1. Emergency
Response:
The EHO as an Operational
Responder in Civil Emergencies

2. Introduction: EPU
 Who we are…
 Debbie Spargo
 Dominic Mellon
 John Howcroft
 What we do…
 Planning
 Preparation
 Response
 Recovery
 How to contact
us…
 02920 59 66 11
 01443 232 270 -
ask to page Vale
Duty Emergency
Planning Officer

3. Civil Contingencies Act 2004
 Why is the Act
required?
 Outdated legislation:
• 11 Acts repealed
• 25 amendments
 Events:
• FMD
• Fuel Crisis
• Fire Strike
• Flooding
• 9/11
 What does the act do?
 Establishes resilience
framework for UK
 Statutory
Responsibilities on
Responders
 Defines ‘Emergency’
 Enables regulations
 Empowers central
Government to pass
legislation under
‘Emergency Powers’
UK Resilience: http://www.ukresilience.info/ccact/index.shtm

4. Statutory Duties
 Council is ‘Category One’ Responder
 Required to take up duties:
 Cooperation
 Information Sharing
 Risk Assessment
 Emergency Planning
 Business Continuity Management (BCM)
 Communicating with the Public
 BCM Promotion to Businesses & Voluntary
Organisations

5. Risk Assessment
 Provide planning
assumptions
 Help prioritise…
 Risk reduction
projects
 Emergency planning
processes
 Response activities
 Resilience spending
 High Priority:
 Pandemic Influenza
 Major Pollution of
Land/Sea/Air
 Major Localised
Fluvial/Pluvial/Coastal
Flooding
 Low Priority:
 SARS
 WNV
 Legionella/Meningitis
 Animal Diseases
Large scale food poisoning is not currently listed in the SW CRR

6. Pandemic Influenza 1
 High Likelihood:
 Overdue for
pandemic
 High Impact:
 Morbidity: 25%
 Mortality: 0.37%
 Planning Leads:
 LHB/NHS Trust
 NPHS
Courtesy of the National Museum of Health and
Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology,
Washington, D.C., Image NCP 1603
 Morbidity: 50%
 Mortality: 0.25%

7. Pandemic Influenza 2
 Multi-agency response
 Outbreak Control Teams (OCT) to assist with
contact tracing
 Legal advice
 Provision of premises and facilities
 Provision of social services support
 Assist with public information/advice
 Establish body holding facilities
 Address issues relating to increased pressure on
registration/ burial/cremation services
 Provide environmental health services
 Have good BCM in place
Local Authority Roles & Responsibilities:

8. Major Pollution 1
 Barry Chemical Complex
Domino COMAH Site
 4 ‘top-tier’ sites
 6 ‘lower-tier’ sites
 Hazardous Chemicals:
 Formaldehyde
 Phenol
 Methanol
 Chlorosilanes
 Methyl Chloride
 Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM)
 Acrylonitrile
 Tert-dodecyl Mercaptan
Image source:
http://www.buncefieldinvestigation.gov.uk/images/gallery/casu02big.jpg

9. Major Pollution 2
 Liaise with responders
 Advice on…
 Scale and nature of risk
 Possible health effects
 Health & Safety
 Hygiene arrangements at Rest Centres
 Residents safely returning to their houses
 Environmental monitoring
 Assistance with handling the media
Env Health Roles & Responsibilities:
COMAH Off-Site Plan is currently being revised by EPU

10. Major Flooding 1
 High Likelihood:
 Previous history of flooding
 Flood risk areas plotted by
EA
 Climate change
 High Impact:
 Damage to property
 Relocation of residents
 Psychosocial impacts
 Public health impacts
 Economic losses
 Damage to infrastructure
 Environmental impacts

11. Major Flooding 2
 (Predominantly recovery
phase)
 Decontamination of
property
 Advice on contaminants
 Water quality
sampling/monitoring
 Hygiene/welfare advice
at rest centres
Env Health Roles & Responsibilities:

12. What not to do…

13. Summary
 Council has must discharge statutory
duties under the CCA
 Environmental Health is an integral
part of the corporate emergency
response
 Identified risks require specific actions
to be taken by EHOs
 Remember CRITICAL

14. Thank you!
 Any questions?