response procedures, evacuation locations and pathways are practical and workable
  • problems that may arise are identified and schools take preparatory steps to mitigate them including staff training.

A drill observer is required to document the drill and identify learning opportunities. This could be a school staff member or an external observer such as emergency services or department staff.

Drills for schools on the Bushfire At-Risk Register

In addition to the above requirements for all schools, schools on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) must conduct drills in Term 1 and Term 4 (during the high-risk weather season) that involve students and staff either moving to a nominated on-site ‘shelter-in-place’ or to an off-site evacuation point, as per the school’s EMP.

Further details and guidance on the department's bushfire and grassfire policy can be found in the Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness policy.

Debriefs

Debriefs must be held with all staff and the school’s incident management team (IMT) after emergency drills and incidents. Refer to the Emergency and critical incident management planning guide for government schools (PDF)External Link for details on establishing an IMT.

Debriefs must be held as soon as practicable after the incident has been resolved.

Prior to the debrief, consider the potential impact of the incident on participants and provide wellbeing support where necessary. The Managing trauma guide (PDF)External Link includes recovery tools, practical resources to help schools to act following an event, to minimise trauma for students, staff and the school community.

Schools must document outcomes and lessons identified during the debrief, and incorporate any required changes into their EMP. Schools are recommended to use the school incident debrief facilitator guide to perform the debriefs.

Definitions

Emergency
As defined in section 3 of the Emergency Management Act 2013 (Vic.), an emergency is:

The actual or imminent occurrence of an event which in any way endangers or threatens to endanger the safety or health of any person in Victoria or which destroys or damages, or threatens to destroy or damage, any property in Victoria or endangers or threatens to endanger the environment or an element of the environment in Victoria including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing:

  • an earthquake, flood, wind-storm or other natural event
  • a fire
  • an explosion
  • a road accident or any other accident
  • a plague or an epidemic or contamination
  • a security threat
  • a hi-jack, siege or riot
  • a disruption to an essential service.

These events ordinarily require a coordinated whole of school response.

Incident
An incident is an event or situation that:

  • causes harm or creates a risk of causing harm to a student’s health, safety or wellbeing either directly or indirectly while under the care or supervision of the school, including for international students
  • impacts a student and is brought to the attention of the school, regardless of when or where it occurred, provided it is impacting on the student or other students within the school environment
  • causes harm or creates a risk of causing harm to an employee’s health, safety or wellbeing either directly or indirectly in the work setting
  • affects or risks affecting the continuity of school operations, including matters of security (including cyber security), property damage and emergencies
  • requires police notification or involves matters of serious conduct
  • is a WorkSafe notifiable incident.

Critical incidents include, but are not limited to:

  • child abuse
  • medical emergency
  • mental stress
  • data or privacy breach
  • missing student/person.

Contacts

For general queries or feedback about this policy, contact the Security and Emergency Management Division by emailing: emergency.management@education.vic.gov.au

For support in developing or updating an EMP, refer to the Guidance tab.

To report an incident, refer to Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies).

For incidents assessed as High or Extreme, the principal (or delegate) must call the Incident Support and Operations Centre (ISOC) on 1800 126 126.

Guidance

Guidance

This guidance contains the following chapters:

  • Developing and updating an EMP
  • Joint emergency management planning for shared sites

Developing and updating an EMP

Developing and updating an EMP

Schools must develop and maintain their Emergency Management Plan (EMP) using the Online EMP Portal (staff login required)External Link and the plan must be reviewed and approved by the principal at least annually by 1 September of each year and after a significant incident.

Guides

For step-by-step instructions on how to develop or update an EMP, refer to the:

Other supports

Schools seeking further support to develop their EMP, including using the Online EMP Portal (staff login required)External Link may contact their regional manager, operations and emergency management or emergency management support officer.

Questions about emergency management arrangements and advice from the department may be directed to emergency.management@education.vic.gov.au

Questions about school business continuity and advice from the department may be directed to business.continuity@education.vic.gov.au

Other useful resources can be found on the Resources tab.

Joint emergency management planning for shared sites

Joint emergency management planning for shared sites

When schools share sites with other users, including other education providers and early childhood services, it is strongly recommended that they undertake emergency management planning as a joint activity. This supports the safety of the whole site during an emergency or incident and minimises the chance of miscommunication.

Leadership and relevant staff should work together from all facilities on the site to develop or review the group’s Emergency Management Plans (EMPs). This will help identify areas where plans may need to be aligned or where the school may need to have separate approaches to manage their risks and obligations.

Discussion points may include:

  • What makes each setting unique?
  • What are the similarities?
  • Are there threats/situations that will only impact one facility?
  • What scenarios and outcomes that work for both facilities?
  • Have there been any changes on our site or in the local community that may impact our shared or separate arrangements?
  • How will we manage disruptions to essential services impacting one or more of the facilities on our site?
  • Are there opportunities to share resources/facilities/costs with other site users in order to maximise the success of the implementation of your plan and the safety of your students and staff?
  • How will you undertake debriefs and share lessons from drills and emergencies/incidents?
  • How will you brief your staff to ensure they understand how to work with other site users in emergencies/incidents?
  • How will you jointly reflect and debrief on your response to emergencies after the event?

Remember that in most circumstances, the threat or danger is to the whole site, not just one of the facilities, so joint planning is crucial.

