Community Emergency Planning

ACT works with communities across Cumbria to support and raise awareness of Community Resilience and Emergency Planning.

How can your community be better prepared and support one another in difficult times? What would you do in the first 48 hours of a serious emergency if emergency services were delayed or unavailable? A Community Emergency Plan can reduce the impact and help your community recover faster.

2020 02 07 Building Resilience Together  visual minutes (may as well keep the current visual that’s on our existing website) ????????

Communities are encouraged to plan in order to:

  • Be better prepared for an emergency
  • Know what to do, before outside help and emergency services can arrive
  • Work with emergency services and other agencies effectively, using local knowledge
  • Recover more quickly and effectively after an emergency

Extreme weather, such as flooding and heavy snow, is one of the most common emergencies communities face. However, other incidents can also happen, including prolonged power cuts, gas leaks, fires, major traffic incidents, and health emergencies such as pandemics. A Community Emergency Plan helps people prepare in advance, coordinate support during an incident, connect with emergency services and local authorities, and recover more effectively afterwards.

Visit the ‘Relevant Resources’ section below for guidance and template documents

ACT works closely with communities and partner organisations, including the Joint Emergency Management and Resilience Team, who deliver Emergency Planning for both Unitary Authorities in Cumbria.

Cumbria also has a Community Resilience Coordinator, Liam Ryan, who supports  communities to build community resilience, understand local risks and plan for emergencies.

Free Public Liability Insurance

ACT works with Cumbria Neighbourhood Watch (CNWA) who promote safer neighbourhoods and kinder communities. The Home Office fund the national Neighbourhood Watch Public Liability Insurance. Joe Murray, the chair of CNWA has negotiated for Cumbria’s emergency planning groups to be given this free public liability cover.

This really useful offer is easy to access by:

  • Joining CNWA – it’s free and can be done online
  • Having an emergency plan and risk assessment (see ‘Relevant Resources’ below)
  • Using the logo on your publicity to show you are being supported with NWA insurance

Further details here

If you are interested in joining Neighbourhood Watch in Cumbria, you can also contact us.

Relevant Resources

For communities in the old Eden locality, a small £150 Community Emergency Planning grant is available, plus a further £150 Community Emergency Readiness grant is available to help communities with a plan to be better prepared to deliver it. Grant guidance and application forms are available under ‘Relevant Resources’ below.

Guidance Sheets

  • Community Emergency Planning – Having the Conversation (updated)
  • Household Emergency Planning Leaflet (view on screen) (updated)
  • Improving Community Resilience – How Parish Councils can help (updated)
  • Community Emergency Planning Guide (updated)
  • Community Emergency Planning Guide – Cumberland Emergency Plan Template (updated
  • Community Emergency Planning Guide – Westmorland and Furness Emergency Plan Template (updated)
  • Community Emergency Planning Guide – Appendix C Template Risk Assessment
  • Eden Community Emergency Planning Grant Guidance Notes
  • Eden Community Emergency Planning Grant Application Form
  • Eden Community Emergency Readiness Grant Guidance Notes
  • Eden Community Emergency Readiness Grant Application Form

Third party resources

Visit: https://cumbriaprepared.org.uk  for a wide variety of resources to support communities, businesses, and individuals to plan for emergencies, including Environment Agency advice specifically about flooding.

Visit The Flood Hub website www.thefloodhub.co.uk – supporting communities to manage flood and coastal risk across the North West.

ACT’s national Network organisation Action with Communities in Rural England has produced a guide that you can access here: https://acre.org.uk/a-guide-to-rural-community-resilience/