Shotley Parish Council

Community Emergency

Plan

Confidential

January 2009 Version 1 Strategic Continuity Ltd has produced this Community Emergency Plan in partnership with Parish This planCouncil. is d Theue for information review: contained January in 2010 this document is for guidance only. The Parish Council acknowledges that Strategic Continuity Ltd shall not have any liability, either under this guidance or otherwise, in respect of the provision of services or for any actions or omissions by the Parish Council in any emergency situation. The suitability of the application of the guidance by the Parish Council to perform the services shall be entirely for the Parish Council to determine. This guidance does not constitute legal advice in relation to emergency planning. Strategic Continuity recommends that any Parish Council has suitable Public Liability cover.

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Contents

1.0 FORWARD

1.3 Key messages

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.4 The Peninsula 2.8 Plan distribution 2.9 Aims and objectives 2.14 Why do we need a plan? 2.16 Emergency definition 2.19 What can happen in an emergency? 2.21 Recovery management 2.26 Immediate impact incident 2.28 Emerging incident 2.31 Community Emergency Team (CET)

3.0 PLAN ACTIVATION 3.1 When the plan will be activated 3.4 Initial actions 3.11 Establishing a rendezvous point (RVP) 3.13 Cordons 3.15 Setting up the Emergency Centre 3.29 Communication

4.0 DEBRIEF, ANNUAL REVIEW AND EXERCISING

APPENDIX

1 Emergency Centre Box - Contents 2 Resources within the community 3 Useful contacts 4 Community information - website and parish notice boards

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1.0 Forward

1.1 Shotley Community Emergency Plan has been written in partnership with Shotley Parish Council and Strategic Continuity Ltd to support the community in responding to an emergency. The plan will be reviewed annually.

1.2 Ultimately, no matter how much effort or resource is invested in planning for an emergency, a Parish Council and its community could still be faced with an incident or combination of incidents it did not foresee. The only consistent factor is that a community will have to ‘respond’ to an event.

1.3 KEY MESSAGES

 If an emergency occurs the first action should always be to contact the emergency services by dialling 999.

 Ensure each member of the Community Emergency Team (CET) has a current version of the plan and one copy is kept as a record by the Clerk to the Parish Council.

 Treat the document as confidential and store it in a secure location.

 Keep the plan up to date. Check and review contents at least once a year.

 Once the plan is completed the community should be informed that there is a plan and information detailing what to do in an emergency should be published - refer to Appendix 4.

2.0 General information

2.1 All major emergencies are dealt with by the Emergency Services, Local Authorities, Utilities and Voluntary Agencies in a combined response. In extreme conditions such as heavy snow and flooding, there is a possibility that the emergency services may not be able to reach the scene immediately. In such circumstances, the initial response may rely entirely on local people.

2.2 A Community Emergency Plan (CEP) can help a community prepare for an emergency and minimise its impact should they be affected.

2.3 Communities may have access to people or resources that allow them to respond to specific incidents that may affect a particular locality.

2.4 THE PENINSULA 2.5 The Parish of Shotley is located 10 miles South East of at the end of the Shotley peninsula. The Shotley peninsula is bounded by the estuaries of the River Stour and Orwell, which form harbour. Situated within the harbour are the two international ports of Harwich and Felixstowe.

2.6 Shotley parish, at the extreme easterly end of the Shotley peninsula covers approximately 60 square kilometres and has a population of more than 2,200 people. The parish comprises of three distinct settlements; a hamlet centred on the Church, Shotley Gate and Shotley Street.

2.7 Shotley can be accessed by road or the two rivers. The B1456 is a single carriageway road which serves the peninsula and is the main road linking Shotley to Ipswich. In the summer months the Harwich harbour foot ferry links Shotley Gate, Felixstowe and Harwich, subject to weather conditions. In addition there exist vast open space areas that could be accessed by helicopter in the event of an emergency.

