Neighbourhood Emergency Plans:
Why should we have a Neighbourhood Emergency Plan?
Incidents such as heavy snow, power cuts or flooding can turn into local emergencies and have a detrimental effect on local people, particularly the elderly and vulnerable. Sometimes these types of emergencies can have a more serious impact on the community, and people can need more help to respond and recover from them.
Neighbourhood Watch Groups can help enormously during an emergency by assisting residents to move belongings upstairs in the event of flooding, or assisting with shopping for the elderly and vulnerable in heavy snow or by continuing to do the things that they already do. For example:
By carrying out the normal roles of the NHW in an emergency, you can help support your family, friends and neighbours….
- Keeping your eyes and ears opens for people that might need help
- Watch out for neighbours
- Look out for their properties if people go on holiday
- Helping secure their homes and outbuildings.
- Distribute emergency preparedness material to members.
- Advise new residents of any particular risks in the area – for example – flooding
- Help the vulnerable members of the community – the elderly, those living alone and the young and encourage others to help them too.
- Sometimes it helps to write some key information down, like telephone numbers, to make the response to an emergency more effective. It also helps other coordinators cover an area when the normal coordinator is away or unavailable.
How do I create a Neighbourhood Emergency Plan?
It is extremely simple for a Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator to create a Neighbourhood Emergency Plan using the templates we have created. We have a stripped back questionnaire which once you have completed can be either email or posted back to us and we will then complete the plan template for you from the information provided. The completed Neighbourhood Emergency Plan will then be sent back to you to use.
If you feel confident in completing one of our full plan templates yourself then please do. We have two versions, a shortened Neighbourhood Emergency Procedures Plan and a more in-depth Neighbourhood Emergency Plan
We also have a standard letter which you can be used to recruit volunteers to help during an emergency and to identify vulnerable people who may need help when an emergency happens.
Once you have completed you Neighbourhood Emergency Plan it is a good idea to review the plan yearly to make sure contact details are correct and volunteers are able to provide their time and resources. To help you review your Neighbourhood Emergency plan we have produced a guidance document.