The UKs Emergency Planning Arrangements - Case Study Example

The UK’s emergency planning arrangements Name Institution Date The UK’s emergency planning arrangements Introduction The management system of emergency of the United Kingdom (UK) has gone through considerable changes and reforms from the Second World War with the fundamental aim of reducing human casualties (Cabinet Office, 2009e). The available historical data from the past decades illustrates the rising frequency as well as threat of leading disasters like biological, technological, chemical, environmental, manmade, social or natural incidents that affect the UK. The potential of experiencing threats in addition to devastating outcomes following the terrorist attacks on 9/11 together with the London bombings in 2005 increase the question concerning the UK’s readiness to successfully handle mass casualties and large disasters. The paper explores the effectiveness of the UK’s emergency planning arrangements with regards to background that the UK’s emergency planning arrangements are fundamentally flawed due to the failure to make government departments category one responders. The position of the government category 1 and 2 The UK is a state that is unitary comprising of 4 countries namely Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England (Cabinet Office, 2009e). The state is governed by the system of parliamentary, whose capital is situated in London. The Civil Contingencies Act (CCA), as well as accompanying non-legislative standards, delivers a solitary framework for the UK’s civil protection (Cabinet Office, 2009a). The Act’s first part and statutory guidance and supporting Regulations in emergency preparedness set up a clear category of responsibilities and roles for the people involved in preparations and response of emergency at the local division. The Act separates local responders in two categories, which imposes different categories of roles on each. The ones in the first category are organizations that are at the centre of the response to various emergencies (the local authorities, NHS bodies, emergency services). Responders in category 1 are dependent on the full category of duties of civil protection. Their duties may include and not limited to: assessing the emergencies’ risk happening and apply this to notify contingency planning; setting emergency plans; sharing information with different local responders so as to promote co-ordination; work together with various local responders to promote efficiency and co-ordination; and providing assistance and advice to voluntary organizations and businesses concerning continuity management of the business (only local authorities) (Cabinet Office, 2009c). Organizations in category 2 (the utility and transport companies, Safety and Health Executive) are considered co-operating bodies. Most certainly, they are not engaged in the core of the planning work, even though they will greatly be involved in occurrences that affect their individual sector. Responders in category 2 have a minimal set of responsibilities like working together and sharing appropriate information with other responders in category 1 and 2. Organizations in category one and two unite to form forums of local resilience (anchored in police sectors) which will assist co-operation and co-ordination involving local level responders (Cabinet Office, 2009e). The Act’s second part facilitates for the creation of provisional special legislation (regulations of emergency) to assist handle the most critical of emergencies (Cabinet Office, 2009e). Emergency powers’ use is an ultimate resort alternative and arrangement of planning at the local point should not suppose that powers of emergency will be made accessible. Their application is dependent on a robust category of safeguards meaning they can just be set out in exceptional situations. How the government contributes to the emergency planning framework Emergency planning is actually directed at occurrences of periodic instead of routine happenings. I think most planning in the UK is directed at effects that are specifically caused by agents. This focus redirects attention from planning principles that are more generalized that cut through every kind of emergencies. Additionally, this focus highlights agent uniqueness instead of the consequences’ similarity that can be generated by quite different agents (Cabinet Office, 2013). I also think that in the UK, most planning is divided and is actually often limited to those society’s divisions most affected directly. Such division is the basis of the later poor coordination. I bet the effective planning piece is among the larger scope. Lastly, I think that most planning is generally oriented to bring about artificial, and hence immaterial social structures and to inflict those on others. Models like this insure its failure. The UK government works directly with emergency responders, devolved administrations as well as other organizations to promote the ability of UK to be ready for, respond to, and recuperate from emergencies (Cabinet Office, 2009c). Co-operation involving organizations are essential to emergency preparedness. Various organizations will be required to co-operate to facilitate emergencies’ response, therefore it is correct that