Civil Contingencies Act + Emergencies

What is the Civil Contingencies Act 2004?

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (CCA) is the main UK legislation that sets out how organisations prepare for, respond to, and recover from major emergencies. It provides the framework for civil protection and emergency planning across the UK.

How does the CCA relate to the water industry?

Underpins preparedness for events that could affect the supply of safe, wholesome drinking water. e.g. Cyberattacks, flooding, drought, extreme events.

What is part 1 of the CCA?

Established a clear set of roles and responsibilities for those involved in emergency prep and response at a local level

Divides local responders into 2 categories

What is part 2 of the CCA?

• Updates the 1920 Emergency Powers Act to be more current and future proof

• Allows for making of temporary special legislation (emergency regulations)

• Use of emergency powers permitted as a last resort option and subject to robust safeguards

What are cat 1 organistations?

Cat 1 are at the core of response of most emergencies

Subject to full set of civil protection duties

e.g. Police, ambulance, rescue, local authorities

What are cat 2 organisations

Have a lesser set of duties and are only concerned with events that impact their own sector

Aka cooperating bodies

e.g. water companies, transport, utilities, HSE

What are local resilience forums?

When cat 1 & 2 org’s come together to help coordination and cooperation between responders at a local level.

What are the roles of a cat 1 responder?

• Assess local risks

• Develop and maintain emergency plans

• Establish business continuity arrangements

• Warn and inform the public during emergencies

• Cooperate and share information with other responders

What are the levels of emergency?

Catastrophic emergency - Level 3

Serious emergency - Level 2

Significant emergency - Level 1

Local emergency - Below level 1

(key term) Define civil contingency planning

Preparation and planning for civil protection for response and recovery from an emergency

(key term) Contingency plan

Plan made by an authority detailing the response to a potential incident

(key term) Continuity

The grounding of emergency response and recovery within an organisations ways of working

(key term) Crisis

An emergency of magnitude / severity to need central government response

(key term) Disaster

An emergency that can cause serious widespread disruption through injury, death, damage etc

(key term) emergency

An event or situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare, the environment or security of a place

(key term) emergency plan

Documents that set out a framework of initiation, management, coordination etc to manage effects of an emergency

(key term) Incident

Event or situation that requires response from emergency services or other responders.

(key term) Strategic

(Above tactical and operational) The level at which policy, strategy and overall response framework is established and managed.

(key term) Tactical

(below strategic) Level at which response to an emergency is managed.

(key term) Operational

(below tactical) Level at which management of hands-on work is undertaken.

(key term) Gold escalation

STRATEGIC. Policy, strategy and overall response framework is established and managed (CEO gets involved, business-wide)

(key term) Silver escalation

TACTICAL. Response to an emergency is managed

(key term) Bronze escalation

OPERATIONAL. Within a single agency, hands-on work managed and undertaken.