Middlesbrough Council Business Continuity Plandemocracy.middlesbrough.gov.uk/aksmiddlesbrough/images/att88… · Web view7 Reviewing, Updating and Testing the Business Continuity

Middlesbrough Council

Corporate Business Continuity Plan

March 2007

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Contents

Executive summary

1. Introduction

2. Organisation

3. Detection and preliminary assessment of an interruption event

4. Putting the Corporate Business Continuity Plan into Action

5. Support Strategies

6. Communication Strategy

7. Reviewing, Updating and Testing the Business Continuity Plan

Appendices

Appendix 1 – Situation report templateAppendix 2 – Key contact listAppendix 3 – Corporate Business Continuity Team Contact ListAppendix 4 – Prioritised Service Recovery tableAppendix 5 – Recovery site detailsAppendix 6 – Policy and Guidance on home workingAppendix 7 – Guidance on Workforce Flexibility issues

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Middlesbrough Council - Corporate Business Continuity Plan – Executive Summary

Requirement & Purpose

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (CCA) requires Local Authorities to maintain plans to ensure that they can continue to deliver their services in the event of an emergency as far as reasonably practicable.

It is also a requirement as part of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment for the Council to have business continuity plans in place for the delivery of all services following any kind of interruption event.

Business Continuity Management (BCM) is a planned process that helps manage the continuity of service delivery following an unexpected disruption to normal working. It is a vital component of risk management which itself forms an integral part of Corporate Governance.

Middlesbrough Council recognises and accepts the necessity for BCM. This plan provides a clear commitment to the strengthening of the existing BCM framework within the Council and the further integration and embedding of business continuity planning into the culture and practices across all services.

The Council’s approach to Business Continuity is based on BS 25999-1 Business Continuity Management – Part 1 Code of Practice – and complies with the requirements of the CCA and those of CPA.

Scope

This plan is focused on internal business continuity planning for all services and functions and includes those services that are delivered in partnership with our key partners. This includes the interface with the Emergency Planning Unit where a civil emergency event has a knock on effect and also results in disruption to Council services.

Those who are responsible for the management of outsourced services have ensured that appropriate business continuity measures are included in agreements and contracts so that an acceptable level of service is delivered following an interruption event. Middlesbrough Council’s partner, HBS has an established BCM strategy and work continues to ensure that this will continue to reflect the Council’s critical service priorities.

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It excludes outward facing plans for the management of civil emergencies for which the Emergency Planning Unit are responsible, including the provision of advice and assistance on Business Continuity Management to those undertaking commercial activities or to voluntary organisations.

Aims and objectives

BCM is a vital component of Risk Management which itself forms an integral part of Corporate Governance. This plan provides a clear commitment to BCM and will be a key tool used by the Council to further embed Business Continuity Management.

As part of this embedding process, Middlesbrough Council aims to:

Ensure that the concept of BCM and the Council’s plan and approach is understood by all stakeholders

Ensure that all risks that can have an adverse impact and generic control measures are identified

Identify and maintain up to date information on internal and external dependencies on customers, suppliers, partners and resources

Further develop and enhance plans to ensure the Council can continue to deliver its services to an appropriate level in the event of an interruption event

Systematically maintain and test all plans and supporting documents Continue the programme of training and communication that has been put

in place.

Benefits

Effective Business Continuity Management will enable the Council to:

Continue to provide critical services to the public following an interruption event

Make best use of personnel and resources at times when both might be scarce

Reduce the period of disruption to both the organisation and the community

Reduce the operational and financial impact of an interruption event Comply with corporate governance standards.

Roles & Responsibilities

The Corporate Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator is responsible for ensuring that a sound business continuity framework and associated standards are maintained and that the framework is regularly reviewed and continues to be implemented effectively.

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Directors and Heads of Service are responsible for ensuring robust and effective business continuity plans are maintained at Directorate and Service level.

Guidance on the Operation of this Plan

This plan is supported by Service Area Departmental Business Continuity Plans and various supporting policies, which are appended to the Corporate Plan. The Corporate Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator will provide advice, guidance and training to the Council as required in order to maintain and enhance robust and effective Business Continuity Management in Middlesbrough.

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Circulation list

CMT and Heads of Service

Key partners (as detailed at Appendix 9).

Audit

Risk and Business Continuity champions

Building management

HBS

Members of the corporate Business Continuity Team

Members of Service Area Departmental Business Continuity Teams

MTLC management team.

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1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose

This document is the Corporate Business Continuity Plan for Middlesbrough Council. It is a strategic plan that provides a framework for the tactical management of an event that threatens to disrupt the delivery of the Council’s critical services.

The Corporate Business Continuity Plan will become effective where there are business interruption events that;

are likely to last for more than half a working day; affect a vulnerable group of service users; will impact on the delivery of key critical services; restrict access to one of the key council buildings as outlined at 2.3; would generate negative publicity; or are likely to escalate into one of the above categories.

It should be read in conjunction with:

individual Service Department Business Continuity Plans that detail the recovery of critical services;

HBS Business Continuity Plans for the recovery of outsourced functions; and

recovery strategies and plans that have been adopted by key partners (contact details for the Council’s key partners at listed at Appendix 9).

1.2 Aims

Business Continuity Planning is a process that helps manage the disruption risks to ensure the smooth running of council services in the event of interruption to services, however caused. This involves:

forward planning to reduce the impact of an interruption event and maintain delivery of critical services; and

the development of practical recovery strategies based on service priorities identified by their tolerance to interruption in terms of time.

The aim of this Corporate Business Continuity Plan is to ensure the prioritised recovery of the services and functions of Middlesbrough Council as quickly as possible following an interruption event.

1.3 Scope

This document outlines the:

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procedure for the notification, escalation and communication of a potential interruption event;

roles and responsibilities of the Corporate Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator and Corporate Business Continuity Team;

circumstances in which the Corporate Business Continuity Team might be mobilised and the Corporate Business Continuity Plan activated; and

established strategies required to support the prioritised recovery of the services and functions of Middlesbrough Council.

It is focused on inward facing service continuity planning. The Council’s Emergency Planning Unit is responsible for all outward-facing plans. However, an emergency event may have an internal impact on the delivery of critical services. This document ensures that there is effective notification and communication between the external and internal planning teams for when this situation arises.

Individual Service Department Business Continuity Plans identify the recovery strategies for service critical activities; external supplies on whom these activities depend and all staff and resources required.

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2.1 Role of the Corporate Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator

The Corporate Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator has the responsibility of:

mobilising the Corporate Business Continuity Team; activating the Corporate Business Continuity Plan; issuing a unique event reference to collect costs; setting up the Control Centre; and providing strategic direction and leadership.

2.2 Role of the Corporate Business Continuity Team

The role of the Corporate Business Continuity Team is to manage the overall effort in the event of an interruption event that will impact upon the Council’s ability to deliver critical services.

The majority of decisions and actions to recover the services will be taken by Directors and Heads of Services in accordance with their individual Service Department Business Continuity Plan. However, the Corporate Business Continuity Team will be specifically responsible for:

assessing the context of the interruption event based on the most up to date information available following the Situation Report and the time of year;

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acting to adjust prioritised service recovery where the context make this necessary;

providing corporate leadership and direction to the service departments; and

monitoring progress and ensuring services are recovered according the priorities established.

2.3 Structure

There are circumstances where an interruption event is also a declared emergency that affects the services and functions that are based in the key buildings in Middlesbrough town centre. Namely:

Town Hall;Civic Centre;Middlesbrough House;Vancouver House;Rede House; andRegister Office.

In this event the Emergency Response Management Team incident co-ordinator will co-ordinate the sharing of information between the two teams. In their absence the Communications officer will undertake this role.

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3 Detection and preliminary assessment of an interruption event

3.1 Escalation to a Service Area Lead Officer

In the event that any officer becomes aware of a potential interruption event they should:

ensure any relevant emergency procedures are followed e.g. building evacuation;

gather as much information as is quickly available; and provide a detailed and accurate situation report to Lead Officer.

