Community Preparedness
As we are approaching Winter, our Parish wanted to highlight some key things that everyone might want to consider. Attached is a document from West Mercia police covering a number of different risks in a community and how you can be prepared.
Over the next few weeks, we will focus on one of these areas and this week, it is preparing for cold weather, snow and ice and things to consider.
https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/cold-weather-snow-ice/
There are loads of resources out there and we have added some links to useful websites and a list of emergency supplies for a household advised by the government, which we hope you will find useful.
https://www.communitiesprepared.org.uk/
https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/
https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/prepare-an-emergency-kit
Emergency supplies
Consider what supplies you and your household might need during an emergency lasting a few days. You could consider keeping the following items at home:
- Battery or wind-up torch – torches are safer than candles.
- Portable power bank for charging your mobile phone.
- Battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut – a car radio can be used, however in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside.
- Spare batteries for torches and radio and a backup battery for any medical equipment you rely on.
- Essential medication and a first aid kit (or some first aid items) including items such as waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings and gloves, medical tape for dressings, and tweezers.
- Hand sanitiser and wet wipes for hygiene purposes when the water is off.
- Bottled water – there is no standard figure for this as emergencies can vary in duration and people use different amounts. A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended by the World Health Organisation for survival. 10 litres per person per day will make you more comfortable by also providing for basic cooking and hygiene needs. Additional water might be needed to make up baby formula, for medical devices and for pets.
- Non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don’t forget food for pets.
- Baby supplies such as nappies and baby formula – ready made or ‘ready-to-feed’ formula is best as you may not be able to boil water.
- A list of emergency contact numbers. This should be a paper copy, in case your mobile phone loses power.
- Copies of important documents, such as insurance policies and birth certificates. Keep these in a waterproof bag.
- Pencil, paper, penknife and whistle.
- Spare keys to your home and car.
- Spare glasses or contact lenses.
Rather than buying all the items at once, you could just add to your emergency kit when you are able and build it up over time.
Cold weather
Extreme weather and cold temperatures increase the risk of illness and injury:
- Keep your home warm, ideally heat to at least 18 degrees C.
- Get help with money - there are benefits and other help you can get to keep your home warm.
- Get the flu jab.
- Wear multiple layers and good grip shoes or boots if you have to go outside.
- Have plenty of food and hot drinks.
For more information visit:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/keep-warm-keep-well/
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/
The Cold Weather Plan helps prevent the major avoidable effects on health during periods of cold weather in England. To view the most up to date version, follow this link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cold-weather-plan-for-england
For information to help you, your business and your community plan for severe weather, visit the Community Resilience pages of the Met Office by following this link:
Snow and ice
The UK is prone to weather extremes, including heatwaves, cold weather and snow, strong winds, extreme rainfall and flooding.
What you need to do
- Listen to weather forecasts and heed any warnings of extreme weather.
- Plan any journeys or activities with the weather in mind.
- Only travel if essential - if you have to travel in severe weather check and prepare your vehicle first. Make sure you have adequate clothing and emergency supplies (including bottled water) in your vehicle. Check for weather warnings via the Met Office helpline 0370 900 0100 or at:
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings
- Sign up to receive Met Office alerts directly by email or by mobile app.
https://www.gov.uk/clear-snow-road-path-cycleway
https://nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/travelling-in-severe-weather/travelling-in-snow-and-ice/
Accidents and Hazardous materials
Serious incidents involving hazardous substances or radiation are rare, but if you do find yourself involved in one it is important to know what to do to protect yourself and others. Incidents with hazardous substances may take various forms, including vapours, powders or liquids.
Government advice on hazardous substances or radiation can be found in the following link -
https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/hazardous-materials-incident/
Hazardous substance advice
Actions to take if you think you might have been exposed to a hazardous substance
Follow the REMOVE REMOVE REMOVE advice if you think you have been deliberately or accidentally exposed to a hazardous substance, or if you think you have been attacked with an acidic or corrosive substance.
