WESTERN Power’s drive towards improving the way it communicates and provides information to the community has taken a significant step forward with an agreement to use the Emergency WA website during critical events.

Western Power and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) have partnered to provide power outage information on Emergency WA during an emergency incident that impacts significant sections of the South West Interconnected System.

Managed by DFES, Emergency WA is the State’s official website for delivering real-time information and community warnings for a range of emergencies including bushfires, cyclones, floods, storms and more.

Emergency WA’s map-based display provides vital public information to help people make informed decisions during an emergency.

The partnership with DFES is part of Western Power’s ongoing preparedness activities in response to the increasing global impacts of climate change and related extreme weather events.

Western Power recently launched a revamped website with further enhancements to functionality including improved search function; improved real-time updates during an outage; and the ability to view planned outages in advance and save to a calendar.

Western Power executive manager May Lin Chew said the revamped website was about providing the best possible community service.

“We’ve listened to the community’s feedback, and our new website enhances access to information and answers while ensuring the interactivity makes user experience as seamless as possible,” she said.

“We are also attending local community information sessions coordinated by DFES to provide information to the community and give the opportunity for feedback and questions.

“Together with the use of Emergency WA during potential extreme weather events, the community will be able to access more detailed and timely power supply information to help them make the right decisions for themselves and their families.”

Department of Fire and Emergency Services executive director corporate services Patrick Leach said the addition of power outage information was the latest in a suite of enhancements made to Emergency WA in recent years.

“DFES makes regular improvements to Emergency WA in response to ongoing feedback from the public,” he said.

“In recent years we have added weather information, satellite imagery and new features for improved useability – the inclusion of power outage information further expands the scope of what is available to the public through the state’s official emergency information source.”