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Martyn’s Law: What You Must Do (and What You Needn’t Buy)

Position as at 9 September 2026.

Martyn’s Law is not yet in force. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 is expected to commence in spring 2027, the exact date has not been confirmed, and the Home Office is explicit that the Act “does not require physical alterations or the purchase [of] specific equipment relating to putting public protection procedures in place.”

We sell emergency and evacuation equipment. We are opening with the Home Office’s own words because the market around this legislation has filled up with “Martyn’s Law compliant” products, and no such thing exists. The Home Office, the Security Industry Authority and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office “do not endorse any third-party products offered by the private sector in respect of compliance with this legislation.” There is no certification scheme, no approved supplier list, and no product that confers compliance.

If you are responsible for a venue, a campus, a retail estate, a hotel or a place of worship, this is written for you. What follows is what the Act actually requires, which tier your premises fall into, what the deadlines look like, and where equipment does and does not legitimately fit.

Where the law actually stands

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (c. 10) received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The statutory guidance states that “the implementation period is at least 24 months from Royal Assent to allow those in scope of the Act to prepare for the requirements of the Act coming into force.”

Since then:

  • Section 27 statutory guidance was published in April 2026 and last updated on 25 August 2026.
  • Notification requirement guidance was published on 14 July 2026, with the underpinning regulations made on 9 July 2026.
  • Two commencement regulations have brought machinery provisions into force — the guidance-making powers and related SIA powers.

What has not happened is commencement of the duties themselves. The SIA’s guidance says: “It is expected that the Act will come into force in spring 2027. We will confirm the exact date ahead of when this happens.”

So the position is this. Nothing under this Act is legally required of you today — though plenty else is, from fire safety to your first aid needs assessment. A commencement date is expected but not fixed. And the guidance you are likely to be judged against is already published and has already been revised once, which means the preparation work can be done now rather than in a rush next spring.

Which tier are you in?

The threshold is capacity, and the statutory test is worth reading in full rather than in summary. Section 2 asks whether “it is reasonable to expect that from time to time 200 or more individuals may be present on the premises at the same time in connection with one or more uses specified in Schedule 1.” The enhanced tier applies the same test at 800.

Capacity testTier
Qualifying premises in a Schedule 1 use200–799 individualsStandard duty
Qualifying premises in a Schedule 1 use800+ individualsEnhanced duty
Qualifying events800+ individualsEnhanced duty

Places of worship, and education below higher education, are standard tier at any capacity — see below.

Three things people get wrong:

Staff count. The statutory guidance is explicit that the figure “must include staff working at the premises in connection with a Schedule 1 use.” It is not a public headcount.

It is a reasonable expectation, not a licensed capacity or an average. The guidance asks for “a reasonable method” to calculate “the greatest expected number of individuals at the premises at the same time.” A venue that is quiet most weeks but fills to 250 four times a year is caught by “from time to time.”

Your premises must also be in a Schedule 1 use. There are seventeen such uses, and the list is broader than most people assume: retail, food and drink, entertainment and leisure, sports grounds, libraries, museums and galleries, halls and conference centres, visitor attractions, hotels and holiday parks, places of worship, healthcare, bus and rail stations, aerodromes, childcare, primary and secondary education, further education, higher education, and public authorities.

The special cases that catch people out

Places of worship are standard tier whatever their capacity. Under Schedule 1, premises used for communal worship are standard duty premises “regardless of how they would otherwise be treated.” A cathedral holding thousands does not become enhanced tier.

Childcare, primary, secondary and further education are standard tier by the same mechanism. Higher education is not — a university can fall into the enhanced tier on capacity.

One caveat on both. The premises stay standard tier, but a qualifying event held at them can still be caught at enhanced tier on its own capacity. If you hire your hall out, or run ticketed events at scale, check the event limb of the test as well as the premises limb.

Some premises are excluded entirely under Schedule 2, including parks and recreation grounds the public can access freely without payment, ticket or membership, and premises already covered by aviation, rail, Channel Tunnel or port security regimes.

What standard tier premises must do

Two duties. The Home Office’s position is that neither requires you to buy anything.

First, notify the SIA. Those responsible for qualifying premises when the requirement commences must notify “within a period of three months.” Those who become or cease to be responsible must notify “within 28 days,” and inaccurate information must be corrected within 28 days. For qualifying events the window is 14 days.

Second, have appropriate public protection procedures in place. Section 5 requires the responsible person to “so far as is reasonably practicable, ensure that appropriate public protection procedures are in place.” The Act describes these functionally; the Home Office guidance gives them the four names most people now use:

  • Evacuation — “the process of getting people away from danger by moving them out of the premises (or part of the premises or event)”
  • Invacuation — “the process of moving people away from danger to a place within the premises or event where there is less risk of physical harm being caused to them”
  • Lockdown — “the process of securing the premises or event to prevent individuals entering or leaving…”
  • Communication — “the process of ensuring information is provided to individuals at the premises or event…”

These are procedures — decisions, plans and briefings — not installations. The overarching factsheet states that requirements at this tier “are focused on activities to enact policies and procedures that are expected to be simple and low cost.” The Home Office myth buster, citing the government’s impact assessment, puts it at around £330 per year for standard tier premises, “which relates to management and staff time spent rather than cash expenditure.”

Note “low cost” rather than no cost. Your time is the cost.

What enhanced tier premises must do

Everything above, and then a different order of work. Standard tier is largely something you write down once and brief people on. Enhanced tier is an ongoing relationship with a regulator: a document that goes to the SIA, is revised when things change, and has a named senior person attached to it. The myth buster’s figure here is around £5,210 per year.

Public protection measures, under section 6, in four categories named in the guidance: monitoring the premises and their vicinity, movement of individuals into, out of and within the premises, physical safety and security, and security of information.

The same principle applies at this tier as at standard tier: these are things you decide, document and manage, and the guidance names no product that satisfies any of them. “Physical safety and security” covers measures as ordinary as who holds keys and how a door is controlled. What is appropriate is for the responsible person to determine, proportionately — and the SIA will be assessing the reasoning, not the receipts.

A documented assessment provided to the SIA. Section 7 requires a document setting out the procedures, “an assessment of how those procedures may be expected to reduce the risk mentioned in section 5(2),” the measures in place or proposed, and an assessment of how those measures reduce vulnerability. It goes to the SIA “as soon as is reasonably practicable after it is prepared,” and revisions within 30 days.

A designated senior individual. Where the responsible person is a body, section 10 requires designation of an individual concerned in its management or control. The guidance confirms that this person is “not personally liable for a responsible person’s failure to meet the requirements for the purposes of receiving a penalty notice.” That carve-out is specific to penalty notices and does not extend to the criminal offences at sections 24 and 25, below.

How much is enough?

The phrase doing the real work in this Act is “so far as is reasonably practicable.” It is why there is no checklist that makes you finished, and it is also why the Act is less frightening than the penalty figures suggest. What is reasonably practicable for a 250-capacity village hall and for an 8,000-capacity arena are different things, and the Act expects them to be. You are being asked to make proportionate decisions you can explain, not to reach a fixed standard.

Penalties

Worth knowing, though the SIA has said its approach will involve “desk-based assessments and on-site inspections,” and that it will “typically give at least 72 hours’ notice before an on-site inspection.”

BreachMaximum
Standard duty premises£10,000
Enhanced duty premises or qualifying events£18 million, or 5% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater
Daily penalty, standardup to £500 per day
Daily penalty, enhancedup to £50,000 per day

There are also criminal offences: failing to comply with a compliance notice at enhanced tier or with any restriction notice (section 24), and knowingly or recklessly providing false or misleading information to the SIA (section 25). Both carry up to two years’ imprisonment on conviction on indictment.

The two myths that matter if someone is selling you something

The Home Office publishes a Martyn’s Law myth buster. Two entries deserve quoting, because they contradict a good deal of what is currently being sold.

Myth: “Businesses and organisations will need to buy services to comply with the Act’s requirements.” Fact: “The government’s intent is that those responsible for premises and events in scope can comply with the Act without needing to buy specialist services.” … “The Home Office, the Security Industry Authority and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office do not endorse any third-party products offered by the private sector in respect of compliance with this legislation.”

Myth: “I need to purchase Public access Trauma First Aid kits to be compliant.” Fact: “There is no specific requirement to provide medical treatment and associated equipment within the Act.”

The SIA puts it plainly too: “Neither the SIA nor the Home Office is able to endorse or recommend specific companies or services for compliance with this legislation, as it would be inappropriate for a government agency to do so.”

If a supplier tells you a product is Martyn’s Law compliant, approved, certified or required, they are describing something that does not exist. Treat it as a reason to check the rest of what they tell you.

So where does equipment legitimately fit?

Narrowly, in two places — neither of which is compliance.

Where your own operational choices leave you needing something. Suppose your invacuation procedure sends several hundred people into a basement plant room for an hour. That raises questions about the space — lighting, water, how you would talk to people in it. The first honest answer is often to choose a different space. If you conclude the space is right and something is missing, that is your operational judgement about a decision you made. The Act did not require it, and neither did the procedure; you did.

Where a different duty already applies. Trauma and bleed control provision sits under your first aid needs assessment and your health and safety duties, not under this Act — the myth buster is explicit that the Act contains no such requirement. If you decide to hold it, decide it there, on that evidence, and record it as such.

The ordering matters: procedures first, then equipment only if your own decisions leave a gap.

This is a summary of published government guidance, not legal advice. Where your tier, your responsible person or your Schedule 1 use is genuinely arguable — shared premises, hired-out spaces and multi-occupancy sites are the usual hard cases — the section 27 statutory guidance is the primary source, and your own advisers are the right people to read it with you.

What the guidance describes

The government’s position is that “whilst those that fall within scope of the Act are encouraged to begin considering the requirements, they should note that there will be no legal requirement to comply until the legislation comes into force.”

The order of work implied by the Act and the statutory guidance runs roughly as follows.

Capacity comes first, because it determines everything else. The figure is the greatest number reasonably expected to be present at the same time, staff included, calculated by a method that can be explained.

Then the Schedule 1 use, which governs whether the premises are in scope at all — and the special cases above, which can override the tier a capacity figure alone would suggest.

Then the responsible person. Responsibility follows control of the premises. It generally sits with the organisation operating the site rather than someone hiring it, but a hirer with control for the duration of an event can be the responsible person for that event, and a responsible person cannot contract the duty away. Shared and hired-out spaces are the common hard case, and the guidance deals with control at length.

The guidance itself is the SIA’s stated starting point. Its wording is that “the best first step is to review the Home Office section 27 guidance outlining the steps necessary for premises and events to comply.”

Then the four public protection procedures under section 5, drafted and understood by the people who would run them.

At enhanced tier, additionally, the documented assessment under section 7 and the designated senior individual under section 10.

Finally, commencement. The date has not been set, and the SIA has said it will confirm it in advance. The notification windows then run from that date — three months for qualifying premises, fourteen days for qualifying events.

Note what does not appear anywhere in that sequence: buying anything.

The short version

Martyn’s Law asks you to think, plan and write things down. It does not require any premises to buy any product, at either tier, and no government body will ever tell you a product makes you compliant.

We are a supplier, not an adviser. We do not assess premises, write procedures, or advise on the Act or on what your organisation should hold. The section 27 statutory guidance is the primary source, and your own advisers are the people to read it with you.

What we do is supply equipment to a specification. If that work leaves you having decided you need something, send us your specification. Tell us what you want and we will quote it, source it and supply it, including bespoke kits assembled to your own list. What goes on that list is your decision, taken for your own operational reasons and not as a compliance requirement. We have been supplying UK organisations since 2005.

Sources

All sources are UK legislation, the Home Office, the Department for Education, or the Security Industry Authority.

  1. Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (c. 10) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/contents
  2. Section 2 (qualifying premises and capacity) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/section/2
  3. Section 3 (qualifying events) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/section/3
  4. Section 5 (public protection procedures) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/section/5
  5. Section 6 (public protection measures) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/section/6
  6. Section 7 (documented assessment) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/section/7
  7. Section 10 (designating a senior individual) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/section/10
  8. Section 18 (penalties) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/section/18
  9. Section 19 (daily penalties) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/section/19
  10. Sections 24 and 25 (offences) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/section/24
  11. Schedule 1 (specified uses; places of worship at paragraph 9) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/schedule/1
  12. Schedule 2 (excluded premises and events) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/schedule/2
  13. Home Office — Statutory guidance, updated 25 August 2026 — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-statutory-guidance
  14. Home Office — Notification requirement guidance, 14 July 2026 — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-notification-requirement/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-notification-requirement-accessible
  15. Home Office — Overarching factsheet — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-factsheets/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-overarching-factsheet
  16. Home Office — Standard duty requirements factsheet — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-factsheets/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-standard-duty-requirements-factsheet
  17. Home Office — Enhanced duty requirements factsheet — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-factsheets/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-enhanced-duty-requirements-factsheet
  18. Home Office — The regulator, sanctions and enforcement factsheet — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-factsheets/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-the-regulator-sanctions-and-enforcement-factsheet
  19. Home Office — Martyn’s Law myth buster — https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69281f35b3b9afff34e960f0/martyns-law-mythbuster.pdf
  20. SIA — Understanding Martyn’s Law and the SIA’s role as regulator — https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-martyns-law-and-the-sias-role-as-regulator
  21. Department for Education — Martyn’s Law for education settings — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/martyns-law-for-education-settings
  22. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2026 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/622/made
  23. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) (Notification Requirements) Regulations 2026 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/793/made

Winter Resilience Planning for Multi-Site Operations: A Facilities Manager’s Timeline

If you are responsible for facilities, health and safety or business continuity across more than one site, you already know that winter finds every gap in your planning at once — and that it finds them at your least-staffed site, on the worst morning, while the road to your best-resourced site is closed.

