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Liaison with other Agencies

With the introduction of the Civil Contingencies Act (UK Resilience) the structure of Hampshire’s inter-agency groups has been modified. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has become a Category 1 responder and is required by law to co-operate with the agencies within a local resilience area (Police force area). This co-operation must include all responders in a particular resilience local area co-operating in a single forum. This is now known as the Local Resilience Forum.

The Local Resilience Forum comprises the Executive Group and the Business and Performance Review group. The Executive Group, chaired by the Chief Constable, will meet twice per year and the Business and Performance Review group will meet four times per year.

This new structure, of which Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service is an integral part, reflects the broad arrangements already in existence in our local resilience area. However, the relationship between the various groups has been made more formal to reflect the spirit of the new regulations under the Civil Contingencies Act in creating a forum for co-operation.

The aim of the LRF is to pursue a policy of integrated emergency management involving all the responder bodies within Hampshire. It will help those responder bodies address their duties under the Act by, among other things:

compiling agreed risk profiles for the area, or Community Risk Registers, and taking further action as necessary to encourage responder bodies, according to their functions, to address the risks identified in a systematic and co-ordinated approach.
examining all aspects of policy in relation to risk; to planning for emergencies and for business continuity management; to arrangements to warn and inform the public; and to other aspects of the civil protection duty.
facilitating information sharing and co-operation between its members, including for example reports on recent incidents and exercises.
supporting the preparation by all or some of its members of multi-agency plans and other documents, including protocols and agreements (though the LRF itself is not a statutory planning body).
supporting and helping to co-ordinate multi-agency exercises and other training events.
publishing information about the working of integrated emergency management in Hampshire as necessary.
ensuring that organisations which are not captured by the duty as Category 1 or 2 responders but which have an important role in civil protection in Hampshire (eg voluntary organisation or private businesses), are brought within the local LRF framework, as appropriate.

Specialist Groups

Reporting to the LRF Working Group are a number of sub groups looking at specific issues on a pan-Hampshire basis. Representatives of relevant Category 2 responders and other relevant organisations will attend where appropriate. These groups will include: utilities, public transport providers, voluntary agencies, an exercise group, media, health/hospitals, welfare support for victims, hazard analysis and risk prioritisation and an events group.

Furthermore, there are ad-hoc or project groups set up as necessary: a particular multi-agency exercise (eg Livex), a particular event (eg Tall Ships). Also included within this grouping are the Portsafe and Sotonsafe Groups.

Within each local authority area, ie unitary authority and district council, there is a local Inter Agency Emergency Planning Liaison Group comprising local representatives from Category 1 and, where appropriate, other organisations. These groups meet on at least a six-monthly basis.