Pan-Kent Strategic Emergency Response Framework

Transcription

1 Pan-Kent Strategic Emergency Response Framework The latest version of this document may be found at All organisations should ensure that if printed copies of this document are being used, the latest version is obtained from this source. Issue: June 2010 Classification: NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED Next scheduled review: June 2011 All enquiries relating to this document should be sent to: Business Management Support Unit Kent Police Coldharbour London Road Aylesford Kent ME20 7SL Tel: krf@kent.police.pnn.uk

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3 Issue & review register Summary of changes Issue number & date Approved by New Issue 1 April 2008 Executive Group Review of Content. Inclusion of new sections. Reformat into KRF standard document template. 2.0 June 2010 Executive Group All changes are tracked using a different colour and/or marked with a vertical line at the side of the page. Compiled by: Emergency Planning & Capabilities Group Date: June 2010 Approved by: Executive Group Date: June 2010 Issue 2.0 June 2010 i of viii

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5 Distribution List Name Emergency Planning Personnel Emergency Planning Personnel Service Liaison Officers Emergency Planning Personnel Role/Organisation All Category 1 and 2 Responders as defines under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 All members of the Kent Voluntary Sector Group The Army, Royal Navy and RAF. All operators who are required to conform to REPPIR, COMAH or PSR Issue 2.0 June 2010 iii of viii

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7 CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary Aim, Objectives and Definitions Aim Objectives Major emergency definition Local authorities definitions Alerting Introduction Rapid onset emergencies Rising tide emergencies...5 Annex 3.1 The generic alerting process Command, Control and Coordination Introduction Definitions Command Control Co-ordination Management levels Strategic (Gold), Tactical (Silver) and Operational (Bronze) Gold or Strategic management and co-ordination Silver or Tactical management and co-ordination Bronze Operational management and co-ordination...10 Annex 4.1 Full Command & Control Structure Strategic Co-ordination Introduction The Strategic Co-ordinating Group Activating the Strategic Co-ordinating Group...14 Issue 2.0 June 2010 v of viii

8 5.4 The Chair of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group Subgroups The Strategic Co-ordination Centre Record keeping Links to Regional and Central Government...15 Annex 5.1 Strategic Co-ordination Group: potential members...17 Category 1 responders...17 Category 2 responders...18 Other organisations Tactical Coordination Introduction The Tactical Co-ordinating Group Activating the Tactical Co-ordinating Group The Chair of the Tactical Co-ordinating Group Subgroups The Tactical Co-ordination Centre Record keeping Operational Coordination Introduction The Operational Co-ordinating Group Activating the Operational Co-ordinating Group The Chair of the Operational Co-ordinating Group Record Keeping Specific issues Introduction Evacuation and Shelter Social and psychological welfare...25 Issue 2.0 June 2010 vi of viii

9 8.4 Mass fatalities Media response Military aid Maritime incidents CBRN and Air Quality incidents Voluntary sector Warning and informing the public Mutual aid Health issues Mass casualties COMAH, REPPIR and Pipeline Safety Regulations (PSR) The Channel Tunnel Recovery An Overview Introduction Recovery Working The Humanitarian Assistance Centre (HAC) Outline responsibilities Introduction Kent Police Kent Fire and Rescue Service Local authorities South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust Primary Care Trusts Acute Trusts Maritime and Coastguard Agency Environment Agency BT...43 Issue 2.0 June 2010 vii of viii

10 10.11 Southern Gas Networks EDF Energy Water supply companies Strategic Harbour Authorities Southeastern trains Voluntary sector Reference material Introduction Legislation National guidance and other documents KRF plans and other documents...52 Issue 2.0 June 2010 viii of viii

11 1. Executive Summary The sits at the apex of Kent s local civil protection arrangements. Its overall purpose is to ensure that there is an appropriate level of preparedness to enable an effective multiagency response to emergencies which may have a significant impact on the communities of Kent. This framework is published by the Forum, and sets out the agreed multi-agency arrangements for the overall co-ordination of the response to an emergency in the Forum s area. References to Kent and Pan-Kent in this framework are to that area, which includes both Kent County and Medway Councils. The framework is not intended to replace emergency plans published by individual organisations, but to provide a common understanding of how the responses that those plans set out will be co-ordinated. It should be used to inform those responsible for providing or supporting multi-agency management in the response to an emergency. The principles set out in this framework are primarily aimed at the response to an emergency, but should also be applied to overall co-ordination between organisations responding to incidents at any time. The arrangements described in this framework can be demonstrated as part of any exercise that includes multi-agency co-ordination. The Training and Exercise Sub-Group of the Kent Resilience Forum will be responsible for monitoring this. The Emergency Plans and capabilities Sub-Group will be responsible for reviewing and amending the framework. Staff training will be provided by each responder according to their own identified needs. The detailed terminology used in this document will correlate with the lexicon of terminology published by the Cabinet Office. 1 of 51

