Emergency Response Plan 2006

Emergency

Response Plan

2006

Protection marking:

Version: 1

Date: April 2006 Foreword

The Breckland Council Emergency Response Plan replaces all previous editions, which should now be destroyed.

Under the provisions of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, the requirement to have in place adequate Emergency Planning and Business Continuity strategies is significantly enhanced.

It is important that we all recognise the statutory requirements which have to be in place, adequate emergency response arrangements etc is placed upon the entire Breckland Council staff and not just one department or team. We must have staff adequately trained and prepared to undertake their ‘emergency roles’ and the District Emergency Planning Officer will continue her work to ensure that Breckland Council is ready to meet its commitments under a single or multi agency response to any major or significant emergency which could occur with the County.

The Emergency Response Plan will be distributed to appropriate personnel throughout the Authority.

Many of the arrangements outlined in the various sections of this plan are generic and the principles will be applied to our response to any major or significant emergency situation, whether it is purely one which affects the internal operations of Breckland Council or the wider community of Norfolk.

This document should be read in conjunction with the Breckland Council Business Continuity Plans. All staff should take every opportunity to understand the role of Breckland Council when dealing with major or significant emergencies.

Becky Hellard Chief Executive Breckland Council April 2006

Purpose of the Plan

This document has been produced in accordance with the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, with enactment of legislation taking effect from 14 November 2005 and outlines the role of Breckland Council and its response to a major or significant emergency by:

• Providing guidance to all personnel in Breckland Council who are required to respond to a major or significant emergency

• Outlining Breckland Council’s procedures to support the Emergency Services and public involved in the incident

• Outlining Breckland’s management strategy for managing the return towards normality for the community of Breckland after a major or significant emergency

• Ensuring all departments involved in the response to the emergency are aware of their decision making responsibilities and the need for the preservation and protection of records relating to an incident

Protocols

This plan will take effect on 1st April 2006. It will be reviewed in December 2006 and at yearly periods thereafter. This process will be advanced should legislation or best practice guidance necessitate such action.

The master copy of this document and a record of the review and decision-making process will be held by Breckland’s District Emergency Planning Officer (DEPO) and will be made available for audit as necessary.

Departments are requested to notify the DEPO of any changes that may impact on the contents or procedures outlined in this document.

Record of Amendments

Amendment No Date Inserted Signature

District Emergency Planning Officer Breckland Council Elizabeth House Walpole Loke Dereham Norfolk NR19 1EE

Telephone: 01362 656351 Fax: 01362 656266 E-mail: [email protected]

Distribution List

EMERGENCY SERVICES No. of Copies

Norfolk Constabulary 1 Norfolk Fire Service 1 East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust 1

NORFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL

Emergency Planning Unit 1

DISTRICT/BOROUGH/CITY COUNCILS

District Emergency Planning Officers: Broadland 1 North Norfolk 1 King’s Lynn 1 Norwich 1 South Norfolk 1 Great Yarmouth 1

EXTERNAL

Government Office for the East of England 1 HQ 49 (East) Brigade (Nottingham) 1 RAFLO Cottesmore 1 Cabinet Office – Emergency Planning College Library 1 Environment Agency - Ipswich (who will circulate accordingly) 4

HEALTH SYSTEMS

Primary Care Trusts 6 Acute Hospitals 3 Strategic Health Authority 1 Health Protection Unit 1 Mental Healthcare Trust 1

Glossary

Bellwin Scheme Discretionary scheme for providing central government financial assistance in exceptional circumstances to affected local authorities in the event of a major emergency. DEPO District Emergency Planning Officer CCS Civil Contingencies Secretariat DCMS Department of Culture, Media and Sport Defra Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs DfT Department for Transport DoH Department of Health DTI Department of Trade and Industry DETR Department of Education, Transport and the Regions Emergency Centre Operations centre from which Breckland Council will manage its response EPDO Emergency Planning Duty Officer (Norfolk County Council) EPU Emergency Planning Unit (Norfolk County Council) FCO Foreign and Commonwealth Office FSA Foods Standard Agency GO-East Government Office for East of England GOLD Strategic Management GNN Government News Network HO Home Office HSE Health and Safety Executive JOC’s/Silver Joint Operations Centres (Silver Control) LA Local Authority MACC Military Aid to the Civil Community MOD Ministry of Defence NCC Norfolk County Council NCS Norfolk County Services NHS National Health Service NPS Norfolk Property Services NSWWS National Severe Weather Warning Service ODPM Office of Deputy Prime Minister NRF Norfolk Resilience Forum RAYNET Radio Amateurs Emergency Network RIMNET Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network RVP Rendezvous Points VIP Very Important Person

CONTENTS Page Foreward...... 3 Purpose of the Plan...... 5 Protocols ...... 5 Record of Amendments ...... 7 Distribution List...... 9 Glossary...... 11 Contents...... 13-15 SECTION 1 – STRATEGY Introduction ...... 19 Breckland Council ...... 19 District/Borough/County/City Council Responsibilities...... 19 Central Government Response...... 20 The Lead Department Concept...... 20 - 21 Lead Government Departments - Default Positions...... 21- 25 The Military...... 26 Major Emergency – Definition...... 26 - 27 Major Emergency – Declaration...... 28 Major Emergency – Phases...... 28 Breckland Emergency Response Plan...... 28 Departmental Emergency Plans ...... 28 Business Continuity Plans...... 28 SECTION 2 – BRECKLAND COUNCIL DISTRICT EMERGENCY PLANNING OFFICER AND OFFICER EMERGENCY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Responsibilities of Breckland Council ...... 31 Chief Executive ...... 32 Emergency Director (Appointed by Chief Executive) ...... 32 District Emergency Planning Officer ...... 33 Head of Communications (Media)...... 34 Finance ...... 34 - 35 Asset Management ...... 35 Director of Corporate Resources/Cultural Services ...... 35 Director of E-Services ...... 36

Head of Human Resources...... 36 Tactical (Silver) Manager ...... 36 - 37 Emergency Planning Liaison Officer (EPLO) ...... 37 Emergency Response Support Staff ...... 38 SECTION 3 – OPERATIONAL RESPONSE Emergency Panning Officer Checklist ...... 41 - 42 Operational Procedures ...... 43 Appendix A - Flood Warning System ...... 45 - 46 Environment Agency Flood Warning Areas & Codes ...... 47 - 52 District Council Contact Telephone Numbers For Sand Bag Supplies ...... 53 - 54 Appendix B – Severe Weather/Motoring Weather Warnings ...... 55 Recipients of the Message - Who are they? ...... 55 How does it operate for Emergency Planning in Norfolk? ...... 55 SECTION 4 – COMMAND AND CONTROL Breckland Council Response to Potential or Declared Major Emergencies ...... 59 Declaration of a Major Emergency ...... 59 Local Authority Initial Response ...... 59 Strategic Control (Gold) ...... 59 Major Emergencies - Initial Norfolk County Council Action ...... 60 Strategic Management ...... 60 - 61 Tactical Management - County Council Emergency Response Team ...... 61 NCC Staff Employed on unusual hours or out of hours ...... 61 Departmental Staff Response ...... 61 - 62 Protocols for record keeping ...... 62 Appendix A to Section 4...... 63 Appendix B to Section 4...... 65 SECTION 5 - BRECKLAND COUNCIL EMERGENCY CENTRE Emergency Staffing/Emergency Response Support Staff and Operating Procedures ...... 67 Introduction ...... 69 Activation (Detailed in the Emergency Centre Activation Plan) ...... 69 Emergency Operating Procedures ...... 70 Staffing Levels for the Emergency Centre ...... 70 Emergency Planning Officer/Departmental Staffing ...... 70

SECTION 6 - PUBLIC INFORMATION/MEDIA Introduction ...... 73 Responsibilities ...... 73 Co-ordination ...... 73 Warning and Informing the Public ...... 74 Norfolk County Council - Customer Service Centre ...... 74 Government News Network (GNN) ...... 74 Appendix A to Section 6 Locations Identified for use within County Hall for a Media Centre ...... 75 Appendix B Section 6...... 77 SECTION 7 –FINANCE Introduction ...... 81 Emergency Costs ...... 81 Emergency Financial Assistance (Bellwin Scheme) ...... 81 Disaster Appeal Fund ...... 81 Insurance ...... 81 SECTION 8 –STAFF WELFARE Staff Briefing/Debriefing ...... 85 Counselling ...... 85 SECTION 9 – RECOVERY STRATEGY Introduction ...... 89 Key Recovery Group...... 89 Appendix A to Section 9 Recovery Co-Ordination Structure...... 91

SECTION 10 - NORFOLK COMBINED LOCAL AUTHORITY CIVIL CONTINGENCIES TRAINING STRATEGY Introduction ...... 95 Training Programme ...... 95 - 96 Appendix A to Section 10 Norfolk Combined Local Authority Civil Contingencies Training Strategy...... 97 – 101

Section 1

Strategy

1.1 Introduction Emergencies occur on a regular basis and are usually dealt with by the Emergency Services or Local Authority (LA) Departments, as a matter of routine. Major or significant emergencies are those that are greater in effect and require a co-ordinated response from all the agencies involved. In Norfolk, the Norfolk Resilience Forum (NRF), formerly the Standing Emergency Services Working Group (SESWG), lays down the strategy to be adopted for this response, which can be found in Norfolk County Council’s Norfolk Emergency Response Strategy.

