Are you prepared for the worst?

Strategic planning for large-scale emergencies in London is the responsibility of the London Resilience Partnership, but we all have a part to play. Ian Mitchell reports

Most of the time, most of us don’t like to think of the worst. But for the members of the London Resilience Partnership, thinking of the worst is an absolute requirement.

Set up in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001, the partnership’s overriding aim is to ensure the capital is as well prepared against large-scale emergencies as it is possible to be.

London Resilience is made up of the government, the Mayor, the Greater London Authority and all of London’s key responding authorities – police, fire, ambulance, health service and of course, London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London.

Transport authorities, utilities, voluntary agencies and representatives of London’s main faiths and the military are also part of the partnership that is led by the London Regional Resilience Forum, chaired by minister for local government, Phil Woolas.

Since May 2002 the forum has overseen the development of numerous multi-agency pan-London emergency response plans and an exercise programme to test and practice such plans.

Those plans were put to a very real test on the morning of 7 July 2005 when four separate bombs on London’s public transport system triggered the biggest ever response to a terrorist attack from London’s emergency services, transport workers, local authorities and voluntary agencies.

But terrorism is not the only threat to the capital. The forum, which meets on a monthly basis, constantly assesses the risks and appropriate responses to a host of potential threats to the well-being of Londoners, from the threat of a flu pandemic or the risk of flooding, to the issues posed by, for example, incidents such as the death of Alexander Litvinenko – who was poisoned by radioactive Polonium 210 in the capital.

Ensuring that London is ready to face any such challenge cannot be assured by our public and professional services alone, and all of London’s residents and businesses must be as prepared as it is possible to be to play their part.

Comprehensive emergency advice for London is available via the London Resilience website at www.londonprepared.gov.uk Opens in a new window.The website includes details of all of London’s emergency plans, advice for individual Londoners and visitors to the capital, as well as information for the capital’s businesses on continuity planning.

A marketing campaign to maximise awareness of this valuable resource was launched towards the end of 2007.

The campaign is being backed by London Councils, the Greater London Authority, Transport for London, the Government Office for London and the Metropolitan Police.

A key component of the campaign has been a direct mailing to senior decision makers within targeted groups in the public sector and London’s business community.

The campaign encourages people and organisations to spread the word about the free resources available through the website.

Promotional material such as posters, mugs and pens is available from the London Resilience team. So far the team has received more than 5,000 such requests, primarily from London boroughs.

The London Resilience team will be undertaking a detailed analysis of the impact of the campaign at the end of March, but early signs are that it has been a significant success, with visitor numbers up 500 per cent on levels before the campaign was launched.

We may not particularly like thinking of the worst, but if we are to be ready to respond to any emergency whether it be flood, a health pandemic, transport or industrial accident or any other cause including terrorism, it is vital that London is prepared.

Visit www.londonprepared.gov.uk Opens in a new window for more information.