Bushfires aren’t something that many people readily associate with Telstra.

Yet the reality is that technology, and telecommunications in particular, can significantly reduce the impact of all forms of natural disasters, including fires.

For Telstra this is as fundamental as maintaining reliable landline, mobile phone and Internet services, through to the complexities of managing the rigorous demands of radio networks used by emergency service organisations.

Unfortunately, many experts are predicting that this summer will be very similar to the last. So with this daunting scenario as the backdrop, I want to use my blog to share information and practical tips on ways that telecommunications can be used as part of a bushfire response plan.

On top of the list is the launch of the Emergency Alert system, which sends warning alerts by recorded voice to landlines and text messages to mobile phones, based on an owner’s billing address.

This is a national system available to all states and territories, excluding Western Australia which is using its own system. Emergency Alert was developed with $15.6 million funding from the Australian Government, while the Victorian Government through the Office of Emergency Services took lead agency in coordinating the project.

Using Telstra technology, Emergency Alert can deliver up to 1,000 voice messages a minute to landlines and 300 text messages a second to mobile telephones. It can be used 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can quickly reach a large number of people in a targeted manner.

Importantly, the system is ‘carrier agnostic’, which in simple terms means that messages go to customers from all telecommunications carriers. In fact the whole project has been a partnership between the Australian and state/territory governments, emergency service organisations and Telstra.

In further good news, a Request for Information has been issued by the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance as the lead department for advice on the feasibility of enabling State and Territory Governments to send targeted messages to mobile phones based on their actual physical location, regardless of the billing address for the mobile phone. This will have particular benefit for people visiting an area that is under threat, such as holidaymakers or those in transit.

While the Emergency Alert system is certainly an exciting development, it has to be highlighted that the system simply adds to a range of other measures people should use including television, radio alerts (ABC and nominated commercial stations), public address systems, sirens, signage and the internet.

If I can leave you with one message, it’s that all of us need to make preparations well ahead of an emergency situation and that we should never rely exclusively on only one form of communication. Remember preparation and planning is the key.

I hope you found this information of interest and I look forward to bringing you further news and views early in the New Year.

In the mean time, I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and importantly, a safe 2010.