Emergencies are happening somewhere in the country almost every minute of every day. The emergency services (police, fire, ambulance and coastguard) deal with them quickly and efficiently. These incidents can include traffic accidents, fires, medical emergencies and other serious incidents at sea or in the waters of the Solent. The local authorities do not activate their emergency plans for these incidents.
It is when a more disastrous event takes place that is beyond the capacity of the emergency services to deal with unaided that the county and district special plans are put into action. These plans are designed to support the emergency services in their difficult task of responding to a major incident.
The response to a major incident or emergency is coordinated by a range of partners. Wealden District Council is part of that response in Sussex. We support the community by maintaining critical services during disruption and prioritising recovery, to return normality.
Our responsibility
Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, Wealden council is a Category 1 responder alongside East Sussex County Council, the Emergency Services, NHS, Public Health, and the Environment Agency. Category 1 responders have statutory responsibilities to respond to, plan for and recover from emergencies. These duties require us to:
- Asses the risk of emergencies occurring, writing plans to prepare for the highest risks that pose the greatest threat to our communities. The Community Risk Register highlights the top risks in Sussex.
- Warning, informing, and advising the public in the event of an emergency
- Share information and cooperate with other local responders to enhance co-ordination and efficiency
- Work in partnership with other responders, including the Military, other Government Departments, and the Voluntary Sector
In an emergency, we have arrangements in place to support our residents when they need it the most. This includes:
- Maintaining a 24/7 on-call response rota
- Providing support and specialist teams to emergency services
- Arranging transport, temporary shelter, and food provision
- Coordinating recovery from an incident
- Supporting and co-ordinating the voluntary sector response