3.2 Emergency Procedures

In the event that the potential interruption event relates to a bomb threat, fire or building evacuation, the procedure note guidance for emergency incident officers (appendix 8) should be followed. There are provisions contained within this policy to ensure that the Business Continuity Co-ordinator is still alerted to any potential interruption.

In the event of an emergency event, covered by the Emergency Plan, this procedure should be followed in the first instance. Where there is possible interruption to business as part of the event, the Council’s Business Continuity Co-ordinator should be informed. A section, which considers Business Continuity issues is to be added to the Major Incident Plan to ensure they are compatible with each other.

Work has been undertaken to ensure that the above procedures are compatible with this plan. These links form part of the Council’s overarching approach to Business Continuity Management.

3.3 Situation Report

As much available information should be gathered as quickly as possible in order to provide a situation report to the Lead Officer. Key information would include:

nature of the incident or event; known impact; external dialogue/contacts; timeframe for next update; approach to disseminating further updates; and timescales for resolution of the event.

A template to record this key information is provided as Appendix 1.

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3.4 Role of the Lead Officer

Who is the Lead Officer will depend on the type of interruption event concerned. They will be responsible for:

instigating relevant emergency response e.g. for fire and bomb threats and building evacuation policy;

making contact with the Corporate Business Continuity Co-ordinator and providing a situation report;

ensuring that contact is made with other Senior Council Officers and a situation report is provided; and

the Corporate Business Continuity Co-ordinator will take the lead on interruption events that affect two or more key services or involve the closure of one of the Council buildings identified at 2.3.

A Key Contact List is shown as Appendix 2 detailing the Lead Officer for each category of event, contact details and the communication flow to other Senior Council Officers.

The Lead Officer will maintain direct communication with the Corporate Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator following the procedure and deal with the event using the escalation flow chart, outlined within the Communications Strategy.

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4 Putting the Corporate Business Continuity Plan into Action

4.1 Mobilisation of the Corporate Business Continuity Team

The Corporate Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator will make the decision to mobilise the Corporate Business Continuity Team based on the most up to date information available from the Lead Officer(s) and in discussion with the Chief Executive. In the event that anyone of the above is unavailable during the Event, his or her identified deputy will assume the role.

The Corporate Business Continuity Team is likely to be mobilised when:

the event affects multiple service areas and is unlikely to be resolved within half a working day; and

an emergency event is declared that will have an impact on the delivery of key council services.

It is the Corporate Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator’s responsibility to contact all Corporate Business Continuity Team members or their alternative contact and ensure that they convene at the Corporate Business Continuity Control Centre.

Appendix 3 provides a list of the members of the Corporate Business Continuity Team along with their contact details, alternative contacts and identified deputies.

4.2 The Corporate Business Continuity Control Centre

Prime Location

In the event that the Corporate Business Continuity Team is required to convene, the prime location will be the Chief Executive’s meeting room in the Civic Centre.

Alternative Location

Room 132, First FloorMiddlesbrough Teaching & Learning Centre Tranmere AvenueMiddlesbroughTS3 8PB

Telephone: 01642 242075

4.3 Evaluation of the Interruption Event

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When the Corporate Business Continuity Team has assembled at the Control Centre they will:

assess the context of the interruption event based on the most up to date information available following the Situation Report and the time of year;

determine if the severity of the impact requires activation of Middlesbrough Council’s Corporate Business Continuity Plan (or whether the impact can be managed via the Service Department Business Continuity Plans or relevant HBS Business Continuity Plan/s);

act to adjust prioritised service recovery where the context make this necessary;

provide corporate leadership and direction to the service areas; monitor progress and ensuring services are recovered according the

priorities established; manage internal and external communications; and liaise with the Emergency Response Management Team in the event of a

declared emergency.

4.4 Activation of the Corporate Business Continuity Plan

BCP Reference A unique reference number will be allocated to the interruption event by the Corporate Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator to ensure that all additional costs and expenses related to the interruption event can be gathered centrally. This will start with the letters BCP followed by the current date, month and year e.g. BCP/10/10/06.

Activation of Service Department PlansIf the plan is activated, the Corporate Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator will make sure that each Service Director is contacted and advised to activate their Service Department Business Continuity Plans and informed of the:

context; priorities; strategies; actions plans; and reporting and communication procedures.

4.5 Action Planning

As detailed in Section 2 of this document the role of the Corporate Business Continuity Team is to manage the overall effort in the event of an interruption event that will impact upon the Council’s ability to deliver critical services.

The majority of decisions and actions to recover the services will be taken by Directors and Heads of Services in accordance with their individual Service Department Business Continuity Plans

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Additional responsibilities, depending on the nature of the interruption event, might include providing direction and co-ordinating effort with regard to the areas and actions listed below.

This list is not exhaustive and the Corporate Business Continuity Team should use this as a guide and develop specific areas and actions that need to be addressed which are specific to the interruption event that they are dealing with.

Loss of HBS Services Liaising with stakeholders; activating the relevant HBS Business Continuity Plan; advising on the Council’s priorities for recovery with regard to the

specific event; and establishing/redirecting mail and post room services.

ICT ensure the HBS ICT recovery strategy is implemented. ensuring the HBS IT Services recovery strategy is implemented. liaising with HBS IT Services to ensure that its recovery strategy works

in tandem with the Council's. providing strategic direction to HBS IT Services in the event of an

interruption.

Legal Services Managing all required regulatory notifications; providing legal counsel for response and recovery operations; and providing advice on contract issues arising from the interruption event

HR Accounting for all personnel; monitoring the location and condition of any injured persons and

making contact with next of kin; ensuring all external reporting requirements are adhered to e.g. HSE; co-ordinate reallocation of resources or temporary personnel; and provide counselling services.

Finance Advising Directors and Heads of Service of the reference for the event; implement any necessary short-term financial tracking controls; providing advice to services on the emergency procurement of goods

and services e.g. bulk supply; co-ordinate with brokers and insurers as necessary and document

proof of losses; and estimating the financial impact of the event.

Property Conducting a detailed damage assessment; conducting salvage and restoration activities; controlling access to affected building/s; and

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monitoring the removal of equipment and records.

4.6 Ongoing Management of the Interruption Event

At intervals to be determined by the Corporate Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator, based on the context of the interruption event, the Corporate Business Continuity Team will meet to:

conduct debriefing sessions in liaison with the Service Department Business Continuity Teams;

monitor progress and determine problem areas; readjust priorities, resources and staffing; and provide reports to the Emergency Response Management Team in the

event of a declared emergency.

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5 Support Strategies

The strategies identified within this section have been developed to support Business Continuity Planning within Middlesbrough Council. Once the Corporate Business Continuity Plan has been activated these strategies take priority over any relevant existing policy or practice.

Their purpose is to facilitate decision making to ensure that the recovery of services and functions can be achieved in the most efficient way possible.

5.1 Prioritised Service Recovery

The strategy for the recovery of services is as follows:

Day 1 Recovery of critical services All other staff work at home.

Week 1 Recovery of further critical services All other staff continue to work at home.

Month 1 All remaining services are recovered.

The priorities for service recovery are shown as Appendix 4. A business impact assessment undertaken across the service areas has identified which services are critical, based on their tolerance to interruption in terms of time.

The Corporate Business Continuity Team will act to adjust the priorities where the context and/or circumstances make this necessary and will advise the Directors and Heads of Service affected.

5.2 Recovery Site

Middlesbrough Council has identified Middlesbrough Teaching and Learning Centre (MTLC) as the recovery site for the services and functions that are based in the key buildings in Middlesbrough town centre: the Town Hall, Civic Centre, Middlesbrough House, Registry Office and Vancouver House.

