We send regular bi-monthly Newsletters packed with tips and tricks, timely information and updates on our Training Program. To opt-in to receive these Newsletters, simply edit your communication and email subscription preferences in your Crisisworks User Profile. More on updating your communication preferences.
Welcome, in this edition: Crisisworks support available Crisisworks support availableWith a number of Victorian councils experiencing flood emergencies yet again this season, we wanted to remind you that if you or your team need any help getting what you need out of Crisisworks, we’re here to help! Please contact our Service Desk or, if the matter is urgent, call us on 03 9521 4400 or 1300 DATALINK (1300 328 254). TrainingWe have online training sessions scheduled every week and we can add more sessions if the demand is there. Register here on Eventbrite, the following sessions are scheduled for January, and we’ll have dates for February and March up by the end of the week.
These online training sessions are included free with your Crisisworks subscription, more dates and sessions are released every month. On-demand Training VideosWe also have Online Training Videos available under the Help menu when signed into Crisisworks - simply click on ‘Online Training Videos’, or via our website. Current videos include:
Crisisworks Assessments UpdateJust prior to Christmas, we released stage one of our new Assessment Register. This new register will allow you to import initial impact assessment data (from FRV or SES) into a separate register called Assessments under the Recovery Module rather than importing the data directly into your Recovery Cases. This will be a much cleaner approach and will give you a chance to review the data and select the records that need a Secondary Impact Assessment and then copy them over to create Recovery Cases. This update will only impact you if you experience a large incident - but please always get in touch with us here at Datalink so we can assist with your IIA imports. Working offline on the Crisisworks mobile AppCrisisworks can be used out on site, in the field and offline via the Crisisworks App on your smartphone or tablet. By using the app, you can enter and update everything in Crisisworks without the need to take handwritten notes or be in front of your computer. It saves time and energy. The Crisisworks App has an offline mode. When your network coverage is very weak, it will try to use the internet connection instead of its own offline abilities so you will need to manually switch into offline mode. Watch our short Field Inspections Mobile App Quick-start video (11mins) to learn more or contact us for assistance. Tips: Before going offline be sure to:
Contact usIf you or your team need any Crisisworks support or assistance, please contact our Service Desk or, if the matter is urgent, call us on 03 9521 4400 or 1300 DATALINK (1300 328 254). Periodically we send bulk emails to notify Crisisworks users of major updates, planned outages or unplanned outages, we also send this regular newsletter. These mailing lists are generated from users' own individual Crisisworks Profile settings. To change these settings, simply log into Crisisworks and click on your name to edit your User Profile, then scroll down to the Communication Preferences and Email Subscriptions section. Email notification: opt-out / opt-in
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One final update from us for 2023. We all here at Datalink would like to wish you a safe, happy and uneventful festive season! See below for details on our Christmas hours, a new release to help with impact assessment data and some clarification on the VPR advice from our previous newsletter. Holiday period supportThe Datalink office will have reduced support from Monday 25 December and will reopen Monday 8 January 2024. During this time, we will have someone on support during the non-public holidays, however we won’t be taking live calls, so please leave a voice message or email support@crisisworks.com and we will get back to you within one business day for high priority issues, please indicate the level of urgency in your message. Priority support is available for Crisisworks customers via our 24/7 paging service. To access urgent assistance, phone +61 3 9521 4400 or 1300 328 254, press 1 for support and when prompted, press 2 to page the on-duty support technician who will return your call within the hour. Crisisworks Assessments update [new]We just released stage one of our new Assessment Register. This new register will allow you to import initial impact assessment data (eg FRV) into a separate register called Assessments under the Recovery Module rather than importing the data directly into your Recovery Cases. This will be a much cleaner approach and will give you a chance to review& clean the data and select the records that need a Secondary Impact Assessment and then copy them over to create Recovery Cases. This update will only impact you if you experience a large incident - but please always get in touch with us here at Datalink so we can assist with your IIA imports. For more information see the online documentation page Correction…Vulnerable Persons RegisterIn our previous newsletter we talked about how Victoria Police access Crisisworks, we weren’t as clear as we could have been. To clarify, Victoria Police log directly to the VPR which gives them access to view all vulnerable people across the whole of Victoria. Council’s should direct any access requests from Victoria Police to their REMI. If you are asked to provide a list of vulnerable people for police - DON’T, as this is an incomplete picture. Security update affects Mobile usersDue to an increase in security requirements and changes to the cloud services, mobile users may get ‘The server returned an error’ message when they return to their device after 24 hours. To resolve, sign out and sign in again, just enter your council’s Crisisworks site name in the site address, eg darebin, to access http://darebin.crisisworks.com . Contact