Responding Agencies
Background
This section outlines the roles and responsibilities of the main agencies and sectors that are likely to become engaged in the response to and recovery from emergencies at the local level. This section describes arrangements in both England and Wales unless otherwise stated. For further information on the Devolved Administrations (DAs) and their arrangements, see the DAs section.
Police services
The police will normally co-ordinate the activities of those responding at and around the scene of a land-based sudden impact emergency. The key priority is the saving and protection of life but care will also be taken to safeguard evidence for subsequent enquiries and, possibly, criminal proceedings.
Where practical, the police, in consultation with other responders, establish cordons to facilitate the work of the responding agencies in the saving of life, the protection of the public and property and the care of survivors. Where terrorist action is suspected to be the cause of an emergency, the police will take additional measures to protect the scene (which will be treated as the scene of a crime) and will assume overall control of the incident. The police oversee any criminal investigation and undertake the collection of evidence. They have responsibility for arranging for the removal of fatalities on behalf of HM Coroner, who has the legal responsibility for investigating the cause of any deaths involved.
Fire and rescue services
The primary role of fire and rescue services in an emergency is the rescue of people trapped by fire, wreckage or debris. They will also deal with released chemicals or other contaminants, assist other agencies in the removal of large quantities of flood water and assist ambulance services with casualty-handling and the police with the recovery of bodies. They may also, on behalf of the NHS, undertake mass decontamination of people who have been exposed to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) substances.
Health bodies
Ambulance services have responsibility for co-ordinating the on-site NHS response and determining the hospital(s) to which injured people should be taken. An Ambulance Incident Officer (AIO) will take overall responsibility at the scene and a Medical Incident Officer (MIO) may also attend.
More broadly, Acute trusts, Primary and community care services, Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) in England and Local Health Boards in Wales will all be engaged in the provision of specialist staff and care following an emergency.
In the event of a major public health emergency, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) provides specialist scientific/medical advice. The Regional Directors of Public Health (RDsPH), who represent the Chief Medical Officer in the English regions, provide advice, support and leadership to help the SHAs and wider NHS to manage the emergency, and ensure co-ordination with regional resilience mechanisms. In Wales, public health advice is available from the National Public Health Service for Wales.
In emergencies on a national or international scale, the Department of Health (DH) will co-ordinate the NHS response from its Emergency Preparedness Division Co-ordinating Centre, supporting health Ministers, and liaising with the devolved administrations.
HM Coroner
In an emergency, the coroner will be responsible for establishing the identity of fatalities and the cause and circumstances of death. Following the recovery of the deceased from the emergency (usually co-ordinated by police) the coroner will decide whether a post mortem is required to establish the cause of death.
Coroners should have an emergency plan for their own mortuaries in dealing with multiple deaths. They are also instrumental in the development of local and regional emergency mortuary plans.
The role of the coroners in responding to emergencies is detailed in the Home Office document Guidance on Dealing with Fatalities in Emergencies (May 2004) [PDF, 94 pages, 677KB].
Local authorities
Local authority functions (e.g. social services and housing) will be a critical support to emergency services during an emergency. They also crucially exercise a community leadership role. Local authorities planners co-ordinate and facilitate emergency planning and response work across the authority.
As the emphasis moves from response to recovery, the local authority will take the lead in facilitating the longer-term rehabilitation of the community and the restoration of the environment.
Government agencies and other NDPBs
A range of other government bodies will have key roles to play, depending on the type of emergency. These could include:
- the Environment Agency in an incident affecting the environment (flood or pollution incidents);
- the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in its role of ensuring the health and safety of people in their workplaces (including the responding emergency services), as well as its regulatory role in sites such as nuclear installations, hospitals, schools and railway safety, and its specialist expertise in CBRN and major hazard industrial sites;
- the Highways Agency in an incident affecting the road network in England (the Welsh Assembly Government has responsibility for motorways and trunk roads in Wales); and
- the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in incidents requiring civil maritime search and rescue (HM Coastguard) or where pollution or safety at sea is a factor. Their role is detailed in the Search and Rescue Framework for the United Kingdom [External PDF, 54 pages, 828KB] and the National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution [External website]. Both documents may be found on the MCA's website [External website].