organizations closely co-operate during planning and preparedness as well. The UK government has the aim of ensuring that every organization co-operates in preparedness of emergency, and strong arrangements of co-operation are ready at each level (Cabinet Office, 2009e). Organizations should co-operate directly with whichever organization that would be engaged in emergency response and recovery which affects the organization (Cabinet Office, 2009e). That will not only partner organizations, but voluntary organizations and contractors who might be engaged during the response. Organizations need to consider their importance to co-operate with a broad array of public (for instance, emergency services, local authorities) commercial (for instance, other businesses) and organizations that are voluntary (such as voluntary response organizations and charities). The departments of government who have the responsibility of contingency planning together with response in their own sections (for instance, disruptions of fuel is in the section of Business Innovation and Skills; diseases that are infectious fall to the Health Department), work directly together. Within the Cabinet Office, the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) manages their work so as to increase resilience of the country to the full array of emergencies (Civil Contingencies Secretariat, 2009b). The Central government of the UK works directly with the decentralized administrations, emergency services and local authorities. Officials go to the full array of multi-agency meetings and frequently visit practitioners. The UK resilience Integrated emergency management (IEM) entails anticipation, preparation, prevention, assessment, response as well as recovery. Resilience involves all these emergency management’s features. The aim of the government is to decrease the risk from every emergency so that individuals can perform their business without fear and freely. Practitioners of civil protection encourage the work that is going on throughout the UK in order to promote emergency preparedness. The UK society in a wider perspective- private and public sector, businesses and communities- will consider it helpful to understand the way their work generally fits into a broader agenda on resilience for their division (Civil Contingencies Secretariat, 2009b). Community resilience is regarded an element of various communities and it changes and evolves continually. Whereas the kindness and initiative that individuals display on the day in an emergency is essential, individuals are taking steps jointly in preparation of an emergency. Existing community structures and networks are used or local Community Emergency Groups are formed to connect with neighbouring emergency responders so as to guarantee a response that is co-ordinated. In various areas of the UK, people are being responsible for their personal resilience as well as recovery, making challenges to decision makers within their local region to make sure that sufficient preparations and provisions are done in the occurrence of an emergency as well as establishing how recovery takes place and improvements ought to be made (Cabinet Office, 2009e). The government of UK’s contribution to resilience of the community is not to measure or dictate what should or is being done locally. Rather, the government’s responsibility is to encourage and facilitate local activity through making existing excellent practice accessible to those interested, and getting rid of the barriers and exposing the myths which stop communities from getting local action (Cabinet Office, 2009e). The government of UK’s abilities program is the fundamental framework by which the government seeks to create resilience all over the UK’s regions. The program applies risk assessment for a period of 5 years to establish the generic abilities that strengthen the resilience of UK to disturbing challenges, and makes sure that all of them are developed (Cabinet Office, 2009e). Some of these capabilities entail dealing with group fatalities and casualties, response to nuclear, biological, radiological, or chemical incidents, essential services’ provision and warning as well as informing the civilian. Organization of the UK’s emergency management As described in CCA, an emergency is considered a series of occurrences or situation that causes considerable damage or threat to human wellbeing, the security or environment within the UK (Cabinet Office, 2005). Research has shown that the incidences of disasters are constantly rising in the United Kingdom. Weather uncertainty, rising levels of the sea, and climate change are a couple of the leading threats for society that is vulnerable. Additionally, the possible future hazard of social problems, drugs, novel technologies, terrorism, and constantly changing demographics forms unpredictability in creating a society that is more sustainable as well as resilient. Hence, the UK’s civil protection as together with emergency response and system of management has actually gone through substantial reforms and changes. On the other hand, the general disaster management structure has by and large remained unchanged with the centralized government executing the responsibility of manager and offering guidance, whereas governments