usIf you or your team need any Crisisworks support or assistance, please contact our Service Desk or, if the matter is urgent, call us on 03 9521 4400 or 1300 DATALINK (1300 328 254). Periodically we send bulk emails to notify Crisisworks users of major updates, planned outages or unplanned outages, we also send this regular newsletter. These mailing lists are generated from users' own individual Crisisworks Profile settings. To change these settings, simply log into Crisisworks and click on your name to edit your User Profile, then scroll down to the Communication Preferences and Email Subscriptions section. You have received this email because you are subscribed to newsletters or are a key Crisisworks user. Opt-out by editing your communication and email subscription preferences in your Crisisworks User Profile, please do not reply to this email unless you wish to contact our Service Desk. For information on how to edit your preferences, go to Email notification: opt-out / opt-in |
Welcome to the latest Crisisworks Newsletter, our final for 2023! The Datalink Team would like to wish you all a merry, safe and emergency free holiday season and we look forward to working with you all in the year to come. Don't forget, if you are activated this season, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Datalink team who can help guide you through the start to ensure you get the most out of Crisisworks. In this edition:
Latest newsRoadshows Over 75 council staff took part in the Crisisworks Roadshows held across eastern Victoria in October. The Roadshows provided great learning opportunities for emergency teams and featured hands-on training and exercise simulation for beginners through to advanced users. The Crisisworks Team at Datalink would like to sincerely thank the host Councils who generously helped out with planning, logistics and venues, thanks…City of Greater Shepparton, City of Wondonga,Yarra Ranges Shire, Yarra City Council, Latrobe Council and the City of Greater Dandenong. If you would like to get involved in the 2024 Roadshows and host a session for your region, please get in touch via the email link below. Recent Activations and Crisisworks Use We’ve seen a number of councils activated for floods and fires in the recent months and several new councils starting to use the Fire Prevention module. Crisisworks has been used for the first time by a Queensland council in response to the Tara bushfires. We also have an agency in the state who have been successfully using Crisisworks for some time now to manage their health and community services. App update There have been some issues reported to our helpdesk around downloading of offline data on the Crisisworks app. We have resolved the issue and issued an update to the app stores. Please make sure your device is running the latest version. Useful Tips!Vulnerable Persons Register Did you know that Victoria Police don’t use Crisisworks to access the Vulnerable Persons Register? Instead, they log directly into their own system, any queries you get from VicPolice should be directed to their REMI. If you are asked to provide a list of vulnerable people for police DON’T, as this is an incomplete picture. When they login to their own system, their list will cover people from multiple LGAs Importing Initial Impact Assessment (IIA) Data The importing of Initial Impact Assessment data (from FRV or SES) is not a straightforward process, but we’re here to help! Please let us know in advance if you're expecting to receive IIA data, we need at least 2 days notice so we can schedule in the work required to clean up the data in import for you. Contact support@datalink.com.au. FPN Reminder With councils well into Fire Prevention season, here’s some timely tips from based on some of our recent helpdesk calls:
Working offline on the Mobile App The Crisisworks mobile app has an offline mode. When coverage is very weak, it will try to use the network connection instead of its own offline abilities so you will need to manually switch into offline mode, this is covered our mobile app quick guide. Before going offline be sure to:
Crisisworks TrainingBe sure to include Crisisworks Training as part of summer fire season preparations for your team. We continue to offer FREE online Crisisworks training with new sessions scheduled every month. The courses are broken down into 1-2 hour sessions on specific areas of Crisisworks so you can start as a Beginner and build your skills through to advanced. Our training is designed to improve your confidence and give you direct access to our trainers to help ensure you're well-prepared and using Crisisworks effectively. Upcoming online sessions
For dates and registrations, go to our Eventbrite page. NOTE: We limit the numbers for each session to keep them small and workable. If the event is full, join the ‘waiting list’ to get notified if a place becomes available. Sessions may be rescheduled or cancelled subject to numbers. On-Demand Videos We also offer a number of on-demand training videos, these are also available from the Crisisworks Help menu. Here’s a few you might like to check out in preparation for the summer season:
Contact usIf you or your team need any Crisisworks support or assistance, please contact our Service Desk or, if the matter is urgent, call us on 03 9521 4400 or 1300 DATALINK (1300 328 254). _____________________________________ You have received this email because you are subscribed to newsletters or are a key Crisisworks user. Opt-out by editing your communication and email subscription preferences in your Crisisworks User Profile, please do not reply to this email unless you wish to contact our Service Desk. For information on how to edit your preferences, go to Email notification: opt-out / opt-in |
Crisisworks evening maintenance for Tuesday October 31st (no outage) Dear Crisisworks user, This evening your Crisisworks service will enter a maintenance window. Once this maintenance has completed, the list of changes can be viewed from within the Crisisworks dashboard once you sign in.
