Ibis Dam Emergency Evacuation Siren Testing

Mareeba Shire Council wishes to advise residents of Irvinebank that periodic testing of the Ibis Dam emergency evacuation sirens will be performed commencing 1 August 2023. The target schedule for testing is quarterly, with activation planned to occur at 10:00am, the test alarm will sound for 10 seconds.

Residents are not required to take any evacuation action in response to the test siren. Council does, however, encourage residents to familiarise themselves with the evacuation procedures and their individual emergency action plan.

Council has a legislative requirement to test the emergency sirens once a year and, as the owner of Ibis Dam, maintain an Emergency Action Plan (EAP). The Ibis Dam EAP explains roles and responsibilities, communication procedures and dam specific emergency scenarios including how people who live immediately downstream of the dam will be told about a dam emergency.

The Ibis Dam EAP can be accessed on Council’s website: https://msc.qld.gov.au/

In the case of an actual emergency event, the evacuation warning can be recognised by the continuous sounding of sirens. When this is heard residents should immediately implement their individual evacuation plans or alternatively, evacuate to the assembly points located at the school or the rural fire brigade shed.

In some instances, such as overtopping of the dam, an early warning signal may sound for 20 seconds. This means that residents should remain on alert in the event that they may need to evacuate and the Emergency Action Plan Officer, Mr Peter Busz, will notify residents of the situation.

Should you wish to discuss any aspect of this matter further, please direct your enquiry to Council’s Emergency Disaster Department on 1300 308 461.