Major emergency management: Your questions answered

A major emergency is an incident, which, usually with little or no warning, causes or threatens, death or injury, serious disruption of essential services or damage to property, the environment or infrastructure beyond the normal capabilities of the principal emergency services (An Garda Síochána, the Ambulance Service and the Fire Service) in the area in which the event occurs.

Major emergencies require the implementation of special arrangements and the mobilisation of additional resources by the principal response agencies (An Garda Síochána, the HSE and the local authorities) to ensure an effective, co-ordinated response.

The principal emergency services are the blue light services that respond to normal emergencies in Ireland, namely An Garda Síochána, the Ambulance Service and the Fire Service. A fourth principal emergency service, the Irish Coast Guard, is responsible for the initiation, control and co-ordination of maritime emergencies in the Irish territorial waters, harbours and coastline. The principal emergency services are normally the first services to respond to major emergencies.

The principal response agencies are the agencies designated by the government to respond to Major Emergencies, that is, An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive and the Local Authorities. Each principal emergency service is part of a larger principal response agency, for example: the Fire Service is a Local Authority service. Due to the nature and complexity of Major Emergencies, the staff and resources of the wider agency are required, both to manage the consequences and aftermath of the major emergency event and to co-ordinate their response with the other agencies.

Any one of the principal response agencies may declare a major emergency. The highest-ranking member of each of the first emergency teams to arrive on site carries out a situation appraisal. It is the task of these individuals to survey the site and accumulate available information that may be used to arrive at a decision. Each principal response agency has personnel authorised and trained in the procedures for declaring a major emergency. When a major emergency is declared by one agency, all three initiate a special mobilisation procedure.

An Garda Siochána, the Health Service Executive and the Local Authorities are the agencies charged with managing the response to emergency situations. They provide and operate Ireland’s principal emergency services that respond to emergencies on a daily basis.

Major emergencies require special arrangements to ensure co-ordinated and effective response. Each Principal Response Agency has a Major Emergency Plan that sets out the specific arrangements for that agency in the event of a major emergency. Similar plans are in place in An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive and the Local Authorities. Current plans are based on the 1984 “Framework for Co-ordinated Response to Major Emergencies”. Major Emergency Plans are reviewed on a regular basis and exercises are carried out, including joint exercises with the An Garda Síochána, the HSE and the relevant Local Authority.

The principal emergency services have protocols and procedures in place to support their work at a range of events, from small routine occurrences to major emergencies.

It is an agreed Framework approved by Government enabling An Garda Siochána, the Health Service Executive and Local Authorities to prepare for and make a co-ordinated response to major emergencies resulting from events such as fires, transport accidents, hazardous substances incidents and severe weather.

This document replaces the Framework for Co-ordinated Response to Major Emergency, which has underpinned major emergency preparedness and response capability since 1984. The new Major Emergency Management arrangements in this document build on current strengths and make full use of the core competencies and organisational strengths of the principal response agencies as the basis of any response.

Recent years have seen changes in the international approach to the preparation for and response to major emergencies. The new Framework incorporates current international best practice and builds on the foundation of emergency planning currently in the principal response agencies.

The Framework sets out arrangements which will facilitate the principal emergency services in scaling-up the response required, so as to utilise the full resources of the principal response agencies, and to work together in the management of large-scale incidents be it a major transportation accident, severe weather and so on.

Depending on the nature of the emergency, agencies other than the principal response agencies, for example: the Defence Forces or the Voluntary Emergency Services may also be required. In these situations the relevant arrangements outlined in the Major Emergency Plans will be invoked.

The Framework sets out arrangements by which other services such as the Defence Forces, voluntary emergency services, utilities, transport companies, industrial and other participants, and not least the communities affected, can support and work with the principal response agencies in reacting to and managing major emergencies.

The Framework is designed primarily to provide for the protection, support and welfare of the public in times of emergency. Effective arrangements to ensure public safety in times of emergency also have the benefit of helping to safeguard the environment, the economy, infrastructure and property.

The Framework aims to ensure local services are able to respond to emergencies, and that these can be scaled up to regional level if required and to link with national level, and to make sure that the essential services (food, water, transport, health, services) keep operating.

As part of its decision to approve the new Framework, Government also approved a two-year development programme referred to as the Major Emergency Development Programme (2006-2008) or MEDP. The purpose of this programme is to allow for the structured migration from current arrangements to an enhanced level of preparedness via the new emergency management process.

The development and preparation of the new Major Emergency Management regime was undertaken in the first year of the programme. This entailed such tasks as putting staff and resources in place, initial training, putting structures in place, writing up individual agency development programmes, undertaking risk assessment and writing revised format Major Emergency Plans. In this, the second year of the programme, the emphasis is on training and exercising those personnel who will have key roles in co-ordinating the response of the three services.

Current major Emergency plans continue in force until all the principal response agencies are mandated to change to the new arrangements at the end of September 2008.

The Framework defines major emergency management structures at Local, Regional and National Level. At a Local level each principal response agency is responsible for undertaking the requirements set out in the Framework, for example: preparing its Major Emergency Plan.

At a Local/Agency level each principal response agency is responsible for undertaking the requirements set out in the Framework, for example: preparing its Major Emergency Plan.

At National Level a National Steering Group has been assigned responsibility for promulgating and promoting the Framework and ensuring its timely and consistent implementation. The National Steering Group has formed a National Working Group to undertake implementation tasks and produce additional guidance in the area of Major Emergency Management