The Northern Midlands Council is dedicated to ensuring all residents have access to essential emergency services and are well prepared in case of emergency or natural disaster.
Police / Fire / Ambulance - 000
On Call Officer - 0418 573 389 (stormwater, roads, floods)
Animal Control Officer - 0419 358 395 (dogs and livestock)
Please note for all water and sewerage issues contact TasWater for 24-hour Emergency Service on 13MYWATER or 13 6992.
Contact | Phone | Website |
Police general enquires | Phone: 131444 | www.police.tas.gov.au |
Tasmanian Fire Service Northern Region general enquires | Phone: (03) 6336 5633 | www.fire.tas.gov.au |
State Emergency Service (SES) Northern Regional Office general enquires | Phone: (03) 6336 3790 | www.ses.tas.gov.au/index.htm |
For all general enquires on permits / regulations / licensing | Check website for the department you are looking for | www.servicetasmania.tas.gov.au |
In Tasmania, our emergency services run with the help of people just like you who work as volunteers.
While we are grateful to those who put their hand up in a crisis, the time to join is now and learn new skills before disasters happen.
As part of a team you’ll learn how to save lives, protect property and gain the confidence to help out in an emergency, becoming a proud, valuable member of your community.
We are on the look out, for people like you, to join, learn, be ready.
Are you ready to become one of us?
You can read more about the campaign, view the video, and find links to all the participating agencies at www.emergencyvolunteers.tas.gov.au
TasALERT is a Tasmanian emergency website providing a single source of official emergency information from across government, including Tasmania Police, Tasmania Fire Service, and State Emergency Service (SES).
It’s important that we all have access to alerts and information to help us prepare to act quickly if an emergency happens. TasALERT makes it easy to find emergency information and warnings relevant to you or those you care about.
The map on the home page lets you to choose the types of information you would like to see during an emergency, including bushfire warnings, flood warnings, road closures and school closures.
The website also contains a range of handy resources like contact numbers and useful advice about what you should do before, during and after an emergency. This information has also been translated into other languages.
The TasALERT website has been built to be highly resilient during an emergency. It is also supported by the TasALERT Facebook and Twitter accounts. Through social media, you can get updates as they happen, and engage with the TasALERT team.
Like TasALERT on Facebook, follow on Twitter and check out the website: www.tasalert.com
Don't wait for a flood to learn what to do. Know how the Flood Warning System works.
There are three stages to a flood warning:
While Council will provide updates during a flood event within the municipality via media releases on ABC Radio 91.7 FM and on our website home page, it is also advisable to check the following links.
Bureau of Meteorology for Weather and Warning Alerts information
Tasmanian Police for Community Alerts and Road Closures
Union Street: If the River is forecasted to peak at a height of 6.7metres or above.
Lyttleton Street: If the forcast peak is a height of 7.3 metres or above.
Tannery Road: The height of the main entrance into Longford is 7.7 metres. Council will have the flood protection barrier prepared for erection if the flood is forcast to peak at over 7.3 metres but will wait as long as possible before closing the entrance to the town.
Archer Street: If the river is forecast to peak at a height of 8.3 metres or above.
Notes:
The actual height of these above mentioned flood levee opening is 0.4 to 0.5 metres higher than the levels at which the flood barriers will be erected.
In some circumstances Council may choose to install the barriers at lower river heights than those shown above, for example, if the river is expected to peak at night or if it is difficult to be certain about the expected height of the river.
If you are going to self evacuate and stay with friends or family during a major flood event, please register your location with the Red Cross by calling 1800 246 850. If you are unable to stay with friends or family, you should go to an evacuation centre. Help available at evacuation centres includes:
Temporary Accommodation
Evacuation Centres are located at the Longford Town Hall, Wellington Street and the Campbell Town, Town Hall in High Street . Directional signage will be displayed at these sites during a flood event.