In the event that the Civic Centre (and the other buildings affected) is unavailable or unusable for any reason, all services based in these buildings will be relocated to MTLC. The building address details and directions are shown at Appendix 5.

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Based on the resource needs identified from the Service Department Business Continuity Plans, the Corporate Business Continuity Team will be responsible for ensuring:

liaison with the Manager, MTLC, to review the events diary for the anticipated period of use;

desk space is allocated to the service teams; standard office equipment and materials are available; telephone access is set up; access to the internet and Lotus Notes is available; activation of the HBS ICT Business Continuity Plan to recover key

systems; and catering and transport needs are considered.

5.3 Working at Home

In order to provide critical service continuity during an interruption event certain employees will be required to work at/from home until they are instructed by their Line Managers to relocate back to their normal place of work or to the recovery site. The policy attached as Appendix 6 provides guidance that applies only during an interruption event when the business continuity plan has been activated.

5.4 Workforce Flexibility

In order to provide critical service continuity during an interruption event, employees may be asked to perform various duties outside their existing job roles. The policy attached as Appendix 7 provides guidance that applies only during an interruption event when the business continuity plan is activated to ensure that employees are protected by a fair and safe approach to any temporary redeployment requirements.

5.5 Emergency Procurement of Goods and Services

During an interruption event it may be necessary to procure goods and services with flexibility and speed at a time when access to SAP is unavailable or time constraints may mean that day-to-day procedures would hinder the procurement process.

For these reasons guidance on emergency procurement during an interruption event and a form for manual completion is provided in the main Service Department and individual Service Area Departmental Business Continuity Plans. This enables authorised officers to approve essential expenditure outside of normal procedures.

5.6 Procedures for Emergency Incident officers

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During an emergency event, a number of officers will be required to act as Emergency Incident officers. It is their role to assist and take action during emergencies that affect a building. The procedures are attached at Appendix 8.

5.7 Flu Pandemic Plan

The Pandemic Flu Plan was produced separately to Business Continuity as the impact of such an event would be so unique that it was felt a specific plan was required to deal with this issue. This plan is however complementary to the corporate Business Continuity Plan. It will sit with the corporate plan, Service Area Departmental plans and other supporting documents to form the Council’s overarching approach to Business Continuity.

The plan is designed to evolve and develop to increase the level of preparedness for a flu pandemic. It will be developed in close consultation with HBS to ensure that both the Council and HBS plans are aligned. An initial plan has been produced that a second version of this will be completed in March 2007. This version will reflect those comments made on the initial plan. Following this a scenario exercise will be undertaken in September 2007 along with further targeted development work.

A fourth version of the plan will be prepared in March 2008, which will aim to have the Council at a level of preparedness of between 90 and 100%.

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6 Communication StrategyIt is important that key stakeholders are informed (and kept informed) of the interruption event, the recovery plan and timescales.

Service areas are responsible for identifying service specific stakeholders, however there are a number of stakeholders that need to be identified corporately. In the event that the corporate Business Continuity Plan is launched, the Chief Executive, Corporate Co-ordinator and Communications Manager will give direction on the key stakeholders and how they should be notified. Corporately the Council’s key stakeholders are;

strategic partners;

Members;

Senior Management;

clients and Service users;

government bodies;

and key suppliers.

A list of the Council’s key stakeholders and their contact details are attached at appendix 9.

Incidents should be escalated using the following flow chart as a guide. To ensure this procedure is followed, awareness raising sessions will be undertaken in conjunction with the provision of training, where appropriate, on a regular basis.

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6.1 Notification / escalation flowchart

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Initial incident report is sent to the relevant Business Continuity Service Area Champion(s)

If a corporate issue, alert the Corporate

Co-ordinator

Business Continuity Champions decide whether the incident is a service area is or a corporate issue using

the definition given at1.1

If it is an incident, which falls within the remit of the Emergency plan – notify the duty officer

Initial notification of incident to the Communications Manager or their

deputy

Communications Manager to brief the press team

If it is a corporate interruption event…

If Service specific and within the

service’s capacity to deal…

Business Continuity Champion(s) and

relevant Director(s) to lead ensuring the

Corporate Co-ordinator and Communications

manager are kept informed of

developments

Notify the BCM team, gather information on the event and call a meeting of the BCM team

All external and Council wide

communications are to be routed through the Communications

Manager

Any response to a business

interruption risk must be done in liaison with the

Emergency Planning Team if it is also in operating

during an event

7 Reviewing, Updating and Testing the Business Continuity Plan

7.1 Reviewing

To ensure that the Corporate Business Continuity plan, Service Area Departmental Business Continuity plans and supporting documents remain ‘fit for purpose’ they will all be reviewed as part of a rolling programme. The reviews will be led by the relevant CMT member(s); the departmental Risk and Business Continuity champion; and the Senior Corporate Performance Officer for Risk and Business Continuity. As part of this process, results from plan testing will be fed into the review. Reviews will be undertaken annually.

Scenario testing will be utilised to assess the Corporate Plan, Service Department plans and the supporting documents. Whilst it would be unrealistic to expect all plans to be assessed simultaneously, the results of scenario testing will be publicised to ensure that lessons learned are implemented immediately and reflected by all relevant plans.

As the purpose of business continuity is to ensure that the Council can deal with unexpected interruptions to business, it is anticipated that service areas would be given little or no notice of their involvement in an exercise.

7.2 Updating

As with any large organisation, the information contained within the plan is highly likely to alter during the course of the year. To ensure that members of the corporate Business Continuity Team have access to the most up to date information contained within their plans, it is proposed to issue the plans to the team on a USB pen to be kept with them at all times. Updated versions will then be circulated as and when required. All information updates will be co-ordinated by the Senior Corporate Performance officer for Risk and Business Continuity.

7. 3 Reviews of supporting documents

The following documents are approved as part of the corporate Business Continuity Plan:

workforce flexibility; working from Home; and emergency ordering procedures.

Reviews of the documents will be undertaken on an annual basis by the Directors of HR and Finance respectively. Results of the reviews will then be incorporated in to the review processes for the corporate and Service Area Departmental plans.

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Appendix 1

Situation Report Template

Business Continuity Situation report

Reporting officer:Job title:Office location:Contact details:

Date

Origin of information detailed below:

Location(s) of the incident(s)Service(s) affected by the incidentVisible damage to propertyKnown injuries to personsEmergency services informed?Emergency services involved?Council services involved in dealing with the incidentBCM Team Leader advised?Relevant CMT member(s) advised?Corporate Business Continuity Co-ordinator advised?Recommended course of action (if applicable)

If this incident falls within the following criteria, the corporate Business Continuity Co-ordinator, Kathryn Stokes, should be informed:

The event is likely to last for more than half a working day; A vulnerable group of service users are affected; It will impact on the delivery of key critical services; Access to a whole building is restricted; The interruption would generate negative publicity; or

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The interruption is likely to escalate into one of the above categories.

