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Civil Contingencies Act
Following the fuel crisis and the severe flooding in the autumn and winter of 2000, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a review of national emergency planning arrangements. The review reinforced the Government’s conclusion that the existing legislation no longer provided an adequate framework for modern civil protection and that new legislation was needed.
This new legislation is known as the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. Under the Act organisations involved in civil protection are divided into two categories known as Category 1 and Category 2 responders. Category 1 responders include principal local authorities, the Police, Ambulance, Fire and Rescue Services and other key responders. Category 2 responders include utilities and transport.
As a category 1 responder, the act places a number of duties on North Hertfordshire District Council as a local authority. The main functions include:
- Assess the risk of an emergency occurring.
- Prepare, test and validate major incident and business continuity plans.
- Share these plans with other category 1 responders.
- Train and equip staff to respond to an emergency by using these plans.
- Work with the voluntary sector.
- Provide advice and support to the public regarding major incidents.
- Work with the business community to promote Business Continuity Planning.
Hertfordshire Resilience
Category 1 and 2 organisations are required to form ‘Local Resilience Forums’ based on police areas which will help co-ordination and co-operation between responders locally. This forum is known in Hertfordshire as Hertfordshire Resilience (formerly known as the Hertfordshire Emergency Services Major Incident Committee, ‘HESMIC’).
NHDC and Stevenage Borough Council hold their Local Emergency Planning Forum meetings together, this has improved communication and understanding of our respective responses to major incidents. The forum enables representatives from the Local Authority, voluntary organisations and the blue light services to meet and discuss local issues, training, testing and validation of plans. The meetings ensure there is a standard approach to plans, terminology and awareness across the member groups. North Hertfordshire also has a number of borders with other County Councils and District, Borough and Unitary Authorities outside Hertfordshire. Liaison meetings are held annually with all neighbouring Authorities to discuss cross-border issues.
The forum has a number of committees and sub-committees with responsibility to provide a standard framework for responding to major incidents across the county, these include:
- Training Committee
- Local Authority Committee
- Risk Assessment Working Group
- Specialist / Capability Groups
Further information about Emergency Planning can be found on Hertfordshire County Council web site