During flooding events at Longford there are alternative routes for residents to enter or leave the town in vehicles. The three routes and the location of the flood levee gate on Tannery Road are shown on the colour-coded map below (Click the map for a larger view) Alternative Road Route 1 (green): While Illawarra Road is open, vehicles can travel out of Longford via Wilmores Lane (turn opposite Austral Bricks) then turn right along Bishopsbourne Road to Illawarra Road, and turn right to Perth. Alternative Road Route 2 (purple): When Illawarra road is closed west of Longford entrance, vehicles can travel out of Longford via Wilmores Lane (turn opposite Austral Bricks). Turn right along Bishopsbourne Road to Illawarra Road, then turn left along Illawarra Road to the Bass Highway. Alternative Road Route 3 (orange): When Illawarra Road is closed (both east and west of Longford entrance), vehicles can travel out of Longford via Wilmores Lane (turn opposite Austral Bricks), turn right along Bishopsbourne Road to Carrick then to the Bass Highway. Tannery Road Flood Gate is shown in yellow.
Important! Flood water is dangerous
Your emergency flood kit should be kept in a waterproof storage box. Check your kit contents regularly and restock any out-of-date items such as batteries. Items suggested are:
Essential Items
Important Telephone Numbers
Service | General Enquires | Emergency Number |
Tasmanian Police | 131 444 | 000 |
State Emergency Service(SES) | 03 6336 3790 | 132 500 |
Ambulance | 1800 008 008 | 000 |
Tasmanina Fire Service (TFS) | 1800 000 699 | 000 |
Red Cross | 1800 246 850 | |
Aurora Energy | 1300 132 003 | |
Tas Gas | 1802 111 | |
Bureau of Meteorology | 1300 659 216 | |
Northern Midlands Council | 6397 7303 | 0418 573 389 |
In comparing flood heights be aware the hydrological "landscape" of the South Esk River has changed significantly over the last 80 years. There is argument to suggest the volume of water in the 1969 flood was greater than the 1929, but the depth of flooding lower. This is just one of many complications in reading the record - depth or rainfall, location of rainfall, type of storm, antecedent conditions, depth of flow prior to flooding, physical changes in the landscape (willow clearing or planting, levees), degree of flooding in the Macquarie and Meander Rivers, etc, all influence the flood behaviour for each and every event.
Basically, it is difficult to compare one event to another. However, we can say the three events of 2011 are in the top ten, and that is significant. It is also significant the Meander River was not in Minor flood during the two large March and August events, else flooding would most likely have been more severe.
Year | Date | Time flood peaked | Height (m) |
1929 | 6/4/1929 | 0200 | 9.33 |
1969 | 1/6/1969 | 0400 | 7.95 |
2011 | 25/3/2011 | 1815 | 6.40 |
1970 | 13/6/1970 | 0500 | 6.05 |
1970 | 23/3/1970 | 1900 | 5.94 |
1974 | 9/7/1974 | 0300 | 5.91 |
2011 | 19/8/2011 | 2215 | 5.78 |
1978 | 6/6/1978 | 1300 | 5.47 |
2011 | 10/8/2011 | 1915 | 5.46 |
1956 | 25/5/1956 | 1700 | 5.44 |
Following the tragic fires of 7 February 2009 in Victoria, the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) has increased the options it promotes for community safety during bushfires in line with the revised AFAC position on Bushfires and Community Safety to include:
Community Fire Refuges
Community fire refuges are buildings that have been identified by the TFS in partnership with councils and other government agencies that offer basic amenities including temporary shelter, drinking water and toilet facilities. They are for people who leave bushfire affected areas and do not go somewhere else of their own choosing eg. to homes of friends or family etc.
