Frequently Asked Questions

What is an emergency?

An event or situation that threatens serious damage to:

• Human welfare
• The environment
• Security (effectively war or terrorism)

According to Emergency Response and Recovery (published by HM Government, 2005) in order to constitute an emergency, an event or situation must additionally require the implementation of special arrangements by one or more category 1 responders.

What is Emergency Planning?

‘An approach to preventing and managing emergencies that entails six key activities – anticipation, assessment, prevention, response, and recovery. Integrated Emergency Management (IEM) is geared to the idea of building greater overall resilience in the face of a broad range of disruptive challenges. It requires a coherent multi-agency effort’. (Emergency Response and Recovery – HM Government, 2005)

Why Plan?

• Prepare for unusual circumstances
• Ensure delivery of pre-planned responses
• Formulate a ‘check list’
• Control the actions of others
• Protect oneself and organisation(s)
• Fulfil a legal requirement
• Create a comprehensive reference document

What are Emergency Plans?

A plan is a written record of agreed future actions intended to be taken to prevent an emergency, or to respond to a disaster or emergency.

Contents of a typical plan:

• Risk and consequence assessment
• Alerting and mobilising procedures
• Resources required
• Roles and responsibilities of responding organisations and personnel
• Incident management structures and processes
• Communication
• Strategies, tactics and operational responses
• Public Information

What is the Emergency Planning process?

Click here to view the 'Cycle of Emergency Planning'

What benefit is derived from training and exercising?

Through carrying out joint training and exercises partner agencies and stakeholders (category 1 and category 2 responders) are able to provide an integrated and coordinated response. This collaboration familiarises all parties with the management framework during a response, highlights problems, ensures plans and procedures are up to date and formulates working relationships.

How is a major incident co-ordinated?

Multi agency co-operation is required during a major incident; the Local Resilience Forum (who cover the geographical area of West Mercia Police Constabulary) ensures this. This Forum is made up of bodies that have specific duties as determined by the Civil Contingencies Act (2004). It has representatives from both category 1, and category 2 responders.

How is a major incident co-ordinated at national level?

Click here  (19.88 KB) to view a flowchart

What is the local resilience forum (LRF)?

The members of the LRF represent leading public bodies (category 1 and category 2 responders). They make up the senior management group who are responsible for undertaking preparations for, and response to, major incidents and emergencies throughout the geographical area covered by a Police Force. Therefore West Mercia LRF is responsible for Worcestershire. The forum meets on a regular basis and discusses the direction and polices relating to emergency planning.

What hazards might I potentially face in Worcestershire?

• Utility emergencies
• Radiation
• Terrorism
• Severe Weather
• Flooding
• Human health emergencies
• Accident Hazard Pipelines
• Animal Health Emergencies
• Fire
• Transport Emergencies
• Hazardous sites

What is the Civil Contingencies Act 2004

This act essentially requires leading public bodies to work together to identify, plan and deal with major emergencies.

In our area, The West Mercia Local Resilience forum has been created to administer the legislation across the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

The Act requires the development of risk assessments in a published Community Risk Register. Risks in this context are those that could result in a major emergency and this Community Risk Register is the first step in the emergency planning process.

The Community Risk Register for the West Mercia region is currently held on the West Mercia Constabulary website and can be viewed by clicking on the link below.

What is the Community Risk Register (CRR) and how has it been designed?

The CRR lists hazards that are a potential risk to the population and infrastructure within the West Mercia area. The hazard topics were identified on a national level by the Cabinet Office, then modified and adapted by the ‘risk working group’ of West Mercia’s LRF to make them specific to local hazards.  

The hazards have been determined from studying historical data, and assessing the likelihood of their occurrence. The potential impacts of the risks posed by the hazards have been measured by using health, social, economic and environmental indicators, in accordance with the Emergency Preparedness guidance. (More information can be found on the UK resilience website).

Who are Category 1 Responders?

Emergency Services:

• West Mercia Police Force
• British Transport Police
• Hereford and Worcestershire Fire & Rescue Service
• Hereford and Worcestershire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Local Authorities:

• Worcestershire County Council
• Bromsgrove District Council
• Redditch Borough Council
• Malvern Hills District Council
• Worcester City Council
• Wychavon District Council
• Wyre Forest District Council

Government agencies:

• Environment Agency

Health Bodies:

• Primary Care Trusts
• Hereford and Worcester Health Protection Agency
• NHS Acute Trusts (hospitals)
• NHS Foundation Trusts

Who are Category 2 Responders?

Utilities:

• Electricity
• Gas
• Water and sewerage
• Public communications providers (landlines and mobiles)
  

Transport:

• Network Rail
• Train Operating Companies (passenger and freight)
• Airports
• Highways Agency

Government:

• Health and Safety Executive

Health Sector

• Strategic Health Authority

How can you personally prepare for emergencies?

The Government sent a booklet ‘Preparing for Emergencies – What you need to know’ to every home in the UK, in August 2004. The booklet contains practical advice on the steps you can take to help yourself and your family in the event of an emergency.

The Preparing for Emergencies website accompanies the booklet and provides online advice covering:

• Guidance on how to prepare for a variety of emergencies that could occur
• What to do in the event of an emergency
• What the Government is doing to protect the country

What can can you expect at our Rest Centres (RC)?

We want to ensure that your stay in our rest centres is as comfortable and as short as possible. There are a number of things that we will provide in every centre that we open, so expect to see the following:

• ·Reception – staff will be there to meet and greet you, and to get you out of the cold. You will be given a Rest Centre Leaflet here and staff will advise you where you need to go and what you can expect.
• ·Registration – everyone who comes into the centre will be registered by our staff, which will involve taking some basic details such as your name, address date of birth and any urgent needs that you may have. You will also be asked if there is someone who you may be able to stay with for the duration of the emergency, which may be more comfortable than staying put in the centre.
• ·Assessment – once we have taken some details from you, we will then be able to work to make your stay even more comfortable, by providing some of the services shown below.  
• ·Light refreshments – we hope that the WRVS (Women’s Royal Volunteer Service) will provide you with a drink and a biscuit as soon as you arrive, and will make arrangements for hot meals when we need to.
• ·Pets – pets are welcome in our rest centres but if you bring them with you, please be prepared to care for them, as you would at home. We will set aside an area for pets and help you to look after them as best we can.
• ·Information – we will set up an information desk which will provide relevant and regular information about the emergency and when it is safe to return home.
• ·Security – we want to ensure that the centre is a secure place to be, both for the evacuees, staff and their belongings by working with the police and owners of the building.
• ·First aid service – every time we open a rest centre, we will work with the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance to ensure that there is a team of qualified first aiders available to deal with medical matters.  
• ·Communications –being able to communicate with the outside world is important for evacuees and staff, so we will make sure that we can do this.
• ·Transportation – to get you to the rest centre and more importantly home again after the centre has closed.

Once we have registered you, we will make an assessment from the information that you have provided, and where we can, make arrangements to provide further services to ensure that your stay is as comfortable as possible. These might include hot meals, overnight arrangements, longer-term housing provision (if you can not return home for a significant period of time) general welfare care and psychological support, looking after the specific needs of individuals and entertainment.