To supplement the Norfolk Emergency Response Strategy, NRF has also given guidance in dealing with media enquiries and this is contained within the Norfolk Major Emergency Media Plan. (Copy held with District Emergency Planning Officer)

1.2 Breckland Council Breckland Council is required to ensure that Breckland is prepared to respond to any major or significant emergency that might occur within its District. This document has been written to ensure that Breckland Council, together with its partners, are fully prepared and resourced in order to be able to respond effectively and efficiently to a major or significant emergency.

In support of this document, a training and exercise programme for staff will be managed through a rolling programme in order that a state of readiness may be maintained.

1.3 District/Borough/County/City Council Responsibilities District, Borough, City and Norfolk County Council maintain their own Emergency Response Plans, which complement Breckland Emergency Response Plan.

Breckland Council’s response to an emergency will usually be co-ordinated by the Chief Executive. However, in the event of some major or significant emergencies, or a major/significant emergency involving two or more authority areas, the County Council Chief Executive will co-ordinate the Local Authority response, in consultation with the Chief Executive(s) concerned.

The main responsibilities in the event of an emergency are as directed by the Chief Executive. They will include:

a) Advice on environmental health issues b) Public advice and assistance c) Arranging temporary accommodation for persons made homeless as a result of the incident d) Maintaining Breckland’s functional services e) Providing Investigating and Enforcement Officers under the provision of the Food and Environmental Protection Act 1985, if requested by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

1.4 Central Government Response The role of Central Government may be found in Dealing with Disaster, Revised Third Edition, and the Norfolk County Council Emergency Response Strategy.

The following gives an overview of the role of the Government Office for the East Of England (GO-East):

In any emergency the Government’s Office (GO) primary response roles are to assist in the flow of information between local responders and Central Government. In extreme situations, particularly those that impact on a wide area and could overwhelm local responders, the GO could also facilitate preparation for, and implementation of a regional response. These roles will involve:

• Advising central departments on likely consequences/wider implications of an event and the availability of support within the region and more widely

• Providing/supporting the Government Liaison Office/Government Liaison Team at Gold Command

• Disseminating information, advice and instructions from Central Government to local partners

• Providing local intelligence and appropriate briefing to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), the Civil Contingencies Secretariat and the Lead Government Department Officials and Press Officers

• Providing support to the Regional Civil Contingencies Committee (RCCC) and Regional Nominated Co-ordinator (RNC) if established

• Liaising with RCCC to ensure the support requirements are quickly communicated and acted upon, and shortfalls identified

In the initial stages, the Regional Resilience Team will monitor the incident from their office or from home. If required a Regional Operations Centre will be opened in the Government Offices in Cambridge to support the flow of information.

The Regional Resilience Team also have responsibility to inform Defra and the Food Standards Agency, where the incident has implications for the food chain and to provide them with information to enable a decision on an appropriate level or response.

1.5 The Lead Department Concept (www.ukresilience.info/lead.htm) Although the initial response to any major emergency is at local level, and assistance may be obtained from neighbouring areas, there may also be a role for Central Government. In the event of an emergency having regional/national implications, this could take the form of specialist advice or assistance when dealing with parliamentary, media and public enquiries.

A specific Government Department will take the lead and will be expected to:

• Co-ordinate the activities of Central Government Departments in response to the Disaster • Co-ordinate the collection of information on the incident and its effects so as to: • Brief Ministers • Inform Parliament • Provide information to the public and the media at national level

1.6 Lead Government Departments Default Positions Where the disaster is too wide-ranging to be handled by a single department, or where the lead is not clear from this list, the Cabinet Offices Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) is responsible for taking the immediate lead and then for ensuring that one department is confirmed as the Lead Government Department. The CCS is also responsible for resolving all cases of doubt, so that one department is promptly confirmed as the lead. Where the incident is threatened or caused by terrorism, the initial phase is led by the Home Office Terrorism and Protection Unit.

Departments nominated to lead in the event of an emergency are as follows:

• TERRORISM: CONVENTIONAL/SIEGE/HOSTAGE

GB – Home Office Terrorism and Protection Unit leads during the counter terrorist phase. If matters move to the stage of managing the consequences of a terrorist incident, the lead is transferred to the CCS.

• CBRN (CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, NUCLEAR) TERRORISM

GB – Home Office Terrorism and Protection Unit leads during the counter terrorist Phase.

England – If matters move to the stage of managing the consequences of a terrorist CBRN incident, the lead is transferred to Defra

• CIVIL DEFENCE

UK – Cabinet Office, CCS working closely with the Overseas Defence Secretariat

• FLOODING (coastal or riverine)

England – Defra

• MARINE AND COASTAL POLLUTION (oil, chemical or gas) and MARINE SALVAGE

a) Pollution from vessels and offshore installations:

UK – Counter Pollution Branch of DfT’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency

b) Pollution from land

England – Defra working with the Environment Agency

c) Salvage of shipping casualties

UK – Secretary of State’s Representative for Salvage and Intervention (DFTI’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency)

• RADIATION HAZARDS

UK – The UK’s Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET); operated and managed by Defra, supports all UK radiological emergencies

a) an incident is initiated or threatened by terrorism: GB – Home Office Terrorism and Protection Unit. If matters move to the stage of managing the consequences of an incident, the lead will transfer as indicated in b), c) and d) below

b) Civil nuclear installations: England and Wales – DTI

c) Defence nuclear installations and defence nuclear material in transit UK – MOD

d) accidental release of radiation from civil nuclear material in transit England – Department of Transport

• CBRN – Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear incidents arising from non-terrorist causes

England – CCS would ensure that, dependent on the cause of the incident, a lead department was identified for the emergency phase. If matters moved to the stage of managing the consequences, the lead would pass to Defra

• RADIATION HAZARDS (arising outside the United Kingdom)

UK - FCO will lead on relations with overseas government(s).

a) where hazard arises as a result of terrorist action overseas

UK – Home Office TPU lead in considering potential threat to UK of a co- ordinated attack against UK targets

b) As a result of accidents

England and Wales – Defra, working with the Environment Agency

• SATELLITE INCIDENTS

UK – CCS is responsible for ensuring a lead department takes responsibility for managing consequences once these become clear. Planning will be based on CCS assessments worked up in close consultation with the British National Space Centre of the DTI

• EMERGENCIES ON OFFSHORE INSTALLATIONS UK – Health and Safety Executive (in the DFT)

• DISASTERS OVERSEAS (in which UK assistance is sought) UK DfID

• SEARCH AND RESCUE

a) Civil maritime and coastal rescue

DfT’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (HM Coastguard)

b) military shipping and aircraft, civil aircraft at sea and civil aircraft on land when the location is not known (when the location is known the emergency is treated as a transport accident – see below)

Ministry of Defence

• SEVERE STORMS AND WEATHER

England – CCS is responsible for ensuring which department takes the lead in good time to support the response to severe storms and weather

a) If primary impact is on the transport infrastructure England – DfT

b) If the primary impact is on the power system

England and Wales – DTI

c) If the severe weather’s primary effect is flooding

England and Wales – Defra

• TRANSPORT ACCIDENTS (including those overseas involving UK registered ships and aircraft)

a) Shipping and air transport

UK – DfT Marine Accident Investigation Branch and Air Accident Investigation Branch

b) Land transport

England – DfT and the HSE

• DISASTERS IN SPORTS GROUNDS (whether sporting or non-sporting events)

England – DCMS

• MAJOR EXPLOSIONS ARISING FROM LANDFILL GAS

England – Defra working with the Environment Agency

• DAM FAILURES

England – Defra

• EARTHQUAKES

England and Wales – ODPM

• MAJOR STRUCTURAL FAILURES IN BUILDINGS (other than those caused by external impact, gas explosion, fire or industrial process)

England – ODPM

• SERIOUS INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS

England – The CCS is responsible for confirming the Lead Government Department in good time to support the response to an industrial accident.

a) If rivers, inland waterways (outside Port Authority jurisdiction) or water services are the main cause of concern, or gas clouds of unknown origin are threatening the environment or public safety

England – Defra working with the Environment Agency

b) If the main focus of attention relates to the operation of the HSE

England and Wales – DWP working with HSE

c) Pollution arising

England – Defra (see also Radiation Hazards)

• UNEXPLODED WARTIME ORDNANCE

a) Disposal

b) Information on whereabouts of unexploded bombs

UK - ODPM

• MAJOR SOFTWARE FAILURES (analogous to Y2K)

UK – CCS in consultation with the Office of the E Envoy)

• ELECTRONIC ATTACK

UK – Home Office/NISCC

• DISRUPTION OF SUPPLY CHAINS

UK – • Department of Health – medical • Defra working with the Environment Agency – food, water, waste • DTI – fuel, energy, electronic communication networks, postal services and manufacturing industry • DFT – transport • HMT - finance

• ANIMAL DISEASE AND WELFARE

UK – (EU and international aspects)

GB – co-ordination of disease control policy and veterinary advice

England – domestic policy and operational – Defra/State Veterinary Service (with Department of Health/Food Standards Agency if threat to human health (zoonosis))

• FOOD CONTAMINATION

England – The Food Standards Agency

• DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATION

England – Defra

• INFECTIOUS DISEASES

England – DoH with assistance from the Health Protection Agency

1.7 The Military The Military may be able to provide assistance during a major emergency under existing Military Aid to the Civil Community (MACC) arrangements. However, it must not be assumed that assets will be automatically available. Therefore, military assistance must be viewed as an enhancement rather than integral to our response.

