Issue No. 30
July 2014
The newsletter of the Staffordshire Resilience Forum
A successful day at the Staffordshire Police Open Day!
What’s in this issue?
The Civil Contingencies Unit (CCU) took the Mobile Control Unit along to the
Staffordshire Police HQ Open Day on Sunday 29 June 2014, to showcase to
the public how Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent prepare for emergencies, and
how members of the public can prepare themselves.
Staffordshire Police Open Day
The CCU handed out more than 100 ‘Preparing for the Unexpected’ guides,
and explained to visitors how they can create emergency packs, along with
what risks we face in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, all contributing to the
‘Communicating with the public’
duty placed on responder
organisations by the Civil
Contingencies Act 2004.
New staff at the CCU
Along with the CCU, other
exhibits included the Police
helicopter, Staffordshire Search
and Rescue Team,
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue
Service and the new
Staffordshire Police tractor—
named Trevor!
Exercise AURORA
Exercise RAVEN Tactical
Your views on the Newsletter
Director of CCU update
Ex HANDS UP 7
Fire Strikes Update
Community Risk Register
Security Classifications
Information Sharing Forum
Training and Exercise update
Pandemic Flu
Operational Support
Exercise SILVERTOP
Exercise RAVEN Tactical gets a new home
24 June 2014 was a significant day in the Exercise RAVEN (Tactical)
calendar as the event migrated from its previous location to the
designated Tactical Coordinating Group location at Staffordshire Police
HQ on Weston Road, Stafford.
This is the first of four planned events for 2014/15, and the new location
allows participants not only to practice their own skills, but to do so in
the facility that would be set up in a real incident. In addition it allows
staff from the Police and other organisations to practice the setup of the
rooms and to test the communication functions under semi-live
conditions.
The additional space has enabled the exercise to be further enhanced
by integrating the GIS mapping system and a separate tactical briefing
area, replicating reality.
John Gleave, who is the Exercise Director, from the CCU, stated “The
facilities offered by Staffordshire Police at this location have further
enhanced the exercise delivery to partners, and will go a long way to
ensure that attendees can get an improved experience by exercising
under more realistic circumstances. This will no doubt be of great
benefit to partners if the TCG is activated under live conditions.”
We want your views on the Staffordshire Prepared Newsletter!
We are always looking at ways to improve the service we provide to our
stakeholders and to the public.
That’s why we are running a survey to find out what you think of the Staffordshire
Prepared Newsletter.
It will just take a couple of minutes to complete the survey, and we’d love to hear
your views:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WGSSWZ5
CCU welcomes new members of staff
The CCU has welcomed Mike Pennifold and James Webster to the CCU in
recent months.
Mike is currently on a temporary contract as Assistant Civil Contingencies Officer,
and James joins the team seconded from the Government Decontamination
Service, as a Civil Contingencies Officer. Both will be heavily engaged on work
for Staffordshire County Council, as well as becoming involved in other projects.
Director of Civil
Contingencies Update
Following the departure of Andy
Marshall as Director of Civil
Contingencies in May 2014,
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue
Service led a recruitment
process to find a suitable
replacement.
Interviews with multi-agency
panels took place 3 and 4 July
2014, but a consensus was not
agreed.
The Job Description is now
under review, with a view to
advertise the post again in the
near future.
In the meantime, Peter Taylor
continues to perform the role in
an acting capacity.
Recent Tweets
Exercise HANDS UP 7 takes place
Another successful Exercise HANDS UP took
place on 14 May 2014, this time out of hours.
The six monthly voluntary sector telephone
exercise this time took an early evening slot,
and proved useful in highlighting a number of
issues in communicating with our voluntary
sector partners. These included identifying
changes to contact numbers and also revisiting
the various capabilities and roles of
organisations during an emergency. Thanks
and appreciation go to all those who took part.
The next exercise is planned for November.