What is unusual about winter is that it is the only risk on your register with a publication schedule. The alerting systems switch on at fixed dates. The Cold-Health Alert season opens on 1 November and closes on 31 March. Suppliers of winter provision see demand concentrate sharply in the autumn. And the gap between “we should sort that out” and “we cannot get it delivered in time” opens in roughly the same fortnight every year.

This is a month-by-month timeline for the next eight months, built around the official services you should be plugged into — including a note on which of them stop at the English border, because most multi-site estates cross it.

First: which official services cover which nations

This matters more than it sounds. Three of the five services below are not UK-wide, and a national estate that registers once, centrally, will end up with sites that are not covered by anything.

ServiceWhat it gives youCoverage
Met Office National Severe Weather Warning ServiceYellow/amber/red warnings, eight hazard typesUK-wide
Met Office 3-month outlook for contingency plannersSeasonal probability tilt for budget decisionsUK-wide
UKHSA Weather-Health Alerts (Cold-Health Alerts)Health-impact alerts, 1 Nov – 31 MarEngland only
Environment Agency flood warningsProperty-level flood warningsEngland only
NESO Winter OutlookElectricity margin forecastGreat Britain only

Met Office warnings (UK-wide). The Met Office issues warnings so that “people, businesses, emergency responders and governments know what weather is in store and what the impacts of that weather may be.” Eight hazards are covered: rain, thunderstorms, wind, snow, lightning, ice, extreme heat and fog. Yellow is issued when “it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places”, or where more severe impacts are possible but less certain. Amber signals “an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather”, with “the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property.” Red means “dangerous weather is expected” and “it is very likely that there will be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure.”

UKHSA Weather-Health Alerts (England only). Operated by UKHSA with the Met Office, with a joint risk assessment behind each alert. The Cold-Health Alert season runs 1 November to 31 March. The system has four levels — green means no alert is issued, then yellow, amber and red as impact and likelihood rise. Alerts are aimed at “professionals within the health and social care sector and those who have a role in responding to cold weather to protect health”, but they are freely available and sent by email to anyone who registers. UKHSA is explicit that “Weather-Health Alerts cover England only due to this being a devolved responsibility in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.” There is no equivalent alerting service in the other three nations — Public Health Scotland works to an Adverse Weather and Health Plan, Public Health Wales and nidirect publish guidance, and all three rely on Met Office warnings for the trigger.

Flood warnings (four different arrangements). In England, register with the Environment Agency. In Scotland, SEPA runs Floodline and myfloodline registration. In Wales, Natural Resources Wales runs the equivalent. Northern Ireland has no property-level flood warning registration service — official sources point to Flood Maps NI, which is explicitly not accurate at individual property level, and the Flooding Incident Line on 0300 2000 100 for reporting. An NI site therefore needs a plan that does not assume a warning will arrive.

Around 6.3 million properties in England sit in areas at risk of flooding from rivers, the sea, surface water or a combination, according to the Environment Agency’s 2024 national assessment. In October 2025 the Agency’s polling found 45% of the public had not looked up the flood risk for their home. For an estate, “check your flood risk” means checking every site — including the car park, the substation and the goods entrance, not just the building.

NESO Winter Outlook (Great Britain). The Early View for winter 2026/27 gives a de-rated margin of 5.5GW, or 8.8% above expected peak demand, based on modelling around 30,000 scenarios. NESO notes that “some periods may be more finely balanced, particularly in January, but NESO has established operational tools to manage tighter days and keep the system secure.” A fuller Winter Outlook follows later in the year. Northern Ireland is not in scope: it sits in the Single Electricity Market, and SONI publishes its own winter outlook.

One reframing before you act on that margin. A comfortable national margin is not what will turn your lights off. Sites lose power to local distribution faults from wind, ice and fallen trees, not to national capacity shortfalls. The more useful thing to have on the incident card is the power cut number: 105 is free from England, Scotland and Wales; in Northern Ireland it is 03457 643643 for NIE Networks.

The timeline

August — the two things with the longest lead times

You are reading this in August, so start here.

  • Gritting contracts. These are tendered and allocated over the summer. Ask your contractor, in writing, where you sit on their route. If they have two hundred clients and you are tier three, you are gritted at 11am — after the incident, not before it.
  • Bespoke or standardised kit specification. If you want every site holding the same defined provision rather than whatever each site bought locally, the specification work needs to happen before the ordering month, not during it.

September — audit, specify, and write the difficult policy

The quiet month, and the one that determines whether the rest of this is manageable.

  • Physically inspect winter stock at every site. Not the inventory spreadsheet — the actual cupboard. Expired items, missing items and “someone borrowed it” are only visible in person.
  • Check expiry dates on first aid consumables, emergency food, batteries and lights. Anything expiring before April gets replaced now.
  • Write the adverse weather policy, including pay. Can staff not get in? Is it leave, unpaid, or homeworking? Deciding this in January, site by site, produces five different answers and an HR problem. Deciding it in September produces one answer.
  • Check first aid and fire warden cover against the winter calendar. HSE’s guidance is direct: “You will also need to increase your provision to cover for absences”, and employers should consider “what cover is needed for annual leave and other planned absences” as well as “unplanned and exceptional absences”. Winter is when both spike at once.
  • Write your escalation thresholds down — see the worked example below — and get them signed off. Left to judgement, five site managers facing the same warning will make five different calls.
  • Review last winter’s incident log. Whatever failed last February will fail again unless someone changed it.
  • Register for the alerting services relevant to each site’s nation, per the table above.

October — order, before the market tightens

  • Place the orders identified in September. Ordering in October and ordering in December are materially different experiences. We are the supplier telling you this, so weight it accordingly — but the pattern is consistent enough that the whole timeline is built around it.
  • Salt and gritting stock. Note that the National Emergency Salt Reserve held by the Department for Transport and National Highways is “salt of last resort” for local highway authorities in England — it is sold to qualifying authorities under a protocol, not available to businesses. Your car park is entirely your own problem.
  • Count and refill grit bins, and name who is responsible for each. Half of them are empty by January because someone else took the salt.
  • Flood Action Week, which the Environment Agency usually runs in October (an England campaign, but a useful prompt estate-wide), is a natural prompt for a site-by-site flood plan review.
  • Test what you assume works — but test it properly. An off-load generator test proves the engine starts and very little else. What matters is an on-load test, the run time achievable on the fuel actually held, and fuel condition after a summer standing still.
  • Read the full NESO Winter Outlook when it publishes.

November — the season opens, and the ice starts

The Cold-Health Alert season begins on 1 November.

  • Gritting goes live. Under regulation 12 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own equivalent regulations, identically numbered, enforced by HSENI), floors and traffic routes must not be “uneven or slippery so as… to expose any person to a risk to his health or safety”, and must be kept free, so far as is reasonably practicable, of anything “which may cause a person to slip, trip or fall”. The Regulations define a traffic route to include ramps and loading bays, and cover private site roads used for access; public roads are excluded. The supporting Approved Code of Practice is explicit: “Arrangements should be made to minimise risks from snow and ice. This may involve gritting, snow clearing and closure of some routes, particularly outside stairs, ladders and walkways on roofs.” HSE’s practical advice on timing is that “the best times are early in evening before the frost settles and/or early in the morning before employees arrive.” HSE’s trigger is surface temperature, not air temperature: grit when “the floor temperatures are at, or below, freezing”. And keep the log: date, time, who, what was treated, which forecast was relied on. When a slip claim lands eighteen months later, the log is the defence.
  • Check heating against the number HSE expects you to justify departing from. Regulation 7 requires that “during working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable.” The Approved Code of Practice suggests the minimum “should normally be at least 16°C, or 13°C if much of the work involves rigorous physical effort.” That is guidance rather than a prescribed legal minimum, but it is the figure an inspector will start from.
  • Plan compliant temporary heating now, before a boiler fails and someone brings in an unflued portable gas heater. HSE identifies LPG equipment used in enclosed spaces as a carbon monoxide risk, requiring adequate ventilation and installation by a competent person; HSENI’s advice is that “only equipment designed to be used indoors should be brought inside”.
  • Rethink your evacuation, not just your fire plan. A 07:30 alarm in January puts people outside in the dark at 2°C, possibly for 45 minutes. Is the assembly point lit? Can it be reached without crossing untreated ice? Do wardens have torches, hi-vis, foil blankets and a means of accounting for people in the dark? A grab bag specified in summer is not the same bag.
  • Distribute vehicle kits — including to grey fleet, staff using their own cars on company business. HSE is clear that “vehicles should be properly equipped to operate in poor weather conditions such as snow, ice and high winds”, that employers should not “pressure drivers and riders to complete journeys where weather conditions are exceptionally difficult”, and should “support drivers and riders if they need to cancel a journey”.
  • Run a comms test. Can you reach every site manager within 30 minutes on a Sunday? Find out in November.

Late December — the window everyone forgets

Roughly 23 December to 2 January is the highest-risk window on most estates: buildings empty, heating on setback, skeleton or zero staff, keyholders abroad, contractors closed, deliveries stopped. Four things converge.

  • Frozen and burst pipes. Heating setback plus an empty building plus a freeze-thaw cycle is the classic escape-of-water loss. Check what your own property policy says about unoccupancy: conditions requiring drain-down or a maintained minimum temperature beyond a stated number of unoccupied days are common, and breaching one can affect cover.
  • Legionella on reopening. HSE’s HSG274 Part 2 advises that where outlets are not in regular use, “weekly flushing of these devices for several minutes can significantly reduce the risk of legionella proliferation”, and that systems taken out of use should be recommissioned “as though they were new” before returning to service. Two weeks of stagnation followed by everyone running the taps at once is exactly the scenario the guidance addresses.
  • Skeleton and agency cover. Who is the trained first aider on 28 December? Who is the fire warden? Have agency staff seen the assembly point — in the dark? Note also that PPE duties in Great Britain were extended to “limb (b)” casual and agency workers from 6 April 2022, and in Northern Ireland from 21 October 2024, so thermal PPE for outdoor workers is not an employees-only duty.
  • Roof and snow loading. Drifting against parapets and plant, blocked rainwater outlets, then a freeze. Post-snowfall inspection matters — but do not send anyone onto a snow-covered roof without a specific plan. HSE’s roof work guidance puts it plainly: “rain, ice or snow can make a secure footing as slippery as a skating rink”, and falls through fragile surfaces such as rooflights account for 22% of all fatal falls from height in construction.

January and February — operate

  • Put alerts on a rota, not a routine. Warnings arrive by email and push notification; nobody needs to go looking for them. What you need is a named duty person, out of hours included, with a phone that is on, and a documented handover each Friday. Winter’s worst weekends are the ones where three people each assumed one of the others was watching.
  • Apply your written thresholds rather than relitigating them each time a warning appears.
  • Watch January specifically, per NESO’s flag on tighter margins.
  • Plan for water supply interruption. Freeze-thaw bursts mains, and without drinking water and sanitary conveniences you are in breach of regulations 20 and 22 and liable to enforcement — regulation 22 requires “an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water… for all persons at work in the workplace”. Bottled water provision is a cheap hedge against a hard closure trigger.
  • Log every incident and near miss as it happens. Memory is unreliable by March.

March — close out

The Cold-Health Alert season ends on 31 March.

  • Debrief while it is fresh. What ran out? What was missing? Which site improvised, and with what?
  • Replenish immediately rather than deferring to autumn — the work is already scoped.
  • Feed the findings into the budget cycle, which for most organisations is being set right about then.

A worked threshold, to copy and argue with

Here is one to start from.

  • Amber warning for snow or ice covering the site, in force before 06:00 → gritting contractor called at 04:00; site opens late at 10:00; site manager confirms car park treated before staff arrive; no non-essential travel between sites.
  • Amber warning plus untreated car park at 06:00, or heating failure with internal temperature below 13°C (set higher, at 16°C, for sedentary work — see the ACOP figures above) → site closed for the day; homeworking where the role allows; adverse weather pay policy applies as written.
  • Red warning covering the site → site closed; nobody is asked to travel, including managers, including to check the building. Building checks resume when the warning lapses.
  • Two or more sites affected simultaneously → decision escalates from site manager to a named regional role, to keep the calls consistent across the estate.

What breaks when you scale this across an estate

Provision drifts. Stock standardised in year one diverges by year three as sites borrow, substitute and forget. The fix is one specification held centrally and audited physically — not a policy saying sites are responsible for themselves.

Response capacity is never where the incident is. Your best-resourced site is rarely the one that floods, and the weather that closes site A usually closes the road to site B. Mutual aid between sites is a plan that fails precisely when invoked. Each site needs to stand alone. The government’s Prepare campaign advises considering what supplies you might need “during an emergency lasting a few days”; we plan to 72 hours as a working convention.

Escalation decisions get made inconsistently. Five site managers facing the same amber warning will make five different calls. That is a specification problem, not a competence problem.

One note on this particular winter

As we covered in our El Niño article, the Met Office’s tilt for 2026–27 points mildly toward a wetter, windier autumn and early winter, and possibly a colder, calmer late winter — while stressing that such links are “far from guaranteed” and that it is “too early to draw firm conclusions”. Treat it as a tie-breaker, not a forecast. If it changes anything above, it slightly favours wind and surface-water work in the October column. It is not a reason to defer late-winter cold provision.

