PARISH EMERGENCY PLAN - October 2008
Introduction
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Parish Councils in Devon are encouraged by Devon County Council, (and in East Devon, the District Council) to write simple self help emergency plans to enable the parish to support itself during an emergency.
There are currently no specific legal requirements for parishes to undertake emergency planning, however, S. 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 gives parish councils the power to do anything that will benefit the community (or part of it) where there is no other specific power covering the action.
Planning Assumptions
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A plan must be relevant and appropriate to the needs of the community served by the parish, and should be based on an assessment of the likely and foreseeable risks faced by the community.
Hazards that may affect the parish are shown at Annex A.
Most major incidents that could occur in the parish would be responded to by the emergency services or other statutory bodies and would not require significant self-help measures to be implemented.
In the event of a major incident occurring where the emergency services or other statutory bodies are unable to respond, it is likely that local residents would take action to assist those immediately affected. This occurred some years ago when a severe storm caused widespread damage throughout Devon . The demands on the Emergency Services meant they were unable to attend many incidents, and people in Silverton responded to help people affected in the locality.
Aim
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The Parish Council may be able to assist in co-ordinating the response to a major emergency, but is more likely to be involved in the recovery from an incident.
The aim of this plan is to outline how the parish council can contribute to the recovery from an emergency that has affected the parish.
Objectives
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- To have procedures in place for notifying members of the parish council if a major incident has occurred
- To have contact details of other key statutory organisations
- To have details of key resources within the parish
Parish Emergency Committee
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In the event of an emergency affecting the parish, the parish council could form an Emergency Committee to work with statutory agencies to contribute to the recovery from an incident.
Notification
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Contact details for all members of the Parish Council are listed at Annex B.
Notification by the Parish Council
Should an incident occur which is considered to require the intervention and support of the parish council, the Chair, Vice Chair, or Clerk should be contacted. If it is agreed to convene an Emergency Committee, the Chair, Vice Chair, or Clerk will notify other Parish Councillors.
Notification by East Devon District Council:
Should an incident occur which requires the intervention and support of the parish council, East Devon District Council should contact the first available Councillor listed at Annex B, who will notify other Councillors.
Records
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A record of significant events and expenditure must be maintained throughout an emergency.
Records must be retained and kept secure by the Parish Clerk to provide documentary evidence for any subsequent enquiry, and/or to support claims for financial reimbursement e.g. via insurance claims or as part of a claim made by the District Council.
Annex A - Hazard Assessment
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|
HAZARD |
LIKELIHOOD |
SEVERITY |
CONSEQUENCE |
|
ENVIRONMENTAL |
|
|
|
|
Snow
|
Annual light falls
Occasional heavy falls |
Usually minor
Occasionally heavy and prolonged |
Disruption to amenities and transport network |
|
Flooding
Fluvial and surface water
|
Rivers Exe and Creedy flood plain frequently floods during periods of prolonged rainfall. |
Majority of parish not in low-lying areas. |
Disruption to transport. |
|
Minor watercourses frequently flood during periods of prolonged rainfall. |
Relatively small number of properties affected |
Properties and roads adjacent to watercourses will be affected. |
|
Occasional flash flooding from stream running through Jackmoor. |
Stream quickly subsides |
Relatively small number of properties affected on ground floor. |
|
Surface water/run-off from fields frequent during periods of prolonged rainfall. |
Minor impact primarily on roads |
Properties and roads adjacent to watercourses will be affected. |
|
Wind
|
More frequent in winter months
|
Occasionally severe
|
Risk of death or injury.
Potential for widespread damage to property and disruption to amenities, particularly power and communications. Emergency Services stretched therefore response times increased. |
|
Drought
|
Infrequent
|
Major disruption if service reduced or standpipes introduced
|
Restrictions on usage.
Use of standpipes.