REMOVE yourself from the hazard to avoid further exposure.
REMOVE outer clothing if affected by the substance.
REMOVE the substance from skin if affected.
Chemical/Radiation emergency
If you are outside and are alerted to a chemical emergency nearby then you should shelter – go in, stay in, tune in. Emergency services will update on which areas should shelter and for what duration. The distance from the release and direction affected may change over time.
The UK Health Security Agency guidance on what to do in a chemical emergency also provides information related to evacuations, pets, food and water, and information on specific hazardous chemicals.
Actions to take if you are involved in a radiation emergency
Follow the Go in, Stay in, Tune in advice from the UK Health Security Agency:
- Go in: The most important thing to do if you are told you are near a radiation emergency is go indoors as soon as you can and stay there. Close the doors and windows and stay as far away from external walls as possible.
- Stay in: Staying indoors reduces your exposure to any radiation outside. You will be given advice on what to do next. Turn off all fans and air conditioning and close all external doors, windows and vents where possible. You will be given advice on what to do next. You may need to stay indoors for one to two days.
- Tune in: Monitor the news and follow official advice on GOV.UK for what to do next. Any changes to advice will be communicated to you via official sources – this may be via the radio, television, internet, social media or the police.
Electricity power failure
Power cuts (or electricity outages) can have a number of causes including severe weather, which can lead to damaged infrastructure, or system faults.
The UK has a resilient electricity system. Most power cuts are short-lived and occur locally, but more widespread and longer outages can happen. These could potentially last several days with regional or, although unlikely, national impacts.
https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/power-cuts/
During a power cut, call 105 ... it’s free and will put you through to a local network operator who can give you help and advice. To find out more visit:
What should I do during a power cut?
- Switch off all electrical appliances (irons, ovens, electric fires, fryers), ready for when the power comes back on.
- Leave a light on so you know when the power outage has been resolved.
- Check to see if your neighbours are okay.
- Keep warm – blankets and layered clothing. Keep the heat in – close curtains and doors to unused rooms.
- Report the power cut. If you are unsure who your operator is, call 105.
- Keep away from hazards such as power lines.
- Keep fridges and freezer doors closed, as this will ensure they stay cold for several hours. The Food Standards Agency provides advice on food safety in a power cut.
- To prepare baby formula safely, you will need to be able to boil water and follow the normal safety procedures. If you are not able to boil water, please try to use ready-to-use baby formula. The NHS provides advice on making up baby formula.
How can I prepare for a power cut?
- Keep a battery or wind-up torch (and spare batteries) handy - it’s much safer than using candles (as these pose a fire hazard). Your phone torch will drain its battery more quickly.
- Get a battery-powered or wind-up radio (useful for keeping up to date with relevant local news).
- Consider keeping some bottled water and non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables and a tin opener. You should also include baby formula and pet food if needed.
- Keep warm - keep a blanket and warm clothing handy and fill a vacuum flask or hot water bottle.
- Find out your power/load block letter. In the unlikely event of a national energy shortage, emergency power cuts could be scheduled on a rotating area-by-area basis. Each area in GB is assigned a ‘load block letter’ and would be scheduled to disconnect from the electricity grid for around three hours at a time. You can find which load block letter you are in by entering your postcode at powercut105.com, or some energy suppliers include it on electricity bills.
- If you’re eligible, sign up to your energy supplier’s Priority Service Register to let them know that you need additional support during a power cut.
Communication providers are required by law to make sure their networks and services are resilient.
However, you could still lose access to communication services due to a power cut or a problem affecting your service provider.
In the most serious circumstances, your mobile phone, landline and broadband connection could all be down, meaning you would not be able to use the phone or access the internet. This means you may not be able to contact emergency services on 999 during this time.
Please look at the attached link to see what you can do to be prepared for this:
https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/phone-broadband-outages/
Ofcom provides advice on resolving broadband and landline faults and problems.
