Emergency Management

The objectives of emergency management in Ireland are:

• to implement, within a defined framework, measures to identify and mitigate natural and technological hazards, and
• to plan for, to respond to, and to coordinate recovery from major emergencies which threaten persons, infrastructure, the environment and property.

Risk assessments indicate that fires, transport incidents, hazardous substances, technological and industrial incidents, local flooding and gorse fires are the most likely emergencies to occur in Ireland. In line with good international practice emergency management in Ireland aligns to the All Hazards Approach. The Framework for Major Emergency Management 2006 details a systematic approach to preparing for and responding to major emergencies.

Extensive emergency plans are in place and are coordinated at local and national level. They cover a wide variety of situations. These include (but are not confined to):

• principal Response Agency Major Emergency Plans
• national Civil Aviation Security Committee
• national Emergency Plan for Nuclear Accidents
• major Oil Spillages from Ships
• marine Search and Rescue
• exotic Animal Diseases

Major Emergency Plans, based on the Framework for Major Emergency Management 2006 , are in place in all local authority areas and may be activated by any one of the Principal Response Agencies (the Local Authorities, An Garda Síochána and the HSE). The Major Emergency Plan of each agency sets out that agency's generic response arrangements, incident specific sub-plans as well as its contribution to the combined response of all agencies.

The document entitled A Framework for Major Emergency Management Framework for Major Emergency Management Appendices is in place since 2008. The Framework is intended to enable the Principal Response Agencies to prepare for and make a coordinated response to major emergencies resulting from events such as fires, transport accidents, hazardous substances incidents and severe weather. The Framework mandates each Principal Response Agency to undertake a very specific series of emergency preparedness steps, both internally and in an inter-agency context. It is the foundation block for the development of a new generation of major emergency plans by the Principal Response Agencies.

Series of additional Framework Guidance Documents designed to support specific areas of major emergency management.

Major emergency management: Your questions answered

Be Winter Ready website

Be Winter Ready Booklet

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Item was unpublished or removed

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Department of Transport

Office of Emergency Planning