Details of the levels of military assistance can be found in Annex B to the Norfolk Emergency Response Strategy and 49 (East) Brigade Regional MACA Instructions (Copy held by Norfolk County Council Emergency Planning Unit).

1.8 Major Emergency – Definition In order that agencies and organisations can understand the circumstances under which these arrangements will be activated, it is necessary to identify a definition of the term ‘Major Emergency’.

The definition is based upon the guidelines, which are published in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and the Revised Third Edition of Dealing with Disaster. The use of the term ‘Major Emergency’ provides a generic label, which can be applied to a wide range of disruptive challenges, be they slow onset or sudden impact crises or disasters.

A Major Emergency, for the Purposes of Part 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act, is defined as1

1 Meaning of ‘emergency’ (1) In this Part ‘emergency’ means – (a) an event or situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare in a place in the United Kingdom, (b) an event or situation which threatens serious damage to the environment of a place in the United Kingdom, or (c) war, or terrorism, which threatens serious damage to the security of the United Kingdom

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1) (a) an event or situation threatens damage to human welfare only it if involves, causes or may cause –

(a) loss of human life (b) human illness or injury (c) homelessness (d) damage to property (e) disruption of a supply of money, food, water, energy or fuel (f) disruption of a system of communication (g) disruption of facilities for transport, or (h) disruption of services relating to health

(3) For the purposes of subsection (1)(b) an event or situation threatens damage to the environment only if it involves, causes or may cause –

(a) contamination of land, water or air with biological, chemical or radioactive matter, or (b) disruption or destruction of plant life or animal life

(4) A Minister of the Crown, or, in relation to Scotland, the Scottish Ministers, may by order -

(a) provide that a specified event or situation, or class of event or situation, is to be treated as falling, or as not falling, within any of paragraphs (a) to (c) of subsection (1) (b) amend subsection (2) so as to provide that in so far as an event or situation involved or causes disruption of a specified supply, system, facility or service –

(i) it is to be treated as threatening damage to human welfare, or (j) it is no longer to be treated as threatening damage to human welfare

(5) The event or situation mentioned in subsection (1) may occur or be inside or outside the United Kingdom.

It is recognised that the term Major Incident and its definition is in wide use by all agencies in Norfolk. There is no conflict between the definitions providing that the slightly wider parameters that the new term ‘major emergency’ encompasses are recognised.

1.9 Major Emergency - Declaration Any member of the Emergency Services or, under circumstances such as climatic issues or an infectious disease outbreak, the Local Authority or Health Providers, can declare a major emergency.

It is possible that a major emergency for one agency will not significantly impact on another. However, all agencies must be prepared to provide support and identify appropriate assets for deployment if necessary.

1.10 Major Emergency – Phases In general, a major emergency will have three phases • The initial response • Consolidation • Recovery and restoration towards normality

The responsibility for co-ordination will pass from the Emergency Services (usually the Police) to the Local Authority (Recovery Phase) at an appropriate time.

It must be recognised that an investigation into the incident may continue throughout these phases and, in some cases, well beyond into public inquiries and legal hearings.

1.11 Breckland Emergency Response Plan This document highlights the procedures to enable Breckland Council to respond to a major or significant emergency within Breckland. It triggers Breckland Council’s response to an emergency in support of the Emergency Services, or a response to an incident led by the County Council.

The continued delivery, as far as is possible, of a day to day service to the public which is not in response to a major or significant emergency, will continue to be a matter for departmental planning and business continuity plans.

The response to certain types of emergency can be planned for and, if either the nature of the hazard or its location is known, a specific plan has been written. Details of these plans are held by the District Emergency Planning Officer.

1.12 Departmental Emergency Plans Breckland Council departmental planning is a critical part of the overall planning function and therefore department plans must be prepared internally and reflect the role and responsibilities of their staff.

The plan should have callout procedures, key responsibilities documented and give details or resources. It should also cover business continuity issues for that department.

1.13 Business Continuity Plans Each department must ensure plans are kept up to date and issued to Breckland’s District Emergency Planning Officer.

These plans are a requirement of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and work as a guide to the continuity of service delivery and recovery from any disruptive incident.

They are developed to enable implementation independent of Emergency Plans, but follow a similar basic structure.

SECTION 2

BRECKLAND COUNCIL DISTRICT EMERGENCY PLANNING OFFICER AND OFFICER EMERGENCY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

2.1 Responsibilities of Breckland Council a) Alert Norfolk County Council and Local Authorities within the county as necessary

b) Alert relevant Breckland Council departments

c) Establish liaison with appropriate Police command levels, including the deployment of Liaison Officers where necessary

d) Set up Breckland Council Control and co-ordination arrangements as appropriate

e) Collect, collate and disseminate information concerning the incident to authority involvement

f) In conjunction with County/District/Borough and City Councils, provide such services and resources as required

g) Assist the Police in establishing a temporary mortuary when required

h) Co-ordinate post-trauma stress counselling, in conjunction with the health service providers and voluntary organisations.

i) Contact Norfolk County Council to request military assistance if required

k) Co-ordinate the emergency response with adjacent counties when required

l) Establish liaison with the Police press centre to ensure the co-ordination of the release of information to the news media

m) Issue information and advice to the public

n) Alert voluntary organisations as necessary and co-ordinate their response, including the deployment of RAYNET communications

o) Departments involved are to maintain a written record of actions taken during and after the emergencies, including expenditure

2.2 Chief Executive a) Assume overall responsibility and co-ordination of all Breckland Council measures to deal with any major emergency

b) Appoint an ‘Emergency Director’ to co-ordinate and manage Breckland Council tactical response to an emergency as required

c) Be responsible for authorising the commitment of resources and financial aid

d) Establish liaison with the Government Officer, Eastern Region (GO-East)

e) Determine Breckland Council media strategy in respect of the incident

f) Assume responsibility for co-ordination of Breckland Council response, in consultation with County/District/Borough Chief Executives.

g) Ensure Elected Members are kept informed, particularly on policy, legal liability and financial matters

h) Attend Emergency Services Strategic Co-ordination Group (Strategic) meetings

i) Chair of the ‘Gold’ Strategic Co-ordinating Group, when the responsibility for strategic co-ordination has been transferred from the Police and the emergency has moved from the response to the recovery phase

j) Authorise requests for military assistance, as necessary

k) Consider establishing a Disaster Appeal Fund

2.3 Emergency Director – Operations Manager Environment a) In the event of the Chief Executive not being available and he has appointed a Director to perform his role the said Director will undertake all the responsibilities as outlined in the ‘role and responsibilities’ of the Chief Executive

b) When not undertaking the role of the Chief Executive the role of the Emergency Director (or his nominated officer) will be to:

i) Co-ordinate and manage Breckland Council’s emergency response to the emergency

ii) Chair the Tactical Response Team, which will be established to co-ordinate Breckland Council’s response. This team will normally consist of Operational Managers and other managers as appropriate and operate locally. iii) Advise on all Health and Safety issues

2.4 District Emergency Planning Officer a) Provide initial assessment of developing emergency situations and ensure arrangements are in place to receive initial contact in the event of a major emergency being declared in the County

b) Advise Chief Executive or Nominated Emergency Director of declared emergencies or developing emergency situations

c) Activate the Emergency Centre and advise the manager of Breckland Call Centre

d) Ensure that adequate Emergency Centre communications and IT are maintained

e) Establish liaison with Emergency Services, County/District/Borough Councils, including deployment of liaison officers where necessary

f) Alert appropriate Operational Managers to attend Tactical Response Team meetings when required

g) Circulate a memorandum to all departments and personnel reminding staff at all levels of the importance of safeguarding all documents that relate to the emergency

h) Allocate Emergency Planning Roles as appropriate, to include one to act as Staff Officer to the Emergency Director appointed by the Chief Executive

i) Co-ordinate the activation of Rest/Evacuation Centre(s), Vaccination, Family Centres

j) Ensure detailed records of actions taken during and after the emergency, including expenditure are maintained. Circulate memo to all departments as soon as an emergency has been declared reminding staff at all levels to preserve all records relating to the emergency See Protocol for record keeping page 62 (4.9)

k) Ensure that the lessons learnt from any incident are widely disseminated to everyone concerned and i) that emergency plans are updated accordingly ii) relevant training programme produced iii) full summary provided to Chief Executive and Cabinet

