UK Resilience
Last updated: 25 October 2008
The Beacon Scheme identifies excellence and innovation in local government. It is unique amongst award schemes because not only is it an accolade for excellence and new ways of working, it is also about sharing knowledge and experience for the benefit of everyone. In 2006-07 emergency planning featured as a beacon theme and seven local authorities and emergency planning units were awarded beacon status for emergency planning.
The Department for Communities and Local Government awarded the following authorities Beacon Status:
Cleveland Emergency Planning Unit has produced a number of initiatives to warn and inform the public about emergencies, including a z-card which has been distributed to every household in the area. They have also developed an extensive multi-agency training and exercise program.
Essex County Council has developed a package of care which offers a range of methods for providing practical and emotional support to those affected by an emergency. They have also developed initiatives to warn and inform school children about emergencies.
Gloucestershire County Council Partnership has embedded and shared a well established Business Continuity Management process with other category 1 partners. Additionally a Voluntary Accreditation Scheme ensures that their volunteers are able to respond effectively to any emergency.
Hertfordshire County Council has responded effectively to a number of high profile emergencies. They have developed systems for ensuring that lessons from incidents are learnt and embedded into plans and procedures.
Humber Emergency Planning Service has developed a number of e-learning packages to ensure staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities in business continuity and emergency response. They have also developed good practices in COMAH planning and exercising.
Nottinghamshire County Council Partnership works closely with their communities to improve resilience to flooding and ensures that they consult with vulnerable members of the community. They have also worked to ensure that schools are prepared for emergencies.
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council consults closely with community groups to ensure they can respond effectively to the needs of their communities during an emergency. They have also developed some incident management software.
The Beacons will be holding six national events between January 2008 and June 2008 which will explore different aspects of emergency planning including:
The events will allow colleagues to hear some of the solutions that the beacon authorities have developed and will also enable colleagues to work together to develop ideas to take away and use in their own organisations.
Further information about these events, including details of how to book your place, is provided in a bulletin to local responders [PDF, 2 pages, 114KB] (December 2007)
Further information about the emergency planning beacons can be found at the IDeA website [External website]. Please follow this link to read about some case studies of their work.
Or contact the Beacon Coordinators:
Southern Beacon Co-ordinatorsLinks to Authorities websites:
General enquiries: Cabinet Office, 22 Whitehall, London SW1A 2WH.
Contact: via feedback form.
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