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13 2. Aim, Objectives and Definitions 2.1 Aim The aim of this framework is to set out the arrangements for a combined multi-agency response from the member organisations of the to an emergency affecting Kent and Medway. This framework should be read in conjunction with other relevant KRF multi-agency plans and the emergency plans of each of the statutory responders. It does not replace them, but sets out how the organisations will work together in providing a response. 2.2 Objectives To provide a single multi-agency framework describing joint emergency response arrangements, to which all members subscribe. To set out the agreed arrangements for the multi-agency management of the response to an emergency, utilising the broad range of pan-kent multi-agency plans where necessary. To summarise and link to the agreed arrangements for the recovery from an emergency. To set out the agreed outline responsibilities of responder organisations. To set out the links to the regional and national levels of the response to an emergency 2.3 Major emergency definition Many organisations have developed definitions of a major incident or a major emergency. Although they vary in wording, they are all broadly the same in their intent, which is to reflect the level of impact and the focus on effect rather than cause. This framework uses the term major emergency throughout, reflecting the terminology of the Civil Contingencies legislation, but this is treated as synonymous with the term major incident. Part 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (The CCA) provides a definition of an emergency: (1) In this Part "emergency" means- (a) (b) (c) an event or situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare in a place in the United Kingdom, an event or situation which threatens serious damage to the environment of a place in the United Kingdom, or war, or terrorism, which threatens serious damage to the security of the United Kingdom. (2) For the purposes of subsection (1)(a) an event or situation threatens damage to human welfare only if it involves, causes or may cause- (a) (b) loss of human life, human illness or injury, 3 of 51

14 (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) homelessness, damage to property, disruption of a supply of money, food, water, energy or fuel, disruption of a system of communication, disruption of facilities for transport, or disruption of services relating to health. (3) For the purposes of subsection (1)(b) an event or situation threatens damage to the environment only if it involves, causes or may cause- (a) (b) contamination of land, water or air with biological, chemical or radio-active matter, or disruption or destruction of plant life or animal life. 2.4 Local authorities definitions In this framework the term local authority is used generically to refer to Unitary, County and District councils. In a two-tier (County and District) area, the strategic responsibility may be taken by either the County Council or the relevant District Council, according to the nature of the incident and the response. 4 of 51

15 3 Alerting 3.1 Introduction Alerts to an emergency may come from a range of sources. For some situations there is a clearly defined responsibility for alerting, in other cases the initial information may come from any organisation or the general public. To allow this to work properly there must be a recognised standard process to be followed. Many emergencies will be rapid onset events, where the alert is immediately followed by the response. In some situations there may be a slow onset or rising tide situation, where the emergency is identified in advance. In this framework the term rising tide is used. 3.2 Rapid onset emergencies A rapid onset emergency will, as the title suggests, occur with little or no warning. Initial identification of a rapid onset emergency will normally be via the emergency services, who will alert other organisations in accordance with this framework. Formal alerting in the event of a rapid onset emergency will almost always start from the emergency services, who maintain arrangements for passing alerts between themselves. To remove any confusion, a single generic alerting process has been agreed, with Police having an overall responsibility for initiating an alert. This formal process does not replace local arrangements, informal alerting routes, widespread alerts from an authoritative source or existing arrangements for specific incidents. A diagram of the agreed formal generic alerting process is at Annex Rising tide emergencies A rising tide situation is one where the potential for an emergency is identified at an early stage, either through normal monitoring or by specific warning. Rising tide emergencies may have a lead-in time of anything from a few hours to weeks or months. Flooding, outbreaks of illness in people or animals and industrial action are examples of rising tide events. Any organisation can identify a situation which it considers likely to develop into an emergency. When an organisation identifies a rising tide situation it must make other emergency responders aware. The organisations to be informed will be determined by the identifying organisation, using the core membership of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group as a guide. Those alerted to a rising tide situation will determine who else they wish to inform. When a rising tide situation has been identified, any organisation with a potential duty to act should monitor the developing situation and take any early action as appropriate. The organisation that initially identified the situation will continue to keep a watching brief and bring changes to the attention of others, unless it is agreed that it is more appropriate for a different organisation to take on the role. It may be desirable for a multi-agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group to be formed to consider a rising tide situation. If so, this will be done in accordance with the procedures set out in Section 5. 5 of 51

16 In some circumstances it may be appropriate to establish an event or incident-specific planning team rather than a Strategic Co-ordinating Group. Another option may be to establish a small multi-agency expert group to assist the potential for an emergency and to advise accordingly. An example of this may be the establishment of a pandemic group or a sever weather advisory group to provide an assessment of the evidence and to recommend whether or not a multi-agency Strategic Co-ordination Group is required. 6 of 51

