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Last updated: 12 August 2009
The Beacon Scheme identifies excellence and innovation in local government. It is unique amongst award schemes because not only is it an accolade for excellence and new ways of working, it is also about sharing knowledge and experience for the benefit of everyone. In 2006-07 emergency planning featured as a beacon theme and seven local authorities and emergency planning units were awarded beacon status for emergency planning.
The Department for Communities and Local Government awarded the following authorities Beacon Status:
Cleveland Emergency Planning Unit has produced a number of initiatives to warn and inform the public about emergencies, including a z-card which has been distributed to every household in the area. They have also developed an extensive multi-agency training and exercise program.
Essex County Council has developed a package of care which offers a range of methods for providing practical and emotional support to those affected by an emergency. They have also developed initiatives to warn and inform school children about emergencies.
Gloucestershire County Council Partnership has embedded and shared a well established Business Continuity Management process with other category 1 partners. Additionally a Voluntary Accreditation Scheme ensures that their volunteers are able to respond effectively to any emergency.
Hertfordshire County Council has responded effectively to a number of high profile emergencies. They have developed systems for ensuring that lessons from incidents are learnt and embedded into plans and procedures.
Humber Emergency Planning Service has developed a number of e-learning packages to ensure staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities in business continuity and emergency response. They have also developed good practices in COMAH planning and exercising.
Nottinghamshire County Council Partnership works closely with their communities to improve resilience to flooding and ensures that they consult with vulnerable members of the community. They have also worked to ensure that schools are prepared for emergencies.
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council consults closely with community groups to ensure they can respond effectively to the needs of their communities during an emergency. They have also developed some incident management software.
During 2008 the Beacon authorities ran seven events held at different locations across the country. These events were attended by 600 delegates from over 280 organisations including local authorities, private companies, government departments, emergency services, health agencies and utility providers. The events proved to be very successful with delegates commenting that the events were:
"Excellent event and very useful"
"Good to benchmark what you are doing with others and raise issues that you don’t appear to be able to move forward in own environment"
"So many seminars seem to be more of the same."
"The thing that makes this beacon event special is the genuine expression of help and support""The Event met and exceeded my expectations"
"Useful tips and guidance which I will use in my area of work"
"Thought provoking and helpful"
The ethos of beacon status is to share good practice and with this in mind and to follow on from the events, the beacons have produced a legacy CD of their good practice and useful documents. The CD’s have already been distributed to all those who attended the events. To request a free copy of the Beacon CD please email emplans@essex.gov.uk or call 01245 430378
The beacons will continue to share information and experiences and continue to learn, both from each other as well as other Emergency Planning colleagues. If you have any questions regarding the work of the beacons, please contact any of the below beacons.
Cleveland Emergency Planning Unit
Tel: 01642 221121
Email: denis.hampson@hartlepool.gov.uk
Essex County Council
Tel: 01245 430378
Email: emplans@essex.gov.uk
Gloucestershire County Council
Tel: 01452 425013
Email: iain.bryson@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Hertfordshire County Council
Tel: 01992 555967
Email: emergency.planning@hertscc.gov.uk
Humber Emergency Planning Service
Tel: 01482 393050
Email: heps@eastriding.gov.uk
Nottinghamshire County Council
Tel: 0115 9773471
Email: emergency.planning@nottscc.gov.uk
Rotherham Borough Council
Tel: 01709 823878
Email: emergency-safety@rotherham.gov.uk
Further information about the emergency planning beacons can be found at the IDeA website [External website]. Please follow this link to read about some case studies of their work.
Or contact the Beacon Coordinators:
Southern Beacon Co-ordinatorsLinks to Authorities websites:
General enquiries: Cabinet Office, 22 Whitehall, London SW1A 2WH.
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