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West Community Risk Register 2016-2019

1 West Mercia Community Risk Register Emergency Planning and Management of Risks

Contents Page Introduction 3 What is the Community Risk Register? 4 The West Mercia Profile 5 Influenza 6 Flooding 8 Severe Weather 10 Environmental Pollution & Industrial 12 Accidents Animal Diseases 14 Loss of Critical Infrastructure 16 Fuel Shortages 18 Transport Accidents 20 West Mercia Emergency Profile 22 Preparedness 23 Community Resilience 24 Business Preparedness 25 Want to know more? 26

2 This document is designed to help people understand the risks that could occur where they live, so that they can Introduction think about how they can be better prepared in their homes, communities This Community Risk Register (CRR) for and businesses. 2016-2019 provides information on the greatest risks that may occur within Looking at all of the risks together can West Mercia, together with an also help emergency services, local assessment of how likely they are to authorities and other organisations plan happen and the impacts if they do their joint response. occur. These risks are regularly reviewed and have led to this CRR. THE LOCAL RESILIENCE FORUM

WHO WE ARE WHAT WE DO

The West Mercia Local Resilience Forum The aim of the WMLRF is: (WMLRF) is a partnership, made up of all the organisations needed to prepare for and To ensure that there is an appropriate level respond to any major emergency in the area. of preparedness to enable an effective multi- agency response to emergency incidents, West Mercia covers the following areas: which have a significant impact on the communities of the WMLRF.  Herefordshire All services and organisations work together  to ensure that the best possible preparations  Telford & Wrekin and plans are in place for emergencies. These are regularly tested and updated so  that agencies can respond immediately and The LRF partners include the emergency effectively to any threat. services, the local authorities, health agencies and the Environment Agency along with voluntary and other agencies.

Under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) every part of the is required to establish a resilience forum.

The West Mercia LRF is currently chaired by David Shaw, Chief Constable of .

3 What is the Community Risk Register?

West Mercia LRF legally has to produce a Community Risk Register (CRR) to look at the likelihood and impact of a range of hazards happening.

The CRR focuses on serious risks that could The risks described are not deliberate acts result in an emergency, defined as: of third parties or terrorism. These are covered separately by the emergency  An event or situation which threatens services and government. More serious damage to human welfare in a information on such terrorist related threats place in the United Kingdom; can be viewed on the National Risk Register.  An event or situation which threatens serious damage to the environment of https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ a place in the United Kingdom; national-risk-register-of-civil-emergencies  War or terrorism which threatens serious damage to the security of the RISK ANALYSIS United Kingdom. Each entry in the CRR has a lead Source: Civil Contingencies Act (2004) organisation responsible for co-ordinating the risk assessment. This looks at the Not all the risks in West Mercia have been likelihood and the impact: described in this document. However the main risks, which could affect our routine  Likelihood is the probability of an day to day lives, are included. incident related to a hazard happening over the next 5 years. West Mercia risk assessments are reviewed regularly or when required. The process  Impact is a measure of the severity of takes into account national guidance and the potential harm caused by the advice, combined with local knowledge and hazard or threat, looking at impacts on expertise across our area. This information health, the economy, the environment is then given to the LRF professional and society. partners to assess, discuss and act upon to RISK CONTEXT improve our capability to respond to any form of disruptive challenge. Examples of The West Mercia CRR puts the national risks this work include training multi-agency in a local context, by looking at things like responders and updating plans. economic, geographic and demographic factors, whether the risk has happened before and what is in place to control it.

4 To understand why some risks are more significant in West Mercia, we need to look at the profile of the area, including The West Mercia social, economic and geographical factors. These factors also influence how Profile we can prepare for and manage emergencies locally. Some risks are more likely to happen in West Mercia, or they may West Mercia is the title of the police force which was created in 1967 and comprises have a bigger impact here, the in the very heart of compared to other parts of the . country.

It derives its title from the ancient Kingdom of Mercia which stretched from the in the west to Anglia in the east. Today however, West Mercia still retains borders with but now stretches to the boundary with the West conurbation in the east. In the north it meets with the county of and has as it's southern neighbour.

The force area has a land mass of 7,429 square kilometers (2,868 square miles) and is the fourth largest police force area in England and Wales.

