Community Resilience

Community Resilience Framework - Consultation Paper 2010/11

In March 2010, a public consultation was launched by the national government on a package of draft documents about community resilience. The documents included draft guidance for individuals and communities on how to prepare for emergencies. The aim is to Increase individual, family and community resilience against all threats and hazards

The documents were produced as a result of work with a range of stakeholder groups since November 2008. These included members of the public, local and national voluntary agencies, businesses, emergency responders and government departments.

The consultation closed on 1 July 2010. We aim to publish the Government response to the consultation and finalised documents in the near future.

Once these documents have been produced, the Resilience Team intend to incorporate the newly formed guidance in to Herefordshire's existing strategies.

Rest Centres

The recently amended Rest Centre Activation Guidance was tested and validated as part of Exercise Unite in November 2010.  The newly trained Rest Centre Managers were part of exercise.  Students from the Hereford Sixth Form College and RNCB acted as evacuees, each being given a script to follow giving the Rest Centre Team a number of issues that would need resolving.  Some of these issues were ones that had been presented in 'real' Rest Centres during some of the incidents in Herefordshire over the past 8 years.
As part of the re-vamp of these procedures, changes were made to the Registration Process and other form filling requirements to make them either simpler to complete or eradicated.

Newly stocked Rest Centre boxes have since been compiled and issued to their respective holding areas which are either in or near to the pre-identified buildings that would be used as a Rest Centre.

The Resilience Team would like to hear from anyone interested in volunteering to be a member of the Rest Centre Team.  Training will be conducted later in the year and will be notified to all staff. Please contact the Community Resilience Emergency Planning Officer, Ian Baker, on 01432 260223 or via email on ibaker@herefordshire.gov.uk.

Antiviral Collection Points (ACPs)

As part of Swine Flu planning, the Resilience Team has produced an Antiviral Collection Point (ACP) Activation Guidance.  This document explains what an ACP is and why we would need to open one.  In general terms, if we were to enter a pandemic of any illness, if the Community Pharmacies were not able to cope with the increased volume of patients collecting their antivirals, a decision would be made to open an ACP.  This resource would also be used for mass vaccination purposes of any illness - such as measles.

The document contains the process and procedures to open an ACP in pre-designated buildings along with Action Cards for the various roles that would need to be filled by staff who would be re-deployed there.  At this stage it would be difficult to train staff in these roles as we do not know which members of staff would be re-deployed from their primary duty.  However, if we were to see an increase in numbers as part of the pandemic, we would then be able to plan, in partnership with Human Resources, for who would need to be trained. 

The document also contains a floor layout out of the buildings showing patient flow around the site.  The layout plans are also accompanied by Clinical Risk Assessments.

Herefordshire County Volunteers Emergency Committee (CVEC)

Major emergencies could over stretch the resources of the Emergency Services, Herefordshire Public Services and the value of additional support from the voluntary sector has been demonstrated on many occasions.  These occasions have shown that overall co-ordination of voluntary activity, results in a more efficient response.  It is recognised that the local Category 1 Responders bear the responsibility for the overall response to an emergency, but the voluntary sector can and do offer valuable support.
It is of vital importance that, if disaster strikes, the voluntary sector should be able to contribute what has been mutually agreed and written into local plans.  The County Volunteers Emergency Committee (CVEC) Major Emergency Manual has been developed and produced with the close collaboration of the voluntary aid societies represented.  It provides for a well defined and mutually agreed structure designed to integrate volunteer support with the planned response of the emergency services and Herefordshire Public Services.

The planning process, however, does not stop with the publication of this document.  We must build upon the wealth of expertise and the training already carried out within each CVEC organisation. Opportunities for joint training and exercising with the statutory services are vital to the implementation of these measures in order that problems can be identified, plans and procedures updated and good working relationships fostered.

We all earnestly hope that the plans and procedures painstakingly prepared and maintained are never needed.  In the event of a sudden or unpredictable calamity affecting our community these arrangements would contribute towards meeting the requirements for a combined and co-ordinated response.

For more information please contact the Community Resilience Emergency Planning Officer, Ian Baker on 01432 260223 or via email on ibaker@herefordshire.gov.uk

Resources

Water Distribution Plan

3452 kb

Community Resilience Plan Template

326 kb

CVEC Emergency Manual

3239 kb

If you need help to understand a document, or would like it in another format or language, please call 01432 260500 or email info@herefordshire.gov.uk

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