Civil Contingencies in Oldham

Most of us will never face a major incident during our lifetime and the chance of a major disaster occurring in Oldham is low. However, Oldham Council and the emergency services must be ready to respond.

Incidents vary by their nature and their effects; therefore the response to any such incident will be a combined and co-ordinated response. This is known as Integrated Emergency Management. The key principles are:

Assessment

Emergency planning involves assessing risks of potential threats or hazards (i.e. Explosions, chemical spills, flooding, fire, terrorism).

Prevention

Certain kinds of activity carry known risks and are subject to legal requirements for adopting prevention measures (such as chemical/gas sites).

Preparation

Preparation involves planning, training and exercising, by and with, all emergency organisations.

Response

The initial response is normally provided by the statutory emergency services supported as necessary by the appropriate local authorities and other organisations involved including voluntary services.

Recovery

The recovery will encompass those activities necessary to provide a rapid return to normality.

The common objectives of an integrated response are to:

save life;
prevent escalation;
relieve suffering;
safeguard the environment;
protect property;
enable investigation and enquiries;
inform the public;
facilitate subsequent recovery; and
restore normality.

Business Continuity

Factsheet - Business Continuity

The Civil Contingencies Act

Local Authority emergency planning responsibilities are carried out in accordance with a variety of statutory requirements and legislation.

Visit the UK Resilience website to find out more about Civil Protection and the Civil Contingencies Act.

The Greater Manchester Resilience website will take you to:

The Greater Manchester Community Risk Register 2005/6
The Greater Manchester Profile Document 2005/6