The short version

Winter is the one risk on your register with a publication schedule. What separates a manageable February from a bad one is unglamorous and it happens now: someone opens the actual cupboard at every site, someone signs the gritting contract before the market tightens, and someone writes down what “too severe to open” means before the first amber warning of the season.

If you would rather not build the specification yourself, that is the work we do: standardised winter and emergency provision written once and applied across every site, so you audit against one document instead of five. That covers winter site kits, vehicle and grey-fleet kits, emergency lighting and power, thermal and welfare provision, and bespoke solutions where the standard lines do not fit the site. We have been doing it for UK organisations since 2005. Talk to us about your requirements.

Car and fleet surival kit
Winter Car Kits

Sources

All sources below are UK government departments, regulators, the national meteorological service, or the relevant electricity system operator.

  1. Met Office — Weather warnings guide (National Severe Weather Warning Service) — https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/guides/warnings
  2. Met Office — Weather services for contingency planners (3-month outlook) — https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/government/contingency-planners
  3. UKHSA — Weather-Health Alerting System — https://www.gov.uk/guidance/weather-health-alerting-system
  4. UKHSA — Cold-Health Alerting system: overview (applies to England) — https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cold-health-alerting-system-overview
  5. UKHSA blog — What is the difference between Weather-Health Alerts and Severe Weather Warnings?, 8 January 2026 — https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/01/08/what-is-the-difference-between-weather-health-alerts-and-severe-weather-warnings/
  6. Public Health Scotland — Adverse Weather and Health Plan 2024–2027 — https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/phs-adverse-weather-and-health-plan-2024-2027/phs-adverse-weather-and-health-plan-2024-2027/
  7. Environment Agency — Get flood warnings by text, phone or email — https://www.gov.uk/get-flood-warnings
  8. SEPA — Flooding and Floodline (Scotland) — https://beta.sepa.scot/flooding
  9. Natural Resources Wales — Sign up to receive flood warnings — https://naturalresources.wales/flooding/sign-up-to-receive-flood-warnings/?lang=en
  10. Department for Infrastructure (NI) — What is Flood Maps NI — https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/what-flood-maps-ni and nidirect — Reporting flooding — https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/reporting-flooding
  11. Environment Agency — National assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk in England 2024 — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-assessment-of-flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-in-england-2024 (6.3 million figure: EA announcement, 17 December 2024)
  12. Environment Agency — Public urged to get flood ready as Environment Agency launches Flood Action Week, 13 October 2025 — https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-urged-to-get-flood-ready-as-environment-agency-launches-flood-action-week
  13. NESO — Winter Outlook (Early View, winter 2026/27, Great Britain) — https://www.neso.energy/publications/winter-outlook
  14. SONI — Maintaining secure electricity supply (Northern Ireland) — https://www.soni.ltd.uk/grid/maintaining-secure-electricity-supply
  15. Energy Networks Association — 105 service — https://www.energynetworks.org/work/105-service ; HM Government Prepare — power cuts — https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/power-cuts/
  16. HSE — Temperature in the workplace: what the law says — https://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/the-law.htm
  17. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulations 7, 12, 20 and 22 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/3004/contents (Northern Ireland equivalent: SR 1993 No. 37 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/1993/37/made)
  18. HSE — Workplace health, safety and welfare: Approved Code of Practice and guidance (L24), paragraph 116 — https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l24.pdf
  19. HSE — Slips and trips: frequently asked questions (gritting timing) — https://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/faq.htm
  20. HSE — Legionnaires’ disease: Part 2 — hot and cold water systems (HSG274) — https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg274part2.pdf
  21. HSE — First aid at work: your questions answered (INDG214) — https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg214.pdf
  22. HSE — Driving and riding safely for work: plan and manage journeys — https://www.hse.gov.uk/roadsafety/employer/plan-manage-journeys.htm
  23. HSE — Health and safety in roof work (HSG33), paragraph 64 — https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg33.pdf — and Fragile surfaces — https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/fragile.htm
  24. HSE — Carbon monoxide (LPG in enclosed spaces) — https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/healthrisks/hazardous-substances/carbon-monoxide.htm ; HSENI — Carbon monoxide dangers — https://www.hseni.gov.uk/news/carbon-monoxide-dangers-heating-appliances-and-generators-used-indoors
  25. HSE — PPE at work regulations 2022 (limb (b) workers, Great Britain, in force 6 April 2022) — https://www.hse.gov.uk/ppe/ppe-regulations-2022.htm — and The Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024, SR 2024 No. 161, in operation 21 October 2024 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2024/161/made
  26. Department for Transport — National Emergency Salt Reserve: salt protocol — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategic-salt-protocol
  27. HM Government — Prepare campaign — https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/
  28. Met Office — El Niño declared for 2026 as Pacific warms, 11 June 2026 — https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/el-nio-declared-for-2026-as-pacific-warms
  29. Met Office — Pacific Ocean warming signals the possible return of a strong El Niño, 15 April 2026 — https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/met-office-what-is-el-nino-and-will-we-see-one-this-year

El Niño 2026–27: What It Means for UK Business Continuity — Directly and Through Global Supply Chains

If you are responsible for business continuity, facilities, health and safety or procurement at a UK organisation, you have probably seen El Niño in the headlines this summer and filed it under “interesting, but not ours”. That would be a reasonable instinct. El Niño is a Pacific Ocean phenomenon occurring thousands of kilometres from Britain, and the UK’s weather is governed by the Atlantic.

It would also be the wrong conclusion. The event now developing is forecast to be one of the strongest on record, and the official assessment is that any effects on the UK could well be felt most sharply not this year but in 2027 — and that they would arrive through food, freight and energy rather than through the weather forecast.

This article sets out what has actually been declared, what the UK can and cannot expect directly, where the genuine exposure sits for British organisations, and what a proportionate preparedness response looks like over the next eighteen months.

What has been declared, and how strong it is

On 2 June 2026 the World Meteorological Organization forecast that El Niño conditions were developing, putting the likelihood of an event during June–August 2026 at 80%, rising to around 90% thereafter. Onset was then formally declared by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 11 June 2026, and an El Niño Advisory remains in force.

The numbers from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center ENSO diagnostic discussion of 9 July 2026:

  • The Niño-3.4 index — the standard measure of central Pacific sea-surface temperature anomaly — stood at +1.2°C.
  • There is a 97% probability the event persists through early spring 2027.
  • There is an 81% probability of a very strong El Niño during October–December 2026, potentially ranking among the largest events since records began in 1950.

The Met Office’s assessment, published on the day of NOAA’s declaration, is consistent. Sea-surface temperature anomalies in the central and eastern tropical Pacific are expected to exceed 2°C, and Professor Adam Scaife has described the event as “likely to be a significant event – perhaps one of the most intense on record.” The Met Office further notes that the event is expected to persist and grow through the remainder of the year, with 2027 potentially becoming the warmest year in the global series that begins in 1850.

For planning purposes, treat this as a high-confidence forecast of a large event, and a low-confidence forecast of exactly what it will do to Britain.

What the UK can expect directly — and the honesty this deserves

Here is where a lot of commentary overreaches, so it is worth being precise.

In its April 2026 assessment, the Met Office was explicit that El Niño’s influence on UK weather is indirect and unreliable:

“El Niño takes place thousands of kilometres away from north-west Europe, so its influence on UK weather is indirect. While there are sometimes links between El Niño events and European weather patterns, these are far from guaranteed.”

The Met Office adds that UK weather is shaped by many competing factors affecting the Atlantic jet stream, and that it is “too early to draw firm conclusions” about what this El Niño means for coming UK seasons.

Within those caveats, the Met Office’s June 2026 update does set out two tendencies — as a tilt in probability, not a forecast:

  • El Niño “can increase the likelihood of more unsettled conditions later in the year, including a higher chance of milder, wetter and windier weather during autumn and early winter.”
  • El Niño “can also be associated with colder and calmer late winter periods in the UK.”

Neither is strong enough to plan a business around on its own. What they justify is a bias in your winter preparations: if you are deciding where to put limited resilience budget this autumn, wind and surface-water flooding are marginally better bets than snow — while keeping late-winter cold provision intact rather than deferring it.

The operationally useful move here is not to guess. The Met Office publishes a 3-month outlook for contingency planners, provided to the contingency planning community on behalf of the Cabinet Office, specifically for organisations making this class of decision. Building a review of it into your quarterly continuity meeting is a far better basis for a decision than a newspaper headline.

Where the real UK exposure sits

The House of Commons Library briefing on what a strong El Niño could mean for the UK points in a clear direction. It notes that “increased flooding, storms, wildfires and droughts across the world could lead to crop losses and supply chain disruption, which could affect the UK”, while direct European weather links “can be hard to predict”. It also states that the effects of El Niño on global temperature and rainfall “are generally most pronounced in the second year after an El Niño develops”, and that European effects often lag the event itself and “could result in weather in 2027”.

In other words: the exposure that matters for most UK organisations runs through global disruption rather than through the British weather forecast, and 2027 is the year to plan around.

Four channels matter for UK organisations.

1. Food and agricultural commodities

El Niño tends to suppress rainfall across a recognisable set of agricultural regions. The Food and Agriculture Organization identified the highest-risk zones on 22 June 2026, noting that across the Sahel, Southern Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Central America’s Dry Corridor and the Caribbean, “some agricultural and pastureland areas face more than a 50 percent chance of drought”:

  • Southern Africa — Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar. FAO notes the 2023–24 cycle left 61 million people in need of assistance.
  • Central America and the Caribbean — a 70% probability of below-normal rainfall across the region, particularly the Dry Corridor.
  • South and Southeast Asia — Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Timor-Leste, where a weakened monsoon hits rice and maize during critical growing windows.
  • The Sahel — from Senegal and Mauritania across Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, and into Ethiopia and Sudan.

FAO and the World Food Programme have launched a joint appeal for $202 million to protect 8.8 million people across 22 high-risk countries.

The UK connection is direct. Defra’s UK Food Security Digest 2025 puts the UK production-to-supply ratio at 65% for all food and 77% for indigenous-type food — meaning roughly a third of what Britain eats is imported. The Digest also documents how overseas climate events transmit into UK prices: Brazilian coffee production forecast down 5%, cocoa peaking at USD 10.75/kg in January 2025 on West African supply concerns, and food price inflation running at 5.1% by August 2025, above general inflation.

What this means for you: if your organisation provides catering, holds welfare stock, runs a canteen, or has contracted food provision in its continuity plan, expect price pressure and possible substitution on specific lines through 2027. Organisations that hold emergency food provision should be reviewing now, while stock and pricing are stable, rather than in the middle of a squeeze.

2. Supply chains and freight

The WMO Secretary-General, Celeste Saulo, has been direct that El Niño’s effects reach “agriculture, energy supplies, trade, water resources, supply chains, and livelihoods.”

The practical mechanisms are drought affecting inland waterways and canal transits, flooding closing ports and road links, and tropical cyclone activity redistributing across ocean basins. None of these is predictable at the level of a single shipment. Taken together, though, they make a reasonable planning assumption out of the idea that lead times on imported goods will be less reliable in 2027 than they are today.

What this means for you: if any part of your emergency, first aid or welfare provision depends on imported components — and most of it does — the sensible planning assumption is longer and more variable lead times next year. Bring forward scheduled replenishment rather than running stock down to the reorder point.

3. Energy and utilities

Milder-than-average autumn conditions reduce heating demand; a cold, calm late-winter block does the opposite while simultaneously reducing wind generation. That combination — high demand, low wind — is the one that stresses the system.

The Cabinet Office’s National Risk Register, updated in July 2026, sets out national-level power failure as one of the most serious risks facing the UK. As we covered in Lessons from the Iberian Blackout, a modern grid event escalates into a welfare and communications problem within hours for organisations that assumed continuity of supply.

What this means for you: El Niño does not create this risk, but it slightly raises the odds of the specific weather pattern that tests it. Provision that does not depend on mains power — lighting, communications, heat, water, food — is the relevant hedge, and it is useful in a dozen other scenarios too.

4. Overseas staff, sites and partners

If your organisation has people, suppliers or operations in the regions FAO has flagged, the exposure is not abstract. Drought, flooding and disease-vector shifts in those regions will affect staff welfare, site access and supplier viability well before they affect UK prices.

A proportionate response: what to actually do

The UK Government’s Prepare campaign frames preparedness as a set of straightforward, non-alarmist steps. The same logic applies at organisational scale. This is not a case for emergency spending; it is a case for bringing routine resilience work forward and biasing it in a known direction.

Before winter 2026:

  1. Review your welfare and emergency food provision — check expiry dates and quantities while supply and pricing are stable. Freeze-dried provision with a long shelf life is specifically useful here because it takes the decision off next year’s table entirely.
  2. Bias winter preparation toward wind, storm and surface-water flooding rather than snow, while retaining cold provision for late winter.
  3. Build the Met Office 3-month outlook for contingency planners into your quarterly review cycle. It is designed for exactly this decision.
  4. Bring forward replenishment of anything with an imported supply chain — first aid consumables, water purification, lighting, batteries.

During 2027 — the year the Commons Library flags:

  1. Stress-test the assumption that you can buy what you need at short notice. Most continuity plans quietly assume a functioning just-in-time supply chain. That assumption is exactly what a strong El Niño year erodes.
  2. Check shelter-in-place provision for sites that cannot simply send people home — data centres, control rooms, care settings, secure facilities.
  3. Review overseas duty-of-care arrangements against the FAO risk regions if you have staff or operations there.