17 Annex 3.1 The generic alerting process Report from other services or the public Kent Police Military Aid to the Civil Authority Other responders as required South East Coast Ambulance Kent Fire and Rescue Service Maritime & Coastguard Agency Utilities KCC or Medway EP Receiving Hospitals Strategic Health Authority Kent & Medway NHS Emergency Response Management Team Voluntary Ambulance Voluntary General Reserve org org ani Voluntary sati organisations ani Military Aid to the Civil Community Other involved organisations District Councils NB Each of the agencies shown in this chart will have their own subsequent internal and external alerting arrangements. This chart shows the agreed formal alerting routes. These will frequently be supported by local agreements or ad hoc alerts. 7 of 51

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19 4 Command, Control and Coordination 4.1 Introduction This section sets out the nationally accepted principles of Command and Control and management levels in an emergency. These principles are embedded in emergency plans, and are set out here for reference. 4.2 Definitions Command Command is defined as the exercise of vested authority that is associated with a role or rank within an organisation, to give direction in order to achieve defined objectives Control Control means the application of authority, combined with the capability to manage resources, in order to achieve defined objectives Co-ordination Co-ordination is the integration of multiagency efforts and available capabilities, which may be interdependent, in order to achieve defined objectives. For most major emergencies the Police will take on the co-ordinating role, convening and leading multiagency meetings of the responding organisations to ensure that issues are considered jointly and that information is shared. 4.3 Management levels Strategic (Gold), Tactical (Silver) and Operational (Bronze) Differences in job titles and responsibilities between organisations can cause confusion in the response to an emergency. Staff from one organisation may not be familiar with the structure of another, and consequently issues may be directed to the wrong level. Internally there can also be confusion about which particular person has a responsibility for a specific function. To overcome this a standard three level management model has been developed. These levels are referred to as Strategic, Tactical and Operational, or Gold, Silver and Bronze. Every organisation will appoint people at these levels, although the titles themselves may not always be used. It is also important to distinguish between multi-agency management level descriptions against single agency management level descriptions. This is vital in understanding when a facility, function or centre is nominated for multi-agency coordination. Therefore, the following will apply: If the facility, function or centre is SINGLE AGENCY (including a district or the county council acting as the main joint local authority facility, function or centre), then the terms GOLD, SILVER and BRONZE will apply. 9 of 51

20 If the facility, function or centre is MULTI-AGENCY, then the terms STRATEGIC, TACTICAL and OPERATIONAL will apply. Illustrated examples are included in Annex Gold or Strategic management and co-ordination Gold, or Strategic, management deals with policy issues around the response. It will normally be located away from the incident, and will make decisions about such topics as future resourcing, finances, priorities, future implications and the return to normality. Each organisation will have its own Gold Commander, responsible for the activities of their own organisation. For multi-agency working, the function will be known as the Strategic Coordination Group who will work from a pre-nominated Strategic Coordination Centre Silver or Tactical management and co-ordination Silver, or Tactical, management deals with the overall management of the front line response to the incident itself. Silver Commanders will plan and co-ordinate the tasks which their staff must carry out in order to respond within the strategy which their Gold Command level has set or is predetermined within specific emergency plans. Each organisation will have its own Silver Commander who will take charge of work closely together usually co-ordinated by the Police to ensure that the organisations work effectively together. There may be more than one Silver Commander in some organisations where the response is at more than one location. Silver Controls will be located according to the nature of the incident. This may be in pre-designated accommodation, in accommodation identified at the time or in dedicated command vehicles Bronze Operational management and co-ordination Bronze, or Operational, Commanders will take on responsibility for specific areas or roles according to the needs determined by their organisation s Silver Commander. 10 of 51

21 Annex 4.1 Full Command & Control Structure Strategic Co-ordination Centre Central Government Media & Comms Group STAC Strategic Co-ordinating Group Info Cell RAG Regional Resilience Tier Media Tactical Co-ordination (On scene or dedicated centre) All services Individual Service Golds: Other locations (examples only) Individual Service Silvers Hospitals Incident scene Mass fatalities response Incident Control Points Bronze Bronze Bronze Bronze Rest Centre etc 11 of 51