The total population of the area is 1,158,478 The economy of the area includes service (2.3% minority ethnic) with main centres of sector, technology, tourism and has a strong population in the Cathedral cities of agricultural base. A manufacturing capability Worcester and and of still thrives but this is in stark contrast to the Shrewsbury. Other main population centres industrial heritage that can be found in include Telford, Kidderminster and . Telford, birthplace of the industrial Population density is at it's greatest in the revolution. east of the area particularly adjoining the West and becomes sparse in the Each of our three counties has a developed more rural areas meeting the Welsh border. road and rail infrastructure. The M5 There are 478,398 dwellings within the three motorway runs from north to south across counties. the area while the M54 and M50 provide direct access from the into Three of our four local authorities Wales. In total 13,621 kilometers (8,464 (Herefordshire, Shropshire and miles) of roads serve the counties. Worcestershire) report that they have a comparatively higher than national average population of 65+ year olds residing in their areas. however have a lower than average number of 65+ year olds with a higher than national average population of 15 yrs or less.

5 Influenza Type Disease TOP RISKS

An Influenza (flu) pandemic is a HISTORY worldwide event, in which many people are infected with a flu virus in a short The most notable influenza pandemic of the time. last century occurred in 1918 and is often referred to as ‘Spanish flu’. It caused serious The World Health Organisation considers an illness with an estimated 20 to 40 million outbreak to be a pandemic when: deaths worldwide (with the largest rates of death in people between 20 and 45 years  The infectious agent hasn't been seen old) and major disruption. In the UK alone before and there is no natural there were an estimated 228,000 additional immunity to it; deaths.  The agent infects humans; As a result of rapid spread from person to  It spreads easily and survives in person, pandemics have significant global humans. consequences on communities and economies, as well as on human health. Unlike a normal flu virus, which has a ‘season’ (October to May in the UK), a flu The lead agency for this risk is the NHS pandemic can occur at any time. and Public Health England. Based on what has happened during previous pandemics, a pandemic is likely to occur in one or more waves, possibly weeks or months apart. Each wave may last around 15 weeks and up to half of the population could be directly affected.

6 RISK IMPACTS CONSEQUENCES

Based on historical information, scientific evidence The consequences could include: and modelling, the following impacts are predicted for future pandemics:  Vulnerable people exposed to lower levels of care;  Many millions of people around the world will become infected causing global disruption  Longer and more frequent and a potential humanitarian crisis; disruptions to essential utilities;  Up to half the UK population may become infected and between 50,000 and 750,000  Reduced levels of additional deaths may have occurred by the emergency services cover; end of the pandemic;  Disruptions to businesses  Healthcare and local authority social care will and organisations through become overloaded; staff shortages and supply chain interruptions;  Normal life is likely to face widespread disruption, particularly due to staff shortages  Impacts on the national and affecting the provision of essential services, local economy. including production and transport of goods.

WHAT DO YOU WHAT ARE WE DOING NEED TO DO? IN WEST MERCIA?

 Keep healthy—a healthy lifestyle will be a We work together to plan for: great defence against flu and other illnesses;  Identify a flu friend—somebody who would  Management of the collect your medication, food and other demand on the NHS and supplies allowing you to be isolated from the social care; public;  Distribution of anti-viral  Keep personal stocks of ‘over the counter’ cold medication to the public if and flu medication to help relieve your required; symptoms;  Vaccinations;  Know the arrangements for your child's school;  Public awareness and  Look out for and observe advice and guidance media management; from the NHS.  Managing excessive levels of death.

Individual LRF organisations have their own business continuity plans in place to cope in times of staff shortage.

7 Flooding TOP RISKS

As the events of summer 2007 and 2012 suddenly released as the bridge collapsed) and winter of 2013/2014 showed, flooding surged down the main road. Water speed at its most serious, can affect many was in excess of 10mph, which is more than different aspects of our daily lives. Over sufficient to cause structural damage. It is the coming years rising temperatures, estimated that 20 million tonnes (440 million sea levels, and an increase in the gallons) of water flowed through Boscastle frequency and severity of extreme alone that day. weather events are likely to raise the risk of flooding in the UK. West Merica has a number of areas that have similar topography that could result in The two main types of flooding risk in West similar events. These are designated Rapid Mercia are river and surface water flooding Response Catchment areas by the (caused by excessive rainfall). Environment Agency.

