Civil Emergencies

The terrible events of September 11th 2001 in New York highlighted that the modern world is still an unsafe place. There are a multitude of potential risks and so emergencies will inevitably occur.

Cheshire is a safe place to live and work but recent events in London and around the world illustrate the need to be prepared for all types of civil emergencies.

More recently there have been the terrorist incidents in Central London, Docklands and Manchester, The Ladbrook Grove, Hatfield, Selby and Potters bar train crashes, Foot and Mouth Disease, the Carlisle Floods and  Buncefield Fire and many other less publicised incidents.

The Cabinet Office and the council recognise that there is an need for effective planning for civil emergencies to ensure the efficient and speedy management of the response to these incidents between all the possible agencies; the Police, Fire Brigade, Ambulance Service, the council, utilities providers and voluntary agencies.

Dealing with Civil Emergencies

The council, in conjunction with emergency response partners, has developed the following major emergency plans, which are distributed throughout the council and to external partners.

the council Major Incident Plan is a flexible plan which sets out:

• The roles and responsibilities of the council and its Departments in a major incident;
• Activation and alerting procedures;
• Contact details of other organisations
• Media Handling in an emergency
• District Off Site Emergency Plan ( DOSEC ) Operation Procedure
• Control of Major Accident Hazard ( COMAH ) Regulations 1999
  Plans required for specific chemical hazards have been produced and are intended to deal with any off site effects resulting from a COMAH accident on site.

Backford North PSD
United Utilities, Huntingdon

• Major Accident Hazard Pipelines Regulations 1996
  Plan required to deal with any accident involving a major hazard pipeline which runs through the CheshireCountyarea.

Cheshire Major Accidents Hazard Pipeline Plan

• Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations (REPPIR) 2001
  Plan required to protect members of the public from a radiation emergency that could arise from work with ionising radiation.
• Welfare PlansPlans intended to ensure that shelter and welfare is provided to those members of the community who may be displaced from their normal place of residence or operation as a result of an emergency incident and.

Cheshire Emergency Rest Centre Plan

Psychological Support Plan

• Multi-Agency Media PlanPlans intended to ensure that a co-ordinated media response is provided to inform the public of any incident which might endanger them, their friends and family or their community.

Cheshire Media Plan

• In addition to these plans, council departments that have specific roles to play in the response to a major incident have developed their own operational plans.
• Copies of the emergency plans of neighbouring district councils, county councils and other agencies and organisations are held by the Emergency Planning Section and in the District Off Site Emergency Centre.