Upper Glasgow Council Emergency Response Plan

Draft plan prepared for emergency prevention, preparedness, response and recovery arrangements

 

Part 1 – Administration

 

Authority

This Emergency Response Plan has been prepared for Upper Glasgow Council to describe local arrangements for the prevention of, preparation for, response to and recovery from emergencies affecting the Upper Glasgow community. It is publicly available emergency planning guidance and council resilience information.

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Purpose

The purpose of this plan is to set out the arrangements that enable Upper Glasgow Council, emergency services, partner agencies, utilities, community organisations and residents to work together before, during and after emergencies. The plan supports coordinated local action for incidents including severe weather, flooding, fire, transport disruption, hazardous material incidents, public health emergencies, utility failure, dangerous buildings and other events that may affect public safety, essential services, infrastructure or community wellbeing.

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Objectives

• Define the roles and responsibilities of Council services, emergency services, functional partners and community organisations.

• Establish clear arrangements for alerting, escalation, coordination, communications and decision-making.

• Support effective protection of life, property, critical infrastructure, the environment and community wellbeing.

• Identify key local hazards, vulnerable groups, essential services and community assets.

• Provide a practical framework for recovery, learning and continuous improvement after an emergency.

 

Scope

This plan applies to emergencies occurring within the Upper Glasgow Council area, or emergencies outside the area that have a material impact on residents, businesses, visitors, infrastructure or Council services. It covers local prevention, preparedness, response and recovery arrangements. It does not replace the statutory responsibilities the Police, Fire and Rescue Service, or the Ambulance Service, utilities, transport operators or national agencies; rather, it supports coordinated local action alongside those bodies.

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Principles

• Emergency response should be coordinated at the lowest effective level, with escalation when local capacity is exceeded.

• Life safety, public information, protection of vulnerable people and continuity of essential services are the first priorities.

• Agencies retain their normal statutory and operational responsibilities during emergencies wherever possible.

• Decisions should be based on the best available information, shared situational awareness and timely risk assessment.

• Recovery begins at the earliest practical stage and should involve affected communities in rebuilding confidence, services and local resilience.

 

Test and Review Process

Upper Glasgow Council should review this plan at least every three years, or earlier following any significant emergency activation, major exercise, legislative change, organisational restructure, infrastructure change or identified gap in local arrangements. Exercises should include desktop scenarios, communications tests and multi-agency practice for high-priority hazards.

 

Part 2 – Community Context

 

General

Upper Glasgow Council is a local government area centred on a major urban community with surrounding residential neighbourhoods, commercial precincts, community facilities, transport corridors, open spaces and local service centres. The Council’s emergency planning responsibilities include supporting residents and businesses, coordinating local authority services, maintaining essential local functions, providing public information, assisting vulnerable people and supporting recovery in partnership with emergency services and resilience partners.

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Landform, Built Environment and Climate

The Council area includes dense urban development, local centres, community buildings, roads, bridges, drainage networks, parks and areas of mixed residential, commercial and industrial activity. The local climate and built environment create exposure to severe weather, surface water flooding, heat, snow and ice, high winds, infrastructure disruption and localised environmental hazards. Emergency planning should account for the effect of older buildings, high-density housing, public transport dependency, community facilities and critical infrastructure on local vulnerability.

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Population and Community Considerations

The emergency response framework should recognise the diversity of Upper Glasgow’s community, including older residents, children and young people, people with disability, people with health or mobility needs, people experiencing homelessness, residents in high-density housing, people with limited access to private transport and people who may need information in accessible formats or community languages. Community resilience planning should build on local networks, schools, health and care providers, faith organisations, voluntary groups and neighbourhood-based support.

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Transport Routes and Facilities

Transport planning should consider local and regional road networks, bus corridors, rail and subway connections where applicable, cycling and walking routes, bridges, freight access, emergency vehicle routes and potential evacuation or shelter-in-place requirements. Disruption to major routes may affect access to hospitals, schools, care facilities, depots, emergency centres, utilities, supply chains and community support hubs.

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Economy and Local Services

Upper Glasgow’s local economy includes retail, hospitality, education, health and care, public administration, construction, transport, community services and small business activity. Emergency impacts may include business interruption, workforce displacement, loss of power or communications, reduced public transport, road closures, school disruption and pressure on health and social care services. Business continuity planning should be promoted across Council services, contractors and key local partners.

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Part 3 – Hazards and Risks Summary

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The following hazards have been identified as relevant to an Upper Glasgow emergency response framework. The risk descriptions are indicative and should be refined through a formal local risk assessment with emergency services, resilience partners, utilities, transport operators, health and social care partners and community representatives.

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Hazard                      Risk Description                                                             Indicative                         Lead / Supporting Agencies

                                                                                                                            Priority  

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Severe weather      High winds, heavy rain, snow, ice or storms              High                                 Police, Fire and Rescue Service,

                                 causing property damage, travel disruption,                                                       Council services, utilities and transport

                                 injuries, power outages or service interruption.                                                 operators.

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Flooding                  Surface water, river, drainage or infrastructure-      High                                  Environment Protection Agency,

                                 related flooding affecting homes, businesses,                                                    Council flood and roads teams,

                                 roads, schools and community facilities.                                                              emergency services and utilities.

