Emergency management MOU between Waroona, Mandurah, Rockingham, Murray and Serpentine Jarrahdale to continue

Waroona Shire councillors will on Tuesday night vote whether to continue the Shire’s emergency management memorandum of understanding with shires of the Peel region. The emergency management agreement for mutual aid between Waroona and the cities of Mandurah and Rockingham — as well as the shires of Murray and Serpentine Jarrahdale — was due to expire on December 10 and would be extended to December 1, 2025. The MOU was first supported by Shire of Murray at a council meeting on July 9, 2015, and the Waroona council agreed to be a participant at a meeting on April 26, 2017. Shire documents stated the aim of the MOU was to formalise cooperative arrangements between the local governments, promote the sharing of resources during emergencies and aid post-incident recovery. They stated the purpose of the agreement was to allow mutual aid between the local councils during and post emergencies, enhance the capacity of communities to cope in times of difficulty and demonstrate the capacity and willingness of participating councils to work cooperatively and share resources within the region. The documents state in times of community distress due to an emergency, partners to the MOU agree to provide resources wherever possible. The joint Local Emergency Management Committee supported continuing the agreement at a meeting on November 3 and requested the council formally support the recommendation.