LESLP London Emergency Services Liaison Panel
40 years of multi-agency working in London
A supplement to
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London’s emergency services In 1973, representatives from the three emergency services in London met for the first time with a specific objective to exchange ideas on how to jointly manage a major incident. After this initial discussion, the group agreed to meet regularly every three months and eventually evolved into the London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP). As time went on