Emergencies - Major incident response
The Council's responsibilities during a major incident are to
maintain our existing services to the community, to provide support
to the emergency services and to take the lead in organising the
restoration to normality. Experience elsewhere has shown that a
council's involvement in any major incident will usually be the
longest of all the organisations involved and may be prolonged and
extensive.
The Council’s preparations for its response to a major incident
are contained in its Emergency Plan which is
subject to continual review and amendment. Our emergency planning
entails continuing consultation and collaboration with the
emergency services and those voluntary agencies that might be
concerned in responding to a major incident.
Rest centres
A major incident may well mean people being moved from their
homes either because these are affected by the incident or as a
precautionary measure. The police, acting on the advice of the fire
brigade, will probably direct such an evacuation. The Council has
planned for temporary shelter for these evacuees to be provided in
'rest centres' and a number of premises across the borough have
been identified as suitable for this purpose.
Information to the public
Whenever possible, the provision of reliable and regular
information to those affected by emergencies will be a priority for
all agencies. Messages can be relayed over local radio and
television networks as well as through other existing channels of
communication with communities.
Arrangements have been made by the Council to disseminate
information, for example the production and distribution
of leaflets etc. Enquiry points at libraries may also be
established acting as focal points and relaying vital
information.
This Council web site will also be used to display emergency
information. This site will also have links to specific related
sites of interest depending on the emergency, for
example during a flood related emergency the site will link to
the Environment Agency and agencies who can advise on issues such
as repairs to damaged property and insurance matters.
Role of a local authority
- Maintaining statutory services at an appropriate level
- Supporting the emergency services and other organisations
involved in the immediate response
- Providing support services for the community and others
affected by the incident
- Enabling the community to recover and return to normality as
fast as possible
- Providing ‘mutual aid' to other local authorities as
requested
Purpose of civil protection
The purpose of civil protection in Rochdale is to provide the
Councils' staff with suitable plans, procedures and information
necessary to enable them to improve the effects of any major
incident, whilst allowing departments to continue to provide, as
far as possible, their usual day-to-day services.
The Government believes that local authorities should develop an
integrated approach to emergency planning, embracing a number of
concepts, including:
- The integration of arrangements for a range of emergencies,
whether in peacetime or resulting from hostile acts. The focus of
the response to major incident should be on the effect rather than
the cause, unless special measures are required
- The integration of emergency arrangements into the Council’s
existing management and operational structures
- The co-ordination of plans with neighbouring authorities, the
emergency services, and other agencies involved in emergency
response and management
The Council's responsibilities
During an emergency Rochdale Council may be required to provide
the following services:
- The initial call out of Authority staff and resources as
necessary
- Setting up the Emergency Control centre to co-ordinate the
Councils response
- Establishing liaison between the Council and its departments,
Emergency and Health Services, the Armed Forces, Voluntary
organisations and Government and other agencies involved
- Restoring those services which have been affected by an
emergency for which the Council is usually responsible
- The setting up and management of evacuation centres. The
provision of immediate care and welfare support is a priority
particularly for persons with special needs, the elderly and
children
- To co-ordinate requests for additional resources which may be
required by partner agencies during the emergency response
- Establishing procedures for a joint media response
- Arranging things like highway clearance, repairs and
signing of roads and cordons. The latter in conjunction with
the Police
- Arrange for any repairs to damaged roads and bridges
- Offering counselling support to those affected by the
emergency, including members of staff.
- In the event of a major incident, the setting up of a disaster
fund may be initiated by the Council who would nominate trustees
for its administration and appoint an officer to keep the
accounts
- Re-house those made permanently homeless by an emergency
- Give aid to neighbouring Councils when requested
- Implement measures to control the spread of disease - liaise
with the Director of Public Health
- Maintain financial control of the operation and make
arrangements for funding and the preparation of a full cost
analysis
Major incident
A major incident is defined as:
"An emergency that requires the
implementation of special arrangements by one or more of the
emergency services or the local authority."
Civil Contingencies Act Guidance: Responding to Emergencies
(Cabinet Office, 2005)
‘As we must all recognise, disasters
usually strike suddenly, unexpectedly and anywhere. Many agencies
have a part in dealing with the disaster and its aftermath, and the
effectiveness of the total response will depend on how well the
emergency services, local authorities and central government have
harmonised their preparations and exercised their arrangements and
emergency procedures.’
Extract from the foreword by the former Home Secretary, David
Blunket, to ‘Dealing with Disaster’ Third Edition. Home Office.
A local authority is, therefore, expected to have contingency
plans which set out the steps that will be taken to initiate,
control and co-ordinate its response to a major disaster and the
areas of activity in which the authority would be involved.