Greater Manchester Resilience Web

The Greater Manchester Resilience Forum (GMRF) is a partnership of agencies from across the Greater Manchester Sub-Region with responsibility for coordinating and overseeing emergency planning. It's overall purpose is to ensure that there is an appropriate level of preparedness to enable an effective multi-agency response to emergency incidents which may have significant impact on the communities of Greater Manchester.

GMRF works within the framework set by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which provides a single statutory framework for civil protection in the UK at a local level.

Overview of the Act

The Act, and accompanying regulations and non-legislative measures deliver a framework for civil protection in the UK capable of meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century.

The Act is sperarted into two substantive parts:

• Part 1 - focuses on local arrangements for civil protection, establishing a statutory framework of roles and responsibilities for local responders.
• Part 2 - focuses on emergency powers, establishing a modern framework for the use of special legislative measures that might be necassary to deal with the effects of the most serious emergencies.

You can view a short guide to the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 or the full document by following the links below.

Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (short guide) (PDF 0.3MB)

Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (full version)

The following organistations are the core Greater Manchester emergency responders.

GMRF prepares emergency plans to ensure an effective response to the full range of possible emergencies which may affect Greater Manchester.

You can view the following GMRF plans:

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 defines an emergency as a event or situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare in a place in the UK, the environment of a place in the UK or War or Terrorism which threatens serious damage to the security of the UK.

Types of Emergencies

Emergencies or incidents may, for example fall within one of the following categories:

• Severe Weather
• Threats to public health
• Major structural collapse
• Major fire or explosion
• Incidents outside the UK that affect people within the local community
• Terrorism or malicious attacks
• Major public disorder

You can find useful information on how to prepare yourself for emergencies at Direct Gov – Preparing For Emergencies.

Direct Gov provides a 3 Step guide to understanding how to plan for an emergency. View the 3 Steps.

Preparing a “Grab-Bag”

Preparing a “Grab-Bag” can be a useful first step in preparing you or your family for emergencies.

An emergency Grab Bag should hold vital information and items that will be useful to your family in an emergency. The bag should be small enough to carry, be stored in a safe and secure place where other family members can easily find it should there be an emergency.

Some suggestions on what your Grab Bag might contain include:

• Important Documents (e.g. passport, driving license, prescriptions) for security you may wish to keep a note in the bag as a remind to take these, instead of the actual items.
• Useful telephone numbers
• A notebook and pen
• A small First Aid Kit
• Toiletries (toothbrush, soap, nappies if required)
• Bottle of drinking water, baby food, and energy food.

There may be other and more personal items you would like your Grab Bag to contain but remember, you will need to carry the bag around with you in an emergency so don’t make it too heavy!

Using the links below you can find information and advice to help you prepare for the most likely emergencies to affect Greater Manchester.

• Severe Weather inc. Floods,
• Transport,
• Infectious Disease,
• Terrorism.

Click on the title of the following topics to learn more about potential severe weather emergencies.

Floods – As the events of recent years have demonstrated, flooding poses a major risk to life and property. Both river flooding and surface water flooding are identified risks within the Greater Manchester Community Risk Register.

Snow - When snow and icy roads are forecast you should adjust your driving to suit the conditions. Black ice isn’t always visible and so can be a greater hazard for both motorists and pedestrians. Black ice is formed when light rain or drizzle fall onto a road surface that has a temperature of below freezing.

Heatwaves – While many of us like to enjoy the hot weather, we should do it safely and remember some people are more vulnerable than others to the effects of heat. Extreme heat can force the body into overdrive as it tries to stay cool through perspiration. Children and older people are particularly at risk.

Gales - Gales are the most common cause of damage and disruption in the UK. The majority of damage reports come from domestic dwellings. The average annual cost of damage in the UK each year is at least £300 million.

See if you live or work in an area “at risk” of floods. Use the Environment Agency’s Flood Guide for Greater Manchester.

Before the flood

• Move valuable items, including important documents, to high levels.
• Bring indoors items which may cause damage or be damaged.
• Ensure you have bottles of drinking water in case the water supply becomes contaminated.

Remember that water can enter the property by whichever means it normally leaves.

During the flood

• Never try to drive through flood water – 80% of flood deaths occur in vehicles.
• Avoid walking through flood water, rivers or streams in full flow. Six inches of fast flowing water can knock a person over.
• If you have to evacuate your home or workplace, turn off those utilities you can access easily.
• Avoid driving unless absolutely necessary.

After the flood

• Check structural damage to buildings.
• If it is dark, use a torch not a candle.
• Throw away any food, including canned goods which have come into contact with flood water.

You can use the information above to put plans in place to help you prepare should a flood occur in your area.

More information can be found on the Environment Agency website.

Follow the links below to learn more about and keep up to date with potential transport emergencies in the UK.

• Network Rail
• British Transport Police
• Highways Agency
• Manchester Airport

What is Terrorism?

The Terrorism Act 2000 defines terrorism as:

"The use or threat of action designed to influence the government or to intimidate the public or a section of the public and is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause and involves or causes either:

• Serious violence against a person
• Serious damage to property
• A threat to a persons life
• A serious risk to the health and safety of the public
• Serious interference with or disruption to an electronic system"

More information can be found on the Greater Manchester Police Counter Terrorism Unit and the Home Office Counter Terrorism websites

Project Griffin

Security staff across the region have joined forces with GMP in the fight against terrorism by signing up to take part in Project Griffin, a training program to develop awareness to counter terrorism issues.

See the Project Griffin website for more information.

Project Argus

Project Argus is a National Counter Terrorism Security Office initiative aimed at businesses, exploring ways to aid businesses in preventing, handling and recovering from a terrorist attack.

Visit the NaCTSO website to see how you can get involved.

Infectious diseases, including pandemic flu, represent major risks both nationally and locally.

Visit the Greater Manchester Health Protection Unit website for more information.

Business Continuity

Business Continuity Management (BCM) is a process of planning to ensure that your business or organisation has a quick return to normal operations after the event of a major disruption. Even though it is impossible to predict every kind of incident that may threaten a business, it is possible to prepare for such events by developing business continuity plans.

Self Assessment

London Prepared offer an online self assessment tool to understand the risks to your business and offers advice and guidance on creating and testing business continuity plans and training your staff.

Take the Online Self Assessment.

The Business Continuity Institute (BCI)

The BCI was established in 1994 to enable individual members to obtain guidance and support from fellow business continuity practitioners. The BCI currently has over 5000 members in 90 different countries.

Visit the TheBCI.org website for more information.

The Business Link

Unplanned events can have a devastating effect on small businesses. Crises such as fire, damage to stock, illness of key staff or IT system failure could all make it difficult or impossible to carry out your normal day to day activities.

Visit the businesslink to see how you can prepare.

The Greater Manchester Risk Register is a working document that details the risks faced by Greater Manchester. It is prepared through examining detailed information on national risks, prepared by Government, and assessing the likelihood and impact of these to Greater Manchester.

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 places a legal duty on Category 1 responders to assess risk.

The Greater Manchester Resilience Forum Risk Assessment Working Group works to update and maintain the Community Risk Register.

The Community Risk Register is the first step in the emergency planning process. It ensures that planning and other work is carried out in proportion to the risk. Whilst the requirement to assess risk is recent, responders within Greater Manchester have been pro active in identifying risks within the area and in working to mitigate the effects of these risks should they cause a major emergency.  

The Cabinet Office also issues a National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies

For more information contact the Local Resilience Forum Administrator:

 Tel: 0161 234 4425

Email: contingencies.agma@manchester.gov.uk