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2.8 PLAN DISTRIBUTION

Emergency Co-ordinator / Plan Author: Graham Brown

Distribution List:

NAME NAME

Linda Rowlands Richard Jackaman 01473 788248 01473 787656 07956 187897 0791 7020837

Jim Catling Warren Rodgers 01473 788499 01473 787285 07515 271723

Michael Connell Graham Steel 01473 787757 07845 875238

Mel Newman Dave Steel Head Teacher 01473 787757 07913 888507 07747 671255

Emergency Box Graham Brown 01473 787166 07940 118940

2.9 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

2.10 The strategic objectives of this plan are to support Shotley Parish Council and its community to understand the type of risks that could occur, maintain response plan for the purpose of ensuring that if an emergency occurs the Parish Council will be able to perform its functions so far as necessary or desirable for the purposes of providing local assistance and Parish information in support of the emergency services to:

 Prevent the emergency  Reduce, control or mitigate its effects, or  Take other actions in connection with it

2.11 The tactical objectives of this plan are geared towards an overall response lead by Suffolk local authorities so the volunteer Parish Community will, as far as possible:

 Assist the Emergency Services  Help any victims  Work with others to restore normality  Communicate information to the parish community

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2.12 In the event of local authorities not being able to respond immediately the plan will allow the Parish Council to respond in such a manner that will support the local authorities when they arrive.

2.13 The response will be wholly dependant upon the type of emergency. In no circumstances must any member of the community take any unnecessary risk or place themselves or others in danger.

2.14 WHY DO WE NEED AN EMERGENCY PLAN?

2.15 The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 imposes a legal duty on local authorities (i.e. Suffolk County, and Borough Councils) throughout the country to prepare and maintain Emergency Plans. This function is performed by Suffolk Resilience. In turn, town and parish councils have a moral responsibility to plan and have been asked to prepare their own plans to provide local assistance and parish information in support of the emergency services in the event of an emergency.

2.16 EMERGENCY DEFINITION

2.17 An incident occurring within the parish boundaries meeting the definition of:

“An event or situation which: threatens serious damage to human welfare, i.e. it involves, loss of human life, human illness or injury, homelessness, damage to property, disruption of a supply of money, food, water, energy or fuel, disruption of a system of communication, facilities for transport, or services relating to health. Or serious damage to the environment, i.e. if it involves contamination of land, water or air with biological, chemical or radio-active matter, or disruption or destruction of plant or animal life, war or terrorism”.

2.18 To place the CEP in context it would not be invoked for domestic incidents that would best be resolved by a plumber, electrician or via the 999 system. The plan has been developed for major incidents such as widespread flooding, pandemics, or other events that can be labelled ‘disasters’, or that requires the implementation of special arrangements by one or more of the emergency services, the NHS, or the local authority or emergencies as defined above in the Civil Contingencies Act.

2.19 WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN AN EMERGENCY?

2.20 The following points place into context what can happen in an emergency. It will benefit the community and overall response if the following negative aspects are turned into positive advantages during an emergency:

 There is an element of surprise  There is panic  There is an environment of uncertainty  There is a shortage of time to plan  There is a perceived or real loss of control, particularly during the early stages  The events outpace the response of the emergency services  Insufficient information is available when it is most needed  Important interests are at stake such as a threat to people or resources  There is intense scrutiny from the outside  Regular decision making process are disrupted  There is urgent need for rapid decision making

2.21 RECOVERY MANAGEMENT

2.22 In many scenarios the response phase to an ‘incident’ can be relatively short in contrast to the recovery phase. Recovery can take months or even years to complete as it seeks to address the enduring reputation, human, physical, environmental, social and economic consequences of ‘incidents’.

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2.23 The nature, type and impact of the incident may have such a significant impact that the situation presenting itself IS the new normality; and as such the community will need to adapt accordingly.

2.24 Most major incidents can be considered to having four stages:

 Initial response  Consolidation phase  Recovery phase  Restoration of normality

2.25 The following themes are consistent in every incident:

 Response  Communication  Information  Community/business impact  Business as usual  Media  Reputation  Legal

2.26 IMMEDIATE IMPACT INCIDENT

2.27 Immediate impact incidents are those that occur with little or no prior warning. The effects are usually felt right away and include transportation accidents, utility failure, industrial accidents or acts of terrorism etc. This type of incident will generally be referred to be emergency services as a Major Incident.

2.28 EMERGING INCIDENTS

2.29 Emerging incidents have a lead in time of days, weeks or even months, their onset can be gradual and the final impact may not always be apparent early on. A developing health pandemic, infectious disease outbreak in animals and extreme weather forecasts are all examples of emerging incidents.