2.5 Head of Communications – Operations Manager People First a) Plan and prepare communications response to a major emergency

b) Appoint an Emergency Planning Liaison Officer (EPLO) whose role is outlined in 2.12

c) Act as an ‘Emergency Director’ to co-ordinate and manage Breckland Council tactical response to an emergency as required by the Chief Executive d) Attend as a member of Breckland’s Strategic Management Team

e) Maintain and implement the department’s emergency plan

f) Liaise with the Press Office at Police Headquarters, communications staff at County/District/Borough Councils and at other authorities or organisations involved in the incident to ensure co-ordination of information to the news media

g) Liaise with Norfolk County Council to establish a public information/communications network using Council information centres, libraries (mobile and fixed) and any other appropriate community facilities

h) Be conversant with Norfolk County Council Media Plan

i) Provide Public Relations for any Disaster Appeal Fund that may be launched

2.6 Finance – Chief Accountant a) Appoint an EPLO whose role is outlined in 2.12

b) Provide necessary financial arrangements to support Breckland’s activities in accordance with Local Government legislation

c) Make available supplementary funds to meet operational needs in excess of departmental budgets as permitted by legislation

d) Provide financial advice to other Departments

e) Maintain a list of payment codes for expenditure during a major emergency

f) Maintain records of all financial actions related to a particular emergency and collate factual financial information in respect of abnormal expenditure

g) Be prepared to make a case for emergency financial assistance to the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) under the BELLWIN Scheme within one month of the incident

h) Make provisions for the management of Disaster Appeal/Fund in conjunction with the Chief Executive

i) Maintain a Department Emergency Management Plan

j) Member of the Strategic Management Group

k) Attend as a member of the Strategic Management Group, as required

2.7 Asset Management – Asset Manager a) Appoint an EPLO whose role is outlined in 2.12

b) Provide advice on architectural, building and structural matters including the demolition, temporary repair and renovation of damaged buildings

c) Provide information of Breckland Council’s land and property, and arrange for the use of any Council premises or other property, as necessary

d) Maintain a Departmental Emergency Management Plan

e) Attend as a member of the Strategic Management Group, as required

2.8 Director of Corporate Resources/Cultural Services – Operations Manager Community Engagement a) Appoint an EPLO whose role is outlined in 2.12

b) Maintain a Departmental Emergency Management Plan

c) Act as an ‘Emergency Director’ to co-ordinate and manage Breckland Council tactical response to an emergency as required by the Chief Executive

d) If required by the Chief Executive, establish liaison with the Government Office, Eastern Region (GO East)

e) If required by the Chief Executive, assume responsibility for co-ordination of the Local Authority response in consultation with County/District and Borough Council Chief Executives

f) Establish and chair Breckland Council Strategic Management Group and tactical management group meetings as required by the Chief Executive

g) Attend Emergency Services Strategic Co-ordination Group meetings as required by the Chief Executive

h) In emergency situations undertake any other responsibilities as required by the Chief Executive

i) Attend as a member of the Strategic Management Group, as required

2.9 Director of E-Services – ICT Project Manager a) Appoint an EPLO for Call Centre as outlined in 2.12

b) Ensure appropriate IT support is provided in the event of Breckland implementing response to a major emergency

c) Provide staff to assist in the provision of support to the Emergency Centre or elsewhere in the event of a major emergency

d) Maintain a Departmental Emergency Management Plan

e) Attend as a member of the Strategic Management Group, as required

2.10 Head of Human Resources – Human Resources Manager a) Appoint an EPLO whose role is outlined in 2.12

b) Develop and maintain a Departmental Plan

c) Co-ordinate Human Resource issues across Breckland Council

d) Advise on all employment and staff welfare issues

e) Have access to central records

f) Attend as a member of the Strategic Management Group, as required

2.11 Tactical (Silver) Manager – Operations Manager Environment/Service Manager Environmental Health a) This level of command determines the way that resources will be used to achieve strategic intentions. Where a strategic group is yet to be convened, the tactical commander will assume responsibility for the overall co-ordination of the response. It is important to understand that tactical command is role specific and not rank/grade related. b) Tactical (Silver) is a role (function) not a location. c) Tactical normally established before Strategic, therefore co-ordination particularly important as decision needed before strategic group meets. d) Key tactical issues: • must have authority/delegation to commit resources on behalf of Breckland • develop and co-ordinate the tactical plan to achieve strategic intentions • ensure Operational tactics meet tactical and strategic intention • oversee Health and Safety issues • brief personnel (up and down command chain)

• provide a link between Strategic and Operational e) Tactical meetings should be held on regular basis and where practicable these should be timed around the SCG meetings. f) The location of multi agency tactical control will vary according to the nature of the incident. The incident may require that it be set up close to the scene. In these circumstances, it is important that tactical commanders are not drawn into operational “hands on” activities. g) The local authority may prefer to operate from administrative offices but will send liaison officers to enhance co-ordination Note: The Tactical (Silver) Manager will require a Staff Officer/Tactical Advisor and administrative support

2.12 Emergency Planning Liaison Officer (EPLO) Business Continuity Liaison Officer a) Provide a day to day communication link between his/her department and the District Emergency Planning Officer; b) Increase awareness and understanding of the department when Breckland Council is dealing with major or significant emergencies. c) Attend training sessions, workshops, Study Days and other training considered appropriate to develop knowledge and experience within the field of Emergency Planning and Business Continuity. d) Work with departmental staff to assist in the writing and review of Departmental Emergency Plans. e) Co-ordinate departmental staff emergency training programme and ensure an effective co-ordinated response by:

• Ensuring an appropriate number of emergency support staff are trained to undertake emergency roles in the Emergency Centre and any other locations as required • Ensuring that a Deputy is nominated. • Brief Operational/Manager/other officers of developments in emergency planning

f) Liaise with colleagues deployed in response to any emergency so as to ensure a structured, effective and efficient response is provided. g) Attend formal liaison meetings with District Emergency Planning Officer held on at least two occasions each year and any other meetings as required. h) Lead on any departmentally specific emergency planning procedures. i) Act as departmental ‘Tactical’ Manager as required by Operational Manager (see role of Breckland Council’s Tactical (Silver) Manager - Section 2.11, page 27

2.13 Emergency Response Support Staff a) Breckland Council Emergency Response Support Staff are personnel employed by Breckland Council who, in times of emergency, have volunteered to work in support of Breckland Council. The work they perform is essential for the efficient and effective response to an emergency and the training they receive develops skills and knowledge that will also benefit them and their home department in their day job. b) The staff may, during the time of an emergency, work at various locations, including the Council’s Emergency Centre, the Customer Call Centre and provide support to key staff at locations away from Elizabeth House. c) Support Staff will operate in accordance with the procedures contained within the Emergency Centre Handbook 2005. Depending on the emergency, they may be asked to work on a shift basis to provide seven day 24-hour cover if necessary. d) In particular, Emergency Response Support Staff will: • Collect information from telephone calls, faxes, emails, the Internet, postal and hand delivery, or face-to-face sources; • Collate, evaluate and display information for use by staff deployed in response to the emergency; • Disseminate information in accordance with instructions from the Strategic Group, EPLOs and Emergency Centre staff; • Keep records of the information processed; • Carry out administrative tasks as requested in response to the emergency. • Maintain incident logs and all associated records

NOTE: All managers to release staff as required and maintain their service/function in accordance with Business Continuity.

SECTION 3

OPERATIONAL RESPONSE DISTRICT EMERGENCY PLANNING OFFICER

3.1 EPO Checklist

The EPO will, on receiving the initial call, be given an overview of the incident. 1. If this is not forthcoming, the EPO is to ask for the following information:

a. Nature of the Emergency ...... b. Location ...... c. Type ...... d. Wind ...... e. Casualties ...... f. Affected Area ...... g. Location of Operational/Tactical/Strategic ...... h. Locations of RVP ......

i. Declaration of a Major Emergency YES/NO ...... j. Evacuation ...... k. Informant ......

2. The EPO will assess the above information, consider taking the following action, and will alert the following as appropriate:

a) Breckland Chief Executive, Operational Manager...... b) The County Emergency Planning Officer (CEPO ...... c) Sending a Liaison Officer to Operational Control...... d) Deployment to Tactical ...... e) Opening of Evacuation/Rest Centre(s)...... f) Informing Evacuation/Rest Centre Manager/Staff ...... g) Informing the Communications Manager...... h) The use of Voluntary Agencies...... (The District Emergency Planning Officer will be responsible for alerting and overall co-ordination of the relevant Voluntary Organisations in consultation with County/District Emergency Planning Officers’ and other appropriate agencies.)

i) Other Emergency Planning Staff ...... j) Other Emergency Planning Staff - Non Breckland...... 1) DEPO (King’s Lynn, Norwich, North Norfolk, Broadland, South Norfolk) ..

k) All Chief Officers ......

l) Breckland Emergency Planning Liaison Officers (EPLO’s) as follows:

• Communications ...... • Call Centre ...... • Business Support ...... • Legal ...... • Corporate Personnel ...... • Economic Development ......

• Department of Finance ......

• Other Departments, as appropriate ......

Once the above are alerted, they are to alert the key personnel listed in their own Departmental Emergency Response Plans to be on ‘Stand by’.

3.2 Operational Procedures

Appendix A - Flood Warning System Appendix B - Severe Weather/Motoring Weather Warning

Appendix A to Section 3

Flood Warning System

The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for the issue of flood warnings in this country. In Norfolk, we operate in co-ordination with the EA, the Police and other agencies to ensure that the County is prepared to respond to flooding incidents or the threat of flooding incidents.

Warnings

The EA provides a flood warning service for tidal and fluvial waters, in addition to giving advice on the sort of dangers that can be expected, for the whole country. The EA operate by using information received from the Meteorological Office Storm Weather Forecast Service, from their telemetry systems and offshore facilities.

The following are terms used in the messages issued by the EA. Each message will make specific reference to whether it is a Coastal, Broads/Tidal or Fluvial water situation.

