Emergency events in the Hunter and Central Coast regions of NSW, Australia over 2015-2016 showed there was an immediate need to improve how communities plan for and recover from such events. Community service organisations, businesses and primary producers needed to fully understand the roles of emergency services and plan ahead to maintain continuity during disasters. A Project Task Group was set up of emergency services agencies to develop and deliver a series of community forums specifically looking at these needs. The forums were held during June 2016 and, according to participants, were very effective. There was strong support by participants for even more opportunities to engage with local emergency agencies and for resilience-related learning.