INTRODUCTION
This plan is designed to be a simple tool to enable our community to support the efforts from the emergency services. The Plan is set up to ensure the right information can get out to residents and suitable sites and support equipment for the emergency services can be identified quickly. To download a copy of the plan please click here.
The purpose of this plan is not for members of the public or Councillors to act instead of or as an emergency service. Actions MUST be guided by trained professionals. The Parish Council will not be liable for any individual acting outside the advice of the emergency services, ESCC or RDC. If a situation arises where immediate action is required 999 MUST be called for further advice/assistance.
The Parish Council are asking residents if they are able to assist with the following:
- To provide a link to the council and keep an eye out for residents who may be vulnerable or require assistance.
- Provide assistance to local villagers and the Parish Council for example:
- Pick up water (in the event of the water supply being cut) from a collection point and distribute to those unable to access it.
- Pick up essential shopping, prescriptions etc.
- Provide equipment such as generators, 4×4 cars/trucks and chainsaws etc for emergency services, East Sussex County Council and Rother District Council to use. Please note this is not a request for residents to use this equipment unless they are formally trained to do so in an emergency.
If you would be interested in assisting in helping deliver the emergency plan please click here to download the form.
WHAT IS A COMMUNITY EMERGENCY?
A Community Emergency is any event that severely disrupts the routine existence of the Parish or where life is endangered. Examples are: prolonged power failure, failure of the water supply, severe flooding, chemical spillage, heat waves, traffic accident and aircraft accident. A response is likely to involve more than one element of the emergency services and may include District or County Council resources as well as those utility providers (water, electricity and gas).
AIM AND SCOPE
The aim of the Community Emergency Plan is to enable the Parish to support the emergency services, ESCC and RDC in delivering effective support as quickly as possible for those involved in an emergency, including anyone who has been injured or displaced.
Each member of the Parish Council holds a copy of the Community Emergency Plan and will initiate whatever action is required when contacted. The Plan is deliberately simple and designed to provide a template for:
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- Reporting an emergency.
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- Identifying places of refuge for those displaced from their homes in the short term (hours) and how to access them. (Emergency Rest Centers below).
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- Locating vulnerable residents.
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- Identifying those who can help in an emergency.
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- Identifying the source of equipment that emergency services may be of use.
REPORTING AN EMERGENCY
Before dialing 999 (or texting 18000) it is important that you understand what has happened and that you are able to describe the incident with reasonable accuracy. If necessary, write down the essentials before you speak.
When you phone 999 the emergency operator will take you through a list of options and will ask you to provide the following information before alerting the emergency services. Be prepared to provide:
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- Your name and address. When the incident happened. What happened Where it happened Who is affected including most importantly, an estimate of numbers injured?
- Your telephone number as a point of contact.
Next please contact the Parish Proper Officer or the Parish Chairman (contact numbers below).
Remain by your phone.
Depending on the nature of the emergency, the Chairman or a designated key holder will open the Village Hall as a first step if deemed safe, before assisting as necessary and await the arrival of the Emergency Services, which should occur within a maximum of 30 minutes of reporting.
PLEASE NOTE – Point 11 will only happen if safe to do so and on guidance of either ESCC/RDC and/or the Emergency Services. Actions that could increase the severity of the incident or risk further loss or injury must be avoided at all costs. This includes leaving your home if it is not safe to do so. No member of the public should get involved in the emergency directly unless trained to do so or as advised by the Emergency Services directly or by advice given through 999.
IN AN EMERGENCY
The most critical point is to first report the emergency to 999 and get immediate advice from the professional emergency services. Ensure you are safe to contact the Proper Officer and are not putting yourself or others in danger. Identify the location and area, nature of the incident and number of people involved. Report to Sussex Police 999 if local residents have not already carried this out.
First Point of Contact: Proper Officer – No person involved in this plan should carry out any actions or instigate this plan without first consulting with the Officer. If the Officer is uncontactable, then you must contact the Parish Chairman.
EMERGENCY COORDINATORS
Proper Officer, David Young (Parish Chair and Village Hall Trustee) and John Lederer (Parish Councillor). Role of Emergency Coordinators – To assemble Response and Area Wardens and members of the Parish Council and volunteers as necessary.
- Proper Officer – Establish contact with Paul Redstone and Tony Ganley to confirm feedback from ESCC and RDC.
- Cllr David Young – To work with the Proper Officer to work with the emergency rest and evacuation centers and open up the Village Hall when safe to do so and if required.
- Cllr John Lederer – Assemble Area Wardens once confirmed by Proper Officer and or ESCC/RDC/Emergency Services and it is safe to do so. Each area needs to be assessed as some may be more effected by the emergency than others.
- Cllr Barbara Mould – To support John Lederer in the management of Emergency Area Wardens.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE WARDENS
Paul Redstone, Tony Ganley, John Lederer, TBC, TBC. Role of Emergency Response Wardens – To establish clear communication pathways with ESCC, RDC and emergency services in relation to the emergency. To notify and if safe to do so assemble Response and Area Wardens and members of the Parish Council and volunteers as necessary.
- Cllr Paul Redstone – Establish and maintain contact with ESCC and Southern Water and South East Water (grey water).
- Cllr Tony Ganley – Establish and maintain contact with RDC.