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23 5 Strategic Co-ordination 5.1 Introduction In general, no single organisation has overall primacy in the response to any major emergency in the UK. There are, however, circumstances where one responder has a duty or power to take control of one or more components of the response. In all cases each organisation takes responsibility for its own part of the response, according to statutory or agreed functions. They will remain autonomous, working within their own management and command framework. This section sets out how each of the organisations involved will work together to provide an integrated and co-ordinated response. The Police will normally be responsible for co-ordinating the initial response. 5.2 The Strategic Co-ordinating Group Where there is a significant response from a range of organisations, a Strategic Co-ordinating Group will be formed. This group will include senior representatives from the emergency services, local authorities and other involved organisations, and will seek to: agree how the overall response will be carried out share strategic issues and problems so that solutions which are acceptable to all can be reached share information consider long term factors, including the move towards recovery. The members of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group should have sufficient authority to be able to represent their organisation. This means that they must be able to discuss its present and proposed actions, and how these will impact on the incident and on the actions of other organisations. They should also be able to commit their organisation s resources to the response. However it should be recognised that in some cases this will be a liaison role, and that members will need to refer to their organisation for clarification or agreement. In some cases one organisation may attend the Strategic Co-ordinating Group on behalf of others as well as in its own right. In this case it will have to be recognised that they can represent the interests of the other organisations but will not have executive authority to act for them. The Strategic Co-ordinating Group has no executive power, and does not take command of any part of the response. It seeks to agree an approach, and relies on the seniority, within their own organisations, of the individual representatives to give authority to their collective decisions. Each of the organisations involved will have its own management structure, based on the nationally recognised Gold, Silver and Bronze model. The Strategic Co-ordinating Group is not a Gold Command, nor does it have any powers to direct any of the individual Gold Commands. It exists to provide liaison between those Gold Commands. The membership of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group will vary according to the nature of the emergency. It will normally include the majority of the Category 1 responders defined by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, and may include some of the Category 2 responders. These organisations are shown at Annex 5.1 to this section. 13 of 51

24 5.3 Activating the Strategic Co-ordinating Group The Strategic Co-ordinating Group will be activated by the organisation that is to chair it. This will normally be the Police, unless it has been decided that another organisation will take on the coordinating role, and consequently the chair of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group, for the event in question. If an organisation other than the Police is to activate the Strategic Co-ordinating Group, they must inform the Police Gold Commander so that there is a clear understanding that this has been done, and of who is undertaking the co-ordinating role. In activating the Strategic Co-ordinating Group, the location for its meetings will be determined by the organisation that is to chair it. This will be the Kent Police Force Communications Centre Command Suite unless it is determined that it should be elsewhere. All involved organisations must be informed that the Strategic Co-ordinating Group is to be activated, where it is to meet and when its first meeting will be held. This will be done by the organisation that is to chair the Group. The information will be passed directly to each organisation by the chairing organisation, using the established alerting within each of these member organisations. 5.4 The Chair of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group The Strategic Co-ordinating Group will normally be chaired by a senior Police Officer (usually the Police Gold Commander) in keeping with the Police s co-ordinating function, unless it has been decided that another organisation should take on this role. If so, that organisation will provide a senior manager to act as Chair. As the emergency services involvement in the response reduces over time, the responsibility for chairing and operating the Strategic Co-ordinating Group will normally pass to a local authority. In situations where there is limited emergency services involvement a local authority may take this lead from the outset. Any handover of responsibility must be by agreement, and from a specified time. The recovery phase of the response will normally be chaired by a local authority (refer to the pan Kent Emergency Recovery Framework). The Chair of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group will be responsible for determining where and when it will hold its first meeting. The Chair of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group will be responsible for providing an appropriate level of administrative support for its meetings. 5.5 Subgroups The members of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group may decide to establish sub-groups to provide advice on particular areas of the response. In accordance with the Cabinet Office guidance Provision of Scientific and Technical Advice in the Strategic Co-ordination Centre Guidance to Local Responders technical advice, including health advice, will be provided from a Scientific and Technical Advice Cell (STAC). The membership of this cell will be determined according to the situation and the need for advice. Additionally, an Air Quality Cell (AQC) may be established, reporting to the STAC, and will co-ordinate air modelling and monitoring, assess the uncertainties and limitations of the data, and provide interpreted air quality information to the Health Protection Agency and the STAC. 14 of 51