Crisisworks is engineered so that this upgrade can occur with no outage. Our software also undergoes extensive testing prior to each release. If you notice any problems resulting from this upgrade, then our service desk can be contacted as follows: By email: support@crisisworks.com You have received this email because you are subscribed to the Crisisworks software upgrades and maintenance list. You can opt-out by following the link below. Please do not reply to this email unless you wish to contact our Service Desk. Sincerely, Crisisworks Support |
This evening your Crisisworks service will enter a maintenance window. Once this maintenance has completed, the list of changes can be viewed from within the Crisisworks dashboard once you sign in.
Changes in this release:
Crisisworks is engineered so that this upgrade can occur with no outage. Our software also undergoes extensive testing prior to each release. If you notice any problems resulting from this upgrade, then our service desk can be contacted as follows: By email: support@crisisworks.com You have received this email because you are subscribed to the Crisisworks software upgrades and maintenance list. You can opt-out by following the link below. Please do not reply to this email unless you wish to contact our Service Desk. Sincerely, Crisisworks Support |
Welcome to the latest Crisisworks update. In this edition:
Crisisworks Roadshow dates and ticketingWe’re excited to announce the October Crisisworks Roadshow for the Hume, Metro and Gippsland regions. This will be a user group event with a mix of information sessions and hands-on practice aimed at both beginner and intermediate users. It will be a great opportunity to network with other councils, Crisisworks power users and the Datalink Support Team, share ideas and ask questions to further develop your skills and knowledge. We will do our best to accommodate all who wish to attend, however registrations are capped according to the venue’s capacity, so get in quick to register your key emergency management staff.
We received some great feedback from the series of Roadshows we ran earlier this year in western Victoria, so we’re hoping this round will be even better! However, these sessions don’t take the place of regular training, see Online Training below for information on how to sign up to our monthly webinar training sessions. Call for PresentersWe are still looking for speakers for the Shepparton, Wantirna South and Keysborough events. If you’re an experienced Crisisworks user, have some great learnings or would like to share some of the innovative ways your council uses Crisisworks, we’d love to hear from you! Guest speakers present for approximately 15 minutes with a Question & Answer session at the end. Online TrainingDatalink offers FREE hands-on facilitated webinar training sessions for Crisisworks. We run sessions every month designed to improve your confidence and give you access to our trainers to help ensure you're well prepared and using Crisisworks effectively. These sessions are free and are included as part of your Crisisworks subscription. They run regularly with more dates and sessions being released, based on demand. Registration is easy - just open the Help Menu when signed into Crisisworks and click on ‘Register for Online Training’, or jump directly to Eventbrite. Upcoming sessions
For dates and registrations, go to our Eventbrite page NOTE: We limit the numbers for each session to keep them small and workable. If the event is full, join the ‘waiting list’ to get notified if a place becomes available. Sessions may be rescheduled or cancelled subject to numbers. Self-paced On-demand training You can access on demand, self paced Online Training Videos via the Help tab in Crisisworks. Did you know about...
If you or your team need any Crisisworks support or assistance, please contact our Service Desk or, if the matter is urgent, call us on 03 9521 4400 or 1300 DATALINK (1300 328 254). |
As part of our ongoing commitment to providing excellent service to Victorian Councils, we would like to ask you to complete this very short 6-question survey. It should only take you 3 minutes. The anonymous survey data will be aggregated and provided to the MAV in 2 weeks and will be used to help us improve our support services. We are emailing you because you have submitted at least one support ticket in the last 12 months. We appreciate your feedback to help improve our Support services. Please find a link to the survey: We look forward to continuing to assist you with your Crisisworks system. Thanks in advance for your help. Regards, |
Welcome to the latest Crisisworks update for August. In this edition:
Crisisworks Roadshow updatePlanning is underway for the next series of Crisisworks Roadshow sessions, this time for our Melbourne and north west council regions, with six sessions planned for 16-27 October. As soon as we have the dates and venues locked in we’ll send round the registration link. These sessions will comprise an element of training, some peer to peer learning and an update on new features and Crisisworks tips. Call for guest speakers - If you have some great insights or experiences of Crisisworks and would like to share at one of these sessions, we’d love to hear from you. We hope to see you there! Online TrainingWe run free hands-on facilitated Crisisworks training sessions each and every month designed to improve your confidence and give you access to trainers to help ensure you're well prepared and using Crisisworks effectively. Registration is easy - just open the Help Menu when signed into Crisisworks and click on ‘Register for Online Training’, or register directly via Eventbrite. August / September sessions
We limit the numbers for each session to keep them small and workable. If the event is full, join the ‘waiting list’ to get notified if a place becomes available. Sessions may be rescheduled or cancelled subject to numbers. See also, our series of on demand training videos, under the Help tab in Crisisworks, or go to https://crisisworks.com/training-videos-index/ Integrating Crisisworks with your council systemsProgress is being made integrating Crisisworks with various council systems using the Crisisworks Application Programming Interface (API). An integration with Technology One was recently achieved and although implementations differ between councils, some councils have managed to integrate their Pathway system with Crisisworks for inspections. Contact us and we can set up a meeting between your technical team and Datalink to see what we can make possible for you. Crisisworks - tips!This is a new segment in our newsletter, Crisisworks Tips! - improvements and things you may not know about Crisisworks. We hope you’ll find them useful, if you have any queries, get in touch at support@datalink.com.au.
