Emergency Management: Public Service Roles and Legislation (2023)

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Integrated Emergency Management

Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
LO1 Examine the role of emergency responders and relevant legislation..........................4
P1 Outline the legislation and guidance that stipulates how the public services must
deal with emergency incidents.........................................................................................4
P2 Define the public services that have a statutory responsibility in planning for and
responding to emergency incidents.................................................................................6
M1 Report the circumstances and process for military support during an emergency
incident............................................................................................................................8
LO2 Explore the importance of planning and preparedness for emergency incidents........9
P3 Explain the role played by the public services in emergency planning.....................9
P4 Identify the main considerations that public services must address when planning
for emergency situations................................................................................................11
M2 Assess the importance of emergency planning for major emergency situations....12
D1 Analyse the responsibilities of the public services to meet the legislative
requirements of emergency planning.............................................................................13
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................14
References..........................................................................................................................15

Introduction
This report is based on the legislation and emergency planning involved in the response
of emergency incidents and situations. The legislation for the preventive measures and
actions are to be taken by every organisation to safeguard from uncertain situations. The
public services have the responsibilities to maintain, review and implement the
emergency plans for the emergency incidents. The emergency plans also help in
anticipation of the future calamities and disasters which can harm the environment and
humanity. The voluntary services can also help in assisting the emergency plans in
emergency incidents.

LO1 Examine the role of emergency responders and relevant legislation.
P1 Outline the legislation and guidance that stipulates how the public services must
deal with emergency incidents.
The public service organisations have to follow some laws and legislation that should be
followed by them to manage emergency incidents and situations. Many acts and laws are
framed for organisations like: Civil Contingencies Act 2004: It is an act passes by the parliament of the United
Kingdom that provides the framework for the planning for the response to the
emergencies from the local to national level. This act replaced the former Civil
Defence and Emergency Powers legislation (Adey, et, al., 2015). The act is
divided into 3 parts that are:
o Part 1: It defines the obligations of certain organisations for the
preparation of the various types of emergency. It places an obligation on
the local authorities and emergency services to assess plan and exercise
the emergencies. These are considered as the category 1 responders
include the police forces, fire services, ambulance services and local
authorities. Each responder has an emergency planning officer who
assures that the organisation is complied with the act and also shares the
information with other responders. The officer also conducts regular
reviews and tests exercise for the emergency plans (Whittaker, et, al.,
2015).
o Part 2: This provides additional powers for the government in the case of
large scale emergencies. It provides for the temporary emergency
regulations which are either made by the queen or minister to avoid any
serious delay. These regulations are mostly accepted for 30 days after
which the parliament should pass the regulation.
o Part 3: It provides supplementary legislation in support of the 2 parts of
the act. There are category 2 responders which act as the support for the
category 1responders. Category 2 responders are mostly transported

organisations or utility companies. The main examples for the category 2
responders are electricity, gas, water and telephone service providers and
distributors. JESIP The programme: It was a two-year programme implemented from 2012 to
2014 focused on improving the police, Ambulance, fire and rescue services to
work together during the emergency incidents. This programme was implemented
to improve the multi-agency response during emergency incidents. It also
includes awareness and training products to train the staff of the services. Local Resilience Forums: These forums have the key role in the response and
recovery from the emergencies and have the nature of multi-agency. They are
constantly working on the improvement and enhancing the arrangements for the
protection of the public (McGrath, et, al., 2012).

P2 Define the public services that have a statutory responsibility in planning for and
responding to emergency incidents.
The public services have the statutory responsibilities in the planning and responding to
the emergency incidents is:
 Police services: The major responsibilities of the Police services in emergencies
are to save the lives of the people and calling for the essential services that are
required. The Police also have to coordinate with the emergency phase and
effective services that will help in protecting and serving the people (Drury,
2012). They have to carry out the investigation and identification of the dead.
They also collate and disseminate for the casualties. They also have to coordinate
with the media and provide them with a responsibility to the situation. They also
apply countermeasures to protect the public and restore their normal life.
 Fire and rescue services: The main responsibility of the service providers is to
save the life and rescue of people. It also protects the properties and environment
from the fire and its consequences. It also helps in the prevention of the escalation
and carry out the specialist’s services like the flood or water rescue services. They
also assist their personnel to use the fire service equipment.
 HM Coastguard: It is an emergency response branch of the Maritime and
Coastguard Agency. The responsibilities it handles include minimising the loss of
life among the coastal and seafarer’s users. They also respond to maritime
emergencies all the time. They also develop, promote and enforce high standards
of maritime safety. They also prevent maritime pollution for the ships (Phillips,
et, al., 2016). They also respond to non-maritime incidents such as floods or
searches. They also assist in the evacuating areas during emergencies and
controlling the impact of pollution in the UK.
 NHS Highland: The main responsibility for the NHS Highland includes the risk
assessment according to their sphere of expertise. They also perform urgent
healthcare functions to the public during emergencies. They also contribute to the
emergency planning and responding system. They also encourage public
awareness and arrangements for public health.

 Argyll and Bute Council: The principal concern for the council is to support the
emergency services. They support for the local and wider community about their
care during the emergencies (Turoff, et, al., 2013). They also coordinate with the
voluntary sector organisations for the response other than the emergency services.
They also maintain the availability of resources and emergency responders during
emergencies. It includes the availability of the professional staff, plants and
equipment, helplines, emergency lights, information to the public etc. it will also
take the lead in the recovery and rehabilitation of the community and restoration
of the environment.

