Emergency Plan - Fylde Borough Council

Emergency Plan February 2007
The Lancashire County Council Emergency Planning Duty Officer will then notify the
Voluntary Agencies and LCC Directorates which Rest Centre(s) are to be opened and request
that they deploy their staff in accordance with the Rest Centre Guidance.
If emergency transport is required this will be organised by the Council (see Section 5.8
below).
If a Rest Centre is opened, Ambulance Service will normally provide paramedic cover until a
GP is mobilised.
5.3..2 Survivor Reception Centres
A Survivor Reception Centre is a secure area or building to which uninjured survivors can be
taken for shelter, first aid, interview and documentation. A Survivor Reception Centre may
convert to a Rest Centre, depending upon the duration and extent of the incident. They would
normally be operated by the Police, but LA support may be requested to provide humanitarian
assistance.
5.3.3 Friends And Relatives Reception Centres
This centre is for the friends and relatives of those who have been involved in the incident. It
is a secure area, which will be set aside specifically for their use, which will provide a place
where Police interviews can take place and where friends and relatives can be reunited. It will
normally be operated by the Police and/or the carrier (particularly if aircraft or train operating
companies are involved). In some instances assistance from the local authorities, particularly
LCC Adult & Community Services may be required. Within Lancashire a joint protocol exists
between the Police Family Liaison and the Adult & Community Services. Ribby Hall and the
De Vere hotel, Blackpool in this area have been designated as appropriate for venues for this
type of centre.
5.3.4 Humanitarian Assistance Centre (HAC)
The fundamental purpose of a Humanitarian Assistance Centre is to act as a singular focus
(“one stop shop”) for survivors, relatives and all those impacted by the disaster, through which
they can access support, care and advice. The need for such a multi-agency centre will
normally be agreed between LCC and Fylde BC at strategic level some time (24 -48hours or
longer) after the incident has ended. In extreme cases, this function may continue for an
extended period of years.
5.4 Casualty Information Bureau
Any incident, which involves a large number of people, will usually generate a large volume of
enquiries from the public. In incidents such as these, the Police may decide to open the
Casualty Information Bureau at Police Headquarters in Hutton. The Bureau will be staffed by
personnel who are trained to deal with calls from the friends and relatives of those believed to
be involved in the incident. Any information that is collated from any documentation recorded
at Rest Centres/Reception Centres would be passed to the Casualty Information Bureau. A
telephone number for enquiries would be released by the Police via the media.
The purpose of a Casualty Information Bureau is to enable the Police to gather information
from all the responding agencies to assist in the identification of fatalities and/or injured as
well as gathering intelligence from members of the public who believe that a friend or relative
might be involved in the anti-mortem process. It is not set up to provide information to callers.
5.5 Body Holding Areas
The establishment of a body holding area adjacent to the incident site, where the retrieval of
bodies and/or body parts are recorded and placed in body bags, is the joint responsibility of
the Coroner and the Police. This area is considered as a ‘staging post’ between the incident
Section 5
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