The uncomfortable summary

The strongest El Niño in a generation is very likely to produce, for the UK, no single dramatic weather event that anyone will remember. What it is more likely to produce is a year in which food costs more, deliveries take longer, and the emergency stock you meant to replenish turns out to be on a long lead time.

That is not the sort of risk that generates urgency. It is the sort that rewards organisations who did routine things slightly earlier than they had to.

If you would like help reviewing your organisation’s emergency and welfare provision ahead of winter — or specifying bespoke site provision for staff who cannot leave — our team has been doing exactly this work for UK organisations since 2005. Get in touch, or explore our workplace and office emergency kits, emergency grab bags and emergency food provision.

EVAQ8 with 20 years of experience we deliver expertly built emergency kits and supplies trusted by individuals and businesses

Sources

All sources below are government departments, national meteorological services, UN agencies or the UK Parliament.

  1. Met Office — El Niño declared for 2026 as Pacific warms — https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/el-nio-declared-for-2026-as-pacific-warms
  2. Met Office — Pacific Ocean warming signals the possible return of a strong El Niño, 15 April 2026 — https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/met-office-what-is-el-nino-and-will-we-see-one-this-year
  3. NOAA Climate Prediction Center — ENSO Diagnostic Discussion, issued 9 July 2026. Current discussion: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml — archived discussions: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ (note: the CPC reissues this page monthly; cite the dated archive copy after publication)
  4. World Meteorological Organization — El Niño/La Niña Update, May–June 2026 — https://wmo.int/resources/publication-series/el-ninola-nina-updates/el-ninola-nina-update-may-2026 ; reported via UN News, 2 June 2026 — https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167620
  5. UN Food and Agriculture Organization — El Niño is coming. Here is where the risks to agriculture are highest, 22 June 2026 — https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/el-nino-is-coming-here-is-where-the-risks-to-agriculture-are-highest/en
  6. House of Commons Library — What might a ‘Godzilla’ El Niño mean for the UK?, CBP-10901, 15 June 2026 — https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10901/
  7. Defra — United Kingdom Food Security Digest 2025, published 11 December 2025 — https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/united-kingdom-food-security-digest-2025/united-kingdom-food-security-digest-2025
  8. Cabinet Office — National Risk Register 2026, published 14 July 2026 — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-2026
  9. Met Office — Weather services for contingency planners (3-month outlook) — https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/government/contingency-planners
  10. HM Government — Prepare campaign — https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/

Enhance Your Security Measures with EVAQ8’s Tailored Emergency Grab Bags

In the fast-paced world of security, preparedness is not just an option—it’s essential. At EVAQ8, we understand the unique challenges faced by security firms in safeguarding their operations and personnel. Our specialized range of Emergency Grab Bags is expertly designed to meet your specific safety needs, ensuring you’re always prepared for any situation.

Why Emergency Grab Bags are Crucial for Security Companies
The nature of security work demands readiness for unexpected events, from natural disasters to security threats. Having a comprehensive Emergency Kit at your disposal is not just best practice—it’s a critical component of your safety protocol. Our grab bags are more than just equipment; they are a pivotal part of your emergency response strategy, offering quick access to essential tools and resources tailored to the needs of security professionals.

Custom Solutions Tailored to Your Needs
At EVAQ8, we pride ourselves on offering customizable solutions. Whether you need a basic set for general emergencies or a highly specialized kit for high-risk areas, our Emergency Kits for Workplaces can be tailored to include everything from first aid supplies to tactical gear. This customization ensures that your team has exactly what they need, exactly when they need it, thereby enhancing the overall safety and effectiveness of your operations.

Quality and Reliability You Can Trust
Our products are designed with reliability at the forefront. Each of our Emergency Grab Bags is made from durable materials, equipped with top-quality supplies, and checked to ensure they meet rigorous safety standards. This means you can trust our kits to perform when it counts, giving you peace of mind and allowing you to focus on the critical task of security.

A Proven Track Record in Enhancing Workplace Safety
EVAQ8 has been at the forefront of emergency preparedness, providing expert solutions that enhance safety in workplaces across the UK. Our client testimonials reflect our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction. By choosing EVAQ8, you’re not just purchasing a product; you’re investing in a partnership with a trusted leader in emergency preparedness.

Conclusion: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
For security companies, being unprepared is not an option. Equip your team with EVAQ8’s Emergency Grab Bags and ensure that readiness is integrated into your operational DNA. Visit our product page today to find the perfect emergency kit for your needs and take a proactive step towards a safer tomorrow.

Call to Action:
Ready to enhance your security strategy with EVAQ8’s reliable and customizable Emergency Grab Bags? Contact us today to discuss your specific needs and let us help you stay prepared, always.

The UK Government Launches Preparedness Website: A Step in the Right Direction

Homes should be self-sufficient in case of events such as floods, power outages, cyber attacks or war

For over two decades, EVAQ8 has been at the forefront of emergency preparedness, diligently advising citizens on the importance of being ready for unforeseen events. We are pleased to see that the UK government has now taken a significant step in the same direction with the launch of their new preparedness website, Prepare Campaign Gov UK.

A Long-Overdue Initiative

The launch of the government’s preparedness website marks a pivotal moment in public safety. For many years, the need for such a resource has been evident, and its arrival is a positive development. The website provides essential guidance on stocking emergency items, creating emergency plans, and understanding the risks that could affect different parts of the UK. This initiative is a clear recognition of the importance of preparedness, something EVAQ8 has been passionately promoting since our inception in 2005.

What the Government’s Website Offers

The new preparedness website offers a comprehensive overview of how to prepare for emergencies, including:

  1. Stocking Emergency Items: The website provides a detailed list of items that every household should have on hand. This includes food, water, medications, first aid supplies, and other essential items.
  2. Creating a Plan: Instructions on how to create a family emergency plan, including how to communicate during an emergency and where to meet if you get separated.
  3. Understanding Risks: Information on the different types of emergencies that could occur, from natural disasters like floods and storms to other risks such as pandemics and power outages.

EVAQ8’s Longstanding Commitment

At EVAQ8, we have been advocating for these same principles for over 20 years. Our mission has always been to equip individuals, families and businesses with the knowledge and tools they need to stay safe during emergencies. We have consistently provided high-quality emergency supplies and expert advice, helping thousands of customers to prepare effectively.

We understand that preparing for emergencies can be daunting, and that’s why our team is dedicated to making the process as straightforward as possible. From ready-made emergency kits to bespoke solutions tailored to your specific needs, EVAQ8 has everything you need to be prepared.

Why Prepare?

Emergencies can happen anytime, and the best way to mitigate their impact is to be prepared. Being ready not only helps ensure your safety but also contributes to the overall resilience of your community. By having emergency supplies on hand and a solid plan in place, you can navigate through crises with greater confidence and stability.

Join Us in Staying Prepared

We encourage everyone to visit the new government preparedness website and take the advice to heart. At the same time, we invite you to explore the resources available at EVAQ8. Our website offers a wide range of products and information designed to help you stay prepared for any emergency.

As the UK government finally aligns its advice with what we’ve been advocating for years, there’s no better time to get prepared. Together, we can create a safer and more resilient community.

For more information on emergency preparedness and to browse our extensive range of emergency supplies, visit EVAQ8. Let’s be ready, together.

Stay safe and stay prepared!

The EVAQ8 Team

72-Hour Emergency Food Kit – Just Add Boiling Water

Emergency Grab Bags for Venues: What Goes In One.

An emergency grab bag is a pre-packed bag that a named member of staff picks up on the way out during an evacuation, or takes to a designated point during a lockdown. It exists so that nobody is opening cupboards and looking for a torch in the first five minutes of an incident.

This post is about what goes in one, how to size it to your venue, and who should be carrying it. It is not about compliance, for reasons worth setting out first.

What Martyn’s Law does and does not ask for

Martyn’s Law is the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, named in memory of Martyn Hett, one of the twenty-two people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. It received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025 and is expected to come into force in spring 2027, although the date has not been confirmed. Premises where 200 or more people may be present fall into a standard tier, and 800 or more into an enhanced tier.

What the Act asks for is procedures — evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication — rather than equipment. The Home Office is explicit that it “does not require physical alterations or the purchase [of] specific equipment relating to putting public protection procedures in place”, and that the Home Office, the Security Industry Authority and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office “do not endorse any third-party products offered by the private sector in respect of compliance with this legislation”.

So no grab bag makes a venue compliant, no certification scheme exists, and any supplier telling you otherwise is describing something that is not real. If you want the detail on the tiers, the duties and the deadlines, we have written that up separately in Martyn’s Law: What You Must Do (and What You Needn’t Buy).

What follows assumes you have written your own procedures and decided, for your own operational reasons, that you want something in a bag by the door.

What goes in one

Contents vary, but most venue bags are built from four groups.

Light and power. Torches with fresh batteries, head torches so hands stay free, and light sticks for marking a route or an assembly point in the dark. A January evacuation at 17:30 is a different event from a July one, and the lighting is usually what gets forgotten.

Communication and identification. A hi-vis tabard so staff can be identified in a crowd, a whistle, a printed contact list that does not depend on a charged phone, and a copy of the site plan. Printed matters here. Phone networks congest in exactly the circumstances you would need them.

First aid. Whatever your first aid needs assessment says you should hold, in a form somebody can carry. This is a health and safety decision, not a Martyn’s Law one — the Home Office myth buster is explicit that the Act contains no requirement to provide medical treatment or associated equipment.

Welfare and accounting. Foil blankets, a means of recording who is present, pen and paper, and water if your procedures could keep people outside or in place for any length of time.

Sizing it to the venue

The useful question is not “how big should the bag be” but “how long might people be standing still, and where”.

A venue that evacuates onto a covered forecourt fifty metres from the door needs very little. A venue whose assembly point is an unlit car park across an untreated service road in February needs lighting, hi-vis and thermal provision, and probably more than one bag. A site whose procedure moves people inwards rather than out — invacuation to an internal space — has a different problem again, because those people may be there for an hour with no access to anything outside that room.

Headcount matters less than most specification sheets imply. Duration, darkness and distance matter more.

Who carries it, and where it lives

Three practical points that decide whether a bag works.

It has a name against it, not a role. “The duty manager takes the bag” fails the first time the duty manager is the person dealing with the incident. Name a person and a deputy.

It lives on the evacuation route, not in the office. A bag in a locked back office is a bag nobody collects. It should be somewhere the named person passes anyway.

Somebody opens it twice a year. Batteries flatten, first aid consumables expire, and torches walk. A bag that has not been opened since it was bought is a bag of unknowns.

Our range

We assemble venue and workplace bags in the UK. The emergency grab bag for business is the standard build, and the two specific examples below sit either side of it — the Mass Casualty First Aid Kit for sites that have decided they want major-incident trauma provision, and the Site Evacuation Kit for up to 100 persons where the requirement is moving and accounting for a larger group. The full range is under workplace and office emergency kits.

We are a supplier, not an adviser. We do not assess venues or write procedures. What we do is build to a specification, including bespoke bags assembled to your own contents list. If you know what you want in it, send us your specification and we will quote it. We have been supplying UK organisations since 2005.

Sources

  1. Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (c. 10) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/contents
  2. Home Office — Standard duty requirements factsheet — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-factsheets/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-standard-duty-requirements-factsheet
  3. Home Office — Martyn’s Law myth buster — https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69281f35b3b9afff34e960f0/martyns-law-mythbuster.pdf
  4. SIA — Understanding Martyn’s Law and the SIA’s role as regulator — https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-martyns-law-and-the-sias-role-as-regulator
Mass Casualty First Aid Kit for Bomb Blasts
Site Evacuation Kit 100 Persons

Freeze-Dried Food as a Backup in Data Centers and Essential Workplaces

In today’s fast-paced and technology-driven world, data centers and essential workplaces (think power generation, water treatment plants, hospitals and healthcare facilities, fire stations) have become the backbone of our daily operations, whether it’s in the realms of communication, finance, health, or security. However, what happens when unforeseen circumstances, like natural disasters or pandemics, strike and disrupt the supply chain? This is where the strategic stocking of freeze-dried food comes into play, offering a reliable solution for maintaining operational continuity in critical environments.

What is Freeze-Dried Food?

Freeze-dried food is a form of dehydrated food where moisture is removed through a freezing process, leaving the food lightweight and with a significantly extended shelf life. It retains most of the original taste, nutrition, and texture of the food. This technology has been widely used in space missions and military operations, but its benefits are equally valuable in civilian sectors like data centers and essential workplaces.

Key Benefits of Freeze-Dried Food in Critical Work Environments

1. Long Shelf Life and Low Maintenance

Freeze-dried foods can last up to 25 years or more when properly stored. This long shelf life eliminates the need for frequent replacement, making it an ideal emergency food supply. They are also impervious to changes in temperature and humidity, making them suitable for storage in various environments.

2. Nutritional Integrity

In emergency situations, maintaining the health and well-being of the staff is paramount. Freeze-dried foods retain most of their nutritional value, providing essential vitamins and minerals necessary for maintaining energy levels and cognitive function during stressful situations.

3. Easy Preparation

During emergencies, access to cooking facilities might be limited. Freeze-dried foods are easy to prepare, often requiring just the addition of hot water. This ease of preparation ensures that staff can have a hot, comforting meal without the need for extensive cooking facilities.