Northern Region
Town | Venue | Address |
Beaconsfield | Beaconsfield Community Centre | 90-92 Weld St, BEACONSFIELD |
Campbell Town | Campbell Town - Town Hall | 75-77 High St, CAMPBELL TOWN |
Deloraine | Deloraine Community Complex | 2-8 Alverson Drive, DELORAINE |
Exeter | Exeter Showground | Main Road, EXETER |
Fingal | Fingal Valley Football Club | Brown St, FINGAL |
Flinders Island | Lady Barron Hall | 10 Main St, LADY BARRON |
Flinders Island | Whitemark Municipal Hall | 9 Patrick St, WHITEMARK |
Georgetown | Georgetown Memorial Hall | 29-67 Macquarie St, GEORGE TOWN |
Legana | Legana War Memorial Hall | 43 Fulton St, LEGANA |
Lilydale | Lilydale Memorial Hall | 1949 Main Rd, LILYDALE |
Longford | Longford Municipal Hall | 67 Wellington St, LONGFORD |
Pyengana | Pyengana Hall | 217 St Columba Falls Rd, PYENGANA |
Riverside | West Tamar Council Offices | 2-4 Eden St, RIVERSIDE |
Rocherlea | Rocherlea Community Hall | 23-41 Archer St, ROCHERLEA |
Scottsdale | Scottsdale Crows Football Club | Rose St, SCOTTSDALE |
St Helens | St Helens Football Club | 117 Tully St, ST HELENS |
St Helens | Portland Memorial Hall | Cecelia St, ST HELENS |
St Leonards | St Leonards Recreation Reserve | 240 St Leonards Rd, ST LEONARDS |
St Marys | St Marys Hall | Main St, ST MARYS |
St Marys | St Marys Sports Centre | 2 Gray Rd, ST MARYS |
North-West Region
Town | Venue | Address |
Burnie | Burnie Sports Centre | Mount St, BURNIE |
East Devonport | East Devonport Recreation Centre | 67 Caroline St, EAST DEVONPORT |
King Island | King Island Golf and Bowling Club | Owen Smith Dr, CURRIE |
Queenstown | Lyell District Memorial Hall | 53 Orr St, QUEENSTOWN |
Rocky Cape | Rocky Cape Tavern | 19375 Bass Hwy, ROCKY CAPE |
Rosebery | Rosebery Memorial Hall | Agnes St, ROSEBERY |
Sheffield | Kentish Town Hall | 66 High St, SHEFFIELD |
Smithton | Smithton Recreation Ground | 72-98 Nelson St, Smithton |
Strahan | Strahan Senior Citizens Club | 1-3 Gaffney St, STRAHAN |
Tullah | Tullah Recreation Ground | Farrell St, TULLAH |
Ulverstone | Ulverstone Sport and Leisure Centre | Flora St, WEST ULVERSTONE |
Waratah | Elma Fagan Community Centre | William St, WARATAH |
Wilmot | Wilmot Memorial Hall | 53 Main Rd, WILMOT |
Wynyard | Wynyard Sports Centre | 14a Austin St, WYNYARD |
Zeehan | Zeehan Memorial Recreation Park | Buller St, ZEEHAN |
Southern Region
Town | Venue | Address |
Bridgewater | Brighton Civic Centre | 25 Green Point Rd, BRIDGEWATER |
Glenorchy | Derwent Entertainment Centre | 601 Brooker Hwy, GLENORCHY |
Huonville | Huonville PCYC | 40-72 Wilmot Rd, HUONVILLE |
Kingston | Kingborough Sports Centre | 10 Kingston View Dr, KINGSTON |
Nubeena | Tasman District School | 4 Nubeena Back Rd, NUBEENA |
Oatlands | Recreation Ground / Oval | High St, OATLANDS |
Ouse | Ouse Hall | 6955 Lyell Hwy, OUSE |
Sorell | Sorell Memorial Hall | 47 Cole St, SORELL |
Swansea | Swansea Football Club | Franklin St, SWANSEA |
Another option that may improve your safety during major bushfires are nearby safer places, however the TFS advises that the chances of survival are greatly reduced if people find themselves in situations where they need to use a nearby safer place.
Individuals (residents and visitors) are responsible for identifying their own nearby safer places, based on their own circumstances and location.
They should be chosen on the basis that they increase the distance between the individual and the heat from the flames (also known as 'radiant heat') and can be reached in a few minutes of the fire front moving through the area you are in.
They can include but are not limited to: e.g. a large, ploughed/open paddock, sports oval, river or dam.
They should be used when you get 'caught out' by the approaching bushfire and you need to get out of the way of the fire front to save your life.
These nearby safer places could still be subject to significant levels of smoke and ember attack and therefore you will need to be prepared for an environment that is hot, windy, noisy and possibly quite dark. However the Victorian experience showed that people clothed suitably and avoiding embers can survive in these circumstances. While they are a last resort, using a nearby safer place is definitely a better option than trying to out-run a fire in a car or on foot.
Nearby safer places and community fire refuges are two more options to promote community safety during bushfires that work by increasing the distance between people and radiant heat/flames. Surviving bushfires takes a joint effort between individuals, communities, Government and its agencies. The safest option is always being outside of bushfire affected areas and the TFS encourages all Tasmanians and its visitors to Prepare to Survive