Community resilience arrangements allow a community to take co-ordinated action to minimise damage and disruption to their community’s people and infrastructure. Arrangements can ensure that communities are better prepared to cope until the emergency responders arrive, which in turn allows Fife Council and other emergency responders to direct and dedicate scarce resources in an emergency more efficiently.
First, speak to people in your community. It is important to do this as any arrangements made will require a core group of people to take responsibility for the arrangements, support and raising awareness across the wider community. There are two ways you can do this:
- Are you already part of a group or committee? If so, why not speak to your fellow members and explore the options for making community arrangements (outlined below).
- Not already part of a group? Why not set up a group that will develop community arrangements?
Once a group has been established, consider the points below to get the ball rolling:
- Think about the risks to your community. Have a look at Fife’s Community Risk Register if you are unsure. You will have a good idea of the most obvious risks to your home, family, friends and community.
- Consider what existing skills, knowledge and resources exist that your community could use.
- How can these resources be co-ordinated within your community to help you work together?
Your group should have a core team who will:
- develop the community’s chosen form of arrangement(s);
- activate and co-ordinate the arrangements when required; and
- be the point of contact for the community when liaising with Fife Council.
Now read on for more information about the types of arrangements that can be made. Please remember that the below information is guidance. It is up to your community to choose the most suitable option(s) and customise as you please – whatever works for your community!
Community Emergency Plan
A community emergency plan provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the risks to your community and support and encourage effective communication within communities, and between communities and responders. Find the Community Emergency Plan Template at the foot of this page.
You can either, include the following in a plan, or use certain sections to create your own version of a plan:
- an overview of the risks to your community
- a list of key community resources - helpful for noting down key contacts and resources within the community that can be brought together in a response to an incident.
- a phone tree - contains key contacts and provides a clear line of communication for alerting those within the community that are part of pre-arranged response arrangements.
- useful contacts and links – of organisations you may require for advice before or after an incident has occurred
Guidance and resources
Information on the following is available at Ready Scotland ‘Get Involved’:
- Resilience learning hub - free learning available
- The Guide to Emergency Planning for Community Groups
- Insurance for Community Resilience Groups
- Health and Safety for Community Resilience Groups
- Data Protection
For information about the available psycho/social support for emergency responder volunteers, head to Lifelines Scotland.
What support can Fife Council provide?
Any arrangements a community puts in place to prepare their community and promote resilience are owned by the community, and so can be developed in any way that suits your community. Fife Council can offer a range of support for communities involved in this:
- Provision of advice and support throughout the process
- A template Community Emergency Plan is available as a starting point for any community that wants to develop their own
- Fife Council will provide a link between the community and other emergency response agencies
- Insurance advice for community groups that operate as sub-groups of Community Councils - see the attachment at the foot of this page for more information
Please contact the Fife Council Emergency Resilience Team if you are interested in developing a Community Emergency Plan.