HISTORY IN WEST MERCIA

In the summer of 2007 the UK was seriously Many agencies are involved in responding to affected by flooding. West Mercia floods. Different agencies are best equipped experienced significant flooding which led to and have specific responsibilities to deal with damaged properties, evacuation of a specific type of flood, for example, the residents, and closure of roads. highways service of a Local Authority can manage flooding on a public highway, while In 2004 the village of Boscastle suffered the local water companies would deal with a extensive damage from flash floods caused burst water main. by an exceptional amount of rain that fell over the course of an 8 hour period. The The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 Boscastle flooding was caused by rainfall specifies the role of a lead local flood which the river could not hold and the floods authority and also stipulates the national role were the worst in local memory. The of the Environment Agency. torrential rain led to a 2m rise in river level in one hour. A 3m wave, (believed to have Lead agencies—Police, Environment been triggered by water pooling behind Agency and Local Authorities. debris caught under a bridge then being

8

WHAT DO YOU WHAT ARE WE DOING

NEED TO DO? IN WEST MERCIA?

 Find our if your property is within a  Identification of where the flood flood risk area; water could go and who is at risk;  Plan where you will go if you have to  Production of multi-agency plans to evacuate and how you will get there; assist with the evacuation of those communities who are at risk;  Know what to do to protect your property during a flood and have  Provision of guidance for the public adequate insurance; about protecting property from flooding;  Identify neighbours who may need assistance or who may be able to  Development of ways and means of provide assistance to you, in case of alerting the public as early as evacuation; possible when there is a significant flood risk;  Have supplies in your home that will enable you to cope for up to 3 days  Continuing to invest in maintaining should you be unable to evacuate; and improving river defences in our high-risk areas;  Sign up to Floodline Warnings Direct if you are in a flood risk area;  Developing flood rescue and assistance for those who become  Where possible, move valuable/ isolated by flooding. irreplaceable items to upper floors during times of flood risk.

FLOODLINE WARNINGS DIRECT (FWD) People can also find out what flood warnings are in force in their area any FWD is a free service that gives advance time of the day or night by: warning of flooding by telephone, mobile, fax or pager. To register for the service call  Contacting FWD on 0345 988 1188 FWD on 0345 988 1188; it is available 24 and listening to recorded flood hours a day, seven days a week or online warning messages or speaking to at www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings the Environment Agency Staff;

To register all you need is a telephone  Viewing the flood warnings number where flood warnings can be sent (updated every 15 minutes) on the 24 hours a day. Calls to FWD are charged Environment Agency Website at local call rates. https://flood-warning- information.service.gov.uk/ The Environment Agency is the main place for information on past floods, floods maps, and practical guidance on protecting your home during a flood event. You can access these services if you are in an affected area and more at www.gov.uk/government/ organisations/environment-agency

9 Severe Weather TOP RISKS

power disruption. Strong winds can cause significant disruption to businesses due to structural damage and transport route blockages.

In January 2010, snow caused disruption across most of the UK resulting in school closures, power outages and people being unable to get to work for a number of days depending on their location. November and December 2010 saw temperatures across West Mercia fall in parts to minus 15 with significant snow fall, which resulted in treacherous road conditions and major The United Kingdom does experience disruption to transport and essential severe weather due to its temperate services. climate with occasional continental and arctic influences. These can bring with Going back further to 2003 the hot summer them heavy rain or snow, strong winds, is estimated to have resulted in more than tornadoes and extreme temperatures. As 2000 excess deaths, mainly amongst experience has shown, severe weather vulnerable people. Since then, the Health can take a variety of forms and at times Watch system has been introduced and can cause significant problems and during the hot weather of July 2006 disruption to normal life. significantly fewer (680) excess deaths were recorded. Over the coming years we are likely to see rising temperatures and sea levels, and an IN WEST MERCIA increase in the frequency and severity of The rural nature of West Mercia means that extreme weather events in the UK. Weather severe weather can have a large impact on forecasting can now give warning of most the day to day activities of the population. events and offer general advice. Our reliance on the road network and the There are many types of severe weather that main routes around the area becomes very can have a serious local impact in the UK. evident when it is disrupted by severe The main types of severe weather that we weather events. need to plan for include storms/gales, low There is nothing we can do at a local level to temperatures, heavy snow, heat waves and reduce the likelihood of severe weather drought. events, however we can be prepared for HISTORY these events in order to stay safe and maintain essential services. A storm battered many parts of the UK on 18th January 2007, with gusts of wind up to The lead agency will depend on the type 77mph recorded at Heathrow. This caused of severe weather and its impact. 9 deaths and widespread damage to trees and buildings across the UK, along with

10 RISK IMPACTS CONSEQUENCES

Storms and Gales: The consequences of severe weather are varied, some common issues include road  Danger to life from windswept and travel disruptions, damage and objects and structural failures; disruption to basic utilities, and damage to property.  Damage to property;  Damage to infrastructure and These have a knock on consequence to communications networks; individuals, businesses and the ability for organisations to deliver essential functions  Travel disruption. to the community. Low temperatures and Heavy Snow:

 Travel disruption;  Vulnerable people exposed to health threatening temperatures;  Power and water failures;  School and public building closures . Heatwaves:

 An increased number of admissions to hospital and consultations with GPs due to sunburn, heat exhaustion, respiratory problems and other illnesses such as food poisoning;  Increased vehicle breakdowns due to overheating engines;  Road surfaces deteriorating as tarmac begins to melt.

