Emergency Management
Emergencies can happen quickly and without
warning. They can occur on a small or large scale - a
transport disaster, chemical incident, flooding or a terrorist
attack. The Council's role is is to assess the risks and
threats to Melton, its people and businesses and plan for
the response and recovery should an incident occur. The
ultimate objective is to minimise the impact of disaster on the
day-to-day lives of those who live in and work in the county and on
the environment and to assist the return to normality.
Emergency planners, working with a wide range
of agencies, including the Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland Local
Resilience Forum, (LRF) prepare contingency plans
and organise major incident training and exercises to prepare
for emergencies. Whatever the incident, the role of the
Borough Council is always to provide care and support to the
community and to get things back to normal as quickly as
possible. The maintenance of the health, safety and welfare
of those who live in, work in and visit the county is a principal
corporate commitment.
Emergency Planning is part of the
Councils Regulatory Services Team. A guide to the work of our Team
can be downloaded here
What is an emergency?
The Government has brought forward new
legislation through the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 requiring all
local authorities to assist local communities in the event of a
wide-scale emergency. The Act says that an emergency is an event or
situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare or its
environment, or war or terrorism which threatens national
security.
What will the Council do in an
emergency?
The first thing we have to do is make plans
to help in the event that an emergency actually happens. Rest
Centres, for example, are identified in case people have to move
out of their homes or are stranded in our Borough, unable to get
home, due to an incident . We have a team of staff
trained to assist in these circumstances. Under the
co-ordination of the LRF a series of contingency plans have been
produced covering the main identiifed threats to the area. Each of
these sets outs the roles and responsibilities of all of the
agencies that would be involved in a response, including the
Police, Fire & Rescue Service, Ambulance and the Council, and
the procedures that would be followed. In the event of a
major emergency, we will either lead on emergency response or
cooperate to help another lead agency such as the Police. We
may suspend some of our normal services at such times. Examples of
the joint contingency plans in place are:
·
Mass Casualty Plan
·
Mass Evacuation Plan for Melton Mowbray
·
Mass Vaccination Plan
·
Military Aid
·
Pipeline Plan
·
Pollution Control
·
Site Recovery Plan (currently in production)
·
Temporary Mortuaries
What should I do in an emergency?
Listen to advice given out on the radio or
television and act accordingly. Try to help yourself and
others as much as you can. Council resources will be heavily
stretched at times of crisis. If you think you can help us to
help others please let us know.
What are the chances of a real emergency actually
occurring?
Don't think it will never happen
here! In the last ten years there have
been several wide-scale flood events in Melton Borough, a
major gas leak, the foot and mouth crisis, fuel crisis and an
anthrax scare (thankfully false). The chances of another emergency
happening may be slim but we still need to be prepared in the event
that an emergency does actually happen. The Council carries out
risk assessments on possible emergencies.
Useful contacts:
www.ukresilience.info/ -
UK Resilience Home page
www.the-eps.org/index.php -
The UK Emergency Planning Society
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