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Fire or                      Major fire or explosion affecting residential,            High                                  Fire and Rescue Service, Police,

explosion                commercial, industrial or community buildings.                                                Ambulance Service and Council

                                                                                                                                                                      building standards and housing                                                                                                                                                                                    services.

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Transport                Road, rail, bus or other transport incident                High                                  Police, Ambulance Service, Fire and

emergency             causing casualties, network disruption or                                                            Rescue Service, transport operators 

                                 restricted access to key services.                                                                            and Council roads teams.

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Hazardous              Chemical, fuel, gas or other hazardous                     High                                  Fire and Rescue Service, Police,

materials                release affecting public safety, evacuation                                                          environmental regulators, utilities

                                 routes, air quality or waterways.                                                                           and Council environmental health.

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Public health          Communicable disease, contamination,                   High                                  Public health authorities, Council

emergency             mass casualty pressure or health protection                                                      social care and community support

                                 incident affecting community wellbeing and                                                      services.

                                 service capacity.

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Utilities                   Extended interruption to electricity, gas, water,      High                                   Utility providers, Council services,

failure                     wastewater, telecommunications or digital                                                         emergency services and resilience

                                systems.                                                                                                                      partners.

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Dangerous             Structural instability, partial collapse or unsafe       Medium                            Council building standards, Fire

buildings                buildings following fire, weather, construction                                                    and Rescue Service, Police and

                                incident or deterioration.                                                                                         property owners.

 

Community            Incident causing displacement, loss of access         Medium                             Council resilience, housing, education,

disruption              to services, community anxiety, welfare needs                                                    social care, voluntary sector

                                or significant recovery requirements.                                                                     partners and emergency services.

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Part 4 – Response Arrangements

 

Activation

This plan may be activated when an incident has occurred, is imminent, or is expected to place significant demand on Council services or community support arrangements. Activation may be triggered by notification from Police, emergency services, resilience partners, severe weather warnings, flood alerts, utility disruption, internal Council escalation or requests for welfare, shelter, transport, communications or recovery support.

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Initial Council Actions

1. Confirm the nature, location, scale and likely duration of the incident.

2. Identify immediate threats to life, vulnerable people, critical infrastructure and essential services.

3. Establish Council coordination arrangements and nominate a Council Incident Officer or equivalent lead.

4. Engage emergency services, resilience partners, utilities and relevant Council services.

5. Prepare public information messages in coordination with the lead agency.

6. Consider whether emergency centres, rest centres, welfare support, road closures or service continuity arrangements are required.

7. Record decisions, actions, resource requests, costs and emerging recovery issues.

 

Coordination and Control

The lead emergency service or responsible agency should retain operational control of the incident. Upper Glasgow Council’s role is to coordinate local authority support, provide specialist service advice, support affected people and places, maintain public information channels, manage Council resources and contribute to recovery planning. Where an emergency requires multi-agency coordination, Council representatives should participate in local or regional resilience structures as requested.

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Public Information and Warning

Public information should be timely, accurate, accessible and consistent with messages from the lead agency. Communications should use Council channels, emergency service channels, local media, community networks and direct contact with affected facilities where appropriate. Information should cover immediate safety advice, road and service disruptions, available support, emergency centre arrangements, recovery contacts and where residents can obtain verified updates.

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Emergency Centres and Welfare Support

Emergency centres may be required where residents are displaced, evacuated, unable to safely remain at home, or require information, basic welfare support or referral to specialist services. Potential facilities should be assessed for accessibility, capacity, transport access, heating, toilets, catering options, communications, security, safeguarding requirements and suitability for people with disability, families, older residents and companion animals where practicable.

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Part 5 – Recovery Arrangements

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Recovery should begin as soon as possible after an emergency and should continue for as long as affected people, businesses, infrastructure and services require coordinated support. Recovery arrangements should consider community wellbeing, housing, education, health and social care, business support, environmental impacts, repairs to infrastructure, financial impacts, communications and lessons learned. A recovery group should be established for significant incidents, with clear leadership, reporting, community engagement and transition arrangements.

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Recovery Priorities

• Restore safety, access and essential services.

• Support displaced or affected residents, particularly vulnerable people.

• Provide clear public information about assistance, repairs, service changes and health advice.

• Assess damage to Council assets, community facilities, roads, drainage and public spaces.

• Support local businesses, schools, community organisations and service providers to resume operations.

• Capture lessons learned and update plans, training and procedures.

 

Part 6 – Supporting Plans and Procedures

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The following supporting plans, procedures and datasets should be maintained alongside this Emergency Response Plan: severe weather and flooding procedures; emergency centre procedures; business continuity plans; communications protocols; vulnerable people support arrangements; school and care facility contact lists; utilities and contractor contacts; road closure procedures; dangerous building procedures; recovery procedures; and community resilience resources.

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Appendix – Plan Maintenance Checklist

• Confirm Council emergency contact arrangements and escalation pathways.

• Validate emergency centre locations and facility details.

• Update vulnerable facilities and community support contacts.

• Review high-risk transport, flooding, severe weather and utility disruption scenarios.

• Conduct an annual communications test and a multi-agency exercise at least every three years.

• Record all amendments, approvals and review dates.

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