25 The Strategic Co-ordinating Group may decide to create a Recovery Advisory Group to consider longer term issues. The arrangements for this group are set out in Section 9. The Strategic Co-ordinating Group may also decide to establish a joint Media and Communications Group tasked with considering public messaging and media strategies. If required, a dedicated Information Cell may also be established to collate, sort and interpret data and intelligence to assist in situational awareness and decision making of the SCG. The chairs of the various cells and subgroups will report to the Strategic Co-ordinating Group as necessary. Their meetings should be arranged to allow this liaison to take place. 5.6 The Strategic Co-ordination Centre The Strategic Co-ordinating Group will work in a Strategic Co-ordination Centre. The Strategic Co-ordination Centre may range from a single conference room to a multi-roomed facility which allows support staff from each responding organisation to be based within it over a protracted period. Kent Police maintain a plan for the establishment and operation of a Strategic Co-ordination Centre in the Force Communications Centre Command Suite or the Kent Police Training College. In some circumstances an appropriate, but smaller, facility may be opened elsewhere within the same building or by a different organisation in an alternative venue. 5.7 Record keeping To facilitate any future investigation, all meetings of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group and any groups reporting to it will be minuted. The minutes of all meetings will be provided to all attendees of the meeting, and may be circulated more widely by agreement. The Chair of each Group will be responsible for the provision of appropriate secretariat support, and for ensuring that a full set of all signed and agreed minutes, and any associated papers, are retained. 5.8 Links to Regional and Central Government In addition to any organisational links to Government departments, the Strategic Co-ordinating Group may liaise with the Government Office of the South East, and may access Government Departments through them, using central Government Concept of Operations (CONOPS) protocols where necessary. If the emergency is sufficiently widespread or has a significant level of impact, a Regional Civil Contingencies Committee (RCCC) may be established by the Government Office for the South East (GOSE). This committee will be include representatives of the key services, drawn from across the region. The RCCC will provide liaison across the region, and will act as the point of contact with Central Government. As well as the RCCC there may be an officer group, the RCCC(O), which will act in support of the RCCC by researching and collating information. The RCCC, if it is established, draws its membership from relevant Category 1 and 2 responders. Each service or sector will be represented by a single senior manager from within the region, who will act on 15 of 51

26 behalf of their colleagues within each of the Local Resilience Forum areas. The RCCC(O) will be led by a GOSE Director, and will have a membership that reflects the nature of the crisis. For simplicity the regional response, which may be provided by a combination of Regional Resilience Team, RCCC and RCCC(O), is often referred to generically as the Regional Resilience Tier. If Central Government have an involvement in the response, a Lead Government Department will be made responsible for the management of the Central Government element of the response. If the nature of the emergency is such that if affects the business of a number of government departments, the Central Government element of the response will be co-ordinated through the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR). Liaison with Central Government may be direct or, if there is a need for regional co-ordination, through the Regional Resilience Tier. 16 of 51

27 Annex 5.1 Strategic Co-ordination Group: potential members Category 1 responders Emergency services Kent Police British Transport Police Kent Fire & Rescue Service South East Coast Ambulance NHS Trust Maritime and Coastguard Agency Local authorities Kent County Council Medway Council Ashford Borough Council Canterbury City Council Dartford Borough Council Dover District Council Gravesham Borough Council Maidstone Borough Council Sevenoaks District Council Shepway District Council Swale Borough Council Thanet District Council Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Health bodies NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent NHS West Kent NHS Medway Health Protection Agency Port of London Health Authority (on behalf of all other Kent Port Health Authorities: Medway Ports, Port Ramsgate, Dover Harbour, Folkestone Harbour) Government agencies Environment Agency 17 of 51

28 Category 2 responders Utilities EDF Energy Transco Southern Water Services Veolia Water Southeast South East Water Sutton and East Surrey Water Thames Water British Telecom Vodafone Transport Network Rail Train operating companies (passenger and freight) Airport operators Harbour authorities Highways Agency Health bodies NHS South East Coast Strategic Health Authority Government agencies Health and Safety Executive Other organisations Military GOSE Association of British Insurers 18 of 51

29 6 Tactical Coordination 6.1 Introduction In general, most multi-agency responses will be based at the tactical and operational levels (see section 7), ensuring that the pre-agreed strategic approaches within major emergency plans are delivered. This will include the coordination of frontline resources and the implementation of specific response tactics. Although no single organisation has overall primacy in the tactical response to any major emergency in the UK, there are, however, circumstances where one responder has a duty or power to take control of one or more components of the response. In all cases each organisation takes responsibility for its own part of the response, according to statutory or agreed functions. They will remain autonomous, working within their own management and command framework. This section sets out how each of the organisations involved will work together to provide an integrated and co-ordinated response. 6.2 The Tactical Co-ordinating Group Where there is a significant response from a range of organisations, a Tactical Co-ordinating Group will be formed. This group will include senior or mid-level emergency responder representatives from the emergency services, local authorities and other involved organisations, and will seek to: agree how the overall tactical response will be carried out, in accordance with the situation and the availability of appropriate response measures. share tactical issues and problems so that solutions which are acceptable to all can be reached share information consider medium and long term factors, including the move towards recovery. The members of the Tactical Co-ordinating Group should have sufficient authority to be able to represent their organisation. This means that they must be able to discuss its present and proposed actions, and how these will impact on the incident and on the actions of other organisations. They should also be able to commit their organisation s resources to the response. However it should be recognised that in some cases this will be a liaison role, and that members will need to refer to their organisation for clarification or agreement. In some cases one organisation may attend the Tactical Co-ordinating Group on behalf of others as well as in its own right. In this case it will have to be recognised that they can represent the interests of the other organisations but will not have executive authority to act for them. The Tactical Co-ordinating Group has no executive power, and does not take command of any part of the response. It seeks to agree an approach, and relies on the seniority, within their own organisations, of the individual representatives to give authority to their collective decisions. Each of the organisations involved will have its own management structure, based on the nationally recognised Gold, Silver and Bronze model. The Tactical Co-ordinating Group is not a Silver Command, nor does it have any powers to direct any of the individual Silver Commands. It exists to provide liaison between those Tactical Commands. The membership of the Tactical Co-ordinating Group will vary according to the nature of the emergency. It will normally include the majority of the Category 1 responders defined by the Civil Contingencies Act 19 of 51