M1 Report the circumstances and process for military support during an emergency
incident.
The military support can be called only on the request of the national government and
local councils at the time of the last resort. This provision is called the Military aid to the
civil authorities and services. There are few examples where the Military Aid was called
for during 2014 when the soldiers, airmen and marines were called as drivers as the
ambulance workers went on strike. Another example for the Military Aid was during the
2015 winter when the Cumbria and Lancashire were a strike by flood and troops were
called to aid the homeless people and risk-prone areas (Anderson and Adey, 2012). The
three criteria calling for military support:
 The Military Aid should be the last resort when the agencies, private sector and
mutual aid are considered as insufficient and unsuitable. The Military should be
the last option when all the emergency services fail to provide support and care.
 Military Aid should be called when the civil authority lacks the required level of
capability to support the emergency phase. The civil authority is considered as
unreasonable to develop the response plan.
 The military Aid should be provided during the urgent need and when the
resources of the civil authority are not adequately available. The civil authority
has the capability of providing the support, but the situation needs urgent help.
The military can be called to support the response and activities of the civil authorities.
They can provide help in rescuing the lives of people from risk-prone and evacuating
areas. They also have adequate resources and equipment which can help to assist with the
support (Brassett and Vaughan-Williams, 2015).


LO2 Explore the importance of planning and preparedness for emergency incidents
P3 Explain the role played by public services in emergency planning.
The emergencies usually do not occur very often in any area, but the authorities and
people should plan for the emergencies before their occurrence. Planning is the most
effective to handle the effects of the emergencies in the community or environment. The
emergencies include the conditions like the flood, outbreaks of the diseases, industrial
accidents and terrorist’s incidents. To prepare for the possible emergencies, the public
services should
 assess the local risks to identify the planning needs
 prepare and review the emergency plans
 train the key organisations for the management of the emergency
 ensure effective planning to deliver important services to the public during the
emergency.
The public authorities can support emergencies by giving the following emergency
responses:
 the public services can prepare to arrange the emergency accommodations for the
evacuated member from the affected area.
 They can also prepare for the emergency transport services which can be used to
move the people from the emergency area to a safe area.
 They can also coordinate the services that are required at the time of the
emergency response (Anderson and Adey, 2012).
 They also plan for the assistance centres which act as the main centre during the
emergency. The assistance centres are the focal point for the assistance for the
families and friends of the missing or injured people. These assistance centres
also provide the necessary information about the people affected by the situation.
 The emergency planning should have affected services which provide information
about the happening of the emergency.

 The emergency planning should also include the councils and community groups
that help in assistance during the emergency.
 They should also provide necessary guidelines and planning to the schools,
hospitals and other services.
 They should aim to co-operate bilaterally and attend multi-agency groups.
 The emergency plans should involve the risk assessment, business continuity
management, emergency planning and arrangements should be made to inform
and warn the public.

P4 Identify the main considerations that public services must address when
planning for emergency situations.
The public services should consider the following things when planning for emergencies:
 The public services should maintain the accommodation of the survivors of the
emergency. The public services should maintain the transfer of the people from
the affected area to a safe area.
 The public services should also have proper planning for the rescue for the
casualties and emergencies in the situation.
 The health and care support from the hospitals and child care unit should be
available for the people instantly. The health facilities and professional should be
available for the people, and effective treatment should be provided instantly.
 The police services should take care of the investigation and causes of the
emergency in the community.
 They should also try to minimise the impact of the emergency and mitigate it. The
public services should also maintain proper resources and equipment for the
emergency incident.
 The transport facilities and ambulances should be available 24/7 during the time
of the emergency. The transport facilities will be helpful to move the people and
provide aids to the people.
 The public services should also maintain the information centres for providing the
information to the family, friends and media (Scorsone, 2014).
 The public services should also plan for the food and water aid for the people
stuck in the emergency area and people who are relocated from their homes.
 The public services should also help them to restore and restart their normal life.
 There should be telephone and inquiry services to have the updates and
information about the emergency place.

M2 Assess the importance of emergency planning for major emergency situations.
The importance of emergency planning for major emergency situations is:
 The emergency planning can help to prevent some major emergency in the
community and environment. The first step in emergency planning is to identify
the risk and emergency that can occur in the country. The identification of the
risks in emergency planning helps in communicating the possible risks to the
people and society to take the essential measures and steps to avoid them (Parker
and Handmer, 2013).
 Another importance of emergency planning is to be prepared for emergencies that
can occur even after preventive measures and activities. The preparedness of the
authorities and services which are necessary for the emergency like police,
hospital, transport and telephone services should be available for the emergency.
The emergency planning also helps in training the staff and volunteers for an
emergency. This will also help to prepare the people to survive and fight for the
crisis.
 The emergency planning also helps in preparing responsive action plans and
measures for the future. This will also help in preparing the procedures and plan
for the crisis. This will also to take immediate action for the protection of the
people and the environment. The emergency plan can help in saving the resources
and lives of the people.
 The emergency planning also helps in providing the recovery plans and actions
that will help to restore the people to their normal life. The emergency plan also
helps in allowing people to restore their earning and education.