Greater consequences for certain groups, e.g. elderly people, people on dialysis |
|
Thunderstorms |
Periodic, especially in summer |
Can be severe |
Disruption to amenities, e.g. power and communications |
|
TECHNICAL |
|
|
|
|
Industrial activities
Water Treatment Works |
Low |
Minor impact to property nearby |
Possible smoke plume but likely to be dispersed over distance or flooding |
|
Three Horseshoes Service Station
Explosion and fire |
Possible |
Severe in immediate area of incident |
Major impact to life/property /environment |
|
Natural gas pipelines
Explosion and fire |
Possible |
Severe in immediate area of incident |
Major impact to life/property /environment |
|
TRANSPORT |
|
|
|
|
Road
A377 at Cowley
Exeter/Crediton road
|
Possible |
Major impact to life/property /environment if heavy vehicle and/or hazardous substances involved |
Danger to life/property/ environment
Disruption to road traffic |
|
Railway
Exeter to Barnstaple line
|
Possible |
Major impact on premises and environment immediately adjacent to line
Lesser impact further away from line |
Major disruption to rail network
Possible impact on adjacent road network |
|
Air
Flights from Exeter Airport
International airspace
Low flying military aircraft. |
Possible |
Catastrophic especially in larger settlements |
Major impact to life/property /environment
Long term disruption and recovery issues |
|
MISCELLANEOUS |
|
|
|
|
Thatched properties
Fire
|
Possible particularly during winter months |
Impact on property concerned and adjacent premises |
Spread of fire
Possible need for temporary accommodation and re-housing |
Annex B - Emergency Contact Details
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Parish Council
First person contacted will notify all other Councillors
|
Name |
Role/ resources |
Locality |
|
Jacqui Ward - Clerk
clerkuppc@yahoo.co.uk
01392 851918
07777685599 |
Contact coordinator, record keeper |
2, Broadgate Cottage
Newton St Cyres
EX5 5AY |
|
Pamela Keen - Chairwoman
pamkeen@btinternet.com
01392 841307
07793142520 |
Hospitality, support |
Elm Cottage,
Upton Pyne
EX5 5HZ |
|
Bob Short -Vice Chair bobandissy@hotmail.com. |
Hospitality, support |
West barn, Coxes Hill Farm,
Upton Pyne EX 5HZ |
|
Ed Rogers igor_120@hotmail.com. |
Trailer |
2 Dewneys Court,
Upton Pyne, EX5 5EQ |
|
Nick Taverner nickkaren.taverner@btinternet.com |
Tractor, chain saw |
Pierces Farm,
Upton Pyne EX5 5JA |
|
Stewart Wass mailto:stewrat@upec.co.uk |
Tractor and chains for towing out vehicles etc plus front loader with bucket - perhaps just say tractor
Chain saw
Temporary storage/parking
Access to water pump |
UPEC
Upton Pyne EX5 5H Y |
|
Deborah Custance-Baker custancebaker@msn.com |
Hospitalty, support |
Politimore
EX4 OAB |
|
Nick Taverner nickkaren.taverner@btinternet.com |
Organisational Skills |
Pierces Farm, Upton Pyne,
EX5 5JA |
|
Anthony Jackson aj@bernavillenurseries.eclipse.co.uk
|
Hospitality |
Tree Tops,
Three HorseShoes
Cowley EX5 5EU |
|
|
|
Parish Resources
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|
Resource |
Key Holder |
Key Holder |
Key Holder |
|
Upton Pyne Parish Hall(Temporary Shelter) |
Ian Findlay |
Cheryl Mitchell |
Peggy Knight |
|
Three Horseshoes Inn(Temporary Shelter) |
|
Lesley Stone |
|
Contact details should only be used in an emergency and not disclosed to unauthorised persons.
Other Emergency Contacts
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|
Emergency Services |
999 |
|
|
Police Crime Stoppers |
0800 555 111 |
|
|
Police Non-urgent enquiries |
08452 777444 |
|
|
East Devon District Council |
01395 516551 |
01395 517584 (Home Guard) |
|
|
(Out of hours emergencies) |
|
Devon County Council |
01392 382000 |
01392 382000 |
|
01392 499499 |
(emergencies, trading standards) |
|
South West Water |
01392 446688 |
|
|
Transco (gas emergencies) |
0800 111 999 |
|
|
Western Power Distribution (electricity supply) |
0800 365 900 |
|
|
British Telecom |
151 (from a BT line) or 0800 800 151 |
|
|
Environment Agency |
0800 80 70 60 |
|