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Cabinet Office

Answer

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what arrangements are in place to ensure that emergency services are able to efficiently and effectively liaise and work together in the event of a major civil disaster; and what common training and instructions exist to ensure that emergency services are able to efficiently work and communicate together in such an event. [86597] Mr. Alexander: The Government's "Dealing with Disaster" (3rd Edition) sets out core guidance for all emergency services in achieving a co-ordinated response in the event of a major incident or disaster. The emergency procedures manuals of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers Association (CACFOA) and the Ambulance Services Association (ASA) all contain guidance on the management of emergencies. Because of the lead role of the police in co-ordinating the emergency services response to major incidents, the ACPO guidance sets out, in detail, the relationships and working arrangements between all of the emergency services in responding to a major incident. These arrangements are jointly exercised against different scenarios. The emergency services each have an emergency procedures sub-committee, which meets regularly to ensure that they abide by best practice in co-ordinating responses. Apart from their own individual service training and exercise schedules, the emergency services regularly run joint exercises both to train for and to validate their joint response arrangements, especially command, control, and communications. The Cabinet Office Emergency Planning College regularly hosts and runs multi-agency major incident management events. For specific scenario exercising and training, such as those around chemical plants, civil nuclear power stations and major transport arrangements (by rail, sea and air), scenario- based multi-agency exercises are regularly carried out (often as a requirement under licensing regulations). Post Exercise Reports are regularly lodged, for wider dissemination and information, at the Emergency Planning College.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

86597; 396 c892-3W;396 c890-1W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Civil defence Disasters Communication Emergencies Emergency services Training Departmental coordination Statutory instruments

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk