Emergency Planning

Major Emergency and Incident Response

Ashford Borough Council has a Major Emergency Plan which helps us deal effectively with any 'major emergency'. The public version of this plan can be viewed for reassurances of what plans we have in place in case of a major emergency or incident being declared affecting our borough.

Incident response is multi-agency and will be alongside other services such as the Police, Kent Fire & Rescue Service, South East Coast Ambulance, NHS Kent & Medway, Environment Agency and Kent County Council.

Public Preparedness - How will you prepare for an emergency?

Emergencies such as flooding, fires and power cuts can affect us all. There are simple and effective steps you can take to be more prepared.

If an emergency did happen in your area, how would you manage? What about your relatives, friends, neighbours or colleagues – do you know anyone who might need some extra help or support?

The government www.gov.uk/prepare gives helpful information to households including:

• Preparing for emergencies (such as making a household plan and emergency kit)
• Hazards (such as setting up for flood and weather alerts)
• Get involved in activities to support yourself and your community (volunteering and priority registers)

Preparing for an emergency booklet

The Kent and Medway Resilience Forum has produced an A5 booklet outlining key risks that could affect residents and their communities. It's aim is to ensure communities and households are better prepared for all emergencies, from flooding and storms to cyber attacks and fuel shortages. 

You can download the booklet yourself at Kent & Medway Prepared - Preparing for an emergency booklet [pdf] 913KB or find printed copies at your local library.

Please visit www.kentprepared.org.uk/booklet for further details and to access the booklet in audio or request a copy in large print or braille.

What are our risks?

The Kent Community Risk Register is available to view via Kent Prepared - Kent Community Risk Register.

The risk register is based on national guidance and developed locally to determine what are our most likely risks in Kent. This may include risks such as flooding, severe weather or loss of utilities.

There is also a local Community Risk Register for Ashford which details the main risks for the Ashford borough. This document can be used by local parishes and community groups to help write their own Community Plans. Further information on this can be found on our Community Resilience page.

Business Continuity Management

Business Continuity is a process that helps keep an organisation going even when an emergency or incident happens, such as staff shortages, loss of office buildings or IT failures.

The council puts in place business continuity plans that identifies what our critical functions are. It then manages the risk to the delivery of these essential services, such as benefits and housing and ensures an effective recovery plan is in place after the incident to get back to normal as quickly as possible.

Please visit our Business Continuity page for further information.

Contact us

For further information or advice on any aspect of Emergency Planning or Business Continuity, please call 01233 331111 or email emergency.planning@ashford.gov.uk