• Flood Watch – Flooding is possible, and means – Be aware! Be prepared! Watch out! • Flood Warning – Flooding is expected, where it might affect homes, businesses and main roads and advises – Act now! • Severe Flood Warning – Severe flooding is expected. Imminent danger to life and property and advises – Act now! • All Clear – An all clear message will be issued when flood watches or warnings are no longer in force for fluvial flooding areas. Flood water levels receding. Check all is safe to return. Seek advice.

An all clear will not be issued for Tidal (Coastal) Waters. It is assumed that if 2 hours after high tides flooding has not occurred, the risk from that tide has ended. However, it must be remembered that property might have suffered damage from a previous tide.

The following additional warnings are issued in respect of The Broads/Tidal Rivers and Freshwater Rivers only:

• Update – Issued when the risk level has increased. This may be done by the use of a summary fax. • Downgrade – Issued when a situation improves, the risk is reducing. • Summary Fax – When issued gives an overview of the warning state • Wide Area Flood Watch – Issued when there is the potential for surface water and main drainage problems predicted, based on recorded rainfall.

How does it operate for Emergency Planning in Norfolk?

The flood warning areas and codes (page 33 of this plan) issued by the EA are transmitted to the County Council EPDO and the Norfolk Constabulary Force Control Room. The Emergency Planning Duty Officer (EPDO) will cascade that information in accordance with the checklists in Appendices B and C to this Section, and the recipients of that information will use it in accordance with their own departmental action plans. Pages 29 and 30 deal with Fluvial Flooding issues. Page 31 deal with Coastal flooding issues.

District, Borough and City Councils will implement their own internal arrangements. Sandbags are available through local councils (see page 35).

General

The EPDO will consult, as appropriate, with the County Emergency Planning Officer (CEPO) and cause the Norfolk County Council Emergency Centre (NCCEC) communications to be tested ready for use, if considered necessary with the information available. The EPDO will maintain contact with the Police and develop contacts with Norfolk County Council Departments, for example Planning and Transportation, Education and Social Services and other agencies as appropriate.

The CEPO to brief the Chief Executive and other senior NCC Staff as appropriate.

Flood Warning Procedure (Fluvial/River Water) (Freshwater)

Duty Officer Checklist

Flood Warning messages will be received from the EA via the Automated Voice Messaging System (AVM), fax and pager alerts and will require action in accordance with this checklist. Flood Watch

Reference area with Date and Time of Issue: (for information only)

Flood Warning

Reference area with Date and Time of Issue

Contact - Office Hours: Inform the Highway Network Manager (P&T) at County Hall and other departments as appropriate.

Contact - Out of Hours: Inform the departmental P&T Duty Officer and other departments as appropriate.

Severe Flood Warning

Reference area with Date and Time of Issue

Contact - Office Hours: Inform the CEPO, the Highway Network Manager (P&T) at County Hall and other Departments as appropriate.

Contact - Out of Hours: Inform the CEPO and the P&T Duty Officer

Consult with District EPOs, or representative and Education, Social Services and other departments as appropriate.

Upgrade/Downgrade

Reference area with Date and Time of Issue

Contact - Office Hours: Inform the Highway Network Manager at County Hall and other departments as appropriate.

Contact - Out of Hours: Inform the P&T Duty Officer.

Consult with District EPOs, or representative, Education, Social Services and other departments as appropriate.

Summary Fax

Reference area with Date and Time of Issue

Contact - Office Hours: Inform the Highway Network Manager at County Hall and other departments as appropriate.

Contact - Out of Hours: Inform the P & T Duty Officer.

Consult with District EPOs, or representative, Education, Social Services and other departments as appropriate.

All Clear

Reference area with Date and Time of Issue

Contact - Office Hours: Inform the Highway Network Manager (P&T) at County Hall and other departments as appropriate.

Contact - Out of Hours: Inform the P & T Duty Officer

Consult with District EPOs, or representative, Education, Social Services and other departments as appropriate.

Coastal, Tidal River and the Broads Warning

Duty Officer Checklist

Messages will be received from the EA via Automated Voice Messaging System (AVM) and the Norfolk Constabulary Force Control Room. All of the messages received will require action in accordance with this checklist.

Flood Watch

Reference area with Date and Time of Issue

Contact - Office Hours; Inform the Highway Network Manager (P & T) at County Hall, the relevant DEPO or District representative and County departments as appropriate.

Contact - Out of Hours; Inform the P & T Duty Officer

Advise CEPO and Consider Consulting with the relevant DEPO or District representative and County departments as appropriate.

Flood Warning

Reference area with Date and Time of Issue

Contact - Office Hours; Inform the Highway Network Manager (P & T) at County Hall, the relevant DEPO or District representative and County departments as appropriate, for example Education and Social Services.

Contact - Out of Hours; Inform the P & T Duty Officer

Inform the County Emergency Planning Officer.

Consult with the relevant DEPO or District representative and County departments as appropriate, for example Education and Social Services.

Severe Flood Warning

Reference area with Date and Time of Issue

Contact - Out of Hours; Inform the P & T Duty Officer

Inform the County Emergency Planning Officer.

Consult with the relevant DEPO or District representative and County departments as appropriate, for example Education and Social Services.

All Clear

An all clear is not issued for coastal flooding, as it is assumed that if two hours after high tide no flooding has occurred, then all is well. However, please remember that if a previous tide has caused a problem then the response to that incident will continue, and if another high tide is expected then consider contingencies as to how it may require a response.

Consider Contacting:

Office Hours: the Highway Network Manager (P & T) at County Hall

Out of Hours: the P & T Duty Officer

Consider Consulting with the County Emergency Planning Officer and the relevant District Emergency Planning Officer or District representative and County departments, for example Education and Social Services

Environment Agency Flood Warning Areas & Codes

Environment Agency Office Ipswich – 0800 807060

Description of Area Ref No. FLUVIAL The River Mun at Mundesley NF1A The River Glaven from Thornage to Cley-next-the-Sea NF1B The River Stiffkey from Great Walsingham to Stiffkey NF1C The River Burn from South Creake to Burnham Norton NF1D The River Ant from Honing to Smallburgh NF2A The River Bure from Corpusty to Brampton, including Aylsham NF2B The River Bure from Brampton to Wroxham NF2C Spixworth Beck from Horsford to Crostwick NF2D The River Tas from Stoke Holy Cross to Trowse Newton NF3A The River Tiffey from Wymondham to (and including) Barford NF3B The River Yare from Barnham Broom to Cringleford NF3C The River Yare from (and including) Cringleford to Thorpe St Andrew NF3D The River Wensum from Fakenham to (and including) Swanton Morley NF4A Wendling Beck from Wendling to Worthing NF4B The River Wensum from Swanton Morley to Costessey NF4C The River Tud from East Dereham to New Costessey NF4D The River Wensum at Norwich NF5 The Tidal Rivers Bure from Wroxham Bridge, Ant from Honing, and Thurne BT1 from Hickling, all to Breydon Water The Tidal River Yare from Thorpe St Andrew to Breydon Water BT2 The Tidal River Waveney from Ellingham to Breydon Water BT3 The River Waveney from Diss to Bungay SF1A The River Waveney from (and including) Bungay to (and including) Ellingham SF1B WIDE AREA FLOOD WATCH Ref No. The North Norfolk Rivers including the Hun, Burn, Stiffkey, Glaven, Mun, Bure, GNF1 and Ant GNF3- The Rivers Wensum and Yare and their Tributaries 5 The Broads GBT1-3 The River Waveney and its Tributaries GSF1

TIDAL The Norfolk Coast from Old Hunstanton to (and including) Weybourne DV2A The Norfolk Coast from Sheringham to Winterton –on-Sea DV2B The Norfolk coast at Great Yarmouth, from Winterton-on-Sea to and including DV3A Hopton The coast from Hopton to Shingle Street, including Lowestoft, Southwold and DV3B Aldeburgh

The Environment Agency Brampton – 0800 807060

Middle Level Commissioners – SFW Breach Middle Level Main Drain/Old Popham’s Eau/Well Creek MLC01SA Old Popham’s Eau/Sixteen Foot Drain/Forty Foot River/Vermuyden’s Drain MLC 02SI (East) Twenty Foot River/River Nene (Old Course) MLC 03SI Welney Causeway - Norfolk CC Highways GO7 WLFI Rainfall - Flood Watch Ely - Norfolk CC Highways EO1 ELWI Tidal – Flood Watch Tidal River Great Ouse Denver to Kings Lynn Coast from King’s Lynn to WCTDHWI Hunstanton Tidal – Flood Warning Tidal River Great Ouse Denver to Kings Lynn Coast from Kings Lynn to WCTDHFI Hunstanton Tidal – Severe Flood Watch Tidal River Great Ouse Denver to Kings Lynn Coast from Kings Lynn to WCTDHSI Hunstanton Catchment Areas Ref Rivers, minor brooks and water courses Heacham HEARG Rivers, minor brooks and water courses Grimston GRIRG Rivers, minor brooks and water courses KLynn KINRG Rivers, minor brooks and water courses Castle Acre CASRG Rivers, minor brooks and water courses Denver DENRG Rivers, minor brooks and water courses Carbrooke CARRG Rivers, minor brooks and water courses Attleborough ATTRG Rivers, minor brooks and water courses Stanton STARG Rivers, minor brooks and water courses Ely ELYRG Rivers, minor brooks and water courses Chatteris CHARG

