Civil Protection and Emergency Preparedness

Emergencies and disasters can happen suddenly, unexpectedly and anywhere, from fires to flooding, from chemical leaks to explosions, and from aircraft crashes to severe weather. It can mean the loss of basic services including water, electricity and gas, and telephones, damage or threat of damage to homes and businesses by flooding, fire or blast, and evacuation from homes and businesses may be needed or, conversely, that everyone must remain indoors for an extended period of time.

The Emergency Planning Unit's primary responsibility is to ensure that Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council has a robust and resilient Major Emergency Plan. This is to enable Tameside Council to respond promptly and appropriately to any major incident which occurs within or impacts on the borough.

Tameside Council, under the Civil Contingencies legislation, is a Category One responder with a key role to play in preparing for and responding to civil emergencies under the Civil Contingencies Act. Category One responders are those organisations at the core of emergency response (e.g. emergency services, local authorities, NHS bodies).

The Emergency Planning Unit works in collaboration with the emergency services, voluntary agencies and other agencies, to ensure there is a co-ordinated and effective emergency preparedness response. This includes co-ordinating the planning, training, exercising, activation, and the management of the Council's response to emergencies.

Many of the incidents that occur in Tameside are small scale incidents: gas leaks; transport accidents; fires; acetylene cylinder incidents; chemical spillages and leaks are a few examples. Most of these incidents can usually be resolved in a few hours, or within a day or two. Very few incidents develop into "major incidents" which involve the council in a full scale implementation of the emergency plan and related procedures.

However, even small incidents can result in an intensive response from Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, particularly in situations that involve the evacuation of people from their homes.