Civil protection: emergency planning and response
We have the same responsibility for dealing with emergencies as organisations like the police, fire brigade and ambulance service.
Working in partnership with the emergency services, voluntary sector, faith groups and community organisations, we prepare for potential emergencies that could affect the borough, by identifying risks, and plan ways to reduce or control their impact, through the creation of emergency plans, procedures and preparations. This process of risk identification and planning, forms the basis of emergency planning.
Identifying risks
We host the local borough resilience forum (BRF), a partnership bringing together local representatives from the emergency services, local authority departments, government agencies, health care providers, utility companies, voluntary organisations, faith representatives, businesses and the military.
Meeting quarterly, the BRF works to collectively identify and assess national, regional and local risks that could impact Hackney. We give each risk a score based on its likelihood and potential impact.
We collate the results to form Hackney’s Community Risk Register (CRR). The CRR expands on and provides local context to the national and London risk registers, boosting the borough’s resilience, by providing a format for monitoring and managing risks, as well as informing work priorities for multi agency emergency planning teams.
- summary of risks to Hackney residents and businesses with advice and guidance (google slides)
- community risk register – public facing copy (google docs)
- Hackney Resilience Forum terms of reference (PDF 381kb)
- London risk register
Planning for risks
We’re responsible for maintaining both the Community Risk Register (CRR), and the emergency plans which are developed to deal with the risks set out within it.
There are certain risks, such as flooding and pandemic flu, which require their own distinct emergency plan, however most risks identified in the CRR are planned for via the Hackney Incident Plan (PDF 10.8mb). The Hackney Incident Plan sets out the basic principles for how the Council prepares for, responds to and recovers from emergencies.
We have also planned for pandemic influenza. See our City and Hackney combined multi-agency pandemic influenza plan 2020 to 2023 (google doc)
Responding to emergencies
As well as planning for potential emergencies, we also work alongside the emergency services when responding to of any incidents. Our response capabilities include:
- establishing the Borough Emergency Control Centre (BECC) to coordinate the Council’s response;
- setting up and staffing an emergency centre to provide temporary accommodation for evacuees;
- deploying waste services to clear debris and rubble from the streets and pavements;
- conducting health and safety assessments;
- providing care for vulnerable residents affected by an incident;
- monitoring incidents via the CCTV control room;
- provide engineering expertise and support for dangerous structures;
- liaising with tenants through their assigned Housing Officer;
- providing mutual aid to other councils