Fire Strikes Update from Rob Barber, Director of Response at
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
An extensive period of industrial action between 14 -21
July passed without any significant incidents.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service contingency
arrangements operated well once again and pre planning
with partners proved to assist in the reduction of unwanted
fire calls. The dispute is ongoing and any further periods
of industrial action will be communicated as and when
they are available.
@KayWoolrich
@StaffsPrepared
@StaffsPolice thank you very
much for a fantastic informative
day [at the Staffs Police Open
Day].
@CakeMan72
@StaffsPrepared
@StaffsPolice
@StaffsPCC good to see the
new TCG facility being put
through its paces!
@LDN_prepared
@StaffsPrepared
sounds interesting,
hope its going well? (our
Exercise PURPLE TOP in 2011
had a very different scenario #Heatwave)
Staffordshire’s Community Risk Register is due to change.
Exercise AURORA
Following the latest issue of the National Guidance from the UK Cabinet
Office, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent’s Risk Assessment Working Group
(RAWG) has been busy reviewing all of the 60 risk assessments for the
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent area.
Exercise AURORA planning
continues for 16 - 20 May 2016.
This is the next large scale exercise
following Exercise TRITON in June
2013, in order to test some of the
Resilience Forum’s emergency
plans and procedures.
Peter Taylor from the CCU and the chair of the RAWG explained,
“Cabinet Office guidance has changed the way we look at potential impacts
of our community risks and as a result some assessments will score slightly
differently. Although there are a still few more risks to be reviewed, it’s clear
that Pandemic Influenza remains as the highest risk to our communities.”
The Community Risk Register is available on the Staffordshire Prepared
website at http://www.staffordshireprepared.gov.uk/Risk-Register/RiskRegister.aspx
As soon as the work has been completed, our updated register will be
published on the website.
Security Classifications have changed
Training and Exercise Update
Up to March 2014 there were five protectively marked headings: PROTECT
(With descriptors), RESTRICTED, CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET and TOP
SECRET.
Since the last Staffordshire
Prepared newsletter was issued at
the end of April 2014, 102
individuals have attended training
and exercise events run by the
CCU.
As of 2 April 2014 there are now three Security Classifications: OFFICIAL
(With caveat and descriptors), SECRET and TOP SECRET.
Official:
The majority of public sector documentation is OFFICIAL. There is no
requirement to mark routine OFFICIAL information. All OFFICIAL
information is managed via ‘good practice’ controls and existing legislation.
In some instances, a limited ‘need to know’ OFFICIAL document must be
applied. A caveat ‘SENSITIVE’ provides for this, hence ‘OFFICIALSENSITIVE’. This caveat has three optional descriptors that can be used.
The Three Descriptors to OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE are based on: Locally
Sensitive (LOCSEN), Commercially or market sensitive (COMMERCIAL),
Personally sensitive information i.e. vulnerable people, medical records etc.
(PERSONAL).
Upcoming events with spaces
available
Loggist Refresher Training - 16
October.
Loggist Training - 18 November Lichfield District Council.
Forward Control Officer Training - 9
December - Lichfield District
Council.
Staffordshire Partners Share Information
The Staffordshire Resilience Information Sharing Forum took place in June with attendance from across the
resilience partnership and beyond. The theme of this event was Risk and speakers took to the stage to inform
delegates about high risks such as Severe Space Weather, Pandemic Flu, Infectious Diseases, Severe Weather
and Flooding. Graham Williams from Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council said: “The programme was quite
varied and detailed today. I think this is the best one yet from the point of view of a blend of detailed knowledge as
well as general awareness. I think this adds to people’s appetite for coming.”
As usual, there was plenty of opportunity for networking amongst both delegates and speakers. “Today is all about
being able to share information with people that you don’t regularly have contact with and the networking
opportunity is really important. It’s an ideal forum to help to foster the culture that we are all in it together and we all
have a role to play,” said Tracey Malkin from NHS England Area Team Staffordshire & Shropshire.
