Local Resilience Forums were established in 2005, following the introduction of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
Generally based on local policing areas, they are not legal entities in their own right but partnerships that bring together a wide array of stakeholders including the emergency services, local authorities, health, the Environment Agency, National Highways, the military, utilities and transport operators, the voluntary sector and many more.
LRFs aim to plan and prepare for localised incidents and catastrophic emergencies. They work to identify potential risks and produce emergency plans to either prevent or mitigate the impact of any incident on their local communities.
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 also places a statutory duty on all Category One responders to carry out risk assessments and maintain a Community Risk Register.
Both Dorset and Wiltshire & Swindon Local Resilience Forums have adopted a comprehensive multi-agency approach to this work and engaged a wide range of subject matter experts, stakeholders and partners in the process.
An Individual Risk Assessment is the first step in the emergency planning process and aims to identify those risks which could result in a major emergency or incident. Each risk is identified using the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies, local knowledge and professional judgment of the local area; it is then quantified on its likelihood to occur and the probable impacts on the community.
Individual Risk Assessment is important as it enables us to ensure that our emergency plans and protocols are sound and proportionate to the risks that exist, and enable us to take preventative action where appropriate.
Risk assessment is not a static process and is subject to constant review. The information contained in the Community Risk Registers will, as a result, be regularly updated.
- Dorset [covering the local authority areas of Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council] – www.dorsetprepared.org.uk
- Wiltshire & Swindon [covering the local authority areas of Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council] – www.wiltshireandswindonprepared.org.uk
- National Risk Register – www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-2023
There is a wealth of information on how to prepare for an emergency on the Government website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-emergencies/preparing-for-emergencies