Western Group Environmental Health Service - Derry City Council

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EMERGENCY PLANNING .Red Cross Research and Community ResilienceThe Western Group of Councils Emergency Planning Coordination Officer assisted Red Cross in their research into the impact of flooding in this area.Originally, the research was to focus only on the Fermanagh area, however with theoccurrence of widespread flooding in October 2011 affecting various areas throughout thewest the terms of reference were revised to encompass several locations. The research aimsto improve the understanding of the human impact of flooding and to assess the short andlong term consequences on people’s lives. It also aims to make a comparison between thecause and effects of flooding in both rural and urban settings. Ultimately the research willidentify resilience priorities to enable people to be better prepared for future incidents andmay provide building blocks for future community resilience. A stakeholder workshop washeld in March 2011 to discuss preliminary findings. The research will be completed andpublished in September 2012. The concept of community resilience is emerging as anessential constituent of civil contingencies preparation and as important work for engagingcommunities in the planning for emergencies/incidents that may affect their homes andcommunities. The EPCO has made commenced work with the Bogside and Brandywell HealthForum in Derry city in the development of a community plan for severe weather incidents.Western Responders GroupDuring 2011-2012, the Western Responders Group was formally established. The Chair of the Group rotates between the PSNI Area Commander for GDistrict, Chief Inspector Andy Lemon, and the Area Commander for the F District, Chief Inspector Simon Walls.The overarching purpose of the Western First Responders Group is to provide a mechanism to bring together key organisations which respond to orassist the recovery from an emergency, major incident or major disruption in the Western area. The Group was established in parallel with three otherresponder groups, enabling a consistent approach to multi-agency emergency planning throughout Northern Ireland. Representation on the groupincludes PSNI, NIFRS, NIAS, PHA, WHSCT, Derry City Council, MOD and the Western Group EPCO.32
During the year much work has been undertaken on a multi-agency basis to ensure adequate planning, preparation and strategies for response andrecovery are in place to cope with wider incidents. Sub groups of the western Responders Group have been established to concentrate on specificissues, e.g. Community Risk Register, Emergency Support Centres, Flooding and Foyle Focus. Each of these groups have produced new protocols andguidance for the western area, e.g. Foyle Focus concentrated on the Derry City area and was necessitated by the on-going security issues within theCity and the need for planning, particularly in relation to the forthcoming City of Culture celebrations beginning in June 2012. Links between membersof Derry City Council’s Safety Advisory Group have been developed and an exercise is planned for emergency services, businesses and other relevantstakeholders within the City to test plans and identify further arrangements necessary to ensure residents, employees and visitors feel safe in the Cityand that practical contingency arrangements are embedded into the planning of events and supporting evacuation procedures.The formation of the Western Responders group has allowed a more structured,consistent progression of emergency planning arrangements to be developed in theWest. WGEHS organised a validation exercise for the Group in July 2011, using a wildfire scenario. The Group employed the new CCG (NI) protocols as guidance for theexercise to ensure an effective multi-agency response. These protocols were thenused by the Group in real time during the widespread flooding which occurred in anumber of locations throughout the West in October 2011.Members of the Western Responders Group also utilise the WGEHS’s intranet site as amechanism for securely holding correspondence, plans, administration documentsand a detailed contact directory of key agencies that may be necessary to ensurecontact in an emergency situation.Response to Widespread Flooding in Fermanagh, Omagh, Strabane and Derry Council areasThe October 2011 flooding in many parts of Tyrone, Fermanagh and Strabane was considered to have been among the worst for many years. In total,the flooding incidents of the 17 October and the 23-25 October resulted in the flooding from rivers of some 20 businesses, 50 homes and 19 garages.18 people had to be rescued from their homes in boats at the Meadows housing estate in Beragh by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service(NIFRS). Further rescues took place at Sixmilecross, Ballycolman, Artigarvan and Fintona, some involving the PSNI, who received 21 calls for help.Patients were evacuated from Tyrone and Fermanagh Hospital on a precautionary basis, and one man was hospitalised after a road accident caused byflood waters. Numerous roads became impassable during the floods, stranding motorists. Several vehicles, including buses, caught by the flood waters33
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Western Group Environmental Health Service - Derry City Council

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