2.30 The Parish should identify events or situations that although appear some way off show the potential to impact on a scale that may disrupt their community. This could be through the media or the Environment Agency Flood Line. Emerging incidents can then be monitored and capability and capacity can be in put in place to respond at a pre-determined ‘trigger’ point, with the response being scaled up or down as appropriate.

2.31 COMMUNITY EMERGENCY TEAM 2.32 The Parish Council has appointed an Emergency Officer who leads a team of other volunteers. The Community Emergency Team (CET) is responsible for organising emergency activity within the parish, under the direction of the emergency services where appropriate.

2.33 As emergencies can occur at any time, it is not possible to guarantee that all members of the CET are available within the parish. Therefore, each member of the CET should be familiar with the plan and can act as an Emergency Officer in their absence.

2.34 In addition, all Parish Councillors in the parish, during the emergency, are requested to attend the Emergency Centre to support the response and decision making processes.

2.35 Local emergencies will be well handled by the emergency services (police, fire brigade, ambulance) and the role of the CET is to provide whatever support or parish information is requested. 6

2.36 RISKS 2.37 This section outlines the diverse number of risks faced. Risks can be broken down into: natural events, major accidents and malicious attacks. This plan encompasses an ‘all hazards’ approach. The response advice in section 3.0 is sufficiently broad enough to cover a response to ‘all hazards’.

NATURAL EVENTS 2.38 Severe weather: storms and gales; low temperatures and heavy snow; heat waves and drought.

2.39 Flooding: coastal and inland flooding, (surface water flooding).

2.40 Human disease: pandemic influenza; new and emerging infectious diseases e.g. SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

2.41 Animal disease: non-zoonotic (not transmitted to human beings) notifiable animal diseases e.g. foot and mouth, blue tongue; zoonotic animal diseases e.g. avian influenza, West Nile Virus and rabies.

MAJOR ACCIDENTS 2.42 Major industrial accidents: fires; contamination; technical failure e.g. power outages, electricity; water and sewerage; gas; communications; fuel; marine pollution; dam inundation and reservoirs.

2.43 Major transport accidents: air; maritime; road and rail.

MALICIOUS ATTACKS 2.44 Attacks on crowded places: e.g. shopping centres, sports grounds and concert venues.

2.45 Attacks on critical infrastructure: e.g. power stations, reservoirs, pipelines.

2.46 Attacks on transport systems: rail and underground; air; maritime;

2.47 Electronic attack: IT and communications systems

3.0 Plan activation

3.1 WHEN THE PLAN WILL BE ACTIVATED 3.2 This plan can be activated by any two members of the CET after an initial assessment of the incident and liaison with Suffolk Police and Parish Clerk.

Assess the incident and decide whether, according to the criteria (below), the CEP should be invoked in full or in part.

3.3 Activation criteria include:

•Actual or threatened injury or loss of life, particularly if the threat is increasing or extensive. •Actual or threatened damage to property, particularly if the threat is increasing or extensive. •The causation is spread geographically, not located at a single property.  Having been requested to do so by the emergency services.

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3.4 INITIAL ACTIONS

3.5 Contact the police 999 and/or liaise with the emergency services if already on scene (Police ‘Silver’ commander at their RVP) to establish what level of support is required, if any. The liaison person should remain as the link between the police and the CET, relaying information between the two.

3.6 Notify the other team members and proceed to the nominated Emergency Centre.

3.7 Notify the District Council (District Emergency Planning Officer) that the Plan has been invoked and why.

3.8 Set up the Emergency Centre (inform the emergency services of its location). Consideration should be given whether it is appropriate to set up an additional centre for affected members of the community for welfare purposes. This is likely to depend on the extent of the emergency incident.

3.9 If the Plan is not to be fully invoked (possibly on the advice of the emergency services) but some level of support is required, assemble the CET to decide how to provide the required support. (Note: The requirement may be to provide Parish information or for the provision of an Emergency Centre – building only with no additional support).