4. Space Efficiency

In environments like data centers where space is at a premium, the compact nature of freeze-dried food is a significant advantage. They take up minimal space, making them easy to store in large quantities without compromising the operational area.

5. Diverse Options

Freeze-dried foods come in a variety of options, from full meals to fruits, vegetables, and desserts. This variety ensures that dietary preferences and restrictions can be accommodated, which is crucial for maintaining morale and inclusivity among staff during extended stays.

Implementing a Freeze-Dried Food Strategy

Assessing Needs and Capacity

The first step is to assess the potential duration of emergencies and the number of staff that might need to be supported. This assessment will guide the quantity and variety of freeze-dried food required.

Storage and Accessibility

Identify secure, but accessible, areas within the workplace for storing the freeze-dried food. Ensure that these areas are known to all staff and easily accessible in case of an emergency.

Regular Review and Rotation

While freeze-dried foods have a long shelf life, it’s important to periodically check their condition and rotate stock if necessary. Regular training and drills should include the process of preparing and accessing these emergency food supplies.

Employee Training

Educate employees on the importance of emergency preparedness, including how to access and prepare freeze-dried foods. This training can be part of broader emergency response training.

Conclusion

In conclusion, incorporating freeze-dried food into the emergency preparedness strategy of data centers and essential workplaces is not just a matter of convenience, but a critical step in ensuring resilience and continuity of operations. By preparing for the worst, we can ensure that our most critical infrastructures remain operational, no matter the circumstances, safeguarding the data and services that form the backbone of our modern society.

A box of jumbo-sized freeze dried food tins, just in case. See all Emergency Food Kits

UK Critical Injury Kits: Understanding the Updated BS 8599-1:2019 Guidelines

The British Standards Institution (BSI) periodically reviews and updates its guidelines to ensure they continue to meet the changing requirements of society and technology. The BS 8599-1:2019 standard is the latest version of these guidelines, specifically designed for Workplace First Aid Kits including critical injury kits. This blog post aims to provide an overview of what the updated standard means for critical injury kits in the United Kingdom.

The Importance of British Standards

British Standards, including BS 8599-1, serve as guidelines to ensure that products meet minimum safety, reliability, and quality criteria. These standards are essential for consistency, ensuring that whether you’re at work, at a public event, or in an educational institution, you can expect a certain level of care and effectiveness from your first aid kit.

Changes Introduced in BS 8599-1:2019

The 2019 update to BS 8599-1 made several key changes to the contents and recommendations for workplace first aid kits, including those specifically designed for critical injuries. The changes were designed to meet the emerging needs of modern workplaces, which may involve newer types of risks compared to the past.

Key Components for Critical Injury Kits under BS 8599-1:2019

Critical injury kits, as defined by this standard, should contain specialized items that are geared towards dealing with life-threatening injuries. Some of these include:

  • Tourniquets: Important for controlling massive bleeding from limb injuries.
  • Chest Seals: To manage penetrating chest injuries.
  • Haemostatic Dressings: These dressings contain agents that promote rapid blood clotting.
  • Burn Dressings: Specifically formulated for more severe burn injuries.
  • Adhesive Tape: For securing dressings and other medical devices.
  • Resuscitation Face Shields: To aid in CPR procedures.
  • Trauma Dressings: For heavy-duty wound dressing needs.
  • Nitrile Gloves: For the first-aider to use, reducing the risk of bloodborne diseases.

Why Adherence to Updated Standards is Vital

  1. Comprehensive Care: The updated guidelines aim to ensure that the critical injury kits are equipped to handle a wider range of life-threatening scenarios, from severe bleeding to burns.
  2. Legal Compliance: Businesses and organizations are expected to comply with the latest standards to fulfill their obligation to ensure employee safety.
  3. Quality Assurance: Adhering to BS 8599-1:2019 ensures that each component of the kit meets rigorous quality and safety checks.
  4. Updated Based on Research: The new standard considers the latest medical research and practices, ensuring that the kits are as effective as possible.

Applications and Contexts

The critical injury kits based on BS 8599-1:2019 are ideal for a variety of settings:

  • Industrial Workplaces: Factories, construction sites, and other high-risk environments.
  • Educational Institutions: Schools and colleges where lab work or physical education activities take place.
  • Outdoor Activities: Camping, hiking, and sporting events.
  • Public Events: Concerts, festivals, and large gatherings where the risk of injury is higher.

Conclusion

BS 8599-1:2019 provides an updated, comprehensive guide for assembling a critical injury first aid kit that meets the complex needs of today’s workplaces and public spaces. By adhering to these standards, organizations can ensure they are well-prepared to offer immediate, effective care in life-threatening emergency situations, thereby potentially saving lives. Always remember that having a well-stocked, up-to-date critical injury kit is not just a box to tick off for compliance but a vital resource for safety and well-being.

LINKS: The latest from UK Police Force regardingFirst Aid Preparedness

Public Access Trauma First Aid Kits from ProtectUK Police

EVAQ8 Bleed Control Supplies

Trauma First Aid Kit for Forestry and other high-risk environments

Preparedness: it’s all about capabilities and capacities

What? That sounds like a slogan and you’re right, it is. Actually, it’s a good one because it elegantly sums up what preparedness is all about. But what exactly does ‘capabilities and capacities’ actually mean, why should you care and what does it have to do with preparedness? These are excellent questions. Here is a quick explainer.

In a nutshell: capability is your ability or skill to do something and your capacity is about whether you actually have the means and tools to do so.

So, how does ‘capabilities and capacities’ apply to preparedness and why should I care?

It’s all about you and what exactly happens when you are affected by an emergency or disaster. Fact is: in a real emergency or disaster, the emergency services will respond but cannot get to everyone right away. It pays to be ready and better prepared so that you are not left entirely helpless and can respond.

Preparedness capabilities and capacities are about what YOU can do – YOUR skill set – and how well you can apply your skill set because of the tools and equipment you can access.

So, as you can see, the two concepts build on each another and come together. Thus the slogan ‘Preparedness is all about capabilities and capacities’ works pretty well. And there is more…

Preparedness is about being pro-active rather than just re-active. Another way of saying this is

‘Preparedness is  (the capacity and capability of) bouncing forward so that you can bounce back faster’

after an emergency or disaster. It goes beyond being re-active, as for example in the RUN, TELL, HIDE advice. Sometimes you simply can’t or don’t want to do that and besides, there are many emergencies other than a weapons attack; for more along those lines see Security & Safety Update then also head to what are invacuation, lockdown and shelter-in-place and what exactly does safe self-evacuation look like? If you are involved with NGOs see Rethinking Resilience: Capacities of relief staff and volunteers in disaster zones.

But back to ‘capabilities and capacities’ and some more detail. Naturally you need real life skills such as first aid training and emergency planning for which we give you a lot of free resources at our preparedness hub.

That’s a good start but it’s actually not enough. Just imagine for a moment that you are the best trained doctor or nurse in the world but your first aid kit /emergency grab bag / crisis response kit is empty….Right, you immediately get where this is going: you need the right tools to be better prepared. Luckily you already are in the best place for just exactly that – it’s easy:

Take a look at How to build your own emergency kit and also  the Survival Kit List. If you own a business or know someone who does, explore and share Business Preparedness. Check out the many standard Emergency Kit Grab Bags listed or perhaps you are after a custom-made Emergency Kit tailored specifically to you.

Get better prepared – bounce back faster: upgrade your capabilities and capacities. Start today!

Monika

 

For more Resilience Blog simply use the right hand navigation. For emergency kits and practical resources use the top navigation. For more on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness head over to our FREE resources at the Preparedness Hub and find out why we use humour. If you like this post, please share it to help raise awareness for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness.

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For real-life insight into professional capabilities and capacities, take a look at the BBC’s ‘Hospital’ episode 1 season 2 | London Bridge attack victims being treated at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington.

Crowded Places Guidance: Crisis Response Kit what you need to know

The latest National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) guidance recommends a CRISIS RESPONSE KIT containing the right tools to safely manage a major incident for ‘crowded places’. This includes different sectors1 as well as business such as high street shops, shopping centres, bars, clubs, restaurants, hotels, event venues, cinemas, theatres and tourist attractions.

NaCTSO writes  (emphasis added)

“The threat we face from terrorism is significant. As we have seen in the UK and across Europe attacks can happen at any time and any place without warning. Understanding the threat we all face and of the ways we can mitigate it can help keep us safer. Everyone can play a role in this effort by taking steps to help boost their protective security.”

There are legal as well as commercial reason why business should plan and prepare because of the potential of criminal prosecution and penalties under health and safety legislation2. Efforts to raise awareness for business preparedness and drive the protective security/crisis response message are well under way across the UK:

For business, or any sector listed in the NaCTSO crowded places guidance, crisis response planning means you also need a CRISIS RESPONSE KIT grab bag and a basic checklist appears on their page 156. Naturally, each sector or business is different so a ‘one size fits all’ approach is actually not really fit for purpose. That’s why we have put together a comparison list to help you make the right choices for your Business Preparedness.

Right-click on the image to open a larger version and use CTRL+ on your keyboard to magnify; a PDF is available and the list also appears at Emergency Grab Bag: what and why.
NaCTSO Crisis Response Kit - EVAQ8 emergency grab bag comparison

 

EVAQ8.co.uk is the UK’s Emergency Preparedness specialist. We have assisted thousands of Businesses in the UK and abroad for many years to find the right practical tools for their Business Preparedness, Business Continuity and Business Contingency planning. While you’re here take a look and explore the standard Workplace Kits and examples of Bespoke Kits.  If you don’t find exactly what you are looking for and require Emergency Kits built to your specification simply contact us for a competitive quote.

***

For more Resilience Blog simply use the right hand navigation. For emergency kits and practical resources use the top navigation. For more on Personal Emergency and Disaster Preparedness head over to our FREE resources at the Preparedness Hub. If you like this post, please share it to help raise awareness for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness. 

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Welcome to 2017 – be prepared, not scared

Be prepared, not scared. No kidding!

image: huffingtonpost (https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5865938f1500002c0091668c.png?ops=scalefit_630_noupscale)And I’m being entirely practical, not sarcastic (and truthful) like the BBC’s Charlie Brooker’s 2016 wipe  nor pragmatic (and accurate) like the Guardian’s  Climate change in 2016: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

If I were to answer Sarah Marsh’s appeal What is giving you hope for 2017 then I would say that:

finally, emergency preparedness is going mainstream in the UK

No, I’m not talking ‘prepper’, they’ve been at it for many years and are mentioned in this blog elsewhere (use the search function if you’re interested). I’m talking main stream embracing emergency preparedness: regular households, small and medium sized businesses, schools and other communities, even places of worship.  That is, truly, encouraging and very timely.

Today, the BBC highlighted that Terrorism ‘first-aid training [is] needed’ , mentioning the

launch of a new app called CitizenAid

It aims to be a guide for ‘Public Immediate Actions for multiple casualties from shooting, stabbing or a bombing’. In other words, a practical extension for everyone and following on from last year’s ‘run, tell, hide’ campaign by the government. For more on that see “what are invacuation, lock-down and shelter in place” (not just for business). Other highly useful UK preparedness apps include the Met Office weather app and the British Red Cross Emergency app. FloodAlerts is not an app just yet but you can bookmark it in your phone’s browser. But back to Citizen Aid and their app which works even offline

Their brand new website asks an excellent question at this time of the year:

Why not start 2017 with a resolution to be prepared?

Needless to say, I think that’s a very good idea so do download their and the other apps but don’t stop there. If you’re reading this then you certainly are in the perfect place to start properly with emergency preparedness. It’s easy: simply begin at our preparedness hub and browse from there. You will find lots of very useful free resources as well as reliable, cost-effective products that help you get equipped and be better prepared. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, well, we specialise in custom kits so check that out. Follow us on social media and keep updated (facebook, twitter). That’s your preparedness sorted. As for me, I’m particularly excited this year to contribute designing a much bigger and better ‘September is Preparedness Month’ campaign ‘30days30waysUK’ which is beginning to take shape as I write this as well as piloting a brand new ISO/British Standard on Business Preparedness; more on all this later. For now, I leave you with my best wishes for safe and happy New Year and an

easy solution to your New Year’s resolution to be better prepared:

get a kit – make a plan – be prepared; start today!  

Monika  

 thank you for sharing, raising awareness for Emergency Preparedness!

 

Emergency Preparedness Cartoon EVAQ8 Jan 2017For more EVAQ8 blog simply use the right hand navigation. For emergency kits and practical resources use the top navigation. For FREE resources head over to our Preparedness Hub and find out why we use humour. If you like this post, please share it to help raise awareness for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness. Thank you!

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The 2016 National Flood Resilience Review for the time-pressed: UK Flooding, what you need to know

updated 02/11/2016

“We need to recognise that there is a non-negligible chance that we will see further events (flooding) of a similar, or maybe even greater, scale over the next decade.” (Executive summary)

Sadly, awareness of the seriousness of flooding is very thin on the ground. Just 6-8% of people actually living with flood risk know they are vulnerable, a figure that has not changed much since 2014 according to the Environment Agency’s @johncurtinEA.

That was households. What about business? For small businesses that make up 99% of the UK economy, it turns out that SME’s ‘prefer’ to react rather than pro-actively engage in business continuity and business preparedness as discussed recently during @TheFloodExpo . Dr Jessica Lamond (CFCR UWE)  showed that, sadly, SMEs are not pro-active (despite this making a lot of business sense), taking active steps only after having been flooded – twice! Even after measures are taken, actual preparedness is just at 60%. These are stark figures.