30 2004, and may include some of the Category 2 responders. These organisations are the same as those who attend the Strategic Coordination Group, therefore they are shown at Annex 1 in Section Activating the Tactical Co-ordinating Group The Tactical Co-ordinating Group will be activated by the organisation that is to chair it or by the Strategic Coordination Group. This will normally be the Police, unless it has been decided that another organisation will take on the co-ordinating role, and consequently the chair of the Tactical Co-ordinating Group, for the event in question. If an organisation other than the Police is to activate the Tactical Co-ordinating Group, they must inform the Police Gold Commander so that there is a clear understanding that this has been done, and of who is undertaking the co-ordinating role. In activating the Tactical Co-ordinating Group, the location for its meetings will be determined by the organisation that is to chair it. The choice of location will be at the discretion of the Chair or the Strategic Coordinating Group. In general, this may be a Police Station near the scene of the event, or the KCC County Emergency Centre at Invicta House, Maidstone. All involved organisations must be informed that the Tactical Co-ordinating Group is to be activated, where it is to meet and when its first meeting will be held. This will be done by the organisation that is to chair the Group. The information will be passed directly to each organisation by the chairing organisation, using points of contact that have been established for the emergency where these have been established. 6.4 The Chair of the Tactical Co-ordinating Group The Tactical Co-ordinating Group will normally be chaired by a senior Police Officer (usually the Police Silver Commander) in keeping with the Police s co-ordinating function, unless it has been decided that another organisation should take on this role. If so, that organisation will provide a senior manager or nominated senior emergency responding officer to act as Chair. As the emergency services involvement in the response reduces over time, the responsibility for chairing and operating the Tactical Co-ordinating Group will normally pass to a local authority. In situations where there is limited emergency services involvement a local authority may take this lead from the outset. Any handover of responsibility must be by agreement, and from a specified time. The recovery phase of the response will normally be chaired by a local authority (refer to the pan Kent Emergency Recovery Framework). The Chair of the Tactical Co-ordinating Group will be responsible for determining where and when it will hold its first meeting. The Chair of the Tactical Co-ordinating Group will be responsible for providing an appropriate level of administrative support for its meetings. 6.5 Subgroups As detailed in section 5 above, the members of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group may decide to establish sub-groups to provide advice on particular areas of the response. Tactical support for these subgroups may be required, however, that is likely to be provided by each individual agency who are an active part of these subgroups. Nethertheless, there may be a requirement of integration with the work of the Tactical Co-ordinating Group as and when required. 20 of 51

31 Additionally, the Tactical Co-ordinating Group may also decide to establish a range of specialist tactical cells to support the broader tactical effort. This may include Communications and Media, or logistics and specialist support. If these cells are formed, it should be ensured that coordination between the various levels is maintained to a high standard. 6.6 The Tactical Co-ordination Centre The Tactical Co-ordinating Group will work in a Tactical Co-ordination Centre. The Tactical Co-ordination Centre may be situated at a range of locations, which may include (but not exclusively) local Police Station close to the incident, at a pre-nominated location as part of a specific emergency response plan, or at the KCC County Emergency Centre in Maidstone. The centre may, if needed, be set up at a suitable ad-hoc location. The hosting agency will maintain a plan for the establishment and operation of a Tactical Co-ordination Centre. 6.7 Record keeping To facilitate any future investigation, all meetings of the Tactical Co-ordinating Group and any groups reporting to it will be minuted. Additionally, any other information such as logs, print-outs or message forms will also be preserved. The minutes of all meetings will be provided to all attendees of the meeting, and may be circulated more widely by agreement. The Chair of each Group will be responsible for the provision of appropriate secretariat support, and for ensuring that a full set of all signed and agreed minutes, and any associated papers, are retained. 21 of 51

