Why do we need Emergency Plans?
Emergencies happen. Various hazards and threats such as extreme weather could have a big impact on you and your property. They could also affect the services you rely on, such as transport, utilities, communications, and financial services. Being prepared is the most powerful tool for dealing with emergencies. Preparing a plan in advance will help those involved, at all levels, keep calm during a stressful situation.
Whose job is it to produce Emergency Plans?
Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) are multi-agency partnerships made up of representatives from local public services, including the emergency services, local authorities, the NHS, the Environment Agency and others. These agencies are known as Category 1 Responders, as defined by the Civil Contingencies Act.
LRFs are supported by organisations, known as Category 2 Responders, such as the Highways Agency and public utility companies. They have a responsibility to co-operate with Category 1 Responders and to share relevant information with the LRF. The geographical area the forums cover is based on police areas.
LRFs also work with other partners in the military and voluntary sectors who provide a valuable contribution to LRF work in emergency preparedness.
LRFs aim to plan and prepare for localised incidents and catastrophic emergencies. They work to identify potential risks and produce emergency plans to either prevent or mitigate the impact of any incident on their local communities.
What has the LRF produced already?
The risks we face depend on where we live and work. For example, risks such as coastal flooding will be limited to specific parts of the country, while the likelihood and impact of major industrial accidents will depend upon the type of industry in an area. LRFs are required to produce a specific risk assessment that reflects, as far as possible, the unique characteristics of each area.
Our local LRF is known as the West Merica Local Resilience Forum (WMLRF) and has produced a Local Risk Register which is reviewed on a regular basis. It provides clarity on local issues to Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Local Authority areas which have been identified as of potential impact upon the local community and environment.
WMLRF have published a West Mercia Community Risk Register and is available through this link.
Community Resilience
Wide scale emergencies can and do happen. The lessons learned from recent emergencies show that those communities which were prepared for emergency events were better equipped to deal with the impacts.
Why have a Community Emergency Plan?
The purpose of community resilience is to encourage people to plan and be prepared to put in place a self-help response within a community which is affected by an emergency.
Experience has shown that sometimes due to the scale and / or nature of the emergency, the normal response provided by the emergency services and the local authorities can be delayed. On these occasions anything which the local community can do to support each other will help them to deal with the emergency more effectively.
The Parish Council has produced a Parish Emergency Plan.
You can access it through this link.
If you would like to be involved, please contact: the Parish Clerk
01948 710672
clerk@welshamptoandlyneal-pc.gov.uk