Hertfordshire is a safe place to live, but we need to accept that disasters will occasionally happen. When they do, many different agencies will be involved in the response as no single agency has all of the skills or resources needed.
It is crucial that these organisations have planned their response and that plans are coordinated to avoid confusion in the immediate aftermath of an incident.
St. Albans City and District Council has an important role to play in an emergency in the district/borough. We are committed to providing information and advice to our residents about any potential emergency.
Use these pages for advice and guidance with regard to potential emergencies, whether it is a major incident, severe weather or possible flu pandemic.
There is also advice here covering factors that you may not immediately think of – issues such as how you can prepare for emergencies, and recovering after an incident.
Local Authorities
The principal concern of local authorities in an emergency is to provide support for the people in their area. Generally, this is achieved by co-operating with the emergency services in the overall response and by co-ordinating the response activities of organisations other than the emergency services.
Resources of the local authority will be used to lessen the effect of emergencies on people, property and infrastructure. In addition to dealing with the incident, normal support and care for the local and wider community must continue throughout any disruption.
As the emphasis moves in time from immediate response to recovery, the local authority will take a leading role in the rehabilitation of the community and the restoration of the environment.
St. Albans City and District Council as a local authority has particular responsibilities in emergencies in relation to the safety of structures; emergency shelter and re-housing and environmental health issues.
St. Albans City and District Council Arrangements
Internal emergency procedures are in place to ensure that, should an incident occur an Emergency Management Team can be established to ensure that both the demands of the incident and the demands of continuing normal service under unusual circumstances can be met. This includes planning how we will continue to function if the incident involved council property or staff.
The authority also has an emergency planning officer and full-time Risk Management and Community Resilience Officer who are responsible for emergency planning, business continuity and risk management.
St. Albans City and District Council buys into the traded service provided by Hertfordshire County Council District Emergency Planning Team and benefits from a dedicated HCC emergency planning officer who works in partnership with the district to enhance the authority’s emergency preparedness.
In addition to key officers whose jobs automatically mean they could have a role to play in the council’s response to an incident, St. Albans District Council has a volunteer team. These are members of our staff who have volunteered to help in an incident, for example by staffing a rest centre, helping in the control centre, or supporting key officers at scene. All volunteers are provided with appropriate equipment for their role and take part in a training programme, so that they are familiar with their roles and responsibilities in an emergency.
Date of last review: 25 June 2009