A major emergency can happen quickly and without warning, causing serious disruption to life with consequences in excess of those which can be dealt with under normal procedures.
Major emergencies may arise from hazards such as:
- Natural disasters (such as floods, gales and snow)
- Public order disturbances (such as riots and demonstrations)
- Chemical Hazards (such as toxic gas)
- Transportation Incidents (such as railways or road accidents)
- Loss of utilities and essential services (such as Power Failures and the Fuel Crisis)
- Acts of Terrorism (such as bomb threats and evacuations)
West Yorkshire Community Risk Register
In 2004 the Civil Contingencies Act was published. Section 2 of the Act places a collective duty on all Category 1 Responders to produce a Community Risk Register. As part of this statutory duty, Category 1 Responders must also maintain and publish the Risk Register. As defined by the Act, Category 1 Responders include: Local Authorities, the Emergency Services, the Environment Agency and Health. These organisations are also members of the West Yorkshire Resilience Forum.
In partnership with these organisations Leeds City Council has assessed the risk of a range of hazards that may affect the community of West Yorkshire. The result of this work is the West Yorkshire Community Risk Register. The main purpose of the Register is to guide the West Yorkshire Resilience Forum in the preparation and testing of emergency plans. It allows the Forum to focus multi agency emergency planning work on a rational basis of priority and need.
Follow the link below 'West Yorks Prepared' for further details about the West Yorkshire Community Risk Register.