Role of Faith in Emergency Planning

filed in Community on 29 May 2014

Who takes the lead?
If a major incident takes place in the Borough of Hounslow in which there might be risk to life, property or public services, it is the Contingency Planning and Resilience Section of Hounslow Council which takes responsibility for coordinating a response by the emergency services and the local authority. The bodies involved, depending on the incident, include the police, fire service, ambulance service, Health authority, Hounslow Highways, Hounslow Homes and the Red Cross.

Faith communities, with their access to a large membership, buildings and a commitment to assist in times of need, can also help.

A practise exercise
An Emergency Planning Exercise held in March 2014 gave useful insight into how an incident develops, what help might be required and how the different agencies and voluntary groups need to be coordinated in order to offer help effectively. HFOF and representatives of several faith groups took part.
How faith groups can help
Faith communities can help in a number of ways such as

1. passing on information to their members of what has happened and what action they should take
2. passing on information to the coordinators of Emergency Planning of any members of their community who might be at risk, any particular cultural or religious needs that they might have and providing assistance with language if necessary.
3. providing actual services such as food and shelter
4. providing extra volunteers to assist the emergency services e.g. filling and distributing sand bags, handing out blankets.

Getting involved
For this help to be most useful to the Contingency Planning Department, it would be helpful to establish in advance a clear system of information sharing and to know which faith groups are likely to be able to help and in what way. Work is continuing to link up any faith group which may be able to help the Contingency Planning Unit.

If your place of worship can to help, please contact Twm Palmer, Head of Contingency Planning and Resilience, London Borough of Hounslow, W: 020-8583-5165, M: 0795 779 3813, E: Twm.Palmer@Hounslow.gov.uk