New team member at CrisisworksHi, Kerrie here, I am very excited to join the Datalink team! Many of you will know me from my years working for Surf Coast Shire Council in emergency management. I’ve long been a Crisisworks fan and champion, so I’m really looking forward to this next chapter here at Datalink. One of my first projects is to develop a set of ‘playbooks’ to help quickly get you up and using Crisisworks efficiently during an event. I will also be involved in training, Crisisworks support and working with you on various working groups. I will be in touch with each of our MAV council customers in the coming months, but if you’d like to get in touch, I’d love to hear from you, email me at kwilliams@datalink.com.au, or call on 4311 1202. Kerrie Williams Conferences & EventsWe’re exhibiting at the AFAC23 in Brisbane next week, come see us at stand 472! |
Welcome to the latest Crisisworks update for June. Summary:
Did you know?
New Team MemberWe’re very pleased to announce the recruitment of a new Crisisworks team member - Kerrie Williams …. she will be starting on July 10th & brings with her enormous experience in council emergency management and also Crisisworks. Kerrie will be helping coordinate various Crisisworks committees and groups for Victorian councils and has been deployed to help with Crisisworks after many disasters. One of her roles will also be to complete the playbooks to help translate some of your emergency management processes into steps in Crisisworks. She will also be involved in Crisisworks training and support for Victorian councils. Subscription Renewals - Discount optionsIt is that time of the year. Under the new MAV bulk buying arrangement, Victorian councils have access to some great pricing discount options, with discounts for multi-year commitments or pre-paying. Ask us for a quote to get the best available rate for your council. Let us know if your council prefers to be invoiced in June instead of July 1st. If your council requires a purchase order number to appear on your Crisisworks renewal invoice, please send a purchase order through to accounts@datalink.com.au prior to June 30. We need to know your most current billing contact details. Only a small number of councils have entered these into Crisisworks. Please check and update your key contacts, making sure you have a current billing contact in your system. Crisisworks Roadshow updateIn March and April the Crisisworks team conducted the first leg of a regional roadshow tour for Victorian councils, visiting Ballarat, Camperdown, Horsham and Echuca. The tour was well received with more than 100 people attending. There were opportunities for both people new to Crisisworks and advanced users to learn more and get hands-on training, participate in simulated exercises and meet the Crisisworks team. The second leg of the roadshow is planned for late October in north and eastern Victoria and metropolitan areas. More information including locations, dates and guest speakers will be released in the next month or so. But please keep this date range in mind. If you are keen to host or present as a guest speaker please get in touch with us. We hope to see you there! Integrating Crisisworks with your council systemsProgress is being made integrating Crisisworks with various council systems using the Crisisworks Application Programming Interface (API). An integration with Technology One was recently achieved and although implementations differ between councils, some councils also have managed to integrate their Pathway system with Crisisworks for inspections. Contact us and we can set up a meeting between your technical team and Datalink to see what we can make possible for you. New Compliance modulesRecently Crisisworks users have been finding a whole lot of new ways to utilise the compliance and inspection features of the system. As a result, solutions are now available out-of-the-box for Fire Prevention, Permit to Burn and Notice to Comply. It is also being trialled for other types of inspections including pools, roads, footpaths and hoarding. If any of these are areas of interest or if your council has a use case for the inspection module, talk to us and see what we can make possible. New training material availableThe training team has been busy upgrading Crisisworks courses and delivery modes. You’ll find some new content and courses available including self-paced videos: New training videosThis month in conjunction with the DFFH we conducted a well received webinar for Victorian councils affected by the recent floods assisting them to compile their secondary impacts for upload via the EM-Impact portal using the Crisisworks integration. We’ve recorded this video for you in case you need further assistance with this. Crisisworks also conducted a well received series of webinars in conjunction with the DFFH on Environmental Health so your EHOs can get a better understanding of how to use the system in their field. Visit the Crisisworks Training Videos website to watch. Training Sample Records (Workbooks)One of the