Its work in community safety has seen the City of Greater Geraldton acknowledged by the Injury Control Council of WA (ICCWA) with the presentation of a Local Government Achievement Award.

The award recognises the production of a DVD, Operation Runway, which was produced as a training tool and captured the events of an emergency exercise.

Conducted at the Geraldton Regional Airport, the exercise depicted a simulated plane crash and how emergency responders handled the situation.

The Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) was so impressed with the DVD it included it in its Emergency Training Packages making the resource useful on a wider platform across the State.

Manager of community law and safety, Konrad Seidl, said aside from the training benefits, the DVD showcases the skills and expertise of Greater Geraldton emergency responders.

“The DVD provides the community with a heightened level of security in trusting in the abilities of our local emergency responders,” he said.

“It is a requirement of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) that a simulated emergency exercise be conducted at the airport every two years, and local governments are required to exercise their emergency arrangements on an annual basis.

"The DVD recognises the effort put in by airport manager, Bob Urquhart and his team to plan and facilitate the exercise."

Mr Seidl said the production of the DVD by local company Dragonfly Media was a collaborative effort, with community volunteers and emergency responders who took part in the exercise participating in interviews captured on the DVD.”

City mayor and chair of the Local Emergency Management Committee, Ian Carpenter, said it was fantastic that the City had been acknowledged for its work in Community Safety.

“All involved should be very proud of Geraldton’s achievement,” he said.

“Operation Runway is an excellent resource for community members to understand what is involved in responding to an emergency.”