DISTRICT COUNCIL CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBERS

FOR SAND BAG SUPPLIES

Broadland District Council The public can collect (No charge) from pre determined collection points or depot. 20 Bags will be delivered free. Used bags will be collected free. Office Hours: 01603 431133 (Main Switchboard)

Breckland District Council The Council will in an emergency provide and deliver filled sandbags at no charge, they don’t want them back or collect them for disposal. Empty sandbags can be collected. Office Hours: 01362 656351 Out of Hours: 01362 697194(Flagship Housing)

Great Yarmouth Borough Council This Authority has provision to provide sandbags, at cost, to the public during normal working hours when there is no flooding emergency. Should an emergency situation occur either during or out of working hours, sandbags will be provided free of charge to the public at the various strategic locations as identified within the tidal flood procedure for the Authority. This Authority does not supply/sell sand bags to the public out of working hours when there is no flooding emergency. Office Hours: 01493 857500/846100 (Churchill Road Depot)

King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Sandbags are already held at the following locations: Hillington Square in King’s Lynn, the Boathouse at Burnham Overy Staithe and Marine Centre in Brancaster Staithe. Further supplies are available from the Hardwick Road Depot Office hours: 01553 774393 (Depot) Out of hours: 01553 760671 (via Careline)

North Norfolk District Council The public can collect (no charge) from pre determined collection points or depot. 20 Bags will be delivered free. Used bags will be collected free. Office Hours: 01263 513811

Norwich City Council Bags will be supplied free of charge to all householders in identified at risk areas only upon issue of a Severe Flood Warning. They will be delivered (where possible) to all those properties in this category. Alternatively, they can be collected from the City Care depot. Office Hours: 0845 650 2045 (City Care helpdesk) Out of Hours: 01603 412180 (via Norwich Community Alarm Service)

South Norfolk Council At the time of an emergency sandbags will be issued according to need at no cost. On other occasions charge will be made for the supply. Office Hours: 01508 533608 (Emergency Planning) Office Hours: 01508 533633 (Public Enquiries) Out of Hours: 01508 531277 (Contact Care)

Norfolk County Council Planning and Transportation: Office Hours - Area Office North: 01263 738300 Office Hours - Area Office South: 01603 819800 Office Hours - Area Office West: 01553 778000 Out of Hours: Through the P&T Duty Officer In the case of emergency flooding situations will supply sandbags to assist in the management of the Highways within the County. Private requests for sandbags will be evaluated at the time.

Norfolk County Services

Contractors to North Norfolk District Council only.

Appendix B to Section 3

Severe Weather/Motoring Weather Warnings

The National Severe Weather Warning Service (NSWWS), part of the Meteorological (Met) Office issue warnings regarding impending severe weather and motoring conditions within the UK. A risk assessment is included within the warning messages in order that recipients can understand the potential implications for the expected weather. The types of warnings issued are highlighted below:

Severe Weather Watch: low risk of exceptionally severe weather, typically issued 1 to 3 days in advance.

Early Warning of Severe Weather: high risk of widespread disruption, typically issued 1 to 3 days in advance.

Flash Weather Warning: very high risk of considerable disruption, typically issued up to 6 hours in advance.

Motoring Weather Warning: very high risk of adverse conditions affecting road traffic, typically issued up to 6 hours in advance.

Recipients of the Message - Who are they?

The recipients of these warnings include, for example the Emergency Services, Local Authorities, some Government Departments, and the utilities.

Members of the public are kept informed through scheduled weather bulletins on radio and television. The media may also issue flash warnings supplied by the NSWWS.

How does it operate for Emergency Planning in Norfolk?

The warnings will, on receipt by the EPO during working hours, be circulated to all staff, this information should be used in accordance with their own departmental emergency plans.

Section 4

Command and Control

Breckland Council Response to Potential or Declared Major Emergencies

4.1 Declaration of a Major Emergency Any member of the Emergency Services or, under certain circumstances such as climatic issues or an infectious disease outbreak, the Chief Executive or their Deputies of the Local Authority or Health Providers can declare a major emergency. It is possible that a major emergency for one agency will not significantly impact on another. However, all agencies must be prepared to provide support and identify appropriate assets for deployment if necessary.

4.2 Local Authority Initial Response In line with the principle of the initial response to any emergency being dealt with by the District / Borough / City Council concerned, it will be normal, once the alert is received, to activate the County emergency response organisation in three phases as follows:

Phase One District can deal with the incident from its own resources

Phase Two District can deal with the incident with limited support from County

Phase Three Incident too large for one District to manage, County will take the lead. A County Model is shown in Appendix A to this section.

4.3 Strategic Control (Gold) Should Strategic Control be required in a major emergency, it will normally be co- ordinated by the Police who will nominate the facilities to be used. The Local Authority will have accommodation for a cell within the Strategic complex and be part of the team responsible for management of the emergency.

If the event is co-ordinated by the Local Authority, or the response phase lead by the Police has ceased and the recovery has been handed over to the Local Authority, then County Strategic Control will be sited at County Hall, or other suitable location should County Hall not be available.

Norfolk County Council Chief Executive has identified facilities for use of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group and Support Staff and these can be found in Appendix B to this section. Use of additional accommodation throughout County Hall will be dependent upon scale and complexity of the emergency.

Major Emergencies - Initial Norfolk County Council Action

1. The CEPO is the focal point for initial contact and assessment of developing emergency situations.

2. The CEPO will inform the Chief Executive of declared major emergencies or developing emergency situations.

3. The Chief Executive will be responsible for the overall strategic co- ordination of the NCC response to any emergency situation. In the absence of the Chief Executive, whereby a Director has been appointed to undertake the role of Chief Executive, this function will be delegated to the appointed Director.

4. The Chief Executive will consider the need to appoint an Emergency Director to take the responsibility for management of the co-ordination of the NCC tactical response on each occasion.

5. A cadre of Emergency Directors exists so as to enable the overall management of the County Council response to be co-ordinated at the tactical management level. The nominated Emergency Director will be selected from the following:

• Director of Corporate Resources • Director of Planning & Transportation • Managing Director, NPS • Managing Director, NCS

As soon as the potential for a major emergency is identified and it has the likelihood to cause a major disruption to the provision of County Council services and/or a significant impact on the community of Norfolk, for example severe weather, a meeting of all Chief Officers will be convened. The purpose of this meeting will be to ensure all Chief Officers are aware of the emergency situation and to agree management protocols to ensure a co-ordinated and structured approach to the response at an early stage.

4.5 Strategic Management Overall strategic management and co-ordination of the NCC response to the emergency will be the responsibility of the County Council Strategic Management Group.

Core membership of the NCC Strategic Management Group will include the following:

• The Chief Executive • The Emergency Director

• Chief Officers • The Head of Communications • The Head of Law

• The County Emergency Planning Officer (Staff Officer to the Chief Executive),

• Other Officers and/or representatives of external organisations as required.

4.6 Tactical Management - County Council Emergency Response Team Members of the County Council Emergency Response Team will move on the requirement of the Chief Executive, to the County Emergency Centre or other appropriate location, to co-ordinate the tactical response to the emergency. Those staff must ensure that their own departmental operational procedures have been implemented.

In co-ordinating the response, the Emergency Team will support those staff deployed to the emergency site or to other controls that might have been set up. The Team will ensure that the Chief Executive is kept fully briefed on what is occurring and how the County Council is responding.

The Chairman of the Emergency Response Team will be the Duty Emergency Director, nominated by the County Council Chief Executive. The CEPO will appoint a Staff Officer and other members of EPU staff to support the Emergency Response Team.

The team will consist of appropriate staff, together with Emergency Support Staff, and may include representatives from external agencies/organisations, as required.

4.7 NCC Staff Employed on unusual hours or out of hours Staff below ‘management grade’ undertaking unusual tasks particularly working out of normal hours, (e.g. CSC and other staff starting work at 0600 hours or before to ensure we can operate the Emergency Schools Closure programs) will have a choice of reward for those additional hours worked. These choices to be payment for additional hours, time off in lieu (under flex system), or finish work early on the day duty performed.

Normal conditions of service will apply to “M” grade staff and contractual arrangements will apply. The Chief Executive will determine whether the emergency is to be declared a “special event” for senior staff.

4.8 Departmental Staff Response All other staff nominated in their Departmental Emergency Response Plan as part of the Departmental Response are to: • Report their location and telephone number to their Departments EPLO and keep them informed as to their whereabouts. • If required to respond to a problem/situation, carry out actions as a matter of urgency and keep their Departments EPLO informed of progress.

• Log details of all enquiries and actions taken prior to passing a copy to the County Council Emergency Centre.

Staff who are not directly involved in the incident will continue with their normal duties, unless otherwise directed by their Head of Department. Tasks relating to any emergency response will take priority over routine work, which may involve staff working on tasks not normally allocated to them and may possibly involve them working outside normal working hours.

4.9 Protocols for record keeping Whenever a major or significant emergency is declared there will be a debrief at the conclusion and possibly a formal enquiry. Therefore it is essential that all documentation used during the management of the incident be kept. All files should be clearly identified and contain for example:

• Documents/letters including drafts and any notes. • Briefing documents including rough notes • Memoranda • Meeting minutes/notes • Log and Message Sheets

Records should be kept for seven years, thus being available in respect of any civil claims that may be made.