It was clear that the speakers valued the opportunity as much as the delegates. Gavin Lofthouse from the Cabinet
Office said “Coming out to events like these is a really good opportunity for us to engage directly with local
planners, and interact face to face and make those links.”
The next forum will be in Lichfield in March 2015 and the programme of speakers will take shape over the next few
months.
Pandemic Influenza Update
Pandemic Influenza is still considered to be one of the biggest threats facing the UK population. Although there
have been no new strains of Pandemic Influenza that have threatened the UK in recent months, most of the advice
from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Department of Health (DoH) is that it is a matter of when not if
the UK and the rest of the world are affected by a Pandemic Infection.
Most Health Organisations and particularly Acute Trusts already have a ‘Pan Flu’ Plan in place, but because of the
nature of the threat the NHS England Area Team have been working on a Local Resilience Forum Operational Plan
that will coordinate the response to a Pan Flu threat within Staffordshire and Shropshire. This will ensure that the
whole Health Economy is directed in a structured way; optimising the delivery of anti-viral drugs to those people
who need it most and organising key health professionals in the most efficient manner.
The draft NHS England Area Team Local Resilience Forum Operational Plan will hopefully be released in the next
few weeks for consultation with the intention of having the final version out in October this year.
CCU support Staffordshire Fire and Rescue
Service
On Monday 23 June the CCU was called to assist
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service when a metals
fire broke out at a metal reprocessing plant in the
village of Hixon off the A51, Stone to Rugeley Road.
The fire had started in a warehouse and involved ten
tons of Aluminium and Magnesium, which were stored
near to the reprocessing plant. Several fire appliances
were dispatched to the fire, but as water cannot be
used on a metals fires, dry foundry sand was required
to be spread over the fire to supress it.
All of the firm’s sand reserves had been used, but
despite this the fire continued to burn. The CCU Duty
Officer was tasked with finding 40 tons of suitable
foundry grade sand - not an easy task given the
quantity required.
Several firms were contacted but were either unable to
deliver or unable to supply in those quantities.
Eventually, a local firm, who normally supply building
materials came good and delivered some of the sand
to site which allowed the Fire Officers at the scene to
fully cover the fire and extinguish it.
This publication has been produced by the Staffordshire Civil
Contingencies Unit, on behalf of the Staffordshire Resilience Forum.
Stafford Fire Station
Beaconside
Stafford
ST18 0DD
Phone: 01785 898618
Email: [email protected]
Exercise SILVERTOP - by Alex Stylianides,
RAF Regional Liaison Officer West Midlands
(RAFRLO)
Ex SILVERTOP took place at MOD Stafford, which is
at the extremity of RAF Wittering’s Aircraft Post Crash
Management region, and was designed to test their
deployability to any incident within their designated
area of responsibility, as well as the initial actions of the
deployed Incident Officer (IO). RAFRLO WM served
as the RAFRLO on-scene (as the site was located in
my geographic area), whilst RAFRLO East England
remained at RAF Wittering. Also attending this
simulated Merlin helicopter crash on a farm house (with
two fatalities and two injured) was the Staffordshire
CCU & Mobile Control Unit, Staffordshire Police
(representing all three Emergency Services), the
Environment Agency and the Coroner. Moreover,
specialist military units comprised of RAF Mountain
Rescue and the Institute for Naval Medicine were also
in attendance, accompanied by Reserve Media
personnel to simulate local media and an advisory
team from the Joint Aerospace Recovery and
Transportation Squadron. The exercise was controlled
from RAF Wittering, with local injects through RAFRLO
WM and two deployed directing staff from RAF
Wittering.
All the planned injects were actioned, followed by a
comprehensive hot debrief session chaired by
RAFRLO WM. The full lesson capture process is now
underway at RAF Wittering, supported by RAFRLO
East England. The Staffordshire CCU also satisfied
their annual requirement to deploy and test their Mobile
Control Unit during this exercise; supported by
considerable cross training from RAF Mountain Rescue
who possess a similar capability.