Part 7A Emergency Management Exercises (Victoria)

Building Capability. Demonstrating Compliance. Strengthening Resilience.

For prescribed critical infrastructure operators in Victoria, emergency exercises are a legislative requirement under Part 7A of the Emergency Management Act 2013 (Vic). More importantly, they provide the opportunity to validate emergency management arrangements, strengthen organisational capability and ensure your people are prepared to respond when it matters most.

At Complete Crisis Solutions, emergency exercises are one of our core areas of expertise. We design and facilitate realistic, engaging and outcomes-focused exercises that do far more than satisfy compliance obligations. Every exercise is tailored to your organisation, your risks and your operating environment, delivering practical outcomes that improve preparedness and organisational resilience.

Our exercises are designed to:

• Validate emergency management plans, procedures and arrangements
• Test leadership and decision-making under realistic conditions
• Strengthen coordination with emergency services and key stakeholders
• Assess organisational capability and identify improvement opportunities
• Build confidence and readiness before a real emergency occurs
• Demonstrate compliance with Part 7A emergency exercise requirements

With more than 25 years of industry experience, our consultants have designed and facilitated hundreds of emergency management, crisis management and business continuity exercises across Australia's critical infrastructure sector.

We have extensive experience supporting organisations across:

• Electricity generation, transmission and distribution
• Renewable energy
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
• Gas and liquid fuels
• Water and utilities
• Transport and other critical infrastructure sectors
  

NSW Declared Dam Emergency Exercises

Meeting Compliance. Strengthening Preparedness. Building Confidence.

Declared dam owners in New South Wales are required to complete an emergency exercise before 1 November 2026 to meet the requirements of the Dams Safety Regulation 2019.

At Complete Crisis Solutions, we believe an effective emergency exercise should achieve far more than regulatory compliance. Every exercise should validate emergency arrangements, strengthen decision-making, improve coordination with emergency services and stakeholders, and provide practical insights that enhance preparedness before a real emergency occurs.

Emergency exercises are one of our core specialities.

With more than 25 years of experience, our consultants have designed and facilitated hundreds of emergency management exercises across the water, energy and critical infrastructure sectors throughout Australia.

Our team has extensive experience working with water authorities and dam owners, including:

• Sunwater
• Melbourne Water
• Hobart Water
• Barwon Water
• Yarra Valley Water
• South East Water
• City West Water

In addition to the water sector, we regularly support government agencies and critical infrastructure operators with complex emergency management, business continuity, crisis management, cybersecurity and multi-agency exercise programs.

Our exercise programs are designed to:

• Validate Dam Safety Emergency Plans and emergency management arrangements
• Test strategic and operational decision-making under realistic conditions
• Strengthen coordination with the NSW State Emergency Service (SES), emergency services and supporting agencies
• Assess roles, responsibilities and communication pathways
• Identify capability gaps and practical opportunities for improvement
• Demonstrate compliance with the Dams Safety Regulation 2019

Whether you require a discussion exercise, functional exercise or a large-scale multi-agency emergency exercise, we design and facilitate realistic, engaging and outcomes-focused activities tailored to your dam, your operational risks and your regulatory obligations.

Desktop Exercises

Our hypothetical and desktop exercises are a precursor to any major exercise. At Complete Crisis Solutions, our desktop and hypothetical activities are designed to test the functionality of plans and procedures.

All desktop and hypothetical exercises are facilitated by our team of experienced professionals with decades of real-world experience in crisis and emergency management.

Our desktop and hypothetical exercises usually run for up to 4 hours and can be multi-level, including sites and projects, corporate teams, and stakeholders.

• Multi-level to include sites and projects, corporate teams and stakeholders.

Major Exercises

The idea of running a major emergency, crisis or security exercise is daunting to most, to say the least.

At Complete Crisis Solutions, our team of professionals has facilitated hundreds of major or mock exercises at mine sites, major projects and facilities, including critical infrastructure and essential services (energy, water and transport).

Our exercise team helps you develop a simulation activity that befits your organisation, considering regulatory or statutory requirements. We can introduce media, role players and emergency services to meet your requirements.