and local agencies handle and respond to various disasters (Sahin, B, Kapucu, N, & Unlu, A 2008). The UK’s emergency management structure is decentralized. Numerous incidents and emergencies, with regards to complexity and scale, are dealt with at the local point with no Central Government’s involvement (Civil Contingencies Secretariat, 2009a). Always, local agencies are the primary responders and they are also the ones who take up the emergency management’s burden. In various situations, the police are regarded as one of the major responding performers during local disasters. Usually the Police Gold Commander is chaired by Strategic Coordination Group (SCG) which entails executive authority and senior representatives from a couple of local organizations. The activities of SCG are generally coordinated with Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR), if set off, via Government Liaison Officer (GLO) (Cabinet Office, 2009b). On the contrary, in different cases of disaster such as an outbreak of animal disease, in case the major responding agency are not the local police, the disasters’ management is carried out through lead governments’ local offices with the aid from suitable Government Offices (Cabinet Office, 2005). In case the emergencies’ impact is in the capabilities or boundaries of local government, suitable authorities and services of local emergency are made active to take charge of the circumstance. Nevertheless, if the emergencies and incidents are of other consequential casualties and impact, the Central Government’s aid, involvement as well as coordination becomes essential and vital (Civil Contingencies Secretariat, 2009a). The Central Government’s synchronization and response through suitable Lead Government Department (LGD), is offered once the impact extent, complexity and scale of disasters is comparatively hard to handle. Through Central Government’s involvement, the COBR is activated to facilitate LGDs’ coordination as well as decision making (Cabinet Office, 2005). The Central Government designate the department of Developed Administration or LGD, for incidents’ general running and response (Civil Contingencies Secretariat, 2009a). The Emergency Response and Recovery manages and coordinates local operations. Disasters and emergencies are not single issue of one organization or agency. Quite the reverse, it calls for collaborative effort and involvement of great number of organizations or agencies. This is why the UK’s government must consider making the departments of government category 1 responders. The running of response and recovery of local multi-agency, from emergencies or disasters, is done via recognized national framework. The established framework makes sure that every responding agency is aware of and comprehends their responsibilities and roles in actions of response and recovery. The management framework of response and resilience has three levels or tiers which are different from one another with respect to their functions instead of grade, status, or rank (Cabinet Office, 2009d). The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) that supports Civil Contingencies Committee (CCC) in tackling natural disasters and terrorism was instituted in July 2001 and is situated in the Cabinet Office (Civil Contingencies Secretariat, 2009b). From its institution, it turned out to be the major organization of emergency management in the UK which operates under the Minister of Interior (Sahin, Kapucu, & Unlu, 2008). The CCS’s fundamental objective is to enhance the preparedness as well as response of UK, and to create resilience to disasters and emergencies via identification of challenges, evaluating and managing contingencies, as well as future risk planning (Civil Contingencies Secretariat, 2009b). CCS’s functions and role, under CCC’s leadership is not managing every crisis but providing the vital focus for the cross-agency and cross-departmental commitment, cooperation and coordination (Cabinet Office, 2008), and to help UK effectively respond, recover, and cope with challenges of disaster (Civil Contingencies Secretariat, 2009). Emergency Response and Recovery is intended to compliment preparedness of emergency and team work is highly recommended. However, there can be potential conflict to disaster resolution coming from different agency management structures once there is no: mutual understanding of the multi-agency structure for emergency response as well as recuperation at the local point, and responsibilities and roles of individual agencies; mutual agreement of the national, sub-national and local levels’ role in response to emergency, and the way they will work in collaboration; and general reference’s frame, particularly concepts as well as language, for the ones involved in emergencies’ response (Cabinet Office, 2013). The government of the UK aims to make certain that every organization is comprehensively ready for every kind of emergency. Fundamental to that is actually the testing and practicing of every feature of emergency plan. Training staff engaged in emergency planning and response is essential to an organization’s capacity to take care of any kind of emergency. Arrangements of emergency response and recovery need to be flexible and customized to mirror circumstances, but