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Appendix 2 not attached

Appendix 3

Corporate Business Continuity Team Contact List

Position Principal Alternative

Business Continuity Team Co-ordinator`

Kathryn Stokes Karen E Robinson

Chief Executive Jan Richmond Ian ParkerDirector of Strategic Resources

Paul Slocombe Bryan Baldam

Director of Environment Ian Parker Brian GloverDirector of Social Care Jan Douglas Ruth HicksDirector of HR Linda MaughanDirector of Legal Services

Richard Long Michael Caveney

Director of Regeneration Tim White Kevin ParkesDirector of Children, Families and Learning

Terry Redmayne Jenni Cooke

Property Martin Shepherd Teresa Garrett

Procurement Ron Brown Ian Featherstone

ICT Mark Gannon Andrew Elliot

Communications Debbie Robinson John Polson

HBS Partnership John Polson Mark Gannon

Manager, MTLC(if use of the recovery site is needed)

Paul Mitchell Deborah Hunter

Admin Support Tracy Warburton Rebecca Duce

Appendix 4Council HBS Other + = supported by HBS admin staff

Prioritised Service RecoveryFirst Day First Week First Month

Central Services

Client BenefitsRegistrarPartnership, Strategy & Information (communications)Switchboard and out of hours emergency line (contact centre)Finance (payroll) IT HR serviceRevenues & BenefitsProperty and facilities managementPress Office

Strategic Commissioning & ProcurementDemocratic Services – Members OfficeMBC ICT

InsuranceInternal AuditPropertyLegal ServicesElectoralHR ClientPerformance Management & DiversityAccountancy *

Children, Families and Learning

MTLCChild ProtectionPupil Support – Child Protection

Children with DisabilitiesPupil Support – Home to School Transport

Community EducationCapital & AssetsChildren Looked AfterSchool ImprovementPupil Support – SENPupil Support – Education Welfare ServiceSchools Meal Service

Environment

Community Protection Service +Streetscene – Maintenance+Streetscene – Maintained Fleet+Streetscene – Waste Services+Streetscene – Property Services+Streetscene – Highways & Street lighting maintenance+Streetscene – Burials+Contact centre – Environmental services

Streetscene – Parks & Horticultural ServicesStreetscene – HighwayParking Solutions +Design Services +

Parking Solutions (contact centre)

Sports & Leisure

Regeneration

Planning Housing Service +Regeneration ProgrammesMuseums & GalleriesCultural Development +Archives Storage+Economic & Community Regeneration+Enterprise CentresTourist Information Centre

Social Care

Supporting PeopleAssessment & Care ManagementEstates Section Performance Planning Unit

Domiciliary Care (commissioned) service)CareLink (out of hours)

Day CentresEquipment and Minor Adaptations

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Appendix 5 - Recovery Site Details

Recovery Site: MTLC, Tranmere Avenue, Middlesbrough, TS3 8PB.

Draft Emergency Incident ProceduresLAST REVISED:

Appendix 6

Policy and Guidance on Home Working

1. INTRODUCTION1.1 At present the Council is still developing its teleworking and home working

strategies. This document provides the policy and guidance on home working where it is agreed by Middlesbrough Council that employees are going to work at/ from home as the result of a major incident leading to the implementation of the Business Continuity Plan. In such a situation employees and the Council need to be protected by a consistent, fair and safe approach to home working.

2. PRINCIPLES

2.1 The Council accepts that as the result of a major incident in order to ensure continuity in the delivery of both customer and support services it may be necessary for certain employees to work at/from home.

2.2 This policy covers only temporary or ad hoc needs for home working arising as part of the Business Continuity Plan. It does not cover employees working permanently from home.

2.3 The Council recognises that not all posts lend themselves to any form of home working. In the event of the Business Continuity Plan being invoked the decision to instigate working at/from home for certain posts within a department will be made by the appropriate Director. Managers may then agree home working with employees where this is assessed as being appropriate, but the prior approval of the Head of Service must be obtained before managers agree any form of home working. The decision made by the Head of Service regarding the suitability of home working will take into account employees’ views and all relevant circumstances. Human Resources Advisors can be contacted for advice on the suitability of posts for home working with a view to promoting corporate consistency and equality.

2.4 In the event of the decision being made to instigate home working in certain service areas or for specific posts, the Head of Service must ensure that as a minimum, employees are provided with the following guidance on the conditions under which home working has been approved.

3. GUIDANCE TO EMPLOYEES

3.1 Conditions

Agreement to work at/from home is dependent upon certain conditions being met, these being that an employee:

has gained prior approval from his/her manager; has work which is suitable to be done at/from home at that time; is considered to be able to work without on site supervision;


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has agreed with his/her manager and appropriate administrative staff his/her hours of work and location;

has left a contact telephone number and is available to be contacted during normal working hours;

is prepared to attend Council premises, if this is possible and it becomes necessary, as requested by their manager; and

has prior approval before any expenses are incurred on behalf of the Council.

3.2 Workload

Where the decision is made for certain employees to work at/from home, the work/project to be completed will be agreed in advance with the manager who can then check this.

3.3 Council Equipment

Any equipment provided by the Council for the purpose of working at/from home will continue to be owned and maintained by the Council. The employee is required to take reasonable care of all equipment, to keep it secure and to use it only in accordance with operating instructions and only for work purposes. The Council’s rules regarding the use and security of ICT and other equipment still apply when this is used at home.

Employees may use their own pc or other equipment at home if they are happy to do so but at present the Council cannot insure this or otherwise pay for it and employees should note that they are not permitted to process personal data, about Council employees, clients or customers, on anything but Council equipment.

3.4 Security & Insurance

3.4.1 Employees working at/from home are required to take reasonable precautions to safeguard Council equipment and information and to take particular care with confidential and/or sensitive information which should be stored securely at all times.

3.4.2 The Council’s Information Security policy provides full details of the security requirements for all forms of remote working, including home working. Employees using I.T. equipment at home should observe the requirements of this policy, which is available on Lotus Notes, Security Guidelines on Central Hub.

3.4.3 Council equipment should be transported and kept safely. For example, laptops should be transported in car boots or hidden from view, should be not stored in open view at home and should not be carried for lengthy distances. Any losses, damage or thefts must be reported to the relevant manager, and the Council’s insurance section, immediately or as soon as is reasonably practicable.

3.5 Personal Details and Safety

For their own privacy and safety, employees are advised not to release their home address or telephone number to non-members of staff. Employees are


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also prohibited from meeting clients/customers or other employees at home for work purposes. In the event that an employee feels that there is a possible exception to this prohibition they must gain prior approval from his/her manager.

3.6 Supervision

The relevant manager throughout the period of working at/from home will maintain regular contact with, and supervision of, the employee(s) concerned. The work to be completed should be agreed and then checked on completion.

3.7 Health and Safety

3.7.1 The Council has a duty to protect the health and safety of employees in accordance with the provisions of Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, this also includes the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992, the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999 (COSHH).

3.7.2 Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations the Council is required to carry out a risk assessment of the work activities to be carried out by the homeworker. A checklist available from the Council’s Health and Safety Advisor will cover the majority of office type work and managers can adopt this where appropriate.

3.7.3 Employees are required to comply with the Council’s Health and Safety Policy while they are working at home and to take reasonable care of their own health, safety and welfare, and that of any third party with whom they come into contact while working at home.

3.8 Reporting Sickness Absence

In the event that an employee becomes sick during the period when working at/from home then the normal Council sickness reporting rules must be followed.

4. ABUSE OF THE BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT HOME WORKING POLICY AND GUIDANCE

Failure to comply with the above policy, or abuse of the conditions, could result in disciplinary action being taken, and if a serious offence were proven, could result in termination of employment. If an employee is unsure of any aspect of the guidance, advice from the Manager, Human Resources Advisors or Trade Union representative should be sought.

5. EQUALITY STATEMENT

The Business Continuity Management Home Working Policy and Guidance must be applied fairly to all employees irrespective of disability, gender, race, religion, age, sexual orientation or marital/civil partnership status.

Issued October 2006


4

Appendix 7

Guidance on Workforce Flexibility Issues

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1Workforce flexibility has been identified as a key issue in relation to service recovery priorities as outlined in the corporate business continuity plan. In the event of a major incident leading to the implementation of the business continuity plan employees may be asked to perform various duties outside their current job roles. In such a situation employees need to be protected by a fair and safe approach to any temporary redeployment requirements.

1.2At present workforce planning and workforce development planning processes are being developed on a corporate basis and by departments. These plans will be incorporated into annual service plans from 2007 onwards. Information and workforce data gathered as part of these processes will contribute towards continuous development of workforce flexibility issues. Skills pathways and succession development planning elements of workforce development planning will be designed to take into account business continuity management requirements and to build resilience into service plans.

1.3The purpose of this guidance information is to outline management arrangements and the roles and responsibilities of the workforce in the event of a major incident.