WHAT DO YOU WHAT ARE WE DOING NEED TO DO? IN WEST MERCIA?

 Listen to weather forecasts and heed any  Production of multi agency warnings of extreme weather; plans to manage severe weather events;  Plan any journeys or activities with the weather in mind;  Consideration of weather forecasts prior to any large  If you have to travel in severe weather events in the LRF; make sure you have adequate clothing and emergency supplies in your vehicle.  Receiving and distributing early notifications of severe weather.

11 Environmental Pollution & TOP RISKS Industrial Accidents

Certain industrial activities involving dangerous substances have the potential to cause accidents. Some of these accidents may cause serious injuries to people or damage to the environment both nearby, and further away from the site of the accident. This also includes air pollution.

HISTORY

Buncefield–A recent experience of this type There are 2 top-tier COMAH sites in of incident in the UK was at Hemel Worcestershire. Hempstead with the Buncefield Oil Depot explosion in 2004. The explosion measured PUBLIC INFORMATION ZONES 2.4 on the Richter scale, and caused the largest fire in Europe since the Second Part of the COMAH Regulations puts a duty World War. 2,000 people were evacuated on the ‘Competent Authority’ to determine an from their homes, and 370 businesses were area around a COMAH establishment in affected, employing 16,500 people. Sixty which information must be made available. members of the public required medical aid This is known as the Public information Zone and the accident caused major disruption to (PIZ). roads, fuel supplies, and local businesses and the supply chain. People within the PIZ must receive information about how they may be affected COMAH by a major accident at that establishment, this includes information about the potential The Control of Major Accident Hazard major hazards and the safety measures that Regulations (COMAH, 1999) and their are in place as well as how they will be amendments (2015), are the enforcing warned and kept informed in the event of a regulations within the United Kingdom. major accident and the actions that they should take. They aim to prevent major accidents involving dangerous substances and to limit The lead agencies are Fire and Rescue the consequences to people and the Services and the Environment Agency. environment of any incidents that do occur. They are determined by the Health and Safety Executive and are applicable to any organisation or site storing or handling large quantities of industrial chemicals of hazardous nature. Types of establishments include chemical warehousing, chemical production facilities and some distributors.

12 RISK IMPACTS CONSEQUENCES

The predicted impacts could include: The consequences could include:

 Endangerment of life;  Impact to UK oil and gas supplies;  Damage to property and the local  Economic impacts through damage area; to local businesses;  Pollution of the local environment  Long-term restoration and recovery and water courses. of the local area;  Contamination of crops and agricultural land.

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WHAT DO YOU WHAT ARE WE DOING NEED TO DO? IN WEST MERCIA?

 Be aware if you live near a hazardous  Working directly with site site. If you hear a warning of an incident, operators who manage go indoors, close all your doors and particularly hazardous sites; windows and tune into local radio for  Identification of ways and advice—This advice also applies in the means of communicating with event of a significant fire-related smoke the public; plume from any industrial site;  Support for local communities  If there is a risk of explosions stay on the to develop their own emergency opposite side of the building away from plans. doors and windows.

13 Animal Diseases TOP RISKS

Animal diseases that are highly HISTORY contagious may cause high fatality rates amongst livestock and have the There have been a number of significant possibility of infecting humans. animal disease cases in England over the past decade. ‘Notifiable’ diseases are animal diseases that you’re legally obliged to report to the These include: Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA),  Foot & Mouth (2001); even if you only suspect that an animal may  Avian Flu (2007); be affected.  Bluetongue (2008); Notifiable diseases can be:  Schmallenberg virus (2012).  endemic – already present in the UK, such as bovine TB; The Foot and Mouth outbreak of 2001 had wide ranging repercussions on recreational,  exotic – not normally present in the tourism, transport and retail businesses as UK, such as foot and mouth disease. well as health implications.