3.10 The primary aim of the first person on scene is not to get personally involved in rescue work but to ensure that appropriate information is passed back to the CET/emergency services using the SADCHALETS mnemonic :

Survey the scene

Assess the situation

Disseminate the following information:

Casualties, approximate number: dead, injured

Hazards present and potential

Access - best access route for the emergency services (establish an RVP)

Location – exact location of the incident

Emergency services / other agencies present and required

Type of incident and brief details of number of vehicles, buildings, etc, involved

Safety – health and safety, risk assessments must be considered and recorded

3.11 ESTABLISH A RENDEZVOUS POINT - RVP 3.12 An RVP is a point to which the first instance all emergency services and responders including internal responders may be directed prior to deployment to the scene of operations – this may be the Emergency Centre.

3.13 CORDONS

3.14 If sufficient resources exist, (maybe using other members of the community) and it is safe to do so, cordons should be implemented around the scene. Cordons are established around physical scenes for the following reasons

 to guard the scene  to protect staff and members of the public 8

 to control sightseers  to prevent unauthorised interference with the investigation and  to facilitate the operations of the emergency services, other agencies and internal response

3.15 SETTING UP THE EMERGENCY CENTRE 3.16 The primary nominated emergency centre is Shotley Village Hall, in the event of it being unavailable or inaccessible; the secondary location is Shotley Community Primary School. 3.17 During an emergency, the Emergency Centre must be manned at all times by a member of the CET, who will act as the focal point for all communication. 3.18 Open the centre and the emergency box (emergency box contents refer to Appendix 1). The emergency box is stored in the village hall. 3.19 Set up tables and chairs. 3.20 Start an Incident Log with the date and a brief description of the incident and decisions taken. 3.21 Insert timed entries into Incident Log, starting with which emergency services have been called, when and by whom and continuing with other relevant actions and/or information. 3.22 Turn on the radio and listen for relevant broadcasts:

 BBC Suffolk 95.5; 95.9; 103.9; 104.6 FM – Telephone: 01473 250000  Heart (Ipswich) 97.1; 96.4 FM – Text Suffolk to 82122  Town 102 FM – Telephone: 01473 839102 or email: town102.com

3.23 Brief others including the emergency services on their arrival of: what has been done, what is being done and what needs to be done. Establish what the emergency services require the CET to do, take all subsequent tasking from them. Continue to record actions in the log. A useful contacts list can be found at Appendix 3.

3.24 If necessary consider vulnerable persons and arrange for their welfare to be checked - re-checking periodically.

3.25 Check whether the Primary School, is affected by the incident. If necessary, contact the head and check their proposed actions.

3.26 Utilise skills and resources within the community – arrange for them to be contacted and to attend the Emergency Centre, record their details and provide a briefing including health and safety issues – refer to Appendix 2.

3.27 Allocate and document tasks to volunteers, this should be done in consultation with the emergency services, if they are on scene, (e.g. assistance to residents, tree clearing, and road clearing). On completion of a task or when returning home volunteers must inform the Emergency Centre. This ensures individual whereabouts are known.

3.28 Check that the response covers each of the themes that are consistent in every incident:

 Response  Communication  Information  Community/business impact  Business as usual  Media  Reputation  Legal

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3.29 COMMUNICATION EMERGENCY SERVICES 3.30 It is important to remain in regular touch with the emergency services, particularly if they are in attendance, to ensure that they have all the information they require and all the support and resources that the parish can provide.

MEDIA 3.31 If asked for comment by the media regarding the overall response refer them to the police Silver Commander who will either supply press lines or refer them to the correct press office. If the Parish Council is asked for a response it is recommended that the Parish Council speak to the emergency services on scene so that coordinated press lines can be provided.

RESIDENTS 3.32 In order to reassure and ensure the community has confidence in the response to the emergency it is vital that they are kept regularly updated. Contact through word of mouth, MyShotley.com website, Notice Board bulletins and through local radio are all available options. Consideration should also be given to informing the Primary School during term time.

NEIGHBOURING PARISHES 3.33 It may be appropriate to contact the Emergency Officer or Parish Clerk of Parish Council, which may or may not be involved in the same incident. If not, they may have resources which could be made available.