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33 7. Operational Coordination 7.1 Introduction In general, most multi-agency responses will be based at the tactical level (see section 6) and the operational level, ensuring that the pre-agreed strategic approaches within major emergency plans are delivered. This will include the coordination of frontline resources and the implementation of specific response tactics. Although no single organisation has overall primacy in the tactical response to any major emergency in the UK, there are, however, circumstances where one responder has a duty or power to take control of one or more components of the response. In all cases each organisation takes responsibility for its own part of the response, according to statutory or agreed functions. They will remain autonomous, working within their own management and command framework. This section sets out how each of the organisations involved will work together to provide an integrated and co-ordinated response. 7.2 The Operational Co-ordinating Group Where there is a significant multi-agency presence at the scene (or scenes) of an emergency, it may be beneficial for frontline commanders to hold meetings to coordinate operational efforts. This group will include trained on-scene emergency commanders from the emergency services, local authorities and other involved organisations, and will seek to: agree how the overall operational response will be carried out, in accordance with the situation and the availability of appropriate response measures. share tactical issues and problems so that solutions which are acceptable to all can be reached, drawing n the support of the tactical level response. establish links with the tactical coordination group and/or Silver Commands or Bronze Commands. share information and feed this back to the tactical level and Bronze Commands. consider medium and long term factors, including the move towards recovery. The members of the Operational Co-ordinating Group should have sufficient authority to be able to represent their organisation and deliver the required frontline response. This means that they must be able to discuss its present and proposed actions, and how these will impact on the incident and on the actions of other organisations. They should also be able to commit their organisation s resources to the response. However it should be recognised that in some cases this will be a liaison role, and that members will need to refer to their organisation for clarification or agreement. In some cases one organisation may attend the Operational Co-ordinating Group on behalf of others as well as in its own right. In this case it will have to be recognised that they can represent the interests of the other organisations but will not have executive authority to act for them. The Operational Co-ordinating Group has no executive power, and does not take command of any part of the response. It seeks to agree an approach, and relies on the seniority, within their own organisations, of the individual representatives to give authority to their collective decisions. Each of the organisations involved will have its own management structure, based on the nationally recognised Gold, Silver and Bronze model. The Operational Co-ordinating Group is not a Bronze 23 of 51

34 Command, nor does it have any powers to direct any of the individual Bronze Commands. It exists to provide liaison between those Operational Commands. The membership of the Operational Co-ordinating Group will vary according to the nature of the emergency. It will normally include the majority of the Category 1 responders defined by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, and may include some of the Category 2 responders. These organisations are the same as those who attend the Strategic Coordination Group, therefore they are shown at Annex 1 in Section Activating the Operational Co-ordinating Group The Operational Co-ordinating Group will be activated by the organisation that is to chair it or by the Tactical Coordination Group. This will normally be the Police or Fire Service Incident Commander, unless it has been decided that another organisation will take on the co-ordinating role, and consequently the chair of the Operational Co-ordinating Group, for the event in question. In activating the Operational Co-ordinating Group, the location for its meetings will be determined by the organisation that is to chair it. Meetings may be held in the open air within a designated joint command area, or in a local building or facility. All involved organisations must be informed that the Operational Co-ordinating Group is to be activated, where it is to meet and when its first meeting will be held. This will be done by the organisation that is to chair the Group. The information will be passed directly to each organisation by the chairing organisation, using points of contact that have been established for the emergency where these have been established. 7.4 The Chair of the Operational Co-ordinating Group The Operational Co-ordinating Group will normally be chaired by a senior Police or Fire Incident Commander, depending on the incident type. The Chair of the Operational Co-ordinating Group will be responsible for determining where and when it will hold its first meeting, as well as be responsible for providing an appropriate level of administrative support for its meetings. 7.5 Record Keeping To facilitate any future investigation, all meetings of the Operational Co-ordinating Group and any groups reporting to it will be minuted if possible, depending on the circumstances and facilities available. Additionally, any other information such as logs, print-outs or message forms will also be preserved. The minutes of all meetings will be provided to all attendees of the meeting, and may be circulated more widely by agreement. The Chair of each Group will be responsible for the provision of appropriate secretariat support, and for ensuring that a full set of all signed and agreed minutes, and any associated papers, are retained. 24 of 51