outcomes of the recent Roadshow was a series of examples you can use for your internal training sessions and exercises. We’ve collaborated with councils to develop useful samples including Requests, Information, Logs and Situation Reports that you can use during training and exercises. You’ll find this in the Library of our Crisisworks training system. Contact us if you would like a copy with the latest sample records. Webinar CoursesThe Crisisworks webinar series provides you with FREE facilitated hands-on sessions aimed at improving your confidence using the system, giving you access to trainers and helping to ensure that you’re prepared and using the system correctly. Registration is easy - just open the Help Menu when signed into Crisisworks and click on ‘Register for Online Training’, or register via Eventbrite. Sessions are filling up fast but we have just introduced a ‘waiting list’ option to ensure you get a place when one becomes available. More will be scheduled over the coming weeks. Beginners Recovery Officers Recovery Managers Coordinators & Administrators Crisisworks for Communications Relief, Evacuation & Humanitarian Aid Secondary Impact Assessment Crisisworks for Fire Prevention Conferences & EventsOnce again we’ll be exhibiting at the Disaster & Emergency Management Conference (DEMC) on the Gold Coast (11th-12th July). In recent years we’ve found it an invaluable way to reach the increasingly national Crisisworks customer base. If you’re there make sure you visit us at stand 19. We’re also planning to be at AFAC23 in Brisbane so if you’re going, come and say hi. |
Crisisworks evening maintenance for Friday March 24th (no outage) Dear Crisisworks user, This evening your Crisisworks service will enter a maintenance window. Once this maintenance has completed, the list of changes can be viewed from within the Crisisworks dashboard once you sign in.
Crisisworks is engineered so that this upgrade can occur with no outage. Our software also undergoes extensive testing prior to each release. If you notice any problems resulting from this upgrade, then our service desk can be contacted as follows: By email: support@crisisworks.com You have received this email because you are subscribed to the Crisisworks software upgrades and maintenance list. You can opt-out by following the link below. Please do not reply to this email unless you wish to contact our Service Desk. Sincerely, Crisisworks Support |
Hello everyone. We are excited to be delivering Crisisworks LIVE with the first of our Regional Roadshows visiting the Barwon South West, Grampians and Loddon Mallee REMPC areas next month. Limited tickets are now available to councils outside of these REMPC areas so come join us for a full day program compromising of guest speakers, hands-on training, presentations and a simulated exercise to give you the skills and confidence to start using Crisisworks more. To register visit Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/datalink-internet-systems-crisisworks-32033788777 We are also pleased to announce our March training program featuring:
To register visit Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/datalink-internet-systems-crisisworks-32033788777 Looking forward to seeing you all soon, either on the screen or in-person at one of the Roadshows! The Crisisworks Team |
Crisisworks evening maintenance for Thursday February 23rd (no outage) Dear Crisisworks user, This evening your Crisisworks service will enter a maintenance window. Once this maintenance has completed, the list of changes can be viewed from within the Crisisworks dashboard once you sign in.
Changes in this release:
Crisisworks is engineered so that this upgrade can occur with no outage. Our software also undergoes extensive testing prior to each release. If you notice any problems resulting from this upgrade, then our service desk can be contacted as follows: By email: support@crisisworks.com You have received this email because you are subscribed to the Crisisworks software upgrades and maintenance list. You can opt-out by following the link below. Please do not reply to this email unless you wish to contact our Service Desk. Sincerely, Crisisworks Support |
Crisisworks evening maintenance for Monday February 13th (no outage) Dear Crisisworks user, This evening your Crisisworks service will enter a maintenance window. Once this maintenance has completed, the list of changes can be viewed from within the Crisisworks dashboard once you sign in.
Changes in this release:
Crisisworks is engineered so that this upgrade can occur with no outage. Our software also undergoes extensive testing prior to each release. If you notice any problems resulting from this upgrade, then our service desk can be contacted as follows: By email: support@crisisworks.com You have received this email because you are subscribed to the Crisisworks software upgrades and maintenance list. You can opt-out by following the link below. Please do not reply to this email unless you wish to contact our Service Desk. Sincerely, Crisisworks Support |