2025 survey: Community insights and future strategies

Back in January, we asked you to share how you and your family stay emergency ready.

Insights from the 200 responses we received have highlighted the strengths of our community's preparedness, and areas where additional support may be needed.

Summary of key findings

• Most respondents (71%) reported living in a Bushfire Prone Area. When it comes to concerns about emergencies, 68% expressed that bushfires are their biggest worry. Despite this concern, only 48% felt mostly or very prepared for bushfires.
• Other significant concerns included extreme heat (53%) and storms (39%), with only 51% and 66% of respondents feeling prepared for extreme heat and storms, respectively.
• Regarding property preparation, residents were taking key steps to reduce risks.
  • For bushfire preparedness, common actions included keeping gutters clear (89%), maintaining short grass (86%), and raking leaves (76%).
  • For storm preparedness, 76% clear gutters and drains, while 61% secure outdoor items to prevent wind damage.
• Only 21.8% of households had a written, practised and up-to-date emergency plan. Meanwhile, 34.5% had discussed an emergency plan, but were yet to document it, and 9.2% had no plans to develop one.

Community concerns and suggestions

This survey revealed several key themes:

• Concerns about neighbouring properties.
• Support is needed for vulnerable residents.
• Infrastructure limitations (for example, residents in areas such as Warrandyte have a single-bridge exit).
• Vegetation management.
• Education needs.

Next steps

We’ll be developing a program based on these survey results to ensure you have the resources to stay emergency ready.

Information about programs and workshops will be shared through our digital and print channels. The best way to stay up to date is to subscribe to our Your Say Manningham page to receive email updates.

For more information

If you have any questions about emergency preparedness, contact our Emergency Management team on 9840 9333 or manningham@manningham.vic.gov.au.