Evacuation locations and assembly areas

When discussing the group’s EMPs, it is also important to consider the movements of each cohort in emergencies, especially when moving to both on-site and off-site evacuation locations/assembly points.

Consider the following:

  • In most circumstances, it is appropriate to use the same evacuation locations/assembly areas, however schools may wish to consider separated zones/areas to make it easier to account for each group when conducting head checks and to manage their cohort.
  • Access to the evacuation locations/assembly areas from each site – are there any barriers or issues that need to be addressed?
  • Consider shade, access to drinking water, toilets, change facilities in choosing evacuation locations/assembly areas. These elements may be more important with a larger group and/or depending on the needs of the cohorts.

Drills

Drills are critical for testing the arrangements for not only the school but for ensuring the whole site is able to effectively respond to emergencies and incidents. Conducting joint drills can test coordination, communication and ensure that there is no confusion as to what needs to happen when an incident or emergency impacts the shared site.

Consider the following:

  • Plan joint drills well in advance to ensure each facility has adequate notice to manage disruptions to learning and can input into the scenario so that it fits the site context.
  • Conduct the drills together and observe especially how well the group communicates between facilities, how cohorts move around the site, and how effectively the individual and collective response works for responding to the particular drill scenario.
  • Conduct both separate and joint post-drill debriefs to identify areas for improvement or updates for EMPs, collectively as well as individually.

Communication

Communication between shared site users and with the school’s community is the key to managing incidents and emergencies effectively.

Remember to keep any shared site users informed during emergencies and incidents so they can make informed decisions to maintain the safety of their cohort as well as support your response actions in an emergency.

Consider the following:

  • How will each facility communicate with one another day to day as well as during emergencies? Is this documented in each EMP, including in the Communications Tree and emergency contacts?
  • Some emergencies and incidents will impact just your school and cohort, but others may have implications for the safety of the whole site and other users and facilities. How will you communicate in both scenarios?
  • In case of disruption to your main communication channel, such as landline, mobile or internet connectivity, have you discussed and documented alternative communication methods to ensure you can maintain contact with each facility and emergency services?
  • Communicating consistently to the parent community of all education facilities on the site that you are working together on emergency management shows a united front and helps build confidence in your approach.
  • Think about how to respond to questions around how cohorts interact during emergencies, including concerns about older or unfamiliar children intimidating/scaring younger children, or how new faces or changes in the daily routine could be disruptive and unsettling for some children. Responding to these questions will not only help provide a safe and inclusive environment and develop a strong education culture but will also have practical benefits during drills and real emergencies and incidents by ensuring parents and children/students are comfortable with the approach.

Responding to emergencies and incidents

When an emergency or incident does occur, it is important that the school activates its EMP and take steps to support the safety of their cohort while also being mindful of shared site users.

Consider the following:

  • Contacting other site users early to let them know the following details:
    • what has occurred
    • what actions the school is taking
    • who has been informed
    • any anticipated impacts for the whole site or other site users based on current knowledge.
  • Other site leaders will assess the situation and risk and act in accordance with their own EMP and in the best interests of students, staff and other people in their care.
  • Coordinating messaging during and after the event, if this would minimise community confusion and provide reassurance.
  • Utilising the best information available – if unsure of what actions to take in the event of an emergency or how best to coordinate with site users, seek advice from relevant department staff, including your regional emergency management key contacts.

Ongoing review and evaluation

Maintaining a strong relationship with other site users will ensure schools adapt to changes across the shared site and help keep their communities safe for the long term.

It is recommended that schools meet regularly with shared site users to review and update plans and site arrangements, for example, once per term or at key points in the year when facilities are reviewing their EMPs. It may also be worth coming together following significant events impacting one or more facilities on the site to see what could be improved.

Some questions to consider include:

  • Are there any changes to the site overall or specific facilities that may impact plans, including evacuation routes or assembly areas?
  • Have new threats emerged or do existing threats need to be reassessed?
  • Are there any changes to the cohorts across the whole site that may impact plans?
  • Are there any new enrolments?
  • Are there any new staff or students with additional needs?
  • Are the current communication approaches working?
  • Have there been any lessons learned from drills or real emergencies/incidents that may impact our plans?

A print-ready version of this guidance to share with other site users is available on the Resources tab.

Resources

Resources

Resources are available to assist in the development, implementation and operation of an Emergency Management Plan (EMP).

Information and warnings

All schools should be aware of the following:

Template documents and checklists

Guides for developing and updating Emergency Management Planning

Further resources

e-Learning modules

All school staff can enrol and access a suite of emergency and critical incident management self-directed e-Learning modules any time. The modules provide a short, accessible introduction to the following topics:

  • Emergency Management: Business continuity
  • Emergency Management: Bushfire At-Risk Register
  • Emergency Management: Conducting drills
  • Emergency Management: Excursions
  • Emergency Management: Planning essentials
  • Emergency Management: Recovery after an emergency
  • Emergency Management: Responding to and managing critical incidents
  • Emergency Management: Response in government schools
  • Emergency Management: Risk management
  • Emergency Management: School bus transport emergencies
  • Managing trauma online modules (staff login required)External Link – 9 modules, based on the Managing Trauma guide, covering topics such as how to establish a recovery team, how to triage students in need, what supports are available to schools, communication strategies and tools, and self-care.

Staff can enrol in the eLearning modules through LearnED in eduPay (staff login required)External Link by searching for the keywords ‘Emergency Management’.

Reviewed 21 June 2020