The Duty Emergency Director or CEPO will circulate a memorandum to all departments as soon as a major emergency has been declared, reminding staff at all levels of preserving documents that relate to the emergency.

APPENDIX A TO SECTION 4

BRECKLAND COUNCIL and NORFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL COMMAND CONTROL STRUCTURE

Breckland Council Multi Agency Response

Strategic Strategic

Elizabeth House NCC/Breckland Council Senior Managers Representative Member

Tactical Tactical

Emergency Director NCC/Breckland Council Response Team (Breckland Liaison Officer)

Operational Operational

Site Liaison Officer NCC/Breckland Council Rest Centre Role Volunteers

Section 5

Breckland Council Emergency Centre Emergency Staffing/Emergency Response Support Staff and Operating Procedures

5.1 Introduction Breckland Council has a purpose-built Emergency Centre located in the basement of The Old Guildhall, Dereham that can be brought into use very quickly. The Centre will become the focal point for the co-ordination of Breckland Council’s response to any major or significant emergency.

The District Emergency Planning Officer is responsible for ensuring the continued state of readiness of the Emergency Centre. This includes the provision of equipment and having sufficient trained staff available to operate therein, or elsewhere if necessary, for the response to the emergency.

5.2 Activation (Detailed in the Emergency Centre Activation Plan) Once a major emergency has been declared, the DEPO, or in her absence, one of her staff, will activate the Emergency Centre after consultation with the Chief Executive. The Emergency Centre will be set up to mirror the requirements for the three phases as follows:

Phase One: A monitoring role only managed by Emergency Planning Staff as part of their normal role.

Phase Two: Limited activation of the Emergency Centre to include the alerting of Emergency Response Support Staff and EPLO’s as appropriate.

Phase Three: Full activation of the Emergency Centre to include deployment of all Breckland Council’s Tactical Response Managers (who may be the EPLO in some cases) , Emergency Response Support Staff and Liaison Officers as appropriate.

Once fully activated, the Centre will be the focal point for overall control and co- ordination of the Local Authority response to the incident, including:

• Collection and Dissemination of Information.

• Briefing/Meetings.

• Events log and records.

The District Emergency Planning Officer and key Breckland Council Staff hold a copy of the Emergency Centre Operation Guide.

5.3 Emergency Operating Procedures The procedures are detailed in the Emergency Centre Operation Guide (A copy of the activation plan will be kept by the District Emergency Planning Officer for reference).

5.4 Staffing Levels for the Emergency Centre There are three pre-planned staffing levels for the Emergency Centre. Initial, Partial and Full Staffing. Exact requirements will depend on the size, scope and nature of the emergency, but the following personnel could be required:

• Emergency Planning Support Staff • EPLOs or their representatives appropriate to the incident (Role Description see Section 2.12, page 27). • Emergency Support staff (Role Description see Section 2.13, page 28) • Liaison Officers as appropriate. • RAYNET operators if required.

RESPONSE REQUIREMENT SITUATION LEVEL Initial Staffing Emergency Planning Staff Stand-by. (may not be 24 hr only. Severe weather/flooding cover) Partial Staffing Support Staff deploy. Specific Plan or limited (may not be 24 hr Departments on stand-by. County Council involvement. cover) Major or significant Full activation with Full Staffing emergency requiring deployment of EPLO’s and (normally 24 hr extensive Breckland Council Liaison Officers (LOs) as cover) and Possibly County Council appropriate. involvement.

5.5 District Emergency Planning Officer/Departmental Staffing The DEPO will advise and assist Breckland Council Chief Executive, (or Designated Emergency Director), in addition to overseeing the running of the Emergency Centre.

In the first 24 hours the District Emergency Planning Officer will provide the core staff in the Emergency Centre. However, if more than Initial Staffing is required, or the staffing requirement needs to be sustained for several days, then departments must be prepared to supplement staffing levels by releasing Emergency Support Staff.

Section 6

Public Information/Media in Liaison with Norfolk County Council

6.1 Introduction In the event of any major or significant emergency there will be an immediate and sustained requirement to provide timely and accurate information to the public.

Arrangements are therefore required to:

• Provide information to the public and respond to their enquiries • Meet the requirements of the news media.

Details of these arrangements can be found in the Norfolk Major Emergency Media Plan.

6.2 Responsibilities The Chief Executive is ultimately responsible for authorising the release of information and advice to the public, on behalf of the Authority.

The execution of this policy is usually delegated to the Head of Communications, who will work very closely with the Duty Emergency Director. The Head of Communications will consult with Local Authority colleagues across the county to ensure consistency in the collection and dissemination of information and supply staff to work in the Media Centre and NCC Emergency Centre, as appropriate.

Should the County Council need to set up its own Media Centre, the Head of Communications will assume responsibility for the running of that centre.

Locations, which have been identified within County Hall for a Media Centre are shown in Appendix A and B to this Section.

6.3 Co-ordination The Police will normally co-ordinate the activities of all those responding to an emergency and create a Media Co-ordinating Group formed from the Emergency Services and other agencies who will advise the Emergency Management Team on media issues. The Head of Communications will perform this role during the recovery phase.

Each organisation should consider having one spokesperson, which would always be available to front the media.

The Media Co-ordinator will, in consultation, make the necessary arrangements for assisting the media, for example by providing photograph opportunities.

6.4 Warning and Informing the Public The Government Information and Communications Service (GICS) support the BBC initiative”Connecting in a Crisis”. This seeks to help meet the public demands for information in the event of an emergency. It is about warning and informing, and concentrates on delivering essential information as quickly as possible.

In the event of an emergency, the framework outlined in the Norfolk Major Emergency Media Plan will provide essential information advice and reassurance in the first few hours – the very time when the public are likely to be most in danger and most in need of information about what is happening or what they need to do to protect themselves.

Any message advising shelter should follow the ”Go in, Stay in, Tune in” format.

6.5 Norfolk County Council - Customer Service Centre The Customer Service Centre will be used by the County Council as the public face to any County Council response to an emergency. A help line facility will exist to enable them to be able to respond to the majority of the enquiries that can be expected from the public.

6.6 Government News Network (GNN) The Eastern Region GNN, situated in Cambridge, can assist with arrangements for dealing with the Media. This assistance includes the provision of a comprehensive communications and monitoring service, together with Press Officers to help staff Media Centres. They can also assist with VIP visits, including the co-ordination of news coverage.

Appendix A to Section 6

Locations Identified for use within County Hall for a Media Centre

The following rooms have been identified within County Hall for use if the authority is required to organise a Media Centre: • Edwards Room – Press conferences • Cranworth Room – Media working area • Colman Room – Administrative support • Cabinet Members and Members’ IT Room – Joint Media Team.

The layout of these rooms is shown in Appendix B to this section

Section 7

Finance

7.1 Introduction Responding to any major emergency will inevitably have financial implications for those departments involved. Each department will, therefore, ensure that a system for recording details of staff involved, action taken and expenditure incurred is in place.

7.2 Emergency Costs In an emergency the Operational Manager Finance will, if considered appropriate, issue instructions for the use of special expenditure codes for all costs that can be attributed to the emergency. The accounting accuracy of costs incurred cannot be over emphasised so that, if appropriate, claims can be made for reimbursement.

7.3 Emergency Financial Assistance (Bellwin Scheme) The Secretary of State for the Environment may authorise schemes (Bellwin Scheme) to give financial assistance to Local Authorities in respect of expenditure incurred in taking immediate action to safeguard life or property, or to prevent suffering or severe inconvenience in the event of an emergency involving destruction, or danger to life and property.

If such a scheme is approved the Local Authority will be expected to meet all emergency expenditure up to the level of an agreed threshold. The Operational Manager Finance will advise on these issues and discuss with his colleagues and the Lead Government Department.

Guidance on the administration of such schemes is issued by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) and is available on the DETR website at: www.local.detr.gov.uk/finance/bellwin.htm. (A copy of the Bellwin scheme is also held by the EPU)

7.4 Disaster Appeal Fund Experience has shown that within a short time of an emergency occurring there might be a need to set up a Disaster Appeal Fund, to administer donations of money from the public or other sources intended for the relief of the victims of the emergency.

The British Red Cross Disaster Appeal Scheme (United Kingdom) offers local authorities around the United Kingdom a manual, which offers help, guidance and expertise on setting up and administering the donations of money which are likely to be received following a disaster or major emergency.

Advice on the setting up of a Disaster Appeal fund should be available from the Operations Manager Finance. (A copy of the Red Cross Disaster Appeal Scheme is held by the EPO).

7.5 Insurance In the event of a major emergency which is likely to give rise to a large number of insurance claims, the Association of British Insurers has a Mobile Disaster Unit on permanent standby, which can be deployed at short notice to the affected area to give advice and assistance. Call out of the unit will be co-ordinated by EPO, at the request of the Operational Manager Finance.

Section 8

Staff Welfare

8.1 Staff Briefing/Debriefing It is recognised that any major or significant emergency involving a response from Breckland Council has the potential to cause some concern or stress for those responding to the emergency and for those left behind to carry on with their normal duties. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that staff employed in the response, and their colleagues within the Council, are kept fully aware of all that is occurring, in order that they can appreciate the needs of the community as a whole in addition to their own needs.