2. PRINCIPLES

2.1 In the event of a major incident Directors, Heads of Service and managers must consider the following issues when making decisions regarding deployment of staff in these circumstances,

The specific skills required to carry out any tasks that are not necessarily within the individual’s current job role must be identified. Employees who use those particular skills in other occupational areas should be approached to carry out the work in the first instance.

The individual’s ability and willingness to perform the required tasks must be taken into consideration. Employees should not be asked to carry out tasks that are outside their level of expertise. Particular consideration should also be given to individual employees’ physical abilities (in keeping with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995), any religious and cultural beliefs or any other diversity related issues. The Senior Corporate Diversity Officer can provide advice and guidance to managers and employees.

Managers must ensure that Criminal Record Bureau checks and any other legal requirements associated with specific professional roles must be adhered to before carrying out any emergency role.


5

The relevant manager(s) will maintain regular contact with, and supervision of, the employee(s) concerned. The work to be completed should be agreed and then checked on completion.

Health and safety issues associated with the required tasks and consideration as to whether or not a risk assessment is necessary as required by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. A checklist is available from the Council’s Health and Safety Advisor which covers the majority of office type work and managers can adopt this where appropriate

3. GUIDANCE TO EMPLOYEES

3.1The whole workforce is required to demonstrate a willingness to step out of their normal day to day role and carry out duties within their ability as requested by their Director and Head of Service. The Council will make every effort to ensure that employees’ preferences, feelings, beliefs and confidence in their ability to carry out the specified tasks are taken into consideration and will be mindful of personal health and safety requirements.

3.1.1 The Council has a duty to protect the health and safety of employees in accordance with the provisions of Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, this also includes the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992, the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999 (COSHH).

3.1.2 Employees are required to comply with the Council’s Health and Safety Policy and to take reasonable care of their own health, safety and welfare, and that of any third party with whom they come into contact while at work.

3.2 Whilst every effort will be made to provide managers with information regarding the skills of their workforce, employees are asked to make their manager aware of skills that they may have used in past employment or in a voluntary capacity that would be of particular valuable during an emergency situation.

4. TRADE UNION CONSULTATION

4.1 Trade Unions have been consulted about the general approach to Business Continuity Management and will be consulted when the plan is invoked.

5. ABUSE OF THE BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE FLEXIBILITY GUIDANCE

Failure to comply with the above policy, or abuse of the conditions, could result in disciplinary action being taken, and if a serious offence were proven, could result in termination of employment. If an employee is unsure of any aspect of the guidance, advice from the Manager, the corporate Training and Development section or Trade Union representative should be sought.


6

6. EQUALITY STATEMENT

The Business Continuity Management Workforce Flexibility Guidance must be applied fairly to all employees irrespective of disability, gender, race, religion, age, sexual orientation or marital/civil partnership status.

Issued November 2006

Appendix 8


7

DRAFTPROCEDURES FOR

EMERGENCY INCIDENT OFFICERS


8

This document is for the use of Emergency Incident Officers who have been appointed to assist and take action during emergencies that affect this

building

Please complete the details below:

NAME:

POST:

DEPARTMENT:

DESIGNATION:

TELEPHONE EXTENSION:

MOBILE TELEPHONE NUMBER:

It is essential that any changes to the above information are reported to

Tel: (01642) to be decided Fax: (01642)to be decided

EMERGENCY INCIDENT OFFICERS FOR THIS BUILDING ARE:

NAME: CONTACT LOCATION:Draft Emergency Incident ProceduresLAST REVISED:

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NUMBER:

PEOPLE WHO MAY REQUIRE ASSISTANCE DURING AN EVACUATION OF THIS BUILDING ARE:

NAME: CONTACT

NUMBER:

LOCATION:

A Personal Emergency Egress Plan is a document that is prepared in consultation between an individual who would require assistance to evacuate and their Line Manager. Nominated officers should be listed in this plan to assist and ensure the person is evacuated safely. Draft Emergency Incident ProceduresLAST REVISED:

10

THE ASSEMBLY POINT FOR THIS BUILDING IS:

_______________________________________________________

THE FIRE ALARM CONTROL PANEL IS LOCATED AT:

_______________________________________________________

If the above assembly point is compromised due to the nature of a specific incident, details of alternative assembly points are provided on

pages 21 - 22.

OTHER USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS:

Switchboard External: Direct line: Internal dial: 0

The Building Security Co-ordinator

Police:

In an emergency

For non-emergencies

Dial 9-999 and ask the operator for the Police

01642 326326

Engineer (to reset an activated alarm)

Additional numbers?????


11

QUICK REFERENCE CHECKLIST Action points for EIOs for any emergency incident:

Please keep this quick reference checklist on a clipboard near the exit of your office so it can be taken with you on receipt of an alert or evacuation

message.

Information Gathering1. Establish who received the information about the emergency2. Check you have recorded all the known information relating to the

emergency to pass on to the Emergency ServicesNotification3. Notify the emergency services (Police and/or Fire Service)4. Notify other Emergency Incident Officer colleagues and the

Switchboard Supervisor of the details and your intended actions5. Sound alarm (if appropriate)Precautionary Search6. If it is safe to do so, carry out a precautionary search to identify the

exact location of the threat (fire or explosive device)7. Consider who might need assistance with evacuation should this be

necessary, and ask people with a Personal Emergency Egress Plan to start moving to the ground floor in preparation

8. Consider alerting neighbouring departmentsEvacuation9. If it is necessary to evacuate, inform the Switchboard Supervisor10. Consider the safety of the Assembly Point and whether this is

appropriately located (e.g. weather implications, traffic congestion?)11. Go to the Assembly Point and agree action with other EIOs12. Check that all staff, visitors and members of the public have been

evacuated safely and inform Emergency Services if anyone is missing13. Check that all entrances are secured to prevent re-entry14. Remain at the Assembly Point until advised otherwise by the

Emergency Services

Re-entering the Building15. Silence the alarms (if still sounding)16. Pass instruction to staff to re-enter the buildingAfter the Incident17. Complete and return the EIO’s incident record 18. Organise a debrief for EIOs to discuss the actions taken in response to

the incident19. Create a list of learning/action points and incorporate into future

training


12

Contents

SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION AND CHECKLIST FORMS

Page

1.0 Introduction and Purpose of Document 7

1.1 EIO’s Record and Checklist for Fire Incidents 8 - 9

1.2 EIO’s Record and Checklist for Bomb Incidents 10 - 11

SECTION 2 – FIRE EMERGENCIES

2.1 Action in the Event of a Fire Emergency 12

2.2 On hearing the Fire Alarm without Prior Warning 12

2.3 Your Responsibility during a Fire 12

2.4 Personal Emergency Egress Plan (PEEP) 12

2.5 Re-entering the Building 13

2.6 Delegation of Responsibilities 13

SECTION 3 – DEALING WITH BOMB THREATS

3.1 Receiving a Bomb Threat or Warning 14

3.2 Making a Decision 14 - 15

3.3 Searching the Building 16

3.4 Evacuation of the Building 17 - 18

3.5 At the Assembly Point 18 - 19

3.6 Re-entering the Building 19

3.7 Map of Town Centre Evacuation Zones 20

3.8 Map of Alternative Assembly Points 21

3.9 List of Alternative Assembly Points 22

APPENDICES

1 Emergency Instructions for Council Staff 23 - 25


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PROCEDURES FOR EMERGENCY INCIDENT OFFICERS

1.0 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

You have been appointed to act as an Emergency Incident Officer (EIO). Using your judgement and training, you have the responsibility to decide on the actions which might need to be taken should certain emergencies arise in the building in which you are located.

These instructions cover the basic information required to deal with:

Fires Suspicious objects Bomb threats

Indicators for alternative actions are mentioned to assist you in your decisions about what response to take, but you may have to adjust the basic plan to fit any given set of circumstances. The plan is intended to be flexible and adaptable to fit the specific incident.