Some endemic and exotic diseases are The Animal and Plant Health Agency zoonotic which means they can pass (APHA) are the lead agency responsible between animals and humans, such as for animal disease. For more information: rabies. http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/ If you suspect a notifiable disease you must tell the Animal and Plant Health Agency The lead agencies are DEFRA and Local immediately – failure to do this is an Authorities. offence.

14 RISK IMPACTS CONSEQUENCES

The predicted impacts could include: The consequences could include:

 Damage to local agricultural,  Loss of livelihoods for farmers supporting industries, food and farm workers; economy and rural tourism;  Health risks to the general  Mass cull / disposal of animal population. carcasses.

WHAT DO YOU WHAT ARE WE DOING NEED TO DO? IN WEST MERCIA?

 If an outbreak is declared then follow  Local authorities and veterinary any guidance from the government services are continuously screening to protect your animals and and monitoring animal health and comply with movement orders; movement of livestock;  Follow instructions for temporary  Producing and testing multi-agency countryside access restrictions; plans for managing and mitigating animal disease outbreaks;  Register any livestock you own with / DEFRA;  Raising disease awareness amongst farmers and farm workers.  Report a suspected outbreak;  Vaccinate livestock where possible.

15 Loss of Critical TOP RISKS Infrastucture

which can range from management of a local incident to a national level disruption.

WATER

Water disruptions include burst water mains, supply disruption and minor or major contamination. Dependant on the severity of the incident the water company will ensure Critical Infrastructure is the name given that peoples basic water needs are met. to all of the different essential services which we rely on as part of modern There could also be a significant impact on society and the economy. The UK’s health and food provision, as well as an critical infrastructure is made up of impact on the capabilities of fire and rescue electricity, water, gas, oil/ fuel, transport, services. telecoms, food, health and financial services. FOOD

Many parts of the infrastructure network are There are no realistic scenarios within the dependant on one another e.g. electricity is UK which would lead to a shortage of food required at water pumping stations. Also supplies. However, if a large area of telecoms and electricity are required to allow agricultural land became affected by an cash machines and cash registers to incident it may affect the economy by function correctly. impacting on food prices nationally.

Those services which could directly or IN WEST MERCIA indirectly impact upon other elements of the infrastructure network are detailed below: Because of out increasing reliance on utilities such as electricity, water and gas for ELECTRICITY/GAS INCIDENT so many aspects of our lives, even localised losses can have a significant impact on Wide scale loss of electricity or gas would those affected. have a direct or indirect impact on all other infrastructure sectors. In the event of a major The lead agency for these risks are gas or electricity supply emergency, both determined depending on the nature of industry and government will have significant the emergency and its impacts. roles to play in managing theincident and its consequences.

The gas and electricity companies would be responsible for the practical and operational management of the incident. These companies have well established plans and procedures in place to respond to incidents,

16 RISK IMPACTS CONSEQUENCES

The predicted impacts could include: The consequences of a wide-scale infrastructure incident could include:  People exposed to poor sanitation and lack of drinking water;  Disruption to essential service and activities;  Homes without heating and limited ability to heat food and water;  Endangerment of vulnerable people;  Limited ability to keep food cold or  Financial impact on businesses; frozen;  Civil unrest;  No ability to get fuel from filling stations;  Increased demand on emergency services;  People unable to get cash from cash machines or make card purchases.  Travel disruptions.

WHAT DO YOU WHAT ARE WE DOING NEED TO DO? IN WEST MERCIA?

 Know where the cut off points are for your  Work with the utility utilities, in case of gas and water emergencies. companies to manage It may be necessary to shut off the supply to supply interruptions; every premise in the affected area;  Production of multi-  Keep an emergency kit in your home containing agency plans to manage items such as a wind-up torch, supplies of long-term utilities outages; tinned food and drinking water;  Identification of vulnerable  Outages may come with forewarning. If this is people who will need the case considering how you can be prepared special treatment in the e.g. fill the bath with drinking water; event of a utilities outage.  Be on alert for bogus callers posing as utility company workers;  Register with the utility companies if you are a vulnerable user i.e. due to health reasons.