EVACUATION 3.34 Large scale evacuation is a last resort option. It involves significant planning and resources. The emergency services will advise if evacuation of an area should take place. 3.35 Depending on the type of incident, it may be necessary to evacuate people from their homes. Some people may be able to stay with family or friends or at a hotel; others may require emergency accommodation in the parish. Shotley CP School is an option but the local authority should, if possible, be consulted prior to any evacuation as they will be responsible for temporary accommodation.

TRANSPORT

3.36 The parish council cannot provide any insurance cover for vehicles. Any vehicles used are to be used by the owner at the owners’ own risk and discretion and should be appropriately insured. Volunteers are to be advised of this restriction.

4.0 Debrief, annual review and exercising

DEBRIEF

4.1 After the emergency it is recommended that a post incident de-brief takes place - it is important to establish what went well, what went wrong and to establish why. The feedback should be documented and fed back into the plan. Disseminate the lessons learnt to all concerned. The plan should then be exercised to ensure understanding.

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ANNUAL REVIEW

4.2 It is recommended that the contents of the plan are reviewed annually.

EXERCISING

4.3 It is recommended that the plan is exercised after any incident debrief, when amendments are made, and in any case annually.

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APPENDIX 1

EMERGENCY CENTRE BOX – CONTENTS

 Community Emergency Plan (copy)  Incident Log book  Map  Electoral register (copy)  First aid kit  A4 lined pads  Ballpoint pens  Wind up radio  Torches  High visibility waistcoats (6)  Rigger gloves  Latex protective gloves

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Appendix 2

RESOURCES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY

Contact details outlining people and resources within the community that may be able to assist in an emergency.

Resource available Contact Contact Number

Tractors – trailers – loader Richard Wrinch 01473 787318 Very basic French R J & H W Wrinch 07860 397502 Hill House Farm Wades Lane [email protected] Shotley Ipswich IP9 1EW

Tractors, trailer and telehandler, Andrew Packard 01473 787204 chain sawing Horace Packard & Sons 07935 513082 Mount Pleasant Main Road [email protected] Shotley Gate Ipswich IP9 1PW

Horticultural equipment including Ian Peters 01473 787460 chainsaws Wildlife and Gardening Services 07850 683661 4 Kirkton Close Shotley Gate [email protected] Ipswich IP9 1QG

German L J Hart 01473 787292

Hart Buildings Serenity 07747637955 Estuary Crescent Shotley Gate Ipswich IP9 1QA

General garage equipment, Nick Butler 01473 787261 Engineering The Corner Garage 07973 173930 The Street Shotley [email protected] Ipswich IP9 1LG

Accommodation and catering Mick Giddings 01473 787237 facilities The Rose Inn Jack of all trades! The Street Shotley Ipswich IP9 1NL

Post Office and General Stores Mr. Patel

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Gujarati, Hindi Shotley Street Post Office 01473 787281 The Street Shotley [email protected] Ipswich IP9 1LD

Family car Ivan Hill 01473 788529 General skills Marshmoor Bristol Hill Park Shotley Gate Ipswich IP9 1PY

Plumbing tools, van, ladders and Nat Mullett 01473 788999 dingy N D Mullett Plumbing & Heating 07721 026934 Plumbing Services 17 Kirkton Close [email protected] Shotley Gate Ipswich IP9 1QG

Buzabout Wendy Hughes 0845 458 1920 (9am – 5pm)

Wheelchair accessible vehicles for Suffolk House 07967 341 245 (out of hours) passenger transport 2 Wharfdale Road Ipswich IP1 4JP [email protected] Knowledge of moving people with mobility needs

Welder Michael Connell [email protected]

Wood work

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Appendix 3

USEFUL CONTACTS

Name / Contact Role Daytime contact number 24hr contact number

Emergency Services 999 999

Linda Rowlands Parish Clerk 01473 788248 [email protected]

33 Orwell View Road www.myshotley.com Shotley

IP9 1NW

Shotley Parish Council Linda Rowlands CET Graham Steel Through the Clerk or Through the Clerk Dave Steel See section 2.8 Jim Catling

Michael Connell Richard Jackaman Warren Rodgers Graham Brown

Suffolk Police 01473 613500 01473 613500

Suffolk Fire and Rescue 01473 260588 01473 260588

East Anglian Ambulance 0163 8561616 NHS Trust

Suffolk Resilience 01473 265321

NHS direct 0845 46 47

Shotley GP Surgery 01473 787435

Urgent out of hours 01473 299622

Mel Newman 01473 787255 [email protected]