There are two standard record forms attached to this introduction; one for fire incidents (Form 1.1) and another for bomb incidents (Form 1.2). The forms serve both as a record of the actions taken in response to an emergency incident and also as a check list to assist you in carrying out your role. The forms should be attached to a clipboard along with the quick reference checklist on page 5 of this document and located near the exit of your office area, so they are readily accessible and can be taken with you on receipt of an alert or evacuation message.

It is also recommended that a spare complete copy of these instructions be kept at the entrance/reception area of the building to use as a reference.


EMERGENCY INCIDENT OFFICER’S CHECKLIST AND RECORD

FIRE INCIDENTFollowing an incident, this form should be completed and returned as soon as

possible to: xxx at xxx or faxed back on xxx

EIO NAME:

SIGNED: DATE:

INCIDENT INFORMATION:

LOCATION OF FIRE:

REPORTED BY:

ALARM SOUNDED AT:

EVACUATION PROCEDURES CHECKLIST:

1. Go to the reception area (or nearest safe area) to liaise with Fire Service or your Emergency Incident Officer colleagues

2. Nominate a Control Officer who will take control of the incident. This person should then take the following steps, whilst the other EIOs assist with evacuation

3. Ensure that the fire alarm has been sounded

4. Ensure the Fire Service has been called

5. Check that all entrances are secure

6. Check that all staff have been evacuated (nominated officers will advise you if this is not the case)

7. Check the fire alarm panel to identify the location and reference number of the fire detector that is sounding

8. Collate as much information about the location and severity of the fire, and any details of unaccounted staff to pass on to the Fire Service

9. Be at the entrance to the building ready to meet the Fire Service Officer with your collated information about the fire


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FORM 1.1

10. Await instruction from the Fire Service Officer

Fire Service Arrival time: Notes of action:

Alarms silenced: Time:

Staff instructed to re-enter Time: Fire Service leave premises Time:

NATURE OF INCIDENT: (Location, cause of fire or false alarm, damage etc)

COMMENTS ON THE INCIDENT AND PROCEDURES:

ACTION POINTS ARISING:


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EMERGENCY INCIDENT OFFICER’S CHECKLIST AND RECORD

BOMB INCIDENT

Following an incident, this form should be completed and returned as soon as possible to:

xxx at xxx or faxed back on xxx

EIO NAME:

SIGNED: DATE:

INFORMATION RECEIVED:

VIA POLICE BY TELEPHONE BY STAFF (SUSPICIOUS OBJECT)

BY LETTER

DETAILS RECEIVED:

NOTIFIED BY: TIME:

POLICE NOTIFIED: YES NO TIME:

ADVICE FROM POLICE:

ACTIONS TAKEN:

Precautionary search? Time:

Evacuate people with disabilities to ground floor via lift as a precaution?

Time:

Telephone notification to neighbouring departments? Time:

Immediate full evacuation? Time:

PRECAUTIONARY SEARCH FINDINGS


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FORM 1.2

Nothing found, no further action required Suspicious object found

Location of object:

Description of object:

Time found: Investigated by:

EVACUATION:

Inform the Switchboard Supervisor (Dial ‘0’ if internal or xxx)

Sound the alarm

Go to the Control Point and agree action with other EIOs

Consider! Is the Assembly Point safe (distance from and size of suspicious object, Police advice,

presence of glass in the building) ?

Is the Assembly Point appropriate (inclement weather, traffic congestion) ?

CLEARING THE PREMISES: Start at suspicious object and calmly tell staff in the immediate area to evacuate in a

specific direction to the designated Assembly Point

Take personal belongings, switch off PCs, leave doors/windows open

Once the immediate area is cleared and people have gone to the Assembly Point, return to the Control Point to liaise with other EIOs

Checklist:

Have all staff been evacuated?

Are all people with a Personal Emergency Egress Plan (PEEP) accounted for?

Have all entrances been secured to prevent re-entry?

AT THE ASSEMBLY POINT: Liaise with other EIOs and the Police to remain up-to-date

Confirm that all staff have been evacuated and are accounted for by each section taking a register of names

Ensure staff are kept up-to-date with situation and do not wander from Assembly Point

RE-ENTERING THE BUILDING: Decision to re-enter the building taken at (time):

Reason:

Police advice Incident Over Time Lapse

Personal Emergency Egress Plans are prepared for individuals requiring assistance to evacuate by their line manager.


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Silence the alarms

Pass instruction to staff to re-enter the building

ACTION TO BE TAKEN:

Organise a debriefing with EIOs to discuss lessons learned and training needs

Create a list of action points from the incident /evacuation and ensure these are implemented

Contact xxx regarding additional training or other concerns arising

COMMENTS ON THE INCIDENT AND PROCEDURES:

SECTION 2

FIRE EMERGENCIES

2.1 ACTION IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE EMERGENCY

These instructions provide you with the information you need to carry out all the duties by yourself. However, in most circumstances other Emergency Incident Officers (EIO) will be available to assist you together with Buildings Staff.

2.2 ON HEARING THE FIRE ALARM WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING

If you hear the alarm and are not aware of the reason (e.g. a drill, fire, or another EIO is dealing with the situation), go to the main Building Reception Area (or the nearest safe area) to liaise with Fire Service or your Emergency Incident Officer colleagues.

2.3 YOUR RESPONSIBILITY DURING A FIRE

In the event of a fire, decide which Emergency Incident Officer is to take lead control of the incident. This Officer will need to:

Ensure the Fire Service has been called

Ensure the security of all exits to prevent re-entry to the building

Collate any information on the location of the fire from various sources (e.g. the Warden/Caretaker or their staff, staff evacuating from affected areas or check the Fire Alarm Panel as this will show the location and reference number of the relevant detector).

Collate any information about any people left in the building. All Departments should have procedures for ensuring that their accommodation is clear. Officers from Departments will notify you, at the Control Point, if there are any concerns about people left in the building.


19

Await the arrival of the Fire Service and direct the Senior Fire Officer to the incident or to the Fire Alarm Panel.

The Fire Officer will say when the alarm can be switched off and the building re-occupied.

The Warden or Caretaker of the building should be able to silence the alarms at your instruction. However, you may need to call-out an engineer to reset the alarms.

2.4 PERSONAL EMERGENCY EGRESS PLAN (PEEP )

There may be people located in the building who have mobility or sensory impairment and require assistance in evacuating the building. In these cases, a Personal Emergency Egress Plan (PEEP) is agreed between the individual, their Line Manager, and other colleague(s) who have been designated to give assistance during an evacuation. A list of people who require assistance is listed on page 3 of this manual.

It is the responsibility of the Emergency Incident Officer to check if the people listed have been evacuated safely and to inform the Fire Service of any people still missing.

2.5 RE-ENTERING THE BUILDING

The Fire Service Officer will say when the alarm can be switched off and the building re-occupied. Only after this instruction is given, allow staff to re-enter the building.

Complete the Incident record sheet (Form 1.1 on pages 8 - 9) and send it to xxxx.

2.6 DELEGATION OF RESPONSIBILITIES

It may be appropriate to delegate the following activities to other EIOs to avoid duplication:

Telephoning the Fire Service Checking all entrances are secure Checking that all staff have evacuated to the proper assembly point Checking that staff with a Personal Emergency Egress Plan (PEEP) are

evacuated Collecting information on the incident Giving instructions to re-enter the building

The Warden or Caretaker of the building is trained in the operation of the alarms. They are available to assist and reset the alarm.

A DUPLICATE COPY OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE AT THE RECEPTION AREA.


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SECTION 3

BOMB THREATS

3.1 RECEIVING A BOMB THREAT OR WARNING

Information about a bomb may be received via the following methods: From The Police

The Police will speak to you directly if they have received a threat or warning about a device in your building. In liaison with the Police, it will be your responsibility to decide whether or not to evacuate the building. Town Centre evacuations may be different and you should refer to page 19 for further instructions.