17 Fuel Shortages TOP RISKS

All organisations rely to some extent on shortages for more than a week. Threats of fuel, whether it is for getting staff to similar action in August 2005 led to panic work, distributing products or providing buying which caused localised disruptions services. The availability of fuel within across the country. the UK is generally very good, however there have been examples within recent The industrial action taken by Shell tanker years of brief disruptions to supply on drivers in June 2008 had a widespread both a regional and national basis. effect on fuel distribution throughout the UK resulting in some filling stations running out A disruption could be caused by a number of of fuel. factors, including scarcity of supply, a technical problem with part of the fuel supply IN WEST MERCIA infrastructure, industrial action or public West Mercia is heavily dependant on its road protest. In the event of such a disruption to network. Many essential services, including supply, it is also possible that stocks could the daily care of vulnerable people, are further be depleted through increased reliant on adequate fuel supplies. consumer demand (panic buying). The lead agency for this risk is the HISTORY Department of Energy and Climate In September 2000, blockades at key oil Change. distribution points caused nationwide fuel

18 RISK IMPACTS CONSEQUENCES

The predicted impacts could include: The consequences could include: Inability to provide essential  Public and commercial filling  stations exhausted within 48 services to vulnerable individuals; hours;  Local and national economic impact.  Up to 10 days to return to normal supplies.

WHAT DO YOU WHAT ARE WE DOING NEED TO DO? IN WEST MERCIA?

 Maintain your vehicle so that it is as  Identification of filling stations for fuel efficient as possible; essential fuel users such as emergency service vehicles which  Minimise travel during fuel links to the national emergency plan shortages, and only make essential for fuel; journeys;  Production of multi-agency plan to  Consider other means of conserving manage fair distribution of fuel to the fuel, such as car sharing, walking or public when it is in limited supply; cycling;  Business Continuity plans look at  Avoid panic buying. the prioritisation of essential and non essential commuting and look at remote working to conserve fuel supplies.

19 Transport Accidents TOP RISKS

Just like our dependence on basic RAIL utilities, almost all of us will rely on a form of transport to get to and from work, There are a number of rail lines that pass or to receive essential services. The through the area. The CRR assesses the disruptive consequences of a transport possibility of a rail accident occurring. emergency are far reaching and can WATER further endanger life. Although there is no coastline in the WMLRF Transport emergencies can be the result of area, we still do have a risk from the hazards accidents but also disruption caused by associated with the use of passenger severe weather such as snow and floods. vessels. Within the WMLRF we have a The situation can be further complicated by waterway system which may have a vessel extremes of temperatures if people are on fire, become stranded, collide or sink. trapped in their vehicles for long periods of This is accommodated in the CRR. time. AIR ROAD While there are no international airports in The road network is managed by both the the LRF we are on the flight path for a local authorities and . number of international airports as well as Most road accidents are within the routine RAF bases. capabilities of the emergency services. The lead agency is & West However, there is always the risk of an Mercia Police (although lead agency can accident going beyond these capabilities and vary depending on the nature of the the need for a more extended multi-agency transport incident). involvement, especially if the accident involved chemical or hazardous substances.

20 RISK IMPACTS CONSEQUENCES

The predicted impacts could include: The consequences could include:  Disruption to normal travel capabilities;  mpact on local  Death or injury to people; businesses through  People stranded in vehicles potentially in delayed or failed extreme weather conditions; deliveries;  Environmental impacts if goods are spilled  Delays in emergency into local environment; services reaching people.  Possible damage to buildings or infrastructure.

WHAT DO YOU WHAT ARE WE DOING NEED TO DO? IN WEST MERCIA?

 Have an emergency kit in your car or  Work with national transport basic items when you travel. You companies to plan for dealing with may not be directly involved in an accidents; accident but the transport disruption  The Local Authority Highway could last for hours; Departments work alongside  When driving, abide by the rules of Highways England to keep all major the road, adhere to speed limits and roads accessible during times of drive safely; severe weather and motorway closures;  Ensure your vehicle is kept in a roadworthy and safe condition;  Practicing our response to rail and aircraft incidents through regular  Avoid non-essential journeys during exercising and training of plans. times of severe weather.

21 West Mercia Emergency Profile Contextualisation of the national risk information

Once we had considered the national The road infrastructure is heavily used and is risks against our local profile we can see put under considerable stress whenever where the risks exist. there is a disruption to it.

The evacuation of large numbers of people We respond together allowing us to have from any area within the region will be a the capability to provide continuous challenge. response for larger scale and longer term emergencies. During/in the event of any emergency we must identify quickly those individuals in We have arrangements in place to receive the affected area who are vulnerable. and provide mutual aid within the LRF and nationally when required. There are many different factors that can make a person vulnerable in an emergency situation, all of these factors are considered and the different organisations which are required to support them identified.

When evacuating people from their homes in an emergency we carefully manage mobility and health issues.

We work together to overcome potential barriers when communicating with visitors to the area, and the diverse population across the area where English may not be their first language.

