Emergencies

An emergency is an event that will require a response beyond the everyday resources of the emergency services and those organisations (such as the District Council) that support them. This can include severe storms, flooding, explosions or disease outbreaks.

Do Emergencies Occur in the Epping Forest District?

Yes. Whilst emergencies do not occur every day, over the past ten years the District has been affected by flooding, severe weather, unexploded World War 2 bombs, gas leaks and major fires.

What Does the Council do in an Emergency?

During an emergency, Epping Forest District Council will activate its emergency response plan and support the emergency services in responding to the emergency. The Council’s role includes providing emergency accommodation, setting up telephone help lines or information centres and leading the recovery when the emergency has passed.

How Does the Council Plan for Emergencies?

Epping Forest District Council has a duty by law (under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004) to prepare for and respond to emergencies. In order to achieve this a number of emergency plans have been produced and tested, and staff have been trained in their roles during an emergency.

Civil Contingencies Act 2004 website

The District Council prepares generic response plans for all emergencies. These plans detail the actions and procedures that will be taken by the Council during an emergency. Specific plans are also prepared for emergencies where additional arrangements are required.

The Council also works closely with the Essex Resilience Forum, which is a multi agency group made up of representatives from the emergency services, local authorities, the health service, the environment agency, utility and transport providers. This group is responsible for assessing the risks affecting Essex and has produced a Community Risk Register for the County. The Community Risk Register informs the types of emergencies that the County plans for.

The Essex Resilience Forum produces multi-agency plans to ensure that all agencies can work together during an emergency to meet the needs of those affected by the emergency and to restore the affected area back to normal as quickly as possible.

Essex Resilience Forum website

What Type of Emergency Does the Council Plan for?

Epping Forest District Council has assessed the risks affecting the District and published these in its own local Risk Register. The risk ratings displayed in the register are used to inform and prioritise local emergency planning work.

Local Community Risk Register (pdf 151 KB)

Some of the risks that could affect the Epping Forest District District include:

• Avian flu

• Fires and gas leaks

• Flooding

• Fuel restrictions

• Heatwaves

• Pandemic flu

• Snow and Ice

• Storms and severe weather

• Toxic smoke and chemical release