AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Aims

The primary aims of emergency planning are:

To provide a comprehensive and effective resilience and emergency planning service to the four local authorities’.
To achieve an effective response to all major incidents and emergency situations regardless of their cause.
To ensure emergency response plans are produced, reviewed, tested and exercised.
To ensure the local authorities’ meet their statutory obligations and duties under primary legislation, including:

(a) The Civil Contingencies Act 2004;

(b) The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Contingency Planning) Regulations 2005;

(d) The Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996

(e) The Radiation (Emergency Preparedness & Public Information) Regulations 2001

To achieve these aims we must also:

Ensure we have planned and prepared an organised and practical response by the Emergency Planning Unit and Councils we service.
Effectively contribute to the combined response of all the emergency services and other agencies.
Have plans that are sufficiently flexible to deal with a range of situations that may increase in significance, duration and complexity.
Be able to respond to incidents that are outside the normal experience of the local authority.
Ensure that appropriate staff are identified, have the knowledge and expertise to enable them to respond effectively to a major emergency and receive the right training.
Ensure the provision of a facility (emergency control centre) within each local authority from which co-ordination of an emergency would take place.
Be an integral part of the Cleveland Local Resilience Forum structure.

Objectives

We have developed a number of objectives that we will work towards. In achieving them we will be contributing to the aims of the Emergency Planning Unit and the Local Authorities.

Our objectives are:

To ensure that the emergency planning service provided meets the needs of the four local authorities.
To assess hazards and risks and plan accordingly. Ensure those risks are adequately represented in the Community Risk Register.
To ensure that Emergency Planning Officers and appropriate local authority personnel receive appropriate training that allows them to develop the necessary knowledge and expertise, thereby enabling them to respond effectively to incidents.
To establish, consolidate or improve partnerships with the emergency services and other agencies, particularly Category 1 and Category 2 Responders under the Civil Contingencies Act.
To provide a robust and effective Secretariat function to the Cleveland Local Resilience Forum.
To meet the statutory obligations placed on Local Authorities in respect of civil protection.
To develop a robust and effective assessment and monitoring regime.
To ensure the Emergency Response Plan for each of the local authorities is continually reviewed and revised where necessary.
To raise the awareness of the general public to the risks within their area and they can prepare for and protect themselves in the event of a major incident.
To ensure communication strategies and procedures are in place to deal with major incidents and service continuity planning.
To provide an effective duty officer scheme, thereby ensuring an Emergency Planning Officer is always available.
To ensure Senior Managers and Elected Members are informed of emergency planning and procedures and identified risks.

To promote business continuity management within the local authorities but also to businesses and voluntary organisations through the provision of provide advice and assistance.

Values

To provide a professional and efficient service we will follow a number of core values that will be applied to all our activities.

We will act with integrity, openness and respect to all users of our service.
We accept responsibilities that flow from our work.
We will continually strive to improve our service and performance.
We will foster good working relationships with the emergency services, together with other agencies and stakeholders involved in the emergency planning process.
We are conscientious, hard working, loyal and positive in all our tasks.

Ethos

The characteristic spirit of the Cleveland Emergency Planning Unit is epitomized by our values and culture.

Culture

Culture is “the way things are done”. Within the Emergency Planning Unit our culture is based upon the following principles:

A “can do” organisation.
Team working and collaboration.
Effective partnership working.
Empowerment of staff.
Openness to new ideas and initiatives.

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