The ARV Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP) 2024–27 provides a comprehensive framework for emergency management across Victoria’s 6 alpine resorts:

  • Falls Creek
  • Mt Hotham
  • Lake Mountain
  • Mt Baw Baw
  • Mt Buller
  • Mt Stirling.

Purpose and structure

The MEMP aims to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies affecting the alpine resorts.

It aligns with state and regional emergency management plans and is structured around the phases of emergency management: before (mitigation and preparedness), during (response and relief), and after (recovery).

Key risks and hazards

The plan identifies bushfire and grassfire, storm, landslide, structure fire, and transport incidents as the most significant risks. Each risk is assessed for likelihood and impact, with tailored mitigation, response and recovery strategies.

The unique alpine environment—characterised by remote locations, small permanent populations, high seasonal visitation, and challenging access—necessitates specialised planning.

Governance and collaboration

The MEMPC is a multi-agency body responsible for risk assessment, plan development and coordination with regional and state agencies.

Sub-committees and operational planning groups at each resort feed local knowledge into the overarching plan.

Community and infrastructure

The plan emphasises community readiness, protection of vulnerable populations, and the resilience of critical infrastructure. It details arrangements for emergency relief, evacuation, public health, communications and financial responsibilities.

Continuous improvement

Regular reviews, exercises and debriefs ensure the plan remains current and effective. Recovery arrangements focus on supporting individuals, communities and the environment to recover and return to normal functioning, with clear roles for ARV, government agencies and support organisations.

Developing our emergency management framework

Following legislative reforms in 2022, Alpine Resorts Victoria (ARV) was established as a single entity, streamlining emergency management planning and actions and replacing individual resort committees with a unified Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee (MEMPC).

During 2023, ARV engaged with staff and emergency management stakeholders to inform a review of the former Alpine Resort Management Board Municipal Emergency Management Committees. Findings from this work informed the development of future emergency management models for ARV.

In January 2024, the ARV Board endorsed a framework that includes an overarching ARV Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee (MEMPC) responsible for developing a single ARV Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP) for all alpine resorts.

Emergency management planning in each resort continues to be supported by a multi-agency Resort Emergency Management Operational Planning Committee (Resort EMOPC). Refer to Section 2.4 of the MEMP PDF for more detail.

Each Resort EMOPC develops and administers resort-specific Emergency Management Operational Guidelines (EMOGs). These are written in the context of each resort’s location, infrastructure, visitation, community and risks, and this local detail informs the ARV MEMPC and the MEMP.

There is no need for resort-specific planning to duplicate the ARV MEMP; resort plans carry operational detail rather than overarching arrangements.

For further information email ARV’s emergency point of contact: emergency.management@alpineresorts.vic.gov.au.

Page last updated: 23/04/26