Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning

Emergency control organisation

Schools must establish an Emergency Control Organisation (ECO). This was previously called the Incident Management Team. The ECO is responsible for implementing emergency response procedures within the school. The size of a school’s ECO can be scaled according to the school’s size and risk profile.

All schools must have at a minimum a chief warden. The chief warden is responsible for:

• taking initial control of the incident
• assessing the situation and activating the EMP
• directing all ECO personnel
• liaising with emergency services on arrival and providing a briefing
• making critical decisions to ensure safety.

Australian Standard 3745-2010 also recommends the appointment of a:

• communications officer
• floor or area warden(s)
• wardens.

The department also recommends including a:

• first aid officer – to support immediate physical health needs
• recovery officer – to support immediate psychosocial needs.

Templated roles and responsibilities statements have been pre-populated into the Online EMP Portal (staff login required).

For detailed guidance on establishing an Emergency Control Organisation and the ECO member’s roles and responsibilities, refer to the Emergency and critical incident management planning guide for government schools (PDF).