AGENDA ITEM 6

BOROUGH OF POOLE

EMERGENCY COMMITTEE

31 OCTOBER 2005

STATUS REPORT - IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CIVIL CONTINGENCIES ACT 2004

1.PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

1.1. The purpose of this report is to:

  1. Advise members of the progress made to date to implement the duties contained in Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) 2004.
  2. To Advise members of completed, current and future associated workstreams.

2.RECOMMENDATIONS

2.1. Members as asked to note the contents of this report.

3.CCA DUTIES STATUS

3.1.A resume of the duties and the status of implementation follows:

  1. Local Resilience Forum Structures - completed
  1. Community Risk Register Development - completed
  1. Generic Emergency Plan produced - in hand
  1. Business Continuity Plans in Place- under review by MT
  1. Communicating with the public- Met via Portal – further

(Warning & Informing)services planned.

  1. Advice to Businesses- Partially met via portal -

further action not required until May 06

4.DESCRIPTION OF ASSOCIATED WORKSTREAMS

4.1.Completed Tasks

4.1.1. Community Risk Register (CRR)

The CRR project was completed in August, and the CRR on-line module is now live and can be accessed via the Bournemouth & Poole Resilience Group (BPRG) web portal. The CRR has been made available to the Dorset Local Resilience Forum (DLRF) in order that all hazards and associated risk assessments can be ‘captured’ on a single source.

The system enables each hazard to be grouped into one of 16 risk ‘categories’ as required by the Cabinet Office. Risk ratings are assigned automatically based on likelihood and impact assessments made by the appointed ‘assessors’, and the system also ‘captures’ other datasets (tabletop exercises, incident reports, mitigation measures etc) associated with each risk record.

The BPRG have commenced addressing risks identified in the conurbation on a priority basis, i.e. highest risk ratings first.

4.1.2. BPRG Web Site Access

Management Team, Service Unit Heads and those with a specific role in an incident have been given username and password protected access to the POOLE working area of the BPRG portal, which currently contains the CRR module, a common (emergency) contacts directory and a plans library.

4.1.3. Common Contacts Directory

The on-line common contacts directory now has a facility where addressees can submit changes to their own entries. In this way it is hoped that the directory can be kept as up to date as possible.

4.1.4. Training/Briefings
  1. Places have been secured for all members of the committee on an elected members course at the Emergency Planning College, Easingwold.
  1. A multi-agency debriefing was held at Bourne House on the fatal incident, which occurred at the Nuffield Industrial estate (scrap yard). The focus of the debriefing was to make all agencies aware of the dangers presented by acetylene cylinders in particular and the procedures that would be followed in future incidents.
  1. A faith community seminar has been organised by Jonathan Martin (Poole Chaplain) which will be held on 20th September at the Civic Centre. The outcome would be contact details for various faiths, which may then be accessed (via key faith group members) as and when required during incidents.

4.2.Current Tasks

4.2.1. Generic Emergency Plan

A generic emergency plan, which will replace the current Major Incident Response Plan (MIRP) is in the process of being prepared for consultation.

4.3. Future Tasks

4.3.1. Warning and Informing the Public

The BPRG have reviewed the facilities in use in London that were used as an aid to warning and informing the public during the 7th July bombing incident (and other incidents in the City). These are:

  1. A security e-mail service - Businesses and others can subscribe on-line to the service, and would then receive security e-mails, primarily providing information during incidents or alerts, but could also include other types of information from responding agencies (i.e. flu/heatwave/DFRS advice/gridlock avoidance etc etc). Discussions with our developer confirmed the initial set up cost for such a system would be less that £1000 with no on-costs or transmission costs to the BPRG or to subscribers.
  1. A Pager Alert Service - Again primarily aimed at businesses who would subscribe to the scheme and would then receive fast, text alerting messages to pagers, mobile phones (via SMS texting), or even to internet enabled laptops via e-mail. Subscribers pay a fee to the providing company (Vocal), which ranges from £4.95 per month at the ‘Community’ level (aimed at small businesses or community organisations), £7.25 per month for SME’s with 10 – 25 employees, a standard fee of £16.75 per month for larger organisations and £20 per month for ‘Corporate’ subscription. There would be no cost to the BPRG.

The Pager Alert scheme is designed primarily for urban areas (such as the conurbation), is controlled by Police Forces, and can be arranged to provided “Zones” within the urban area so that a selected area only can receive alerts (for localised incidents) as well as selecting the complete area for major incidents. In some areas the Page Alert scheme has been used as a means to develop mass evacuation plans.

To date the system is used by partnerships such as the BPRG in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol, London (City and also Boroughs), Sheffield, Nottingham, Bolton, Preston, Birmingham....many of which have smaller urban areas than the conurbation. In all cases it is the Police Service that is the lead agency for control and for message initiation.

Both these services would be provided via the BPRG portal. The BPRG have agreed that the security e-mail service can be developed now, and the PageAlert scheme to come on line following Police considerations.

4.3.2. Business Continuity Plans

At the time of production of this report, the way forward for the production of Service Unit business continuity plans is under review by management team.

5.IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME

5.1.At Annex A to this report is the programme Gantt Chart.

6.ATTACHEMENTS

6.1.An example of a PageAlert town centre evacuation plan (for Bolton, Lancs) is attached for member’s information.

Graham Chaplin

EPO

Housing & Community Services

THE APPENDIX TO THIS REPORT IS NOT AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY – PLEASE CONTACT LEGAL AND DEMOCRATIC SERVICES SHOULD A COPY BE REQUIRED.

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