 

In September  the @cabinetofficeuk with @DefraGovUK under the leadership of  @andrealeadsom and with input from @uksciencechief published the National Flood Resilience Review. It charts the immense work undertaken by @EnvAgency and @metoffice in the wake of the devastating 2015/16 floods, lessons learnt and ways forward for better resilience nationwide.

For those of you who are time pressed or disinclined to read the full report, here are some key points important for household and business preparedness:

UK Flooding: money matters

  • £2.3 billion will be spent over the next six years from 2015- 2021 to strengthen flood and coastal defences with a particular focus on better protecting 300,000 homes
  • recovery packages handled by local authorities are currently in place for homes, businesses and farms in areas of Northern England affected by the 2015/6 floods
  • Flood Re has been established to ensure that households can continue to obtain affordable flood insurance (schemes for small business are being discussed; source: FloodExpo)

UK Flooding: severe weather and more frequent, stronger storms

  • the intensity of recent storms is unusual, but not unprecedented
  • a comprehensive study of trends (1871-2010) shows a robust signal of increasing numbers of strong winter storms and with increasing intensity for the high latitude North Atlantic; further south over the mid-latitude North Atlantic (ie the path of the storms that affected the UK in winter 2013/14) signal are more complex. Although the number of strong winter storms has not increased since 1871, storm mean intensity has increased. Notably, for very strong storms, the mean intensity has increased significantly. However, results are not conclusive and there remains substantial scientific debate about the behaviour of the North Atlantic jet stream and the storms that form along it.

UK Flooding: extreme rain fall, extreme tidal scenarios, sea level rise

  • rainfall depends on geography, the west receiving ten times more rain than the east of the UK; England and Wales is divided into six climate regions
  • based on robust analysis, the Met Office concludes that winter monthly rainfall totals could plausibly be 20% higher than recent past extremes in some parts of the country and up to 30% higher than recent past extremes in other parts
  • seasonal variability: winter flows have increased in upland, western catchments; autumn flows have increased in Central England and parts of Eastern Scotland. There is no apparent pattern of change in summer flows across the UK
  • high winter flows have increased over the last 30 years and there has been an increase in the frequency and magnitude of flooding over the same period, particularly in the West and North.  However, as with rainfall, longer records demonstrate that there are flood-rich and flood-poor periods in the hydrological record. Reconstruction of floods from sediment records suggests some very large floods in the 18th and 19th centuries
  • sea level along the English Channel has already risen by about 12cm during the 20th century; this is over and above the increases associated with sinking of the southern part of the UK due to isostatic adjustment from the last Ice Age; this increases the risk of coastal flooding and tidal locking. A further overall 11-16cm of sea level rise is likely by 2030, relative to 1990
  • the Environment Agency’s Extreme Flood Outlines (EFO) have been stress-tested and found to be a reliable way to identify areas at risk from extreme river and coastal flooding over the next ten years
  • the risk of extreme river flows resulting in a severe flood are not unusual but the probability of this occurring is low
  • the 2016 National Risk Assessment (confidential document) for the first time differentiates fluvial and surface water flood risk in place of a single ‘inland flood risk’, allowing a better targeted approach to planning and management (NRR Civil Emergencies)

Limitations of scientific models

  • statistical analysis used to produce the report assumes that the probability of flooding has not changed significantly over time, for example because of  changes in land use, climate change or other climatic variations
  • interestingly climate change was not identified as a factor, so called ‘natural variability’ dominating extreme rainfall scenarios ; but there was consensus that the techniques used should be developed further to explore a fuller range of possible events
  • the variable nature of regional/local weather and rainfall plus the complexities of terrain and catchments mean that any results are indicative only and cannot describe all settings
  • the next set of UK Climate Projections due to be published in 2018 (UKCP18)

 

UK flooding: critical national infrastructure and the private sector

We depend on a secure supply of services such as electricity, telecommunications, water, healthcare and transport. Many are delivered by the private sector. Government, sector regulators and industries are working together to ensure security of supply across the 13 CNI (critical national infrastructure) sectors (more, see CPNI). The loss of local services during the winter floods 2015/6 meant that, for the first time, individual sector-by-sector assets at risk from flooding were identified.   The complex inter-dependencies between sectors continue to be investigated.

  • 1640 potentially vulnerable national infrastructure asset sites serving a (pragmatically determined) population threshold range from 10,000 to 25,000 have been identified, most  of which were deemed ‘defended’
  • 530 key infrastructure sites around the country are currently vulnerable to flooding (again within the 10,000-25,000 threshold)
  • infrastructure sectors are at different stages in the resilience building process, some have yet to complete their analysis. Losing electricity or hospitals are particularly acute ‘worst case’ scenarios impacting communities
  • the electricity industry will invest £250 million (2015-2021) to protect the network against flooding; sites serving more than 10,000 people which are not protected against an extreme flood have been surveyed and have a plan in place to deploy temporary barriers if required and feasible
  • work with the water industry to extend analysis to cover all relevant water assets (clean and waste) serving more than 10,000 people continues
  • transport is vulnerable, investments are under way
    • Network Rail is planning to spend £900 million over the next three years
    • Highways England plans to invest £78 million over the next five years to reduce the risk of flooding on major roads, and a further £300 million as part of its Road Investment Strategy
    • Gatwick Airport following flood-related disruption in December 2013, commissioned an independent review of its vulnerability to flooding and is allocating a further £10 million above and beyond the original £20 million investment in flood resilience over the next 2 years
    • the Department for Transport promote closer working between ports and Local Resilience Forums to improve overall awareness of, and preparation for, severe flooding and port resilience groups are being set up along the East Coast

(thankfully health and safety is much stricter in the UK)

UK flooding: temporary flood defenses

Permanent flood defenses are clearly preferable to temporary defenses. In some instances, however, permanent solutions either do not offer value for money or cannot improve the situation before next winter. Therefore temporary defenses play an immediate role in strengthening the resilience of local infrastructure: temporary barriers do not provide the same level of protection as permanent defenses; failure rates typically are 20-30%, although this can be reduced by good advanced planning

      • no type of temporary barrier is universally deployable in all situations, and generally they cannot withstand large wave action. All leak to a certain extent and therefore need to be supplemented by pumps (annex 8 illustrates a range of temporary flood defenses such as tube, filled container, frame barrier, flexible free standing and rigid free standing)

 

      • once installed, successful ongoing deployment requires additional support including security against theft and vandalism as well as health and safety measures such as lighting and access maintenance to surrounding homes and businesses

 

      • thorough site-specific pre-planning as well as the availability of sufficient numbers of trained staff or volunteers is critical to success (as are training exercises)

 

      • engineered hard flood defenses can only ever be part the solution. Benefits of natural flood management has been seen ie in Pickering, North Yorkshire and Holnicote in Somerset. The Government’s future 25 year plan for the environment will look at strengthening the role of local partners, bringing them together to integrate flood management with water planning at a catchment level.

 

 

UK flooding: improving incidence response

  • £12.5 million are being invested through the Environment Agency in temporary flood barriers, mobile water pumps and incident command vehicles – stored in strategic locations across the country for fast response
  • £0.75 million are being invested to provide maintenance grants to enable nationally deployable flood rescue teams to maintain their equipment
  • a single register of national flood response assets will be kept up to date and will be viewable through ResilienceDirect; developing new capabilities in line with responders’ requirements.
  • an operations centre will be established (as identified in the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015) bringing together relevant organisations, including the armed forces
  • Defra in collaboration with other government departments will establish a standard operating model for local responders and the Environment Agency will work with Local Resilience Forums to identify opportunities to embed good practice in their flood response plans

 

UK flooding: flood defense and urban development

  • ultimate aim is to deliver flood defense levels for the Core Cities similar to that of London, Sheffield is the pilot project which, if successful will be broadened to the other core cities

 

The National Flood Resilience Review also contains interesting case studies in annex 4 which you may be interested to read especially if you are in or near to Carlisle, Calder Valley, Oxford, Exeter, Great Yarmouth, London (Teddington to Thames Barrier).   References

Much excellent work continues across the country including the setting up of local Flood Action Groups, Community Resilience Projects (i.e NYLRF) and flood prevention excercises such as

However, it also pays to be better prepared.There is a lot that can be done. If your’re an individual start at our preparedness hub, if you’re a small business start at business preparedness. Addition: EFRA report, Future flood prevention; Second Report of Session 2016–17

Be prepared, not scared.

Have a good week.

Monika     thank you for sharing, raising awareness for Emergency Preparedness!

For more EVAQ8 blog simply use the right hand navigation. For emergency kits and practical resources use the top navigation. For FREE resources head over to our Preparedness Hub and find out why we use humour. If you like this post, please share it to help raise awareness for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness. Thank you!

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Safe Evacuation: ‘mass’ evacuation and why ‘self’ evacuation preparedness makes a lot of sense

updated 24/06/2017

Mass evacuation is (mostly) self-evacuation – what you need to know.

Part 2 of  ‘Safe Evacuation – what exactly does safe evacuation look like?’  and ‘Safe Evacuation: tall buildings, tower blocks: why Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans and Emergency Preparedness tools are essential’ (tip: follow the blog category ‘Safe Evacuation’ on the right hand navigation).

The first post in this series looked at what an evacuation is (the immediate and urgent movement of people out of harm’s way to a safe location) and under what circumstances it may occur. It stayed pretty much within the familiar bounds of small scale evacuations from a home or a building of ‘regular’ size. Now I want to begin tackling another fascinating aspect which is ‘mass evacuation’. Timely and ironically perhaps I post this at the very moment a mass evacuation is actually under way in Florida and the Carolinas CNN Hurricane Matthew mass evacuation

 

Mass Evacuation: not relevant in peace-time UK ? Think again.

Other than the ‘regular’ emergency evacuations usually inconveniencing relatively small numbers of people because of suspicious packages (ie airports, train stations, high street, shops, shopping centres, and offices etc), sudden finds of unexploded WW devices (Southwark) and even sinking ferries you may remember these two major incidents:

      • 2005 Birmingham evacuates approximately 20,000 people following a security alert

 

       Neither, however, actually classifies as ‘mass evacuation’. According to the Mass Evacuation Framework (2014) by the London Resilience Partnership, evacuating 5,000 or 20,000 people is still ‘just’ a so called ‘medium scale evacuation’. Nevertheless, the Holbon electrical fire on 01 April 2015 is a good example and here is why. In the words of Gary Squires from the London Fire Brigade (BBC)

 “lots of people had “self-evacuated” from nearby buildings and it was only the ones on Kingsway that had been evacuated by the authorities.”

This illustrates the point I’m making about the importance of self-evacuation and the need for better preparedness. Why? Because many workers and students were unable to return for several days (36 hour blaze), having left behind wallets, phones, keys and other important personal items in their hurry to get to safety. Thankfully no one was hurt and the incident happened on a relatively fine spring day, not in the middle of rush hour or during severe weather. It would have been a different story.

I also want to mention the 7/7 bombing. Police estimate  4,000 people were caught up in the blasts in some way, many forced to self-evacuate. One of those people was my colleague Ben who has written here on school emergency preparedness. He will talk about his experience in a separate post. For now, I simply wish well all those currently caught up in the events of Hurricane Matthew and stress that preparedness is important and actually quite easy and straight forward where ever you are in the world.

UK organisations and businesses I urge to very seriously consider expanding your capacities and include Workplace Emergency Kits in your Health and Safety, Security and Business Continuity planning.  Considering how much such a simple and cost-effective step reduces your risks it is well worth the minor investment. A small item like a Personal Evacuation Pack to which items relevant to the individual have been added can make a real difference.    

Monika    

This post is also accessed by bit.ly/MassEVAC. 

 thank you for sharing and raising awareness for Emergency Preparedness

 

 

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What are “invacuation”, “lock-down” and “shelter-in-place”? How do they link to emergency preparedness and why is that important?

updated 03/05/2017 : new government guidance issued “Recognising the terrorist threat”

Invacuation_EVAQ8-shelter-in-placeOften there is confusion about what  these, sometimes interchangeable, terms mean. Perhaps this is because the typical safety procedure everyone in the UK is most familiar with is to evacuate – the standard ‘get out – stay out – call 999’ advice of fire safety.  In contrast, staying in when ‘all hell breaks loose’ is counter-intuitive at first, especially for commercial or public premises. However, ‘getting out’ is neither possible nor wise in a number of scenarios as will be explored shortly in the wider sphere of workplace emergency preparedness; but first things first, a quick look at the terminology:

 “in-vacuation” is probably the least known term but once you understand the meaning as ‘inverse evacuation’ you will always remember this wordplay on opposites

“lock-down” refers to an emergency protocol to prevent people (or information) from escaping and typically involves some form of violence.  Lock-down examples in the news typically concern bomb threats or attacks, especially in crowded places such as inner city areas, sports events, theatres, shopping centres, places of worship or schools.

“shelter-in-place” in the UK is mostly understood in two quite specific ways, both rooted in fire safety:

  • “go in – stay in – tune in”, the ‘classic’ shelter-in-place order issued by the emergency services. Typically, this may happen during a major incident such as a large fire, hazmat or security incident.  It means that you have to close (and seal, depending on the severity of the incident) all doors, windows (and vents) to create a contamination free space. Take immediate shelter in a readily accessible safe location and await further instructions. Stay well away from window panes that may shatter and cause injuries
  • specialist measures to provide safe shelter and security from hazards to vulnerable persons that may have difficulty to evacuate such as wheelchair users, the elderly or persons with disabilities

There is much more to Shelter-in-Place and it certainly applies to more than just fire safety and counter-terrorism. Have a look at the following post SIP: SHELTER-IN-PLACE | September is Preparedness Month.