By Telephone

These messages will usually be received by the telephone operators, who have received training on how to handle such calls. They will provide you with the text of the message. You should then inform the Police and advise them of the action you are taking. Dial 999 and ask the operator for the Police.

By Letter

Action in these cases depends upon the circumstances at the time, but you are advised to inform the Police by dialling 9-999.

By A Member Of Staff Finding A Suspicious Object

Staff finding suspicious objects are told to notify the telephone operator who will then provide you with all available information. If you are concerned about an object you should inform the Police and advise them of the action you are taking by dialling 999. You may also need to enlist the aid of a Building Warden who is likely to have good knowledge of the premises.

You should bear in mind that the Police or Bomb Squad may need to interview the person who received a message or found a suspicious object, and so relevant contact details should be noted.

3.2 MAKING A DECISION

When all relevant information is available, the EIO normally takes the decision to evacuate, but the Police will be ready to advise on request.

In exceptional circumstances, for example where specific information has been received about a bomb, the Police may themselves order an evacuation, if necessary overruling the decision of the EIO. However, assistance will be sought from the EIOs.

On the other hand, it may be necessary for the Police in some circumstances to insist that the premises are not evacuated. They might, for example, have reason to believe that there may be an explosive device outside the building and evacuation would place people at greater risk.


21

There are four response actions open to you. The chosen response depends upon your assessment of the threat which the situation presents. The choices are:


22

Option 2

Search and stand-down or evacuate if necessary

Option 3

Search and partial

evacuation

Option 4

Evacuate immediately without searching

This choice means, of course, that people will be in the building for a longer period if there is a bomb present. However, if a bomb is found they can then be evacuated away from danger. If nothing is found and there are no other significant factors, you may then decide to declare the building safe. You may consider this option appropriate if the threat assessment level is low.

When the threat level is considered to be moderate, but there is no reason to believe an explosion may be imminent; or if the suspect device is small (e.g. a letter bomb) and parts of the premises may be some considerable distance from the device, you might consider evacuating part of the premises alone, or retaining only essential staff and search teams on the premises.

When the threat level is considered to be moderate, but there is no reason to believe an explosion may be imminent; or if the suspect device is small (e.g. a letter bomb) and parts of the premises may be some considerable distance from the device, you may consider evacuating part of the premises alone, or retaining only essential staff and search teams on the premises.

If a call is received which you consider to indicate the existence of a high risk, there will be a case for evacuating as quickly as possible without conducting a search, especially where there is a possibility of an imminent explosion.

When the time of explosion has been disclosed in a threat call, and the decision to evacuate has been taken, then you must ensure that staff are cleared from the building at least 20 minutes before the expected detonation time, irrespective of whether any device has been found or not.

Option 1

Do nothing

This option may appear attractive if the threat appears to come from a person under the influence of drink/drugs or a child, but it should not be adopted unless you are absolutely sure that it is a malicious call or prank. If there is even the slightest doubt, you must turn to one of the other options.

If a If a call is received which you consider to indicate the existence of a high risk, there will be a need to evacuate as quickly as possible without conducting a search, especially where there is a possibility of an imminent explosion.

When the time of explosion has been disclosed during the initial call, and the decision to evacuate has been taken, you must ensure that any searches are finished and staff cleared at least 20 minutes before the suspected detonation time, irrespective of whether any device has been found or not.

When the threat level is considered to be moderate, but there is no reason to believe an explosion may be imminent; or if the suspect device is small (e.g. a letter bomb) and parts of the premises may be some considerable distance from the device, you might consider evacuating part of the premises alone, or retaining only essential staff and search teams on the premises.

3.3 SEARCHING THE BUILDING

The complexity of most buildings makes it difficult to carry out a thorough search and searching the building is best carried out by the people who are familiar with the area.

Therefore, it is suggested that a precautionary search is initiated by an EIO prior to any immediate evacuation by telephoning pre-planned telephone numbers to advise all staff - through Section Heads or Nominated Officers - to search their immediate areas.

Staff are best able to determine whether any suspicious object exists in their own areas as they know what should be there. You may decide to undertake this form of action when it is felt that the information received is a hoax, and leave staff in situ rather than evacuating them immediately.

If you do decide a precautionary search is required, you should ring the pre-planned numbers listed below for nominated colleagues who can assist with the search and say:

"This is ..........………. ……………….. I am an Emergency Incident Officer for this building. I have received information concerning a bomb in this building. I believe this information is a hoax, but have decided to instigate a Precautionary Search. Please ask all staff on the *(see areas covered below) to search in their immediate area for any suspicious object. If anything is found report to me immediately on this telephone number: ________

You should not evacuate unless the fire alarm is sounded.

Extension Number Department/Section *Location

(areas covered)


23

In some buildings or circumstances it may be quicker to send a copy of the message to the pre-determined points; use your discretion, so as to avoid creating unnecessary panic. You may also decide to have a number of copies of this sheet available so that several people can assist you to spread the message quickly.

If the option is available, ask another officer - such as the warden or caretaker - to search communal and basement areas, while you stay near your telephone station, in case anything is found.

It may be appropriate to advise people with disabilities to evacuate to the Ground Floor using the lifts whilst the precautionary search is being carried out.

If no suspicious objects are found following a reasonable period of searching, you should telephone the points notified to confirm the search has been completed and advise staff that the incident is over.

However, if as a result of a precautionary search a suspicious object is found, you have the following options: check the information provided and confirm that the object is suspicious investigate the object personally (but with care) call for Police assistance by telephoning 9-999 or 9-326326 evacuate the building a combination of the above.

3.4 EVACUATION OF THE BUILDING

An evacuation due to a bomb threat needs to be carefully considered in the context of the circumstances for each individual incident. Factors which may affect the evacuation method are: Time available (is it a timed threat?)

Location of object in relation to exit routes

Location of object in relation to Assembly Points

Police advice

Options For Evacuating The Building:


24

Option 1

Use the Fire Alarm

This may be appropriate where time is limited and no specific object is causing concern

Inform the Telephone Supervisor that you have decided to evacuate the building(s) and that (s)he is to inform the Fire Service that the alarm is being operated for this purpose (dial 0 or xxxx). You may need the operator to ask the Fire Service to attend if there is a suspect package in the building Instruct a Warden or colleague to activate the alarm

You should then control the incident from the agreed control point (or the nearest safe area)

Staff will evacuate and assemble at the Departmental Assembly Points

Helpful Evacuation Advice: Ideally employees and members of the public should take personal belongings with them (they

may not be able to return for some time and may need coats, mobile contact, medication etc). When an evacuation is initiated, doors and windows should, wherever possible, be left

unlocked, especially in the vicinity of a suspicious object. Lights should be left on, but plant and machinery shut down where practical.

If you have a mobile telephone, take it with you.

3.5 AT THE ASSEMBLY POINT

If an evacuation takes place, you need to consider whether the normal assembly point is appropriate for the circumstances of the incident. Factors affecting this include:


25

Option 4

To evacuate immediately without searching

If a call is received which you consider to indicate the existence of a high risk, there will be a need to evacuate as quickly as possible without conducting a search, especially where there is a possibility of an imminent explosion

When the time of explosion has been disclosed during the threatening call, and the decision to evacuate has been taken, you must ensure that staff are cleared from the building at least 20 minutes before the deadline, irrespective of whether any device has been found or not

Option 2

Clear the building, working away from the suspicious object

This may be appropriate where the location of a suspicious object compromises the effectiveness of one or more emergency exit routes

Instruct Section Heads and staff in adjacent areas to evacuate the building calmly advising others en route

Once exit movements are in flow, sound the alarm following the steps in Option 1.

This may be appropriate where special instructions need to be given as part of the evacuation

Call the telephone contact points listed on page 16 and relay the message to all staff

Once the evacuation is underway, sound the alarm per Option 1

Option 3

Utilise the predetermined telephone points

Police advice Distance from the incident Size of the suspicious object Presence of large glass areas Keeping staff together as a group for communication purposesAfter considering the above factors you may decide to arrange for staff to be moved from the Assembly Point to an alternative location (see pages 21 - 22).

