Blackpool is a safe place to live. However, it is important to recognise that major emergencies can happen at any time and in any place. Incidents might be of an environmental nature, like flooding, or as a result of technology failure, or an industrial emergency like the Buncefield oil fire or even a deliberate terrorist attack.
When emergencies do occur, many different agencies are involved from the initial stages of the response, right through to the recovery phase.
There are of course, the highly visible Emergency Responders such as the Police, Fire and Ambulance Service, but they are also supported in the intermediate and longer term by a whole host of other agencies in the public, private and voluntary sector. These are known as Category 1 & Category 2 Responders.
It is crucial that each of these organisations has planned its response and that these plans are co-ordinated to avoid confusion in the immediate aftermath of an incident.
Whilst the Police will normally take the lead in co-ordinating the agencies response to the emergency, Blackpool Council’s Emergency Planning Section undertakes a significant role in helping the entire Council to plan for, respond to and recover from an emergency.
The Emergency Planning Section’s primary responsibility is to ensure that Blackpool Council has a flexible, robust and resilient ‘Major Emergency Plan to deal with all possible eventualities’. This is to ensure the Council can respond promptly and appropriately to any major incident, which occurs within the town or has an impact on Blackpool.
The Major Emergency Plan prepares for, and deals with, a range of major incidents. Potential incidents that may require an emergency response from Blackpool Council include:
- Severe weather incidents (flood, snow, storms, heat wave)
- Major transport accidents (road, rail, air, sea)
- Major fires & explosions
- Chemical and pollution incidents
- Health related diseases and epidemics
- Animal diseases (foot and mouth, bird flu, etc.)
- Structural collapse (buildings, roads, etc.)
- Terrorism
The Emergency Planning Team co-ordinates the planning, training, exercising, activation and management of Blackpool Council’s response to emergencies i.e. the Major Emergency Plan.
The Major Emergency Plan is constantly reviewed and updated and a programme of training and exercising takes place to ensure that staff and other agencies are aware of their roles and responsibilities and the contribution themselves and others will make.
The Emergency Planning Team works in partnership with:
- All Council Departments
- The Emergency Services
- Health Services
- Voluntary Agencies
- Other agencies who have a role in the response and recovery phases of an emergency.
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