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Storm and Flood Assistance
Don't just make a plan. Test it. Join your community and emergency services to prepare for bushfire season.
The ACT Emergency Services Agency is inviting residents of Duffy, Rivett and Chapman to take part in Interrupted, an innovative community preparedness exercise designed to help households test their emergency plans in a realistic bushfire scenario.
Building on the success of a pilot exercise conducted in Ginninderry in 2025, Interrupted gives community members an opportunity to practise decision-making, understand emergency warnings and build confidence before the bushfire season.
Date: Sunday 20 September 2026
Location: Weston Creek (Duffy, Rivett and Chapman)
Registrations are essential.
What is Interrupted?
Many people know they should have an emergency plan, but few have ever tested it.
Interrupted is a community exercise that places participants in a simulated bushfire emergency. Throughout the exercise, participants will receive realistic warning information and scenario updates that require them to think about the decisions they would make if a real bushfire was threatening their area.
The exercise is designed to help you:
- Understand your local bushfire risk.
- Review (or create) and test your household emergency plan.
- Practise making decisions under pressure.
- Better understand emergency warnings and what they mean.
- Build confidence before the high-risk weather season.
This is not a real emergency. It is a planned community preparedness exercise.
How does the exercise work?
Participants who register for the exercise will know that it is taking place on Sunday 20 September, however they will not be told exactly when the exercise begins.
At some point during the day, while going about their normal lives, participants will be ‘Interrupted’ and begin receiving exercise information and scenario updates via a live warnings test – this will display on the ESA Website and the Hazards Near Me app. Over several hours, the scenario will develop and participants will be encouraged to consider the actions they would take and discuss them with their household.
Participants will be asked to think about questions such as:
- Would we stay or leave?
- When would we leave?
- What would we take with us?
- What information would we use to make decisions?
- What would we do if conditions changed?
The exercise will conclude with a facilitated debrief at a local community venue where participants can discuss their decisions, hear from emergency services personnel and learn from one another's experiences.
We'll also have:
- A community BBQ.
- Information stalls from local organisations.
- Emergency preparedness information.
- Opportunities to speak with volunteers and emergency services personnel.
Want to participate?
Places are available for up to 60 registered participants from Duffy, Rivett and Chapman.
Registered participants will receive:
- Exercise information and updates.
- Access to preparedness workshops before the exercise.
- Participation in the facilitated community debrief.
- Opportunities to engage directly with emergency services personnel.
Registrations are essential.
Missed out on a place?
Don't worry.
Even if participant places are full, or you don't live in Duffy, Rivett or Chapman, you can still take part from home.
You can follow along with the exercise as it unfolds and apply the scenario to your own circumstances by imagining the bushfire is occurring in or near your local area. This can be a valuable way to test your household emergency plan, discuss decision-making with your family and consider the actions you would take if a similar event affected your community.
Alternatively, you can complete our self-guided Take Home Emergency Plan Stress Test, which has been designed to help households work through the same preparedness and decision-making concepts at their own pace.
While unregistered participants will not be included in the facilitated debrief, community BBQ and participant-only activities, everyone is encouraged to use Interrupted as an opportunity to review, test and strengthen their emergency plans ahead of the high-risk weather season. As part of a pilot preparedness program, the learnings from this exercise will help inform future community preparedness initiatives across the ACT
Free preparedness workshops
In the lead-up to the exercise, ESA, ACT Rural Fire Service (ACTRFS) volunteers and Community Fire Unit (CFU) volunteers will be hosting free community preparedness workshops.
The workshops will help residents:
- Create or update an emergency plan.
- Understand bushfire warnings.
- Identify personal trigger points for action.
- Prepare their home and household.
- Feel ready to participate in the exercise.
Whether you're brand new to emergency planning or simply want to refresh your plan, these sessions are for you.
What activity will people see on the day?
As part of the exercise, you may notice emergency services personnel conducting planned activities throughout parts of Weston Creek.
These activities may include:
- Community Fire Unit (CFU) activation activities.
- ACT Rural Fire Service (ACTRFS) training and activation activities.
- ACT Fire & Rescue (ACTF&R) participation.
- Exercise personnel supporting community participants.
All activities are part of a planned exercise and have been designed to support community preparedness outcomes. There is no cause for concern if you observe these activities.
Will emergency warnings be issued?
Yes.
As part of the exercise, ESA will undertake a planned test of its warning system.
Test warning messages will be published to the:
- ESA website.
- Warning information feeds used by partner organisations and applications, such as the Hazards Near Me app.
The test is designed to help ESA verify warning processes and technology ahead of the bushfire season, while also giving participants an opportunity to experience how warning information is provided during an emergency.
All warning products associated with the exercise will be clearly identified as a TEST.
What won't happen?
As part of this exercise:
- No Emergency Alert messages will be sent to phones.
- No AusAlert messages will be issued.
- No real emergency warnings will be issued unless an actual incident occurs.
- No test warnings will be shared on social media, as they would be in a real emergency.
- No action will be required from community members who are not participating in the exercise.
Why Weston Creek?
Weston Creek has a significant history of bushfire impacts and remains one of the ACT's higher-risk bushfire areas due to its proximity to surrounding bushland. Many residents retain strong connections to, and memories of, the 2003 Canberra bushfires, making community preparedness an ongoing priority.
The ACT Emergency Services Agency has worked closely with the Weston Creek Community Council, local volunteers and community representatives in designing this exercise to ensure it is appropriate, respectful and focused on building confidence and preparedness for future emergencies. The exercise has been developed to support residents in understanding their risk, strengthening their emergency plans and increasing their confidence to make informed decisions during an emergency.
Interrupted is the second stage of a pilot community preparedness program following a successful trial in Ginninderry in 2025. Lessons learned from this Weston Creek exercise, including participant feedback, community outcomes and insights into how people interpret and respond to warnings, will help shape future preparedness initiatives and may inform similar community-based exercises in other areas of the ACT.
Learn more
If you'd like to learn more about the exercise, preparedness workshops or participant registration, please contact:
ACT Emergency Services Agency
ESAevents@act.gov.au
Together, we can build a safer, more prepared community before the next bushfire season.