Since the tragic events in Paris and while UK threat levels remain SEVERE, understandings are now expanding beyond fire safety into emergency preparedness for all persons and at all levels. That includes business, especially if located at or near crowded places. The recent “Run – Hide – Tell” safety video from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office is an excellent example which reflects this.

Why “shelter-in-place”, where and how?

‘Hiding’, or hopefully a more controlled, planned and prepared emergency procedure such as  ‘shelter-in-place’ protocols are not only about terror threats such as lone shooter incidents or a firearms and weapons attack as in the above NaCTSO video. Shelter-in-place is highly relevant for a range of scenarios which, broadly, can be divided into ‘man-made threats’ and ‘natural hazards.

Shelter-in place or invacuation rather than evacuation makes sense not only for threats

  • explosion, structural damage
  • hazardous materials (HAZMAT, i.e. biological, chemical …)
  • attack with weapons and/or firearms, bomb threat, drones
  • civil unrest, riot

but also for natural hazards such as storms and severe weather, severe cold or heatwave, during an earthquake, pandemic or , most relevant for the UK, flooding which destroys more businesses than fire. So, what does an ideal shelter-in-place room look like?

 

Shelter-in-place: rooms above ground floor, for example …

  • interior rooms with no windows  and/or
  • exterior rooms with loadbearing walls, few windows and vents that can be sealed
  • adequate space to sit people, avoid overcrowding by selecting several rooms
  • feature fire doors and a way to barricade yourself in may provide additional safety

Utility rooms, large storage rooms, pantries, conference rooms etc. may work well as designated shelter-in-place areas. In addition

  • install a landline telephone in the room to call for help, mobile phones may be overwhelmed
  • mark the room(s) with a ‘shelter-in-place’ sign on the inside of the room only for security reasons and assure your safety personnel and staff are well trained (download free shelter-in-place sign to print)
  • strategically place preparedness supplies; i.e. emergency food and water, light & communication etc.

 

Shelter-in-place procedure – emergency plan

Specific procedures for shelter-in-place vary depending on the nature of the environment, anticipated and planned for threats and typically include:

  • close the premises
  • inform staff, customers and visitors to stay, not leave and go to designated areas immediately
  • do not walk or drive outdoors
  • ask all people present to turn their phones to silent and call their emergency contact to let them know where they are and that they are safe unless there is an imminent severe threat where silence must be observed
  • turn on business call-forwarding or alternative telephone systems. If you have voicemail, change the recording to indicate that you are temporarily closed, that staff and visitors are safe and will remain in the building until authorities have issued the all clear
  • lock (and seal) air vents, doors, windows;  draw shades, blinds or curtains in case of an explosion
  • turn off or disable fans, heating and air conditioning as well as all other non-essential electricals
  • get hold of your emergency supplies and go to your previously identified shelter-in place area

Ideally, on each floor you will have access to an emergency grab bag, individual One-Person-Compact-Survival-Kits for staff as well as a Shelter-in-Place Kit for up to 20 persons in each shelter-in-place location. While this is perhaps not possible everywhere, absolute minimum supplies include battery powered or wind-up radio (communication), flashlight and/or headtorch, first aid, long-life food and water. Also recommended are waterproof gaffa tape and either plastic sheeting or garbage bags that can be cut and taped to provide emergency seals.

Once securely at your shelter-in-place location

  • keep calm, stay behind solid objects well away from glass
  • place signs in exterior windows to identify your location where possible
  • make list of everyone in the room, their address and affiliation with your business (employee, visitor, customer…) and then call your designated emergency contact to report
  • listen to radio, watch TV or use the internet to stay informed
  • await further instructions until the all clear is given and it is safe to stand down

 

Shelter-in-place is usually resolved quickly but may last for several hours or even days.  To find out which risks are most pertinent to you see the National Risk Register  and the local risk register published by your Local Resilience Forum.  You may also find our google slides “Shelter-in-Place at work” useful for your own Emergency Preparedness.

Security, health & safety and duty of care are just some of the reasons why it makes sense to be prepared. Make appropriate plans and get the emergency kit that is right for you. If none of our standard emergency kits are suitable, simply contact us for a competitive bespoke quote. Our friendly and knowledgeable team is always happy to help and advice.

Finally, check out Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism resources and also  ‘Project Griffin’ which provides briefing events to increase public and staff awareness to business of how best to reduce and respond to the most likely types of terrorist activities. Also out now (Oct 2016) is the Independent Review of London’s Preparedness to respond to a major terrorist incident.

Monika

Thank you for stopping by. See below for updates. In addition, for more resilience blog use the right hand navigation. For kit and practical resources use the top navigation. If you’re new to Emergency and Disaster Preparedness head over to our FREE resources at the Preparedness Hub and Business Preparedness.

This blog post is also accessed by https://bit.ly/lock-down.

Thank you for sharing this post    

 

 

 


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Prepare for a world that’s more than 2° C warmer | Climate Change

updated 25June2017

That’s the UN’s most recent analysis. The world – us – will have emitted enough carbon to warm the planet by 2°C  by the year 2036, that’s just 20 years down the road!

“I think it is clear [the targets] will fall well short of what is required for any reasonable probability of avoiding 2° C”

So says Alice Bows-Larkin, Professor in Climate Science & Energy Policy of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in Manchester UK as quoted in The New Scientist edition No 3046 of 7 November 2015 I’m reading this Remembrance Sunday (italics added by me; read the extended article online at The climate fact no one will admit: 2 °C warming is inevitable).

Barring any sudden personal tragedies or the ability to resettle on a different planet, this will impact us all: me, my family and friends as well as you, your family and friends.

What will a world be like with ‘just’ 2°C extra heat  – do we actually know?

I’ve heard people joke that they are looking forward to warmer and sunnier days. Well, now that would be lovely indeed, especially if you live quite far north (or south). Joke aside; it is actually an interesting reaction and not necessarily one born out of simple ignorance. For example, Freudian’s would point and say: classic denial, one of the most primitive defence mechanisms, a refusal to accept reality to avoid painful feelings. Cognitive psychologists would describe it i.e. as optimism bias and/or discounting, limitations on our rational cognitive processes  (i.e. see earlier post Resilience and Preparedness Roadblocks: what stops us?) It’s probably a bit of all of the above plus a good sprinkling of individual beliefs, personal experiences and personality.

Reality is, however that we will be getting more than just warmer and sunnier days. The crux of the problem is, nobody really knows just exactly what it all means. Climate change is one of the most urgent and profoundly complex challenges we face.

Better and better models – but we are really running out of time

Vast amounts of data feed numerous models every day (i.e. MetOffice) yet in the end they are just that: models, an approximation to reality.

At best, models attempt to explain and hopefully predict the future. How accurately? Well, that remains to be seen. The ukclimateprojections.metoffice data and projections many still use may well be outdated (2009 PDF) because they assume ‘medium’ emission scenarios.

A 2°C warmer world – some reasonable predictions: heatwaves and flooding

Warmer means more heatwaves

 

Serious Climate Change Problem: how to stay cool

Running air conditioners is the short-sighted answer. This is problematic not just because of guzzling energy which may overload the grid but also because it creates and dumps a lot of hot exhaust, adding to the problem rather than reducing it. Where we currently stand with producing not only efficient but also sustainable air conditioning systems is somewhat unclear(see The Guardian). Spraying or dousing heat stressed people with water only works to some extent as Dr Sundeep Dhillon recently explained at the Extreme Medicine Expo,  personal factors such as fitness and acclimatization status play a huge role. Treating heat illness will increasingly become a hot topic very soon. Undoubtedly we will see more of this:     

Warmer also means more flooding because of more severe weather events. There is a very good chance that the weather will not play by ‘our rules’ as per our models. Exceptional may well become the new normal which means more of this:

Yemen just this week, twice in quick succession:

Cape Verde in late August / early September

Flooding also happens because of rising sea levels. Thermostatic expansion, a volume and height increase as sea water warms plays a role as does melting ice. Some recent predictions are dire for coastal cities such as San Francisco:

Image from Coastal News Today, an well respected publication.

Models and projections while essential, don’t necessarily provide solutions. Models don’t’ fix.

Engineering, although playing a hugely important role to i.e. retrofitting, reinforcing and saving infrastructure, building in more resilient ways for the future, can also be problematic as The Rockefeller Foundation recently highlighted:

We need more than just design solutions, however. We also will need real alternatives to insurance for while a 2°C World Might Be Insurable, A 4°C World Certainly Would Not Be and we are heading there fast. We need a change in attitudes. We need a sense that we individually can really do something, change behavior, change culture and change our world for the better.  It means a serious interest and investment in disaster risk reduction. At the most fundamental level,  it all starts with prepared individuals that can achieve realistic confidence in the face of crisis. So, what is your Emergency & Disaster Preparedness Plan? Check our free resources and look through some of the earlier posts here.

Have a great week.

Monika

 

 thank you for sharing!

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Resilience and Preparedness Roadblocks: what stops us?

updated 14Sep2016

Next month, September is National Preparedness Month (NPM or NatlPrep) in the US with many campaigns to raise public awareness for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness. Here in the UK, year on year, regular local events (ie the #30days30waysUK2016 September campaign) are also becoming more numerous and around November the EA (and related bodies) raise awareness for National Flood Preparedness. For me this is encouraging to witness for I believe that awareness and engagement for preparedness has still some way to go. More individual and community action is needed to build a robust culture of preparedness and resilience.

What are the stumbling blocks? Why aren’t we all much better prepared?

Despite the best intentions most of us fail to do enough, unless you’ve been personally affected in the past, for example during the recent floods.

Why is that? Where does this apathy and narrow shortsightedness come from?

source: https://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1362238/aerial-flooding-01.jpg

Well, I recently read Robert Clifford’s interesting article in The New Scientist “The road to climate hell” and was struck just how easily his analysis also applies to preparedness.

Richard identified 33 ‘dragons’, a metaphor for obstacles or ‘drag-on’ processes that stop us engaging and taking action. Robert’s approach is such a brilliant way to illustrate complex topics that I hope he won’t mind me borrowing and adapting for preparedness.  

1st Dragon family : limited cognition

    • antiquated brains, old hardware and energy conserving software that  have not changed much in 30’000 years. Rather than engage in effort-full anticipation and planning we tend to operate in the comfortable and easy ‘here now’ mode – and that simply makes us slow to act
    • ignorance is bliss they say but not for long and we all should heed Benjamin Franklin who poignantly stated “by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail” . Not only do we tend ignore the necessity for preparedness, we often simply do not know what to do and how to go about it. To make matters worse, preparedness is not simply one thing but means different things to different people at different times and also depending on context. Just exactly what the right kind of preparedness is only you can determine (i.e. by starting at our preparedness info hub and begin making your Emergency Preparedness Plan)
    • uncertainty is tricky to navigate, especially in today’s world of ambiguous messages and unpredictable events. Confusion or underestimation may lead to inaction.
    • numbness from complexity overload in today’s environments that we can no longer wholly grasp. Action is unlikely if a dangerous phenomenon or scenario is seen as not immediately causing personal difficulties
    • discounting, a well-known bias or tendency to undervalue future and distant risk
    • optimism bias: I’ll be fine. No, it won’t affect me. I will manage…  
    • fatalism: it’s out of my hands. There is nothing I can do …. confirmation bias: people tend to read and watch media that reinforces their beliefs rather than challenges and educates
    • time is money: when viewing their available time in monetary terms, people tend to skip careful preparedness planning and investments in resources/skills as there is no immediate and clear ‘return-on-investment’
    • perceived inability: preparedness may require extra resources including knowledge, skill or abilities not everyone possesses. Unless there is a physical or mental disability however, most people are capable to reach at least a minimum level of preparedness and connect to wider networks of community resilience

In the article, Richard goes on to discuss six more Dragon Families; i.e. ideologies, various belief systems that inhibit behaviour social comparison, three aspects of a deeply ingrained human tendency dis-credence, four ways of how people stop engaging when thinking ill of others limited behaviours, and …   

Dragon family ‘perceived risk’ – particularly relevant to preparedness

Perceptions linked to risks that may become particularly persistent ‘drag-ons of inaction’

    • Functional risk: will it work? For example: “The kit I just bought, can I rely on it?” You can if you bought it from us for our promise is “ If we stock it – You can depend on it in an emergency”. Functional risk at a personal level is trickier. The best answer is continuous training and active exercising of your preparedness plans
    • Physical risk: will I get hurt? Preparedness may involve special skills training so there may be certain risks.
    • Financial risk: rather than asking is it worth getting prepared and equipped ask “can I afford not to?”  
    • Social risk: other people may notice your commitment to preparedness and may tease although this is becoming less common. Nowadays understanding is growing and prepared people are becoming role models for community resilience.
    • Psychological risk: you may be teased or criticised for preparing – that is short term. You will, however, build confidence in your capacities and further your personal resilience – that is long term.
    • Temporal risk: the time you invest in planning and preparing may be seen as ‘failing to produce results’. That of course depends on what ‘results’ means to you but in preparedness this is most certainly never the case. Any and all preparedness efforts are never wasted and hopefully you will never have to test them all to the full.

