Planning for and Responding to Emergencies
It is very unlikely that any of us will ever be caught up in an emergency or disaster. However, emergencies can happen and when they do, they have the potential to disrupt the community, sometimes with serious consequences.
The wide range of services the Council provides on a day-to-day basis, together with our expertise and local knowledge, means the Council is well placed to respond to unpredictable or unexpected events that may touch our lives at any time and in a number of different ways.
What we do
The Civil Contingencies Team aims to reduce the chances of emergencies happening and if they do, lessen their impact on our communities.
- Planning: we assess which risks may affect our communities and develop plans to control and reduce their impact.
- Training and exercising: we provide training for our staff and other agencies in responding to an emergency, to make sure we work effectively together when needed.
- Liaison: we work closely with neighbouring local authorities, emergency services, utilities, voluntary and other appropriate organisations, which allow us to share information and ensure our plans and procedures fit together so we can provide a coordinated response to emergencies.
- Response: we have a 24-hour Emergency Duty Officer system to coordinate the Council’s response to emergencies and work with other emergency responders.
How we work with other emergency responders
An emergency can happen at any time, and many different agencies will play a part in responding to the emergency. To make sure the response is coordinated there are plans and arrangement in place so that everyone knows what they are responsible for.
We work in partnership with the Emergency Services, Natural Resources Wales and other responder agencies in Gwent to reduce the risk of emergencies happening, increase our ability to respond appropriately and recover from emergencies.
By working together, we can help to:
- Prevent the emergency getting worse.
- Save lives.
- Relieve the suffering of those affected by the incident.
- Restore normality as soon as possible.
Information on how we work with others in planning for and responding to emergencies can be found on Gwent Prepared.
Risks We Face
‘Risks We Face’ is about making you aware of risks you could face and advising what steps you could take.
We aren’t saying that they will happen; we just want to make you aware of what could happen. Risks can include severe weather such as flooding, or getting caught in the aftermath of a traffic accident. You can help yourself just by being prepared and knowing what you would do if something happened. Information on the risks in Gwent can be found on Gwent Prepared - Community Risk.
What can you do?
Being prepared for a major emergency also means that you can deal more effectively with minor ones. By taking some simple steps you can reduce the impact of an emergency on your family and home.
Advice on protecting your home, family, community and business can be found on Gwent Prepared.
Civil Contingencies Team
Telephone Number: 01495 311556
Address: Civic Centre, Ebbw Vale NP23 6XB
Email Address: email@example.com