Head Teacher Shotley Community Primary School

Richard Jackaman Village Hall co-ordinator 07917020837

Environment Agency Flood line 0845 988 1188

Environment Agency Incident Hotline 0800 807060 0800 807060

Transco Gas 0800 111 999 0800 111 999

Anglian water 24 hr enquiries

08457 145 145

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24 hr leaks

0800 771 881

Neighbouring Parish Chelmondiston Parish Clerk 01473 780138 Council Contact – Fran Sewell

Appendix 4

COMMUNITY INFORMATION – WEBSITE AND NOTICE BOARDS

Welcome to the Shotley Parish Council Community Emergency Plan

Produced in partnership with the local community, parish council and Strategic Continuity Ltd, a consultancy specialising in emergency planning, our plan sets out how Shotley Parish

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Council will provide local assistance and parish information in support of the emergency services in times of a major emergency.

Emergency an event or situation which: threatens serious injury to life or homelessness, damage to property, or effects the supply of food, water, energy or fuel, causes disruption of a system of communication, transport, health or serious damage to the environment.

Widespread emergencies are generally related to severe weather and/or failure in essential public services/utilities. The former tends to cause the latter. The emergency services are often unable to meet the initial demand for assistance and will be prioritised in favour of the neediest areas. Shotley may be physically or practically isolated from outside help in the short term.

Civil Contingencies Act 2004 imposes a legal duty on local authorities and a moral responsibility for town and parish councils to prepare and maintain Emergency Plans.

Shotley Parish Council has appointed an Emergency Officer and formed a small team of volunteers to form an Emergency Team. It hopes to recruit more volunteers to help in times of emergency and make use of local resources. Good local pre-planning, coordination and communications will ensure that limited external assistance is applied to best effect in a widespread emergency.

How prepared are we for an emergency?

What would our community do if we were isolated and unlikely to receive external assistance for 24 hours or more?

Who would take the lead in coordinating any local response?

Do we know what resources, human or otherwise, are available within the community for use in such an emergency?

Would our community be able to put these resources to best use and later integrate them with external assistance?

Are we aware who the most vulnerable people are within our community during an emergency and what their special needs are?

Is the community aware of any significant local hazards, which may exacerbate a general emergency situation?

In the initial stages of an emergency we will

 Activate the Community Emergency Plan and emergency information webpage on MyShotley.com, providing timely updates advice and information. Initial action for the community will be go home tune in to the radio and follow advice.

 Open and set up a pre-designated Community Emergency Centre and nominate a Response Coordinator who will liaise with the emergency services.

 Advise the Police that the centre is open and the contact arrangements and give them a local situation report.

 Mobilise necessary human and physical resources.

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 Ensure there are adequate communications with mobilised resources.

 Set up and staff a Temporary Rest Centre if necessary.

 Coordinate availability of human and physical resources on a priority basis.

 Provide information to the community, using MyShotley.com, local radio, and where necessary information posters on the community notice boards.

What should I do in an Emergency?

 Call 999and listen to the advice of the emergency services.

 Check on your neighbours.

 Go in, stay in, tune in to the local radio and follow advice.

Prepare:  A list of useful phone numbers such as your doctor and close friends and relatives.  Home and car keys.  Toiletries and prescribed medication.  A battery radio with spare batteries.  A torch, spare batteries, candles and matches.  First aid kit.  Mobile phone.  Cash and credit cards.  Spare clothes and blankets.

What should I do before an Emergency?

 Where and how to turn off water, gas and electricity supplies in your home.  The emergency procedures for your children at school.  The emergency procedures at your place of work.  How you will stay in contact with your family in the event of an emergency.  If any elderly or vulnerable neighbours might need your help.  How to tune into your local radio station.  How to contact your Household Insurers.  If you are in a flood risk area, check by going to www.environment.agency.gov.uk or by calling 0845 988 1188.  Keep a stock of bottled water, ready to eat food (e.g. rice, pasta, tinned food, and a bottle / tin opener.  Stock up on heating products: coal, wood, bottled gas.

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