Water
Top tips on protecting your home or workplace from burst water pipes:
1. Wrap-up your pipes - pipes can be exposed to freezing temperatures if they’re in a part of your home that isn’t heated. Water companies recommend that any water pipes which are exposed to cold temperatures (such as those in the loft or in outside buildings like garages and out-houses, or your outside tap) should be protected with lagging.
2. Find your stop tap - if there’s a burst pipe at home, the fastest way to stop the flow is to turn your stop tap off. Normally they’re under the kitchen sink or in the downstairs toilet - but may also be in a utility room or garage. Check it is working every 6 months.
If your home has a water storage tank - the sort found in the loft or airing cupboard - it may have an additional stop tap or valve near to the tank itself. This will shut off the water supply to your hot water system.
3. If you are going away, leave your heating on low. Ask a neighbour to check inside your home.
4. Ensure your boiler is serviced regularly.
5. Keep the name and telephone number of your nearest WaterSafe qualified plumber by the boiler or stop tap.
For more information, useful videos and advice visit:
Support for customers with additional needs
Water companies have a Priority Services Register. This is a list of customers who have additional needs that suppliers should be aware of if there’s a supply interruption. For details of how to register, visit
Dealing with frozen pipes
- Turn off your inside stop tap immediately. It's usually located under the kitchen sink, but can also be found in downstairs bathrooms, kitchen cupboards, garages, cellars and under the stairs.
- Open all your taps to drain the system as quickly as possible, saving some water in a bucket, if you can, for flushing toilets and hand washing. When the water stops running, turn all the taps off.
- Thaw out pipes slowly, with hot water bottles or towels soaked in hot water. Never use a naked flame or blowtorch to thaw the pipe – as direct heat may cause permanent damage to the pipes and could also lead to a fire in the home. If you need help, contact an approved plumber via watersafe.org.uk.
- Turn on nearby cold taps (keep the stop tap turned off) as this will relieve pressure on the frozen pipe.
Dealing with burst pipes
Sometimes pipes freezing and thawing can cause them to burst. If this happens:
- Turn off the water supply coming into your property at the stop tap and switch off your boiler.
- Open all your taps to drain the system as quickly as possible, saving some water in a bucket for flushing toilets and hand washing. When the water stops running, turn all the taps off.
- Soak up escaping water with towels to limit the damage.
- Call a WaterSafe approved plumber, who is qualified to work on the plumbing system in your home.
- If water has leaked near your electrics, do not touch them and switch them off at the fuse box.
Interruptions to water supply
Interruptions to water supply (or ‘outages’) occur for many reasons, ranging from scheduled maintenance to burst water mains.
These events are usually over quickly with minimal impact, however longer water supply outages occasionally happen and can be disruptive and distressing. Your water company is the best source of information if this happens.
https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/water-supply-interruptions-or-outages/
Actions to take during a water outage
- Check your water provider’s website regarding service in your area, and to see if you can pick up alternative sources of water.
- If you are on the Priority Services Register, your water company will arrange alternative supplies for you.
- Whilst there is no water, use alternative water supplies such as bottled water solely for drinking, washing your hands, cooking and preparing baby formula.
- Check to see if others, particularly vulnerable members of your community, are also without water. If they are, you could offer to provide assistance such as collecting bottled water. You could also suggest they register as a priority user with your water company.
After a water outage it is common to experience discoloured water. Try running the cold tap nearest to your stopcock (which is usually under your kitchen sink) for a while to see if it clears the discolouration. Contact your water provider if you continue to have problems with your water supply.
Ofwat provides information on what communication you should expect to receive from your water company in the case of an interruption to water supply.
Gas
To report a gas or carbon monoxide emergency, or if a pipeline is struck (even if no gas leak has occurred) call 0800 111 999 - 24 hours a day. In the event of an emergency:
- Do not smoke or light matches.
- Do not turn electrical switches on or off.
- Open doors and windows.