We can incorporate social media and have access to software and communication tools that enhance realism. All exercises include higher and lower control, observers and assessors, and can run for a minimum of four hours up to a maximum of five days, depending on your requirements.

• Development of scripts and run sheets.

Core Industries and Sectors 

Infrastructure and Projects

Complete Crisis Solutions’ team of crisis and emergency management professionals have helped many organisations develop their project emergency response plans. Our team has truly global experience working on major civil infrastructure projects across Australia, New Zealand, India, South America, Indonesia and Africa.

At Complete Crisis Solutions, we have the experience and knowledge to guide you through major crises such as sabotage, protests and community backlash. We have extensive experience in managing on-site fatalities and the needs of workers and family members during times of distress.

Our wealth of experience includes major tunnels, road networks, mine infrastructure, hospitals, large precincts, water and power infrastructure, gas fields, maritime, ports and airports.

Our core solutions include:

• Development of integrated emergency, crisis and security management plans.
• Development of operating procedures to support policy and operational capability.
• Conduct security, risk and vulnerability assessments.
• Incident Management Team and Emergency Operation Centre training.
• Strategic and operational desktop and hypothetical exercises and simulations.
• Full-scale emergency and field exercises.

Education and Precincts

Universities, schools and precincts are ever increasing their capability in preparedness for active shooter scenarios. Emergency, lockdown, and active-shooter plans are constantly being reviewed and aligned with Counter-Terrorism guidance and reference material provided by the Australian and New Zealand governments.

At Complete Crisis Solutions, we have the experience and knowledge to develop, train and test your plans and people.

Our range of services includes:

• Review of existing emergency plans and procedures.
• Security risk and vulnerability assessments.
• Development of emergency evacuation, lockdown, and active shooter plans.
• Training of management teams and executives (group or one-on-one).
• Desktop, hypothetical or full-scale exercises.
• Boardroom Series exercises.
• Incident Management Team training.
• Emergency or Control Room training.

Mining

At Complete Crisis Solutions, we offer a complete solution to your crisis and emergency management program. We specialise in open-cut and underground emergency and mock exercises. Our team of professionals have worked for some of the biggest names in mining in Australia and throughout Asia, Indonesia, South America and Africa.

Our mock exercises can include role players, media and key stakeholders to simulate realism in a controlled environment. Reports capture key learnings and are represented in tables and graphs to highlight strengths and possible weaknesses.

We also have modern software that enhances our training and simulations, bringing desktops and hypotheticals to life.

Our services include:

• Emergency Response Team (ERT) training, testing and exercises.
• Incident Management Team (IMT) and Crisis Management Team (CMT) training, testing and exercises.
• Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) establishment, training and testing.
• Operational and strategic desktop and hypothetical exercises.
• Mock emergency exercises (level 2, 3 and 4) and multi-level crisis and incident management exercises.

Local Government

At Complete Crisis Solutions, we have a team of experienced emergency professionals in all fields specialising in Local Government. Our experience includes natural disaster planning, hospitals, water and waste, dams, energy, critical infrastructure and assets

Our services include:

• Development of Local Disaster Management Plans.
• Reviews and audits of major emergencies.
• Natural disaster plans, including bush fire, flood and cyclone.
• Large event security, risk and emergency plans.
• Reviews and audits.
• Emergency Operations Centre establishment, procedures, and training.
• Media training.
• Desktop and hypothetical exercises.
• Desktop and major exercises.

Water and Waste

Preserving and protecting one of our precious resources is key to our survival. Ensuring you have robust emergency plans and procedures is critical to all essential service providers. At Complete Crisis Solutions, we have the expertise and knowledge to help you maintain, train and test your emergency plans.

We have worked with some of the largest water organisations across the length and breadth of Australia and in New Zealand. Our experienced team of professionals has facilitated Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) training and testing activities as well as Counter-Terrorism exercises to Federal Government standards and requirements.

Our services include:

• Development of emergency plans and procedures.
• Desktop and hypothetical exercises.
• Major emergency exercises and drills.
• EOC training and simulations.
• HAZMAT training.
• Evacuation drills and exercises.