35 8 Specific issues 8.1 Introduction This section provides a short summary of some of the major multi-agency aspects of the response to an emergency. It does not seek to explain the aspects in detail, but to outline any particular strategic considerations which are relevant to them. Each of these aspects is described in greater detail in the specific plans and documentation which relate to it. 8.2 Evacuation and Shelter An evacuation will be necessary when members of the public must be moved from their current location, which may be their home or place of work, or a public building or area to a place of safety. The need for evacuation will be considered by all organisations responding to the emergency, both collectively and individually. The decision to carry out an evacuation must, however, be a collective one. This decision will normally be taken at the tactical level. In some instances the need for evacuation may be both clear and urgent. In others, however, there may be advantages to a consideration of the consequences of the evacuation and of the needs of the evacuees. Evacuations will be carried out by the Police. Evacuees will initially be sent to a place of safety, and from there may be moved to somewhere where they can be provided with appropriate levels of support. The following terms may be used regarding an evacuation: Evacuation Assembly Point. This is a location to which evacuees are directed, and from which further arrangements can be made. Survivor Reception Centre. This is an area where simple processing of evacuees can be carried out, and where short term welfare can be provided. Rest Centre. This is a building where longer term support and shelter can be provided for evacuees. 8.3 Social and psychological welfare As part of the operation of a Rest Centre, teams of staff trained in providing initial welfare will be deployed. These teams, which may include the voluntary sector, can provide support for the majority of those emotionally affected by the incident. Where greater levels of trauma are identified, it may be necessary for mental health professionals to be deployed to provide additional support and guidance. Long term trauma will be addressed through referral to specialist support, either by staff involved in the response or by GPs. Where necessary, similar support can be provided to responders. 8.4 Mass fatalities If the number of fatalities arising from an emergency exceeds the capacity of normal systems, the Strategic Co-ordinating Group may invoke mass fatality procedures. 25 of 51

36 These procedures may include any or all of the functions relating to fatalities, such as short term body storage, forensic investigation, post-mortem and liaison with families and funeral directors. Arrangements for dealing with mass fatalities are provided through a contract with Kenyons International DVI, and are described in the s Mass Fatality Plan. 8.5 Media response The response to the media must also be co-ordinated. The organisation chairing the Strategic Coordinating Group will be responsible for this, unless it is agreed that another organisation will take on the role. Contact with the media may be co-ordinated by use of a strategic Media Briefing Centre, which will normally be sited at a suitable location away from the incident, and a forward media liaison point at or near it. 8.6 Military aid In circumstances where additional resources, including specialist skills, are urgently needed, it is possible for Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) to be requested via the Joint Regional Liaison Officer (JRLO). The resource available will be determined by ongoing military operational demands, and cannot therefore be guaranteed. During any emergency response, the Military is prepared to provide certain niche and specialist capabilities to support the Police. In addition, as an option of last resort, Ministers may approve more general Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) to fill specific capability gaps in any response or early recovery phase. To enable this, Military Liaison Officers will normally deploy to any GOLD Group which is activated. Any military resources deployed will always remain under military command, and the costs of the resources deployed may be recoverable, according to the circumstances. 8.7 Maritime incidents In a maritime incident the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will co-ordinate the at-sea response from the relevant Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Dover or Thames or London Coastguard. The land-based elements of the response will be co-ordinated by a land-based Silver Control, using the arrangements set out in this framework. A Strategic Co-ordinating Group will also be established if necessary. Co-ordination between the land-based response and the at-sea response will be by liaison between the MRCC, the land-based Silver Control and the Strategic Co-ordination Group. 8.8 CBRN and Air Quality incidents The deliberate release of Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear material will require the implementation of a specific, nationally agreed, strategic response. Central Government will play a role in the response, through a Government Liaison Officer who will sit on the Strategic Co-ordinating Group. 26 of 51

37 Local arrangements have been drawn up to reflect the response within the KRF area, the primary document being the KRF CBRN Protocol which may utilise STAC and AQC arrangements. 8.9 Voluntary sector Although the voluntary sector cannot take on statutory responsibilities, and are not categorised as responders in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, they can provide significant support to the responding organisations. Voluntary agency support will be used in two ways; by a statutory body calling on specific support and by the agencies providing a general network of support to all those involved. When a voluntary agency acts on behalf of a single statutory organisation, they will liaise directly. When the involvement of voluntary agencies is in support of several organisations, or when several voluntary agencies are involved in one area of work, their involvement will be co-ordinated by the County Council or Medway Council, as appropriate Warning and informing the public The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 gives all Category 1 responders a duty to maintain arrangements to warn the public, and to provide information and advice to the public, if an emergency occurs or is likely to occur. Once an emergency has occurred, and a response is being made, the information and advice being given to the public must be seen to be co-ordinated. Responders should therefore take appropriate steps to consult each other before providing advice or information except where it is clearly only relevant to the organisation in question. If a Strategic Co-ordinating Group has been established, all public information and advice should be shared via the Group, and, unless it is only relevant to a single organisation, should be jointly agreed before it is released Mutual aid Each of the responding organisations maintains arrangements to draw additional support and resources from its neighbours. In the event of a regional emergency, the RCCC may need to determine priorities for mutual aid and support. Mutual aid will often be available between responding organisations, allowing a cohesive response to be created using skills and resources in the most effective manner. Aid and support may also be offered by, or drawn from, a range of other organisations, including Category 2 responders. The Strategic Co-ordinating Group will provide the forum for this type of mutual aid to be considered and arranged. The principles of Command and Control, as outlined in this document, will apply when mutual aid arrangements are implemented. 27 of 51