We work with local communities and partners to minimise the impact of flooding and potential land instability issues.

We work together to ensure that essential services are maintained during fuel disruptions.

We will provide assistance to people travelling through the region on the roads or rail network if they are involved in an emergency.

22 What can you do to be better prepared in your home? Preparedness Some emergencies require evacuation, Knowing what to do during an some require staying put—are you emergency is an important part of ready? being prepared and may make all the In the case of major emergencies, the difference when seconds count. simple advice is to go inside, stay inside, and tune into local radio. You should also prepare a grab bag that contains:  Toiletries, sanitary supplies & any medication; We use local radio to  A battery or wind-up radio with spare batteries; broadcast warnings and  A battery or wind-up torch with spare batteries; information as it is one of the most accessible means  A first aid kit; of communication. It can  Spare mobile phone charger; also be received in homes,  Spare clothes and blankets; businesses and cars. Radio  Bottled water, ready-to-eat food (e.g. tinned food) is also very reliable as they and a bottle/tin opener, in case you have to remain can still broadcast and be in your home for several days. received during a power cut when using batteries or Don’t forget your: wind-up chargers.  House and car keys;  Mobile phone; With most incidents the safest place to be is indoors, Cash and credit cards; and with correct preparation you should be able to  stay there safely for some time (remember if you are  Spectacles. in direct danger or risk by staying in the building Also check on your neighbours and vulnerable people evacuate). in your community where it is safe to do so.

The LRF organisations work together with the BBC LEAVING YOUR HOME IN AN EMERGENCY and other local media to make sure that they can give out accurate and up-to-date information to keep In certain situations, you may be asked to leave your people fully informed on what to do during an home by the emergency services. If this happens, emergency. leave as quickly and calmly as possible.

PLANNING FOR AN EMERGENCY If you have time:  Turn off electricity, gas and water supplies, unplug To prepare for an emergency, you should prepare a appliances and lock all doors and windows; household emergency plan that includes:  Take your grab bag;  Where and how to turn off water, gas and Take baby food, medication, blankets, carriers etc. electricity supplies in your home;  with you;  The emergency procedures for your children at If you leave by car, take bottled water and school;  blankets;  The emergency procedures at your workplace;  Take your pets (with suitable carriers or leads);  How your family will stay in contact in the event of Tune into local radio for emergency advice and an emergency;  instructions;  If any elderly or vulnerable neighbours might need Inform emergency services of where you have your help;  gone and how you can be contacted.  How to tune into your local radio station;  A list of useful phone numbers, e.g. for your doctor RETURNING HOME AFTER AN EMERGENCY and close relatives; Listen to advice from emergency services or local  Insurance details. authorities about any specific actions which you must follow when it is safe to return home.

23 How to get started?

Community Community resilience measures can be as little as just having a designated Resilience point of contact within the community who can receive warnings and Wide-scale emergencies can and do messages from emergency services, the happen. The lessons learned from Enviroment Agency and Local recent emergencies show that those Authorities. communities which were prepared for emergency events were better The plan can grow over time to include equipped to deal with the impacts. areas such as:

W HAT IS A COMMUNITY EMERGENCY  community or village emergency team; PLAN?  community buildings which can be used as emergency evacuation Where developed, a community facilities; emergency plan provides advice and guidance to a local community both in  knowledge of skills and expertise advance of and during any significant within the community; emergency.  knowledge of special equipment WHY HAVE A COMMUNITY EMERGENCY /vehicles in the community; PLAN?  identification of vulnerable premises and people in the local area; The purpose of community resilience is to encourage people to plan and be prepared  specific actions based on specific to put in place a self-help response within a risks. community which is affected by an WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION? emergency. Please contact your community council, Experience has shown that sometimes due local voluntary agency and local authority to the scale and / or nature of the emergency planning section to get more emergency, the normal response provided information and get involved. You can also by the emergency services and the local ask about the good neighbour schemes authorities can be delayed. On these operating in your area and/or how you can occasions anything which the local volunteer to help the communities e.g. community can do to support each other will meals on wheels. help them to deal with the emergency more effectively.

For more information, visit: https://www.gov.uk/resilience-in-society- infrastructure-communities-and- businesses#community-resilience

24 Business Continuity Management is the process through which organisations aim to continue the Business delivery of their key products and services during and following a Preparedness disruption to normal activity. Effective business continuity is the first line of If you own or are responsible for a defence for any organisation to ensure business or organisation, have you they are able to maintain the delivery considered the impacts from external of their core services and, in the long- emergencies? run, to ensure their survival.