- Turn off the meter at the control handle unless the meter is in the cellar.
- Call the National Gas Emergency number (0800 111 999).
General safety advice
Get your gas appliances checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Always check IDs before allowing anyone into your home.
More information can be found at https://www.nationalgridgas.com/safety-and-emergencies/emergencies-and-safety-advice
Flooding
Flooding at its most serious can affect many different aspects of our daily lives.
Surface water flooding is particularly difficult to forecast and can happen at very short notice. Never walk or drive through flood water, there may be underwater hazards and it may be deeper than it appears.
You can check your flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at:
Call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or
follow @EnvAgency for the latest flood updates.
To find out if your property is at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea, surface water or from dams and reservoirs visit: https://www.gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk
https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/
West Mercia Search & Rescue offer a free online water-safety course which is suitable for all ages, and contains loads of information on dangers from water, and how to rescue someone who is in trouble: https://westmerciasar.org.uk/homeanddry/
Flood Re is a way to help people who live in flood risk areas get affordable home insurance: https://www.abi.org.uk/products-andissues/topics-and-issues/flood-re/
Help and advice is also available from the National Flood Forum: https://nationalfloodforum.org.uk/
Please find below some links to websites, which we hope you will find useful:
https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/flooding/
https://www.gov.uk/help-during-flood
https://www.communitiesprepared.org.uk/
https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/
https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/prepare-an-emergency-kit
Actions you can take
- Sign up to receive flood warnings by phone, text or email. If you have a disability or need extra help you can contact Floodline and ask for flood warnings to be sent to a friend or relative on your behalf (telephone: 0345 988 988 1188, textphone: 0345 602 6340).
- Make a personal flood plan for you and those around you.
- Consider packing a ‘grab bag’ of essentials in advance. This could include any medication you need, a first aid kit and important documents, as well as items such as a torch, bottled water, warm waterproof clothing, and baby care items. Store the bag somewhere you can easily get to.
- Move sentimental or valuable items upstairs or keep in a high place such as the top shelf or drawer of a cabinet. Store important documents (e.g. birth certificates) in resealable water-tight plastic bags to help protect them from water damage.
- If you own a riverside or canalside property, there might be additional things you need to do. Read guidance on the rights and responsibilities of owning a riverside property and contact the Canal and River Trust to find out more.
- Before a flood happens you can make changes to your property to reduce the damage flooding can do. These do come with a cost, but if you are planning work to your property anyway it can be a good opportunity to make some changes. Read more about how to prepare your property for flooding. You may need permission to do work that will affect the flow of a river or divert flood water.
- Know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water. These are in different places in different properties but you’ll usually find your water stop tap inside your home where your water supply comes in (or outside near to your property’s boundary under a cover), your gas shut-off valve next to your gas meter, and your mains electricity cut off on your fuse board with a big on and off switch.
- Get insurance: you can find guidance from the Environment Agency by visiting Prepare for flooding.
Fire Safety
This week, the focus is around Fire prevention and safety.
The emergency services are trained to cope with a wide range of emergency situations, but there is a lot that you can do to help them and yourself:
- Fit one smoke alarm per floor of your home and check it weekly (introduce Test it Tuesday!).
- Make an action plan so that everyone in your household knows how to escape in the event of a fire.
- Take care when cooking with hot oil - use a temperature-controlled deep fat fryer.
- Never leave lit candles unattended.
- Ensure cigarettes are stubbed out and disposed of carefully.
- Never smoke in bed.
- Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.
- Have your chimney swept regularly.
- Take extra care in the kitchen - cooking accidents account for 59% of fires in the home.
- Take care when you’re tired or when you’ve been drinking - half of all deaths in domestic fires happen between 10pm and 8am.
If you are unlucky enough to have a fire at home, don’t tackle the fire yourself, however small it is.
If there is a fire, get out, stay out and call 999
For home and business fire safety advice from Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service visit: https://www.shropshirefire.gov.uk/
https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/domestic-fire/