 The good part in all this? All these inner/perceptual dragons of inaction can be slain. You’ve already started by simply reading and thinking about them. And so I leave you with an image of the quintessential Dragon Slayer St. George who is the patron saint not only of England but also of Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany and Greece; and of Moscow, Istanbul, Genoa and Venice (second to SaintMark) and who has in recent years been adopted as patron saint of Scouts. source: https://web.archive.org/web/20160701211712/https://jbailey2013.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/wikimedia-st-_george_and_the_dragon.jpg Have a great week and good start to September – make it a Preparedness month for yourself, your loved ones and your wider communities. And if you want to delve a little deeper, watch this brilliant VIDEO by The Royal Society, an animation and briefing on unconscious bias adapted by Professor Uta Frith

Monika   thank you for sharing, raising awareness for Emergency Preparedness!

For more EVAQ8 blog simply use the right hand navigation. For emergency kits and practical resources use the top navigation. For FREE resources head over to our Preparedness Hub and find out why we use humour. If you like this post, please share it to help raise awareness for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness. Thank you!

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Hazards and Risks – what’s the difference and why does it matter?

Last week I had an interesting and engaging conversation with a group of young people that were just starting to make their own Emergency Preparedness plans both for their families and their fledgling businesses when the topic of hazards and risks resulted in:

“… but risk is the same as hazard? How are they different?”

Indeed, it’s a common enough confusion, mostly because risk is often defined in terms of hazards so fuzzyness creeps in. Also, a number of different definitions and understandings exist, all depending on who you ask and what their frame of reference is. That does not help practical people that want clear guidance fast.

Luckily, I recently attended a brilliant conference on Risk and Disaster Reduction in London, the UCL IRDR 5th Annual Conference where Sir Mark Walport in his keynote speech on communicating risk and hazards gave an excellent example which I hope he won’t mind me passing on to you. The imagery he used was this:

What do you see? A massive hazard. But how about risk? What exactly do you know about the CONTEXT in the above?

How about now?

Well, better him than me I’d say for I’m not that brave but you certainly begin to see where this is going:

Talking about hazards is necessary but not sufficient

(as scientists love to point out) and that’s precisely why it matters to draw the distinction.

In order to build better preparedness and resilience, we need to continuously assess and monitor risk, meaning the probability or likelihood of (often complex) scenarios as well as the severity of impact over time. As per Sir Mark’s slide, this concerns

1506UCL-Walport

Professor Sir Mark Walport; Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of Government Science and Engineering Profession at UCL IRDR 2015

– hazard: a source of harm or damage

– threat: an intent or determination to inflict harm or damage

– exposure: the condition of being exposed to harm or damage

– vulnerability: the susceptibility to being harmed or damaged

– uncertainty: current degree of knowledge as unknown or doubtful

 

To get a better idea what risk assessments and a risk matrix can look like

have a look at the National Risk Register 2015, page 11. Naturally, these high priority risks as currently identified by the UK government change and shuffle in line with the changing situation in the UK and around the world. Keep an eye on regularly published updates and consider the risks particular to your own environment and situation, also in line with any information your local resilience forum can provide. You may also find our extensive preparedness resources useful.

That’s exactly where I left the group of young entrepreneurs and family men and women. However, as with them I also want to stress here:

making a plan is necessary but not sufficient

for – and yes, you’ve heard it all beforeEmergency & Disaster Preparedness: Get a Kit - Make a Plan - Be InformedAnd finally, are you still curious about  The Crocodile and the Plover Bird? It’s a good story.

Have a great week!

Monika


thank you for sharing and helping raise awareness for Emergency Preparedness!

 

For more EVAQ8 blog simply use the right hand navigation. For emergency kits and practical resources use the top navigation. For FREE resources head over to our Preparedness Hub and find out why we use humour. If you like this post, please share it to help raise awareness for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness. Thank you!

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Preparedness for Power Cuts, Brownouts and Blackouts

updated 09/10/2017

Power failures are common in the wake of storms (BBC) and disasters, man-made or natural; for example floods (Telegraph) and drought (Brazil dries up and blacks out, 2015) even UK mini heatwaves (Ashbourne News Telegraph). Also see South Australia’s Blackout explained (09/2016 black start)

Power outages can also occur without warning because of faults or accidents.

You may need to shelter-in-place and wait it out or you may have to evacuate (Feb 2015: Liverpool One John Lewis evacuated after power cut as restaurants unable to serve food, Liverpool Echo)

 

Power cuts are predicted to become more frequent, not only causing damage to the economy ($180 billion in the USA) but also affect transport, security and health (Lincoln University). Concerns and discussions on the UK energy safety gap are ongoing (Guardian).

2003 – a memorable year for spectacular power cuts

Looking back, 2003 was a particularly eventful year. In the US and Canada 55 million people were affected during the Great Northeast Blackout, 14th August 2003:   Fortunately, most power cuts last only minutes, but even such short durations can have a substantial impact on you personally as well as business. The London Blackout (28 August 2003) lasted just 34 minutes (BBC) during which  

        • 400 calls were taken by the London Fire Brigade
        • 100 rescues were made
        • all main rail services stopped in London and the South East
        • 60% of London Underground was affected

 If not stranded in lifts or underground, thousands of Londoners and visitors either took to the rain soaked streets or found shelter in candle lit pubs and restaurants. Outages not only happen in summer. They happen every day (DNO live twitter list) and can affect everyone. Most spectacularly and recently again London:

 

What is a Brownout? What to do during a Brownout

Brownouts, the opposite of a power surge, refer to a drop in voltage that can last for minutes or hours. Brownouts  commonly occur either by accident or intentional, for example, when used for emergency load reduction to avert a full blown a blackout.     Common signs of a brownout are      

                • flickering lights
                • rapid switching on/off of appliances
                • sudden computer and internet failure

 Usually harmless, brownouts nevertheless can damage your equipment so when you notice rapidly flickering lights, act immediately and unplug your computers, routers, TV, devices being charged, all appliances etc. During a Brownout, as soon as you notice fluctuations (i.e. when the lights start flickering badly)  

            • switch off and unplug computers, TVs, printers, routers, mobile phones, tablets or any other devices that are plugged in and/or charging
            • reduce your power consumption: switch off anything you do not need
            • be ready for a blackout in case your supply fails to stabilise source: https://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71610000/jpg/_71610198_71610193.jpg

 

Preparedness for a Power Cut – follow these 10 top tips

Know your supplier and how to contact them. Suppliers often host a live power outage map and provide information and support also on twitter. The new emergency number for power cuts is 105 see guidance from your supplier; i.e. UK Power Networks’ Domestic and Business

          • make a checklist/map of all your electrical items that need turning OFF in case of a power cut
          • if you use crucial medical equipment requiring electricity, put yourself on your suppliers priority register
          • alternative communications: keep a plug-in cord telephone for emergencies that does not need electricity; stock spare batteries and power packs for mobile devices
          • alternative power: ranges from power generators to UPS devices (~ 1 hour), batteries and hand-crank or solar operated devices; more see generators

 

What to do during a Power Cut – NEW! CALL 105*

Is it just you? Check your fuse box to see if any have tripped – there could be a problem with your property’s wiring and you may need to call an electrician. If your neighbor is also affected, then call your local distribution company to find out if it’s a network problem. Normally, power cuts are locally or regionally based

          • switch OFF all appliances and equipment that may have been in use before the interrupt
          • leave one light switched on to know when the power is restored
          • secure your property; bells and alarms may not work during the outage (manual warning)

 

What to do when Power is restored

          • check all your equipment and appliances
          • only gradually turn your equipment and appliances back on, keeping an eye on possible fluctuations
          • check and and reset all timer switches; i.e. water heating, gas or oil central heating systems, electric clocks

Additional useful resources to understand what happens, the consequences of power cuts and what you must plan and prepare for and how to prepare for and cope with power outages:

      • list of major power outages wiki
      • electric safety HSE
      • will your landline work during a power cut? Ofcom

 Be prepared, not scared. Have a good week.

Monika | @MonikaAlMufti 

This page is also accessed by https://evaq8.co.uk/blog/preparedness-for-powercuts-brownouts-and-blackouts  thank you for sharing and helping raise awareness for Emergency Preparedness!

 

For more EVAQ8 blog simply use the right hand navigation. For emergency kits and practical resources use the top navigation. For FREE resources head over to our Preparedness Hub and find out why we use humour. If you like this post, please share it to help raise awareness for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness. Thank you!

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Business Resilience – Business Continuity – What does it mean?

Resilient Business, Business Continuity, Risk Management – all are big buzzwords reverberating around cyberspace with renewed vigour these last weeks. Interestingly, the more I read the more I realize just how fragmented the discussions are and how these terms seem to mean very different things to different people. No wonder it is all quite confusing.

Risk Management versus Business Continuity Management, what’s the difference?

Source: https://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0405/graphics/comstat_1a_lg.gifBusiness Continuity Management or BCM is often treated as a subset of risk management. Up to a point this holds, for in Risk Management (ISO 31000) risk identification is the first key step in risk assessment that leads to the selection of appropriate risk treatments based on the best available information. Problems arise here, however, when ‘best available information’ is not good enough or absent. This is often the case in today’s world of complex and often hidden or fast developing threats both man-made and natural disasters.

Being able to select risk treatments for unpredictable incidents and disasters is the great strength of Business Continuity Management.

Simply identifying risks and producing a plan – Risk Management – is not enough – not for Resilient Business

The original definition of Business Continuity Management recognizes that BCM is more than just writing a Business Continuity Plan:

A ‘holistic’ management process that identifies potential threats to an organization and the impacts to business operations that those threats, if realized, might cause and which provides a framework for building organization resilience with the capability for an effective response that safeguards the interests of its key stakeholders, reputation, brand and value-creating activities.’

I concur with Andrew Hiles (The definitive Handbook of Business Continuity, 2010) in that this 53 word definition, while appearing comprehensive is rather long and difficult to understand, lacking clarity in what exactly is meant by ‘holistic’ and ‘organization resilience’.

However, Hiles’ own attempt at a more user-friendly reductionist definition of BCM as ‘Preparing an organization to deal with incidents that might otherwise prevent it from achieving its operational objectives’ has in my view been stripped entirely of meaning which is perhaps why he finds it necessary to add two explanatory notes neither of which seems to add more practical insight. He qualifies first, that it is a management process that identifies the potential impacts of disruptions and provides the means for coping with their consequences and second, that preparing includes taking measures to reduce the likelihood and impact of incidents.

Business Continuity Definitions, while important, are limiting by their very nature

Rather than getting embroiled in minutiae or distracted by exactly where Business Continuity Management belongs – some recent authors seem to think BCM only encompasses aspects of IT issues such as cyber threats, I take the practical connectionist stance that Business and therefore Business Continuity cannot be seen in isolation. This brings my viewpoint back to interpreting the ‘holistic’ and ‘resilience’ aspect of the original definition. However, rather than going off on some metaphysical discourse as you might expect at this point let me emphatically state that in its essence ‘holistic’ ought to be intensely simple and practical. In Business, as elsewhere, ‘resilience’ is not a lofty metaphysical concept but is firmly grounded in daily life, in the skills, resources and connections of people. Resilient people bounce forward.

source: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ec/18/04/ec18046b2128f40323387efc8a99c080.jpg

Today I came across an article on ‘Employer’s Focus on employees’ mental wellbeing‘.

Jennifer Paterson mentions diverse organizations such as Anglian Water, law firm Browne Jacobson , Microsoft and Marks and Spencer implementing staff well-being initiatives which made me smile and think ‘this is a huge step in the right direction’.

People are physical, mental and emotional beings, all aspects that holistically integrate into making personal resilience.

Resilient People = Resilient Business.

They are inseparable.

Perhaps there is hope that

  • ‘A holistic management process that identifies potential threats to an organization’ will gradually come to mean ‘a mindful management that recognizes and furthers the individual resources of its people’

After all

  • ‘Effective responses that safeguard the interests of key stakeholders, reputation, brand and value-creating activities’ can only be delivered by (obviously well spoken – tongue in cheek) people that are resilient which is a complex mix of many factors as I have explored (and will continue to explore) in this blog.

… but back to Business Continuity Management…

Of course there needs to be management, Business Continuity is too vital an element of resilience at all levels (local to international) to simply be left to chance. While BS ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System certainly is a valuable framework, it is also perhaps overly complex and bogged down with jargon thus putting it out of reach for many otherwise astute Businesses. On the other side of the spectrum is the well-meaning but rather unfortunately titled book by the Cabinet Office ‘Business Continuity for Dummies’ (2012) with its overly ‘soft’ approach. There’s also a short video:

However, Business people by their very nature are anything but dummies. Is there nothing else, no nuanced approach?

Active Programmes are better than Passive Guidelines

Rather than more books and guidelines, perhaps a more practical approach can be taken in line with another recent innovation that made me smile today (Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service): the Prince’s Trust ‘Get Started Programme’ aimed at helping young people experience and practice Emergency Preparedness.

Now just imagine that but as an active BCM training programme for small and medium size Business that includes simplified and flexible planning and – of course – Business Continuity Kits. Apologies for the shameless plug but there is real and practical resilience in what we do so do have a look around while you’re here. You will find a large range of real value-for-money ready-made Emergency, Disaster and Business Continuity Kits or – if you’re a fan of the Goldilocks Principle ‘just right’ like us – see our Custom-Made section for tailor made practical Business Continuity Solutions.

Wishing you a resilience-building week and thank you for stopping by and don’t miss our resources on Business Preparedness.

Monika


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