In inclement weather, or when it is obvious the building will need to be evacuated for some time, you may decide to instruct staff to return to the Assembly Point (or alternative location) at a specific time or move to another ‘covered’ area. Dependent on the time of day, the nature of the incident and the likely disruption time, it may be appropriate to send staff home. Use your discretion in consultation with your EIO colleagues.

3.6 RE-ENTERING THE BUILDING

Following evacuation you will at some stage need to decide when the building can be re-occupied. Where a suspect object has been found, the Police (if not already present) will attend immediately and assume control until the object is declared safe. Thereafter, control will revert to the EIO.

You should consider the possibility that there may be other suspicious objects somewhere in the building. It may be appropriate to instruct staff to search their areas on re-entry.

Where a time has been given for an explosion but no explosion occurs, at least one hour should be allowed to elapse after that time before search procedures or re-entry are commenced.

Where the Police have ordered the initial evacuation, they will remain in control and declare the building or area safe for re-occupation.

3.7 TOWN CENTRE EVACUATION

Information on Middlesbrough Town Centre Evacuation Plan goes here


26

Once evacuated safely you may wish to seek further information or advice from the Emergency Planning Unit on 01642 221121 or alternatives?


27

3.8 MAP OF TOWN CENTRE EVACUATION ZONES


28

Option 3

To evacuate all except search teams and

essential staff, then to carry out a search and

evacuate fully if a suspicious object is

discovered

3.9 MAP OF TOWN CENTRE ALTERNATIVE ASSEMBLY POINTS


29

3.10 LIST OF TOWN CENTRE ALTERNATIVE ASSEMBLY POINTS

No. LOCATION NOTES1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26


30

27

28

APPENDIX 1

MIDDLESBROUGH COUNCIL

EMERGENCY INSTRUCTIONS FOR COUNCIL STAFF1. FIRE INCIDENTS

ON DISCOVERING A FIRE:

Break glass of fire alarm point.

Call Fire Service by dialling 9 for an outside line, then 999.

Only if safe to do so, close all doors and windows.

Only if safe to do so, switch off the power to any appliance involved in an electrical fire and unplug it.

Appropriately trained staff should attempt to tackle small fires with fire extinguishers if safe to do so. Only appropriate extinguishers (black or blue colours or triangles) should be used on fires involving electrical equipment.

Leave the building by the nearest available exit, report the nature and location of the fire to the Emergency Incident Officer at the Control Point (usually the main reception area) and then proceed to the pre-designated Assembly Point.

ON HEARING THE ALARM:

Evacuate the building BY THE NEAREST AVAILABLE EXIT taking all members of the public with you AND DO NOT USE THE LIFTS. DO NOT RE-ENTER THE BUILDING.

Proceed immediately to the pre-designated Assembly Point by the safest possible route and congregate with your section. You may be given further instructions at the building exit doors on which route to use or any change to the Assembly Point.

Section Heads or other designated officers must check that their area/rooms (including toilets and kitchens) are cleared and any disabled visitors are assisted out of the building. At the Assembly Point, Section Heads should account for staff known to be in the building.

Staff with disabilities should implement their agreed Personal Emergency Egress Plans

STAY AT ASSEMBLY POINT until officially told to return to the building; or move to an alternative Assembly Point, e.g. inclement weather, or move away for a period of time, in which case you will be given a time to report back to the Assembly Point.


31

2. BOMB INCIDENTS

ON DISCOVERING A SUSPICIOUS OBJECT:

Do not touch it.

Report it to the Switchboard Supervisor by dialling 0 or xxxx. They will initiate further action.

Keep staff and public clear of the object, but do not further publicise it further to avoid spreading alarm unnecessarily.

ON RECEIVING A TELEPHONE MESSAGE THREATENING A BOMB OR OTHER DEVICE:

Remain calm, listen carefully and let the caller finish the message without interruption. If possible, note the message word for word and ask: WHERE, WHEN, WHAT, TYPE, WHY?

To avoid causing undue concern to others, do not publicise the content of the message.

Note the date and time of the message and immediately pass all information to the Telephone Supervisor (Dial 0).

DIRECT CONTACT BY POLICE:

There may be occasions when a suspected bomb is found outside, but close to your building. The Police may approach you to suggest evacuating the building as a precaution.

Ask to see the Officer’s Warrant Card (note number) to confirm that they are genuine.

If time allows, locate a Senior Officer and pass on the message so that he/she can liaise with the Police on any evacuation.

If the Police instruct you to evacuate the building, immediately sound the alarm and evacuate. Go to the Control Point (main reception area) and inform an Emergency Incident Officer of your action.

ON RECEIVING A LETTER THREATENING A BOMB:

If you open a letter stating that a device has been planted in a particular building, report this to the Telephone Supervisor (Dial 0) and give your name, location and telephone number.

The Operator will contact you again shortly with the name of the Emergency Incident Officer you should take it to.

BUILDING SEARCH:

In certain circumstances it may be necessary to ask Sections to carry out a precautionary search in their areas without evacuation.

In this case you will receive a message or telephone call from an Emergency Incident Officer asking you and your colleagues to search your area.


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Quickly check the area surrounding you, particularly areas with public access.

Should you find any suspicious object, report it giving full details of ‘what’ and ‘where’ to the Telephone Supervisor (Dial 0) as described above.

OUTSIDE SWITCHBOARD HOURS:

There could be an occasion when any of these events occur outside the hours when the switchboard is staffed. Whenever possible pass the information to the most Senior Officer on site. Do not, however, waste time. If contact with Officers is difficult, sound the alarm to evacuate the premises and inform the Senior Officer on site once you are outside the building.

EMERGENCY INCIDENT OFFICER:

A number of Senior Officers have been nominated as Emergency Incident Officers and in Bomb Incidents procedures are in place so that all relevant information is passed via the switchboard to them. They have the responsibility for determining the appropriate action. The safety of staff and the public are their prime concerns. Please follow carefully any instructions given.

PLEASE DO NOT EVACUATE UNLESS TOLD TO DO SO. YOU MAY BE MOVING TO A PLACE WHICH IS AT MORE RISK.

EVACUATIONS DUE TO BOMB INCIDENTS:

The instruction to evacuate may be given in one of the following ways:

Verbal instructions with specific instructions on which exits are safe and where to assemble.

Telephone message with specific instructions on which exits are safe and where to assemble.

The sounding of the Fire Alarm.

When an evacuation instruction is given:

Immediately evacuate the building via the nearest available exit taking all members of the public with you (NB do not use the lifts).

If safe to do so take your belongings (coats, keys, handbags etc.) with you.

Section Heads or other designated Officers to check that their areas/rooms are clear and disabled visitors are escorted out of the building.

Staff with disabilities should implement their Personal Emergency Egress Plans (as agreed with their Departmental Management)

Go to the designated Assembly Point and await further instructions.

FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS AND THE INSTRUCTIONS OF AN EMERGENCY INCIDENT OFFICER MAY RESULT IN DISCIPLINARY ACTION.


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Appendix 9

Key stakeholder contact list

NAME / ADDRESSES TELEPHONE Numbers

SENIOR MANAGEMENT

CENTRAL SERVICES


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REGENERATION

SOCIAL CARE


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ENVIRONMENT

CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND LEARNING


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COUNCILLORS


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MIDDLESBROUGH MPs

HBS

ERIMUS

GOVERNMENT BODIES

KEY SUPPLIERS

KEY CONTACTS


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Tees Valley Local Authorities


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Documents

Middlesbrough Council Business Continuity Plandemocracy.middlesbrough.gov.uk/aksmiddlesbrough/images/att88… · Web view7 Reviewing, Updating and Testing the Business Continuity