5 STEPS TO EFFECTIVE BUSINESS How would your organisation cope with: CONTINUITY

 A sudden and significant reduction in 1. Understand your business staff?  Denial of access to a site or  What parts of the business are critical? geographical area?  What priority would you allocate to  Unexpected loss of mains electricity? restoring functions if they fail?  A temporary disruption to gas 2. Risk Assessment supplies?  What risks does your business face  A disruption to the supply of mains (internal and external)? water and sewerage?  Consider these risks within your  Significant disruption to transport? business risk assessment.  Disruption to the availability of oil and  What can you put in place to reduce fuel? the likelihood of the risks and/or the  A loss of telecommunications? impact of them? 3. Consider the resource needs of each of  A loss of, or disruption to your your business functions. computer systems?  A disruption which affects your key 4. Document information in a user-friendly supplier or partners? format about your critical functions and the resources required including alternatives / DOES YOUR ORGANISATION HAVE backups for each. ADEQUATE BUSINESS CONTINUITY MEASURES IN PLACE?  This will assist you during and after an emergency. Organisations should consider a wide range of potentially disruptive challenges, both 5. Train and test your staff in activating the internal e.g. disruption to computer systems, continuity plan and the roles and procedures and external e.g. severe weather. For More within it. information, contact your local authority or go to the Business Continuity Management Toolkit available on the HM Government website: www.gov.uk

25 Want to know more?

The Community Risk Register is produced CONTACT US by the West Mercia Local Resilience Forum and has had contributions by the following You can contact the LRF regarding any of agencies: the individual risk assessments or any other aspect of the work of West Mercia Local  Warwickshire & West Mercia Police Resilience Forum by contacting us on:  West Midlands Ambulance Service  Hereford & Worcester Fire and [email protected] Rescue Service Telephone: 01905 747205  Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service  You can also write to us at:   Telford & Wrekin Council West Mercia Local Resilience Forum  Worcestershire County & District c/o Force Operations Councils West Mercia PoliceHindlip Hall  The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Worcester NHS Trust WR3 8SP  Shropshire Community Health Trust  Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS REFERENCES Trust The following resources have been usedl in  Worcestershire Health and Care NHS compiling this document; Trust  NHS Trust  Census Data  Herefordshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)  National Risk Register & Security  Redditch and Bromsgrove NHS CCG Strategy;  Shropshire NHS CCG  Civil Contingencies Act.  South Worcestershire NHS CCG A large thank you to Dyfed ,  Telford NHS CCG and West Midlands Conurbation  Wyre Forest CCG Resilience Forums from which we have  NHS England based the format and content of our  Public Health England Community Risk Register.  British Transport Police  Environment Agency This document has been produced by West  Highways England Mercia Local Resilience Forum and should  Network Rail be read alongside other Local Resilience  Severn Trent Water Forum documents to establish the ethos,  Welsh Water roles and responsibilities, and detailed  Western Power Distribution delivery plans and work schedules for  Scottish Power managing the risks within the area.  Dept. for Communities & Local

Government Resilience Emergencies Division Version 1.0 March 2016  11 Signal Brigade and West Midlands

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Useful Contacts Emergency Services 999

NHS (Non-emergency) 111

WMP Police (Non-emergency) 0300 333 3000 @WMerciaPolice

Hereford & Worcester FRS 0345 122 4454 @HWFire

Shropshire FRS 01743 260200 @ShropsFire

West Mids Amublance Service 01384 215555 @OFFICIALWMAS

Herefordshire Council 01432 260000 @Hfdscouncil

Shropshire Council 0345 678 9000 @ShropCaution

Telford & Wrekin Council 01952 380000 @TelfordWrekin

Worcestershire 01905 763763 @worcscc

Bromsgrove District Council 01527 881288 @BromsgroveDC

Malvern Hills District Council 01684 862151 @MHDCcomms

Redditch Borough Council 01527 64252 @RedditchMatters

Wychavon District Council 01386 565000 @

Wyre Forest District Council 01562 732928 @WyreForestDC

Environment Agency Floodline 0345 988 1188 @EnvAgency

Severn Trent Water 0800 783 4444 @stwater

Welsh Water 0800 052 0130 @DwrCymru

Western Power Distribution 0800 6783 105 @wpduk

Scottish Power 0800 328 1111 @SP_EnergyPeople

National Grid 0800 111 999 @nationalgriduk

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