ABOUT THE PROJECT

When emergencies occur, language barriers, cultural incompatibility of concepts, and lack of access to information can compound existing challenges, and place culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) community members at disproportionate risk to fire and other emergencies.

“Reducing risk and increasing community resilience in culturally and linguistically diverse communities through culturally appropriate communication” is a joint research initiative of Fire and Rescue NSW and the University of Technology Sydney, Australia.

In collaboration with NSW CaLD community groups, the project aims to understand the current state of communication in emergency management; equip emergency professionals with skills and tools to support culturally appropriate communication; and explore the potential of co-design and new technologies to empower communities to reduce their risk.

The project is funded by the NSW Reconstruction Authority Disaster Risk Reduction Fund.
The Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF) is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales Governments.

WHAT WE AIM TO DO

NSW Reconstruction Authority is committed to funding projects that test and pilot new approaches to achieve breakthrough disaster risk reduction outcomes.

To this end, the focus has been to ensure authentic engagement with CaLD communities as trusted partners in co-designing resilient approaches to emergencies and disasters. Project outcomes will include:

The emergency management sector, media and academia are informed and aware of research findings, and support more equitable and inclusive approaches to community risk reduction.

The emergency management sector is informed and aware of risk factors for CaLD communities, and increasingly engaged in reducing that risk.

Firefighters are exposed to concepts of cross-cultural communication and engage through training and education, resulting in increased confidence and cultural competence.

CaLD communities collaborate meaningfully in the process, resulting in increased awareness of fire and emergency risk factors, and action to reduce those risks.

WHAT WE HAVE PRODUCED

Research on the current state of public safety communication with CaLD communities and the consequent impact on community risk through focus group discussions, community surveys, and in-depth interviews with firefighters.

Focus group discussions yielded valuable insights thanks to support from trusted community partners Navitas College, TAFE NSW; and Settlement Service International.

The project will deliver three research papers. (Please check back again soon for links to the papers.)

Literature review - Cultural competence in emergency and disaster preparedness for multicultural community engagement: Identifying gaps in the Australian context
CLEAR TLC Communication Framework [COMING SOON]
Co-designed Risk Reduction App [COMING SOON]

REFERENCE PANEL

Knowledge is regularly shared through the FRNSW Disaster Risk Reduction Reference Panel, with representatives from the emergency management sector, relevant government agencies, and stakeholders engaging with CaLD communities, including:

NSW State Emergency Services (SES)
Multicultural NSW
Fire and Rescue Victoria
NSW Police
GWS Giants
Navitas Colleges
NSW Settlement Services
Red Cross