have to follow a universal set of underpinning principles. At every level, local to national, these principles direct the effort of response and recovery. Continuous risk identification as well as analysis is vital to both anticipation and management of the indirect, interdependent and direct emergencies’ consequences (Cabinet Office, 2013). Every organization as well as individuals involved in emergency response and recovery needs to be prepared properly and be clear concerning their responsibilities and roles. Every decision should be considered at the lowest suitable level, with synchronization at the highest required level. Transparency of purpose originates from a strategic plan and objectives that are supporting that are established, understood and maintained by all engaged (Cabinet Office, 2013). I support the argument that this enables the prioritization as well as focus of the effort of response and recovery since there is direction. Information is important to emergency response together with recovery and the spread, assessment, confirmation and distribution of information ought to be highlighted by suitable systems of information management. These systems should support multi and single-agency decision making as well as the external information provision that will permit the public to make decisions that are informed to guarantee their safety (Cabinet Office, 2013). Co-ordination that is effective should be practiced between and in levels and organizations so as to generate a coherent, incorporated effort. Effectiveness and flexibility relies on positive involvement and sharing of information between every agency and at every level. It is important that emergency response and recovery need to be based in the present organizations’ functions and familiar working methods. Conclusion Considerable structural changes, increasing frequency of disasters, and historical path of manmade and natural disasters indicate the importance and need for the effective system of emergecy management within the UK. The kind of disasters that affect the UK are somehow numerous which include manmade, social, biological, technological, chemical, and natural disasters that call for collective measures. The UK’s emergency management structure and decentralized system facilitates the UK to institute sustained support and emergency response. Improvements and changes within the system of emergency management, that occurred in the past decade concentrates on offering more effective and timely response to emergencies, not excluding terrorism threat as well as uncertainties. While besides concentrating on the rised challenges and natural threats, the UK will as well consider the risk of deepened manmade incidents. The government of UK through establishment of new agency alongside focus on emergency management, is intending to offer effective, timely and joint provision of aid so as to decrease the likely threat to property and human life, and institute environment that is safe for the upcoming generations. This is why the government should make government departments category one responders since they take up the fundamental responsibilities and collaboration is important as well. Reference Cabinet Office, 2013, Emergency response and recovery, Retrieved from Cabinet Office UK: https://www.gov.uk/emergency-response-and-recovery Cabinet Office, 2005, Central Government Arrangements for Responding to an Emergency, Retrieved from Cabinet Office UK: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/132685/conops.pdf Cabinet Office, 2009a, Civil Contingencies Act, Retrieved from Cabinet Office: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience/preparedness/ccact.aspx#part2 Cabinet Office, 2009b, List of Lead Government Departments' Responsibilities, Retrieved from Cabinet Office: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience/response/ukgovernment/responsibilities.aspx Cabinet Office, 2009c, Management and Co-ordination of Local Operations, Retrieved from Cabinet Office: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience/response/localoperations.aspx Cabinet Office, 2009d, Management and co-ordination of local operations, Retrieved April from Cabinet Office: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/132053/err_chap_03.pdf Cabinet Office, 2008, The Role of Lead Government Departments in Planning for and Managing Crises, Retrieved from Cabinet Office: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/132847/lgds_framework.pdf Cabinet Office, 2009e, UK Government, Retrieved from Cabinet Office: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience/response/ukgovernment.aspx Civil Contingencies Secretariat, 2009b, Introduction to the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, Retrieved from Cabinet Office: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience/ccs.aspx Civil Contingencies Secretariat, 2009a, The Lead Government Department and its role – Guidance and Best Practice, Retrieved from Cabinet Office: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/132844/lgds.pdf Sahin, B, Kapucu, N, & Unlu, A 2008, Perspectives on Crisis Management in European Union Countries: United Kingdom, Spain and Germany, European Journal of Economic and Political Studies , 1 (1), 19-45. Read More