Local disability enterprise, The Flagstaff Group, has received accolades for its emergency tools designed for people with disability receiving the Excellence in Innovation Award at the Shoalhaven Business Awards. Flagstaff will now be included as a finalist in the Business Illawarra Awards in October.
The innovative EMBER project (Emergency Management Backpack Evacuation Resource) is a suite of tools comprising of emergency plans specific to people with disability, a planning and communication app, resources and helpful accessible content including emergency backpacks that are specifically designed to support individuals living with disability.
Funded by Resilience NSW, the project involved the collaboration between individuals living with disability, their support networks, families, Councils and emergency personnel, to discuss how to prepare for a fire, flood or natural emergency.
CEO of The Flagstaff Group, Roy Rogers, was proud of receiving the award and believes Flagstaff is leading the way in practical disability safety tools that are accessible, inclusive and hands on.
“The EMBER toolbox is not only helping people with disability, but we are finding many people with other health concerns and the elderly are now using the tool that includes an emergency planning app, easy English tools, braille plans, a communications tool app, accessible checklists, videos and animations.
“The aim of this project was to encourage everyone to plan, prepare and act early in a fire or flood emergency. Flagstaff’s Nowra employees were caught in the December 2019 Shoalhaven fires and we learnt quickly how you had to plan for every scenario that might happen. The EMBER tools are free and can be downloaded at www.emberapp.com.au.”
“We are very humbled to be recognized for this project that we hope will encourage everyone to have an emergency plan, be prepared and get out early during an emergency.”
The emergency safety tool compliments a road safety toolkit that is also specific for people with a disability that Flagstaff has also been developing.
