Emergency planning

Emergencies

A disaster can occur unexpectedly, anywhere, at any time and can take many forms, such as flooding, storms, fires and transport incidents etc.

To comply with the Civil Contingencies Act we have plans in place and train our staff to respond in an emergency, for example we may be required to set up a rest centre for people that have been evacuated from their homes. Our aim is to ensure that we are prepared for a major incident supporting the emergency services as required and assisting anyone affected.

We are part of the Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum which provides a multi-agency environment to identify risks, plan and train for incidents and respond collectively when required.

Thames Valley Community Risk Register

The Thames Valley Community Risk Register identifies the potential hazards for Oxfordshire, the impacts they might have and the mitigation put in place.

Business Continuity Management (BCM)

Business Continuity Management (BCM) is a process that helps to manage the risks of the running of an organisation and aims to ensure it can continue to operate during a disruption.

Advice and guidance is available for businesses and the voluntary sector:

Community resilience

Many communities already help one another in time of need, but experience has shown that those who have spent a bit of time preparing a simple Community Emergency Plan are better able to cope and recover more quickly from emergencies. If you would like to write a Community Emergency Plan, go to the Oxfordshire County Council Community Resilience webpage.

If you do prepare a plan, we would be grateful if you could then share it with our emergency planning team as this will allow us to work closely with you should an emergency occur. Please email your emergency plan to corporatesupport@westoxon.gov.uk.

Help preparing for and responding to an emergency

Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum has produced the ‘Are You Ready’ booklet to provide clear practical advice to help you prepare for and respond to an emergency. You can significantly reduce the risks for you, your family, and your property by being informed and ready to respond to events.

The Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum ‘Are You Ready’ booklet can be downloaded here.

Planning for emergencies – guidance for pet owners

We recommend that you have a plan ready to ensure your pets are cared for in case you are evacuated from your home in an emergency. The best way to ensure that your pet is safe is to agree with friends or family in advance that you will take in each other’s pets should an emergency occur. Ensure that this pet sitter does not live in the immediate area in case they are also affected by the emergency. It is also a good idea to have two emergency places planned for your pets to stay, in case one set of people are unable to help for some reason when you need them.

Prepare – include pet specific items in your own emergency kit including:

Carrier for each pet
Litter tray and litter
Tinned or dried food
Bowls
A photograph of your pet for identification purposes – if possible, of you and your pet together as if you become separated this can be useful in finding and identifying your pet and proving ownership
Lead, collar and identity disc
Any medication that your pet needs

If you have advance warning of an evacuation, e.g. due to weather conditions, try to place your pets somewhere safe such as a local cattery or boarding kennels in advance.

Consider outdoor pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs – it may be safe to leave them at home but make sure their hutches are of good condition and weather tight and consider moving them into a shed, garage or other suitable covered location. Ensure that you leave them an adequate supply of food and water.

Government resilience website

The government is encouraging people to think about what they would do if they or those around them were exposed to risks ranging from floods to fires to power cuts.

Their website provides simple and effective steps people can take to be more prepared, at: gov.uk/prepare.

Taking action in advance will make it easier to manage an emergency if it does happen. The site is designed for residents in England. The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also provide advice for their residents.

Five simple things you can do now

Find out if you are eligible to sign up to your gas, electricity and water supplier’s Priority Service Registers, so companies know that you need additional support.
Set a reminder in your phone or make a note on your calendar to check your smoke alarm once a month.
Write down important phone numbers on paper such as the number to report a power cut (105) and the numbers of anyone you might want to contact in an emergency.
Talk to your children about how and when to call 999 and what they should do if there’s an emergency, such as a fire at home.
Check your long term flood risk and sign up for flood and weather warnings.

Priority service users

If you or a member of your household are vulnerable you may be eligible to register for utility priority services. Please visit the links below to register:

Most energy providers also have a user priority register so you may like to register directly with them.

Weather advice

The Met Office provide advice and guidance on what to do in severe weather including seasonal tips. They also provide weather warnings throughout the year when the forecast requires them, check the Met Office app or website for more information.

The Environment Agency website provides flood alerts and warnings you can sign up to receive these by email, phone or text if your property is potentially affected by flooding.

There is further advice on reporting, preparing for, what to do during and recovering after a flood on our flooding pages.

Waste collections are sometimes disrupted due to winter weather. If this is the case, please visit our waste collection in bad weather page.