The Simtables for Community Empowerment project is in full swing, with the Simtables now in use for various community engagement activities across the Hunter region.
Chris Dart and Anna Flack from the Hunter JO’s Environment team attended the Singleton Emergency Services Expo with one of our Simtables on Saturday 20th August 2022. Using the Simtable’s built in functions, along with data supplied by Singleton Council, the team was able to show interested members of the public how their local area may be impacted by a fire or flood.
They were also able to initiate conversations about how to prepare and respond to a natural disaster event. Attendees of the Expo were able to engage with staff or volunteers from a range of emergency service agencies, including the SES, RFS, Red Cross and Police.
September has been particularly busy for the Simtables team with multiple events including:
- Harrington Community Expo, Saturday 3 September 2022
The Harrington Community Expo was a market-style event focussed on community resilience, with stallholders from a range of emergency management organisations. The Simtable was used to show a bushfire scenario for the Harrington area, as well as to display the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) extent as provided by MidCoast Council. This helped attendees understand their local risk, and initiated conversations about preparedness. Attendees were able to access a range of emergency planning resources provided by other organisations. In total, 35 members of the public engaged with the display.
- The Y NSW Youth Careers Expo, Lake Haven, Thursday 15 September 2022
The Simtable was used to demonstrate the purpose and effect of mitigation works carried out by the RFS, including hazard reduction burns and asset protection zones. While this was in large part to help students understand the roles available within the RFS, it was also an opportunity to demonstrate bush fire risk and the methods used to reduce these risks. A total of 36 student and several teachers engaged with the display.
- Laguna Rural Fire Brigade Open Day, Saturday 17 September 2022
The Simtable was loaned to the Laguna Rural Fire Brigade to be used during their ‘Get Ready’ Open Day to demonstrate several fire scenarios, including the catastrophic Camp Road Fire (Paradise, U.S.A.) and various local bush fire simulations. This helped the community understand their local bushfire risk, the precautionary or mitigatory actions they can take and the importance of preparing an emergency before an event occurs. Approximately 40 members of the local community attended the Open Day.
- Lake Mac Living Smart Festival, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September 2022
The Hunter JO and Council staff will be using a Simtable to help Lake Mac residents understand how they may be impacted by natural disasters at the Living Smart Festival this weekend.

We are continuing to look for opportunities to run Simtable emergency preparedness workshops across the Hunter region. If you are interested in hosting a Simtable workshop, or would like more information, please contact Chris Dart (Regional Project Officer – Simtables) on chrisd@hunterjo.com.au or on 0460 038 197.
Find out more about the Simtables on our project page!