- Cllr John Lederer – To link up with first emergency responses on site and feedback emergency services needs to volunteer network.
- Cllr Barbara Mould – To work with Cllr Lederer to co-ordinate information to Area Wardens. To identify any problems relating to Highways and act as local guide and information provider.
EMERGENCY AREA WARDENS
There will be one per area – The main list will sit with Emergency Coordinators and personal information to be stored in line with Councils GDPR. Role of the area wardens is to maintain communication with the Emergency Coordinators and keep ‘emergency notice areas’ updated with any new news. These sites will have been identified for each area. Wardens will also need to check on any known vulnerable residents to ensure they are safe.
ASSEMBLY POINT FOR EVACUATION CENTERS
- Ewhurst and Staplecross Village Hall, TN32 5QJ (Key holders – David Young) or Herdman Pavilion in Ewhurst Green.
- PLEASE REMEMBER: Actions that could increase the severity of the incident or risk further loss or injury must be avoided at all cost.
EMERGENCY COORDINATORS
| Name | Tel: | Address | |
| Proper Officer | 01580 472 052 | ||
| Cllr David Young | 01580 830000 | 8 Weald View, Staplecross, East Sussex, TN32 5QW | |
| Cllr John Lederer | 01580 830744 | Manor Cottage, Crips Corner Road, Staplecross, TN32 5QA | |
| Cllr Barbara Mould | 01580 830734 |
EMERGENCY RESPONSE WARDENS
| Name | Tel: | Address | |
| Cllr Paul Redstone | 07510 074267 | Edgingtons, Cripps Corner, Robertsbridge, TN32 5RY | |
| Cllr Tony Ganley | 01580 830704 | Morgay House, Junction Road, Staplecross, TN32 5SH |
These elected representatives act under the guidance of agencies involved, assist Rother District Councils Rest Centre Operations, assist in establishing an information point for residents and distributing information to the parish as required and ensure all press information statements comply with the Inter Agency agreements at all times.
EMERGENCY REST CENTRE LOCATIONS
| Location | Contact | Telephone | |
| Ewhurst & Staplecross Village Hall | |||
| Herdman Pavilion | Jan Hooper | secretaryherdman@outlook.com | 07789 633800 |
KEY EMERGENCY CONTACTS
| Local Council Contacts List | ||
| Organisation | Contact / Position | Telephone/Email |
| Ewhurst Parish Council | Proper Officer – Currently Locum Clerk | 01580 472052 |
| Ewhurst Parish Council | Parish Council Chair – David Young | 01580 830000 |
| Ewhurst Parish Council | Parish Councillor – John Lederer | |
| Ewhurst Village Website | ||
| Rother District Council | 01424 787878 or 01323 410051 (out of hours) | |
| Rother District Council | Emergency Planning Unit – Graham McCallum | Graham.mccallum@rother.gov.uk |
| East Sussex Highways | 03456080193 highways@eastsussex.go.uk | |
| East Sussex County Council | Emergency | |
| Emergency Contacts | ||
| NHS Direct | 111 | |
| Sussex Police | 999: Emergency 101: Non-emergency 0800 789 321: Anti-terrorist hotline 0800 555 111: Crimestoppers | |
| Sussex Police | PCSO – Emma Louise Phillips | emmalouise.phillips@sussex.police.uk |
| Battle Police Station | RURAL PCSO – Julie Pearce-Martin | julie.pearcemartin@sussex.pnn.police.uk Mob. 07912 896123 Tel. 01273 470101 Ext. 565311 |
| Rye Police Station | (Mon-Fri 10.00 – 14.00) 101 or 01273 410101 (non-emergency) | |
| East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service | 999: Emergency 0800 177 7069: Community Safety Department | |
| SE Coast Ambulance Service | 999: Emergency 111: Non-emergency 0300 123 0999: Main switchboard | |
| British Transport Police | 999: Emergency 0800 405040: Non-emergency 0800 789321: Terrorist Hotline | |
| Maritime Coastguard Agency | 0345 213 5976 | |
| Government Agencies | ||
| Animal and Plant Health Agency | 03000 200301: Defra Rural Services Helpline | |
| HSE | Contact the Health and Safety Executive (hse.gov.uk) | |
| Environment Agency | 0800 807060: Incident hotline 0645 333111: General enquiries | |
| Utility Companies | ||
| National Grid | 105: Power cuts 0800 111999: Gas emergency 0800 404090: Power lines | |
| UK Power Networks | 105: Emergency 0800 3163105: 24/7 hotline | |
| Southern Water | 0330 3030368: Emergency | |
| Southeast Water | 0333 000 0365: 24/7 hotline | |
| Volunteer Organisations | ||
| The British Red Cross | 0844 412 2738: Ambulance support 0808 1963651: Support line | |
| St John’s Ambulance | 0370 0104 950: General enquiries | |
| RAYNET | 0303 040 1080: 24/7 emergency number | |
| RSPCA | 0300 1234 999 | |
| The Samaritans | 116 123 | |
| The Salvation Army | 020 73674500: Main office | |
A list of local residents with chainsaws, generators and 4x4s will be submitted to RDC and ESCC. It is to be noted that no resident should use these items unless they are trained and licensed to use such equipment in an emergency.