Emergency management consultants
Ready before
disaster strikes.
We help organisations and communities plan for, respond to and recover from emergencies, with business continuity planning, emergency management plans, exercises and training.
We work internationally
Senior emergency management experience worldwide
Public & private sector
Councils, health, aged care and business
9 specialist services
Across prevention, preparedness, response and recovery
Our services
Emergency management, business continuity and disaster planning. Nine specialist services, from a single risk assessment to a complete program.
Business Continuity Management
Don't wait for a crisis or disaster to happen before making the safety, reputation and preparedness of your staff and business a priority.
Hazard & Risk Assessment
We provide consulting services that help to reduce the risk exposure and vulnerability of organisations and communities.
Emergency Management Planning
We provide a highly participatory and interactive approach to ensure emergency management plans satisfy corporate and regulatory requirements.
Community Resilience & Engagement
Recent events worldwide have demonstrated a need for communities to be more self-reliant and less dependent on emergency services personnel and governments to assist them in times of crisis.
Exercise Design & Facilitation
Don't wait until you have a real disaster to test your plans! Strategic Disaster Solutions consultants can design and facilitate a wide variety of exercises to validate your plans and procedures.
Training
It goes without saying that staff that are trained will perform better during response and recovery operations.
Projects
Do you have a unique emergency management project? No worries! We can help. Our experienced consultants are highly skilled in project management and are flexible and dynamic in their approach.
Independent Debriefing
We have extensive operational experience and are highly experienced in debriefing. This enables our consultants to provide objective feedback on our clients' performance and to identify relevant learning.
Evaluation, Audit & Compliance
Emergency management is constantly evolving and needs to be responsive to change. Strategic Disaster Solutions can review all of the elements of your emergency management program.
How we work
Emergency plans that work when it matters. Built and tested with the people who will use them.
01
Assess
Identify your hazards, disaster risks, regulatory obligations and current capability.
02
Plan
Develop emergency management and business continuity plans that meet requirements and work in practice.
03
Train & exercise
Build confidence with training and tabletop or multi-agency exercises based on realistic scenarios.
04
Review & improve
Independent debriefs, evaluations and audits turn lessons into action.
Who we work with
Disaster management consulting for every sector. In Australia and around the world.
Local government
Local disaster management plans, community resilience programs, emergency exercises and recovery planning.
Health & aged care
Emergency plans, exercise toolkits and plan testing for hospitals, primary care and aged care providers.
Business & industry
Business continuity planning, crisis management and emergency response for organisations of every size.
Community & schools
Community-led disaster plans, preparedness campaigns and education programs that build local resilience.
About us
“We deliver high-quality, affordable and innovative consultancy that helps people, organisations and communities manage emergencies, crises and disasters with confidence.”
Our mission
Sarah Dean
MEmergMgt · PG Cert · BSc (Hons)
Principal Consultant & Founder
Sarah has held senior emergency management roles in Australia, the UK and the Caribbean, and leads a worldwide network of specialist consultants.
FAQs
Emergency management questions, answered.
What does an emergency management consultant do?
An emergency management consultant helps organisations and communities prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. That includes assessing hazards and risks, writing emergency management and business continuity plans, training staff, running exercises to test those plans, and debriefing after real events.
Do you work outside Australia?
Yes. Strategic Disaster Solutions is based in Australia and works with clients around the world, on site and remotely. Our consultants have held senior emergency management roles in Australia, the UK and the Caribbean.
What is a tabletop exercise?
A tabletop exercise is a facilitated, discussion-based session where your team works through a realistic emergency scenario step by step. It tests roles, decisions and communication against your plan without deploying people or equipment, making it one of the most cost-effective ways to find gaps before a real emergency.
How often should we test our emergency plan?
Most organisations should exercise their emergency plan at least once a year, and again after any significant change to people, premises or systems. Some sectors have specific requirements, such as aged care.
Can you help aged care providers test their emergency plans?
Yes. Under the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (Standard 2.10), providers must regularly test and review their emergency and disaster management plans. We design and facilitate exercises with staff and response partners and provide reports you can use as evidence of testing.
What is the difference between an emergency plan and a business continuity plan?
An emergency plan covers the immediate response that keeps people safe, such as evacuation, warnings and roles. A business continuity plan covers how you keep critical services running and recover afterwards. Most organisations need both, and we develop them together so they connect.
Can you help councils with local disaster management plans?
Yes. We have extensive local government experience, including community all-hazard disaster plans, local disaster management arrangements, exercises and community engagement programs.