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COMMUNITY
SAFETY SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 2 JULY 2007
EMERGENCY
PLANNING - EVALUATION 12 MONTHS ON
Background & Rationale for the Review
The
review of the Council’s emergency planning arrangements was undertaken due to
the occurrence of events such as flooding, terrorist attacks and foot and
mouth. These events had highlighted the disruption that man-made emergencies
can bring. Therefore the main aims of the review were to:
·
Review the
Council’s approach and arrangements for emergency planning.
·
Assess
Oxfordshire County Council’s level of preparedness for duties imposed by the
Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and its likely speed of response.
·
Review the
effectiveness of communications with the public and local organisations on
arrangements to be followed in the event of an emergency.
·
Establish how
effectively emergency planning is integrated with regional and national
planning and what value GOSE adds.
Summary of Key Points
·
Overall the
review group concluded that there is an effective team of appropriately
experienced and trained staff to undertake planning and to respond to
emergencies.
·
The County
Council can demonstrate involvement in relevant local joint multi-agency
arrangements, including coordination of effective resource sharing. It has
reconfirmed its arrangements about mutual aid with neighbouring authorities.
·
Plans have been
developed to tackle a wide range of major incidents that could impact on local
communities. These plans are generally clear and unambiguous and are explicitly
linked to risk assessments.
·
A programme of
training covers general staff awareness and specific requirements for
identified staff. It involves people from relevant voluntary and community
sectors and other agency partners.
·
A range of
communication and warning systems are in place, although there are signs the
public may have been complacent in their reliance on ordinary means such as
television and their mobile phones. Much more could be done to raise awareness
amongst the public as to the preventative steps that they should take.
·
Some areas of
partnership working could be improved, in particular the relationship between
GOSE and the Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum run by the Police but in
which the Council participates. Mechanisms are in place to develop further a
regional approach and response, through which the Council makes a contribution
to the regional and national civil contingencies agenda.
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