Essex County Council (ECC) is required by law to prepare emergency plans so that resources and trained officers are on standby to respond quickly and in the best possible way when a major incident, of whatever kind, occurs. However, emergency planning is more than just producing plans.
Emergency planning overview
Emergency planning is a systematic process designed to prepare for and respond effectively to various emergencies or disasters. It involves identifying potential risks, assessing their impact, and developing strategies, plans and procedures to enable the council to effectively respond to emergencies.
Why we plan for emergencies
Following a series of high-profile incidents in the early 2000s, the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) 2004 was introduced to improve the UK’s preparedness for large scale emergencies.
Under the CCA 2004, Essex County Council, as a top-tier local authority, is identified as a ‘Category 1 Responder’ alongside other agencies such as the Police, Fire Services and Ambulance Services. This places a series of duties upon the council including the need to:
- undertake risk assessments
- carry out business continuity management
- carry out emergency planning
- warn and advise the public before, during and after an emergency
There are also a number of other pieces of legislation which place duties on the council relating to emergency planning for risks such as nuclear and industrial emergencies.
Emergency planning at ECC
The emergency planning programme encompasses several phases including:
- risk assessment
- preparedness
- response
- recovery
- validation
The Emergency Planning Framework (PDF, 469 KB) identifies how emergency planning is delivered within the council as well as the different roles and responsibilities involved in delivering the work.
Contact
For advice, training and queries about emergency planning, contact the Emergency Planning and Resilience team (PDF, 101 KB).