Major emergency arrangements

This guide explains simple steps everyone should take to ensure they are ready should an emergency occur. It explains easy safety measures to reduce damage to property and what to do if you have to shelter in your home or move out of your home until danger has passed. Remember your own preparations and self-help are essential factors in dealing with any emergency.  Such actions may reduce demands on the emergency services and help them to deal quickly and efficiently with major emergencies.

Dealing with an emergency

Whatever the situation, it is important to be ready to follow the instructions from the emergency services. Planning for an emergency is never easy as no one can predict what might happen - a major road, train, air or river accident; a serious fire; violent storms; flooding or another dangerous incident. Whatever happens, it will almost certainly mean police, fire and ambulance services in the front line of a difficult situation.

Although every incident is different, the emergency services will operate in accordance with tried and tested procedures previously exercised and set out in the emergency services Major Incident Plans and endorsed and agreed by the Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Local Resilience Forum. (CHWLRF). For more details on Local Resilience arrangements visit http://www.ukresilience.info/ (external link)

These procedures are constantly being updated, and the council has its own plans for mobilising its resources. Public utilities, voluntary organisations and many businesses also have their own emergency plans.

An emergency incident could mean evacuating an area providing those displaced with temporary accommodation.

Arranging all this is the responsibility of the emergency services supported by the council and Cheshire County Council services as well as many other public, private and voluntary organisations. Many locations throughout the borough have been identified as potential emergency rest centres.