Why do we need all this?

Until 2004 the only legislation relating to civil protection at local level were the old Civil Defence Acts that related solely to "civil defence".

"Civil defence" was defined as measures, other than actual combat, for affording defence against a hostile attack by a foreign power. The focus on civil defence reflected the concerns that were current when the legislation was enacted back in the late forties and early fifties. Following a number of large scale incidents (the floods and fuel crisis of 2000 and the Foot & Mouth outbreak of 2001, as well as the threat realised by the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York on 11th September 2001), it became apparent that a whole new approach to incident handling was needed.

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 created a new, broad definition of an "emergency". It includes events which would have engaged the old civil defence legislation (war or attack by a foreign power). It also includes terrorism which poses a threat of serious damage to the security of the United Kingdom and events which threaten serious damage to human welfare in a place in the United Kingdom or to the environment of a place in the United Kingdom.

The Act imposes a series of duties on local bodies in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland (to be known as "Category 1 responders"). These duties include the duty to assess the risk of an emergency occurring and to maintain plans for the purposes of responding to an emergency. The range of Category 1 responders is broader than the range of local bodies which were subject to the previous legislation. It includes certain bodies with functions which relate to health, the Environment Agency, and the Secretary of State in so far as his functions relate to responding to maritime and coastal emergencies.

The Act also provides the mechanism to impose duties on other local bodies (to be known as "Category 2 responders") to co-operate with, and to provide information to, Category 1 responders in connection with their civil protection duties.

Part 1 of the Act also enables a Minister of the Crown to require a Category 1 responder to perform a function for the purposes of preventing an emergency, reducing, controlling or mitigating the effects of an emergency or taking other action in connection with an emergency.

No one can predict when or where a major emergency will occur. The fact that Suffolk could be affected by a major disaster cannot be ignored. When it does happen, as it surely will, we cannot afford to be standing around asking "what do I do now?"

The emergency services are well versed and practised in speedy reactions. After all, they do it all the time. It is, so to speak, their "bread & butter". The normal working functions of local authorities, however, are far removed from the work of the "blue light" services, but we still need to be prepared for emergencies so that we can exercise our duty of care for the people of Suffolk.

Not only that, but the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 requires us, as Category 1 responders, to, among other things, prepare plans so we are ready to respond adequately and effectively.

The plans are geared towards a response to a major emergency by Suffolk local authorities so they will, as far as possible:

• assist the Emergency Services;
• help the victims;
• maintain services;
• protect the environment;
and
• work with others to restore normality.

Each department plans their response to a disaster through an extension of the work they normally undertake, consideration of the above aims and the specialist assistance of the Suffolk Joint Emergency Planning Unit.