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Emergency Planning

The Council’s Emergency Planning Team works to ensure it is prepared for an emergency in a number of ways:

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Information Sharing and Cooperation

The Council works with the Emergency Services and other organisations locally, regionally and nationally to prepare for emergencies. It does this through a variety of forums:

  • Haringey Emergency Planning Partnership (HEPP) – this borough based forum allows for local partners to share information, practices, training and work streams to prepare the borough
  • North Central Emergency Planning Officer (NC EPO) Forum – this is a regional forum where the Emergency Planning teams of Haringey, Enfield, Camden, Islington, Hackney and Barnet discuss regional issues as well as sharing information on incidents, training and allows joined working on projects
  • North Central London Resilience Forum (NC LRF) – this brings together the Emergency Services, the NHS, government agencies, Transport for London, utilities companies and the borough Councils of Haringey, Enfield, Camden, Islington, Hackney and Barnet. This allows the different organisations to work closely together to ensure plans are as effective as possible.
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Risk Assessment

Haringey Council participates in a joint risk assessment process to ensure the hazards that could cause an emergency are as well understood as possible. This is vital to ensuring our emergency plans are as effective as possible.

After 7 July 2005, Londoners are only too aware of the threat of terrorism. However other emergencies that can occur are:

  • Flooding
  • Flu pandemic
  • Water pollution
  • Telecommunications failure
  • Major power cuts
  • Low temperatures and heavy snow
  • Air quality problems
  • Building collapses

For more information on the risk assessment process see the North Central London Community Risk Register in the attached files section below.

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How the Council is informed of an emergency

The Council usually receives information of any emergency by a telephone call from the police or other emergency services. A major emergency is therefore likely to be notified by this route also. During normal working hours, the call will probably come into the switchboard, outside of normal working hours; the call will be routed to Haringey Emergency Control. The person receiving the call will immediately contact the relevant stand-by officers according to the nature of the incident, and will also contact the Emergency Planning Officer if there is any suggestion that the incident is a major one.

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Planning

The Emergency Planning team writes and maintains a series of plans that outlines how the Council will respond to a wide array of emergencies.

Integrated Emergency Management Manual

This generic plan outlines how the Council will respond to a major incident; this is the backbone of the Council’s response and states how each stage of an emergency will be responded to and by which department or agency.

This plan also contains specific annexes which outline actions required for specific emergencies or locations, such as:

  • Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) incidents
  • Heat-waves
  • Fuel Emergencies
  • An emergency at Wood Green Shopping City
  • An emergency at Tottenham Hotspurs Football Ground

Multi Agency Flood Plan

This plan outlines how the Council, Emergency Services and other agencies will respond to a flooding incident within the borough and how the affected area will be lead through recovery in order to return to a sense of normality as quickly as possible.

Influenza Pandemic Plan

This plan outlines how the Council will respond to the issues raised by an Influenza Pandemic. This type of emergency is a long term one and the plan outlines how the Council will maintain critical services to the residents as well as working alongside health agencies to respond.

Rest Centres

The Council has a database of locations throughout the borough that can be utilised as emergency shelter for residents who have been evacuated from their home or simply cannot return home due to the nature of the incident. These rest centres have been assessed for their size, location and facilities and the use of a rest centre will be dependent on the incident and the needs of those residents who will attend it. See the Evacuating your home page to find out more.

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Training and Exercising

Another step in ensuring the Council knows how to respond to an emergency and how each department’s role fits into the overall response, training is provided both to teach and to familiarise officers. Plans are regularly reviewed and part of this process is to carry out exercises within the Council and with partners. This not only familiarises officers with their role but highlights any changes that may need to be made to the plans.

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Business Continuity

Haringey Council is committed to keeping its essential services running in the event of an emergency. Inevitably, in a serious emergency, some services may be affected. The Council has plans to ensure it prioritises its efforts to keep the most important services going, putting the welfare of the community first.

As with the Emergency Plans, the business continuity plans are also reviewed for any changes along with training and exercises carried out to ensure the Council is well practised in its role in maintaining essential services to the community.

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Warning and Informing

If there is an emergency, the Council will do its best to ensure that the public is kept up-to-date. We will endeavour to provide information on our website through the news page on our website, and via our Call Centre and Customer Service Centres.

If there is imminent danger, the Police will usually take the lead in providing information directly to residents.

For information on how you and your family can prepare for an emergency please see the Preparing for an emergency page.

For information on evacuating from your home please see the Evacuating your home page.

In general though, in the event of a major emergency, it is usually best to go indoors and tune into local radio stations and/or television news programmes. Stay indoors unless asked to leave by the Emergency Services. Remember:

Go in – go straight indoors

Stay in – stay indoors unless told otherwise by the Emergency Services

Tune in – tune into local radio/television news or the Haringey website

To report an emergency where there is immediate danger of serious injury, or damage to property call 999. For other emergencies call the Out-of-Hours Emergency line on 020 8348 3148.

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Advice to businesses and voluntary organisations

For more information on this service, see the Business Continuity page.

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Further information

For further information on emergency planning and business continuity, please contact:

Haringey Emergency Planning
6th Floor, Alexandra House
10 Station Road
Wood Green,
London
N22 7TR

Tel 020 8489 3334 (outside office hours tel: 020 8348 3148)
Fax 020 8489 1122
Email emergencyplanning@haringey.gov.uk

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Attached Files

The following links are not part of the Haringey Council website. Please read our legal disclaimer before using these links

Page Last Updated: 3 February 2012

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