Planning for emergencies

At Sussex Police we plan for many types of emergency situation to enable us to be able to act quickly and efficiently when required.

In the event of a major emergency it is crucial that everyone understands their role and what they need to do. This helps us to:

• Minimise the effects of an emergency as far as possible
• Contain the immediate effects
• Preserve essential services
• Protect the population and the environment
• Restore normality as quickly as possible
• Preserve essential services 

How we plan

Sussex Police emergency planning officers liaise closely with key managers and staff from organisations throughout the South East including:

• County, Borough and District Councils
• The partner emergency services - fire, ambulance, HM Coastguard
• Utilities companies - gas, electricity, water and telephone
• The voluntary sector - for example WRVS, Red Cross, St John Ambulance

Together we train staff and practice through exercises the combined response to emergencies. By ensuring a seamless and rapid response, we aim to reduce the impact on the residents and environment of Sussex.

What we plan for

Plans are created to ensure an appropriate response to any hazard or threat identified within the Community Risk Register.

Here's a brief description of the role of Sussex Police within an emergency situation.

Responsibilities:

• The saving and protection of life is the priority in conjunction with other emergency services.
• The scene of a major incident must be preserved to provide evidence for subsequent enquiries and possibly criminal proceedings.
• Where practicable, the police, in consultation with other emergency services and specialists, establish and maintain cordons at appropriate distances.
• Cordons are established to facilitate the work of the other emergency services and support organisations in the saving of life, the protection of the public and the care of survivors.
• The Police oversee any criminal investigation. They facilitate inquiries carried out by the responsible accident investigation bodies, such as the Health and Safety Executive, or the Air or Marine Accident Investigation Branch.
• Police process casualty information and have responsibility for identifying and arranging for the removal of the dead. In this task they act on behalf of HM Coroner who has the legal responsibility for investigating the cause and circumstances of any deaths involved.
• In discharging the co-ordinating role, the police shall take account of the features of each particular emergency and the professional expertise of the other emergency services.

 Adur District Council
 Arun District Council
 Brighton & Hove City Council
 Chichester District Council
 Crawley Borough Council
 Eastbourne Borough Council
 East Sussex County Council
 Hastings Borough Council
 Horsham District Council
 Lewes District Council
 Mid Sussex District Council
 Rother District Council
 Wealden District Council
 West Sussex County Council
 Worthing Borough Council

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 came into effect on 14 November 2005. It aims to establish a consistent level of civil protection across the United Kingdom.

The act provides a basic framework for people who plan for local and national emergencies. It explains how organisations and agencies should work together.

Which organisations are responsible for responding to emergencies?
The new act has identified two categories of organisations that are responsible for planning for emergencies.

Category One organisations include:

Police, ambulance, fire & rescue services and the Maritime Coastguard Agency
County, unitary and district councils
The Environment Agency, the Health Protection Agency and Primary and Acute Care Trusts

These organisations are responsible for:
Assessing the risk of an emergency in their area.
Identifying priorities to develop plans.
Training programmes and emergency exercises.
Developing ways to warn and inform the public.
Planning how they will continue to deliver critical services.
Local authorities have an additional duty to promote business continuity within the community and with voluntary organisations.

Category Two organisations include:

Utility companies (gas, phone and electricity suppliers).
Ports and transport providers.
The Strategic Health Authority - each strategic health authority is responsible for the co-ordination, development and performance management of NHS organisations. Our strategic health authority is Surrey and Sussex.
They have a duty to co-operate with each other and with Category One organisations.

How do these organisations work together?
The UK has been broken into a number of Local Resilience Areas. We are part of the Sussex Local Resilience Area.

Each Local Resilience Area has a Local Resilience Forum, made up from chief officers from the Category One organisations.

Each Local Resilience Forum is responsible for creating and maintaining a Community Risk Register. This identifies potential emergency situations in the area, and the possible actions needed to deal with each. To find out what the current risks in Sussex are, take a look at the Community Risk Register on the Sussex Resilience Forum website.