- the Government Decontamination Service [External website] in its role of providing advice and guidance to those responsible for dealing with decontamination following a CBRN or major HazMat (Hazardous Materials) incident.
The Armed Forces
The Armed Forces' national structure, organisation, skills, equipment and training can be of benefit to the civil authorities in managing the response to and recovery from emergencies. This support is governed by the Military Aid to the Civil Authority (MACA) arrangements (set out in detail in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) publication Operations in the UK: The Defence Contribution to Resilience) [PDF, 317 pages 2.6MB].
However, it should be made clear that the Armed Forces maintain no standing forces for MACA tasks and hence cannot make a commitment that guarantees assistance to meet specific emergencies. The Armed Forces should be called upon only as a last resort, and responding agencies should not base plans upon assumptions of military assistance.
Emergency Planning College (EPC) [External website] is the leading provider of training for emergency preparedness, attracting delegates with responsibility for preventing, planning for, responding to or recovering from a major incident. The EPC runs Defence Contribution to UK Resilience [External website] as well as courses on other aspects of civil protection.
The private sector
There is a wide range of private sector bodies that - while not routinely involved in the core of emergency response and recovery - will have an important role when incidents affect their sectors. They include: gas and electricity transmitters and distributors; fixed and mobile telecommunications providers; water and sewerage undertakers; and a range of transport companies. These organisations are defined under the Civil Contingencies Act as Category 2 responders, with a requirement to co-operate and share information with Category 1 and other Category 2 responders.
A wider community of industrial or commercial organisations may also play a direct role in the response to emergencies, especially if their organisation is the cause of an emergency (e.g. industrial accident at their premises); is affected by an emergency (e.g. staff need to be evacuated); or can provide resources required to mitigate the effects of an emergency (e.g. food retailers, caterers). In the recovery phase, the private sector will play a significant part, given the size of the resources, specialist expertise and capabilities (e.g. site clearance, decontamination and engineering) at its disposal. Insurance is a key enabler in the recovery process and hence a key player.
The Preparing for Emergencies [External website] website provides information on the various arrangements for business involvement [External website] in civil protection.
The voluntary sector
The voluntary sector can provide a wide range of skills and services to statutory responders. These skills and services include: practical support (e.g. first aid, transportation, provisions for responders); psycho-social support (e.g. counselling, helplines); equipment (e.g. radios, medical equipment); and information services (such as public training and communications).
The Preparing for Emergencies [External website] website provides information on the various arrangements for engagement with voluntary and community groups [External website] in civil protection.
The community
The community can play a vital role in the response to and recovery from emergencies. It can provide resources, expertise and knowledge in support of the response agencies. Members of the community may need to provide self-help and can also provide support for local vulnerable people. There will also be local networks for the dissemination of information that the response agencies need to pass on to the local community. The community may also be able to advise on the different cultural or language needs of its members.
Key Documents
You should refer to:
- Emergency Response and Recovery, Chapter 3 - "Responding agencies" [PDF, 9 pages, 52KB] (pp11-19).
- Emergency Preparedness - particularly:
- The Home Office document Guidance on Dealing with Fatalities in Emergencies (May 2004) [PDF, 94 pages, 677KB] details the role of the coroners and their officers in terms of planning and responding to emergencies.
- The Needs of Faith Communities in Major Emergencies: Some Guidelines [PDF, 48 pages, 274KB] - Revised Home Office and Cabinet Office guidance document
- Key Communities, Key Resources: Engaging the capacity and capabilities of faith communities in Civil Resilience [External website]
- The Ministry of Defence (MoD) joint doctrine publication Operations in the UK: The Defence Contribution to Resilience [PDF, 317 pages 2.6MB] - sets out the detailed rules and procedures governing the employment of the Armed Forces for MACA operations.
- The Role of the Insurance Industry in dealing with Civil Emergencies [PDF, 3 pages 134KB]
Key Links
You should refer to:
Other Links
You may also wish to refer to:
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