00:00Tarrad always lived an active lifestyle, but 18 months ago, a mountain bike accident left
00:08him quadriplegic.
00:10I went over the handlebars and I woke up probably five minutes later, we think, and immediately
00:17I realised I'd done something pretty bad.
00:21When a bushfire struck near his family's home in Margate last summer, his new vulnerability
00:26became clear.
00:28We realised very quickly, although we had some plans in place for the farm, we didn't
00:33have so much to get him out and everything that he needs.
00:38A new program from Tasmania State Emergency and Fire Services, which includes emergency
00:43preparedness workshops tailored to those with a disability or spinal cord injury, is
00:49helping people like Tarrad protect themselves.
00:52It was okay, yes, steps one, two, three and four, but in a world that 18 months ago, I
00:58had no idea about.
00:59The program uses the person-centred emergency preparedness approach, a model designed to
01:04empower people with a disability to lead their own preparation and help them identify the
01:10individual supports they need.
01:13For example, wheelchairs, what they're going to do with them if they need to evacuate quickly,
01:17then other things like medications and also something as simple as support workers and
01:23transport, if their support worker isn't available to help them evacuate, who are they going to call?
01:28Personally, myself, I've got two prosthetic legs, so I need power to charge my legs, so
01:33if power goes out, I need to look at alternatives like battery-powered chargers.
01:38The program will run for three years, with more workshops being held online.
01:42Organisers are hopeful that as more people learn it's available, participation will increase,
01:46resulting in a better prepared community.
01:49They're urging anyone interested to reach out to the SES.
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