Needs of staff must be considered through and beyond the emergency.

Psychological debriefing addresses the emotional needs of staff and allows the opportunity for individuals and groups to review the incident and how it affected them, whilst at the same time participants may:

• Vent any emotions surrounding the incident • Identify stress-related problems • Learn stress survival techniques • Identify and mobilise both group and individual support strategies.

Informal team debrief sessions should be encouraged as they often provide a safety valve for the release of stress. Supervisors must not, however, consider this as an alternative to either the operational or psychological debriefs.

8.2 Counselling Recent disasters have identified the need for counselling. Stress counselling and welfare support must be immediately available from occupational health and welfare departments. It is important in recognising the role played by support staff and they must also be provided with counselling facilities.

Norfolk Mental Health NHS Trust and a number of Voluntary Organisations are able to provide support to Breckland Council should it be required.

Arrangements are to be made through Personnel Departments or Social Services.

Section 9

Recovery Strategy

9.1 Introduction This phase will commence from the time of the emergency and encompasses those activities necessary to provide a rapid return towards normality for the community and the staff involved in the response. Recovery from a major emergency must actively involve the affected community and be an enabling and supportive process. It is of paramount importance, whenever an incident does occur, that the recovery strategy is implemented and a recovery team established so that the recovery process can commence. This process must ensure that the community of Breckland is returned towards normality as soon as is practicable and takes into account issues involving the whole community rather than any one issue in isolation. A typical Recovery Co-ordination Structure can be found in Appendix A to this Section. These issues groups will be managed and directed by the Strategic Co- ordinating Group, will normally be chaired by the County Council Chief Executive or the Duty Emergency Director.

The definition of these issues groups and further information can be found in the Norfolk Recovery Strategy Document.

9.2 Key Recovery Groups Key recovery groups together with suggested group members to consider issues are: • Environmental - EA Chair, District EHOs, NCC Planning and Transportation, English Nature, Broads Authority, Anglian Water Services, RSPB, RSPCA and others as considered appropriate for the event. • Public Information - NCC Head of Communications (Chair), Districts Media Officer, Emergency Services Media Staff, Norfolk Health Systems Media Representative, Environmental Agency Media Representative and others as considered appropriate for the event. • Economic – Breckland Council Operational Manager of Finance (Chair), Breckland Council, Legal, Economic Development, DSS/Benefit Agency, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and others as considered appropriate for the event. • Infrastructure – Breckland Council Chief Executive (Chair), District Council representatives, NCC Planning and Transportation, Norfolk Health System representative, NCC Education, Anglian Water, Emergency Services as required and others as considered appropriate for the event. • Health and Social Issues – Chief Executive of the relevant Primary Care Trust (Chair), NCC Social Services, Norfolk Health Protection Unit, Ecumenical Disaster Team representative, NCC Education (Critical Incident Team) and others as considered appropriate for the event.

Reference should be made to: http://www.ukresilience.info/contingencies/business/recovery.pdf

Appendix A to Section 9 RECOVERY CO-ORDINATION STRUCTURE

Operational Level Community Response Recovery Committee Co-ordination

Tactical Level Response Recovery Co-ordinator (Local Authority appointee, Co-ordination operates during Response & Recovery)

Strategic Level Response

Co-ordination Recovery Working Group (During Response – hands over to SCG in

Response Co-ordination leadership

Section 10

Norfolk Combined Local Authority Civil Contingencies Training Strategy

10.1 Introduction Breckland Council and Norfolk County Council have a range of responsibilities in relation to ensuring that adequate preparations are in place to deal with a civil emergency. The ‘Standards for Civil Protection in England and Wales’ issued by the Home Office in 1999 state:

‘The Authority should demonstrate a commitment to developing and maintaining effective emergency management arrangements. The Authority should ensure that anyone likely to be involved in emergency arrangements is fully prepared for the role. There should be a system in place to validate response procedures through training and exercising.’

Breckland Council and Norfolk County Council needs to be able to provide a range of responses. These can be categorised as ‘generic’, (suitable for a range of emergencies) and ‘risk specific’ (applicable to certain high risk sites or activities).

Elected Members’ Officers need to be familiar with the generic responses and, where appropriate, the risk specific plans.

The generic responses include: • Activation procedures • Command and Control arrangements • Emergency Centre Operation • Provision of a Temporary Mortuary • Provision of a Helpline • Interagency liaison at Operational, Tactical and Strategic levels (Bronze, Silver and Gold) • Provision of Evacuation/Survivor/Family and Friends/Centres Risk specific arrangements include: • COMAH sites • MACR sites • Flooding • Mass Casualty Decontamination • Pipelines • Animal Diseases • Fuel Shortages • Business Continuity

10.2 Training Programme A training programme will ensure that Breckland Council and Norfolk County Council will meet the Home Office Standards and subsequent requirements of the Civil Contingencies Act and be properly equipped to respond to emergencies.

Elected Members and Officers fulfilling specific emergency roles will be identified and training developed for each role. In order that capability can be maintained over time, the programme is designed to be refreshed every five years, this will allow for changes in staff and operational procedures. (see Appendix A to this Section).

The programme is based upon a three-stage cycle:

• Training • Exercising • Update from exercises / events / guidance.

The annual updates will draw upon learning points identified from exercises and events together with best practice from other authorities.

Where a real event occurs this may, when appropriate, replace an exercise requirement.

Norfolk County Council Emergency Response Plan 2004

Appendix A to Section 10

Norfolk Combined Local Authority Civil Contingencies Training Strategy

Members and Training Required Frequency County District/City/Borough Officers Post Council Elected Guidance Notes Every four years Yes Yes Members Emergency Planning Annually Seminar Elected Emergency On appointment Yes No Members Management then every two Emergency Awareness Training years Committee

Norfolk Resilience Every five years Forum Strategic Emergency

Management Course Police Gold Participation in Every two years (strategic) Senior Co-ordination Training Exercise Yes Yes Group Media Training Every five years Representative Emergency Planning Annually update Public Inquiry Every five years Training

Chief Executive, Emergency Planning Every five years Directors and College CEX Course Deputies Participation in Annually Training Exercise Emergency Planning Annually update Yes Yes Media Training Every five years Public Inquiry Every five years Training

Members and Training Required Frequency County District/City/Borough Officers Post Council Emergency Crisis Management Every five years Response Team Course and Deputies Emergency Planning Annually Update Media Training Every five years Participation in Annually Yes Yes Training Exercise Public Inquiry Every five years Training

Crisis Management Every five years Course Norfolk Resilience Every five years Forum Tactical Emergency Management Local Authority Liaison Officers Media Training Every five years Yes Yes (Tactical) Participation in Every two years Training Exercise Emergency Planning Annually update Public Inquiry Every five years Training

Local Authority Every five years Incident Officer Training

Media Training Every five years Norfolk Resilience Every five years Local Authority Forum Operational Liaison Officers Emergency Yes Yes (Operational) Management Participation in Every two years Training Exercise Public Inquiry Every five years Training

Members and Training Required Frequency County District/City/Borough Officers Post Council Crisis Management Every five years Course Helpline Training Every five years Course Training Exercise Every two years Helpline Media Training Every five years Yes Yes Supervisors Emergency Planning Annually update Public Inquiry Every five years Training

Helpline Helpline Training Every five years Operators Course Yes Yes Training Exercise Every two years

Crisis Management Every five years Course Emergency Planning Annually Operations Update No Yes Centre Manager Media Training Every five years Training Exercise Every two years Public Inquiry Every five years Training

Intelligence Training Every five years Information Training Exercise Every two years Yes Yes Officers Emergency Planning Annually Update

Rest Centre Rest Centre Every five years Managers Management Course Training Exercise Every two years No Yes Public Inquiry Every five years Training

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Members and Training Required Frequency County District/City/Borough Officers Post Council Rest Centre Rest Centre Support Every five years Support Staff Staff Course No Yes Training Exercise Every two years

Emergency Training Exercise Every two years Planning Unit Emergency Planning Annually Yes No Support Officers Update Induction Training Every five years

Secretary to Public Inquiry Every five years Emergency Training Management Yes Yes Team & General Training Exercise Every two years Emergency Support Team

General Public Inquiry Every five years Emergency Training Yes Yes Support Team Training Exercise Every two years

All Local Emergency Planning Once during Yes Yes Authority Staff Induction service

Education Critical Incident Every five years Critical Incident Training Team Training Exercise Every two years Yes No Media Training Every five years

Business Crisis Management Every five years Recovery Team Training Incident Management Annually Yes No Strategy Training

Business Training Exercise Annually Yes No Continuity Departmental Strategic Management Team

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Members and Training Required Frequency County District/City/Borough Officers Post Council Trauma Care Every five years Emergency Planning Annually Update Social Services Rest Centre Support Every five years Emergency Staff Training Yes No Support Team Media Training Every five years Training Exercise Every two years

NCC Liaison meetings with On appointment Departmental EP Team and then every Emergency two years Yes No Planning Liaison Emergency Twice per year Officers Management Awareness

Public Inquiry Every five years Training Crisis Management Every five years Training Media Training Every five years Environmental Joint Health Advisory Every two years No Yes Health Officers Cell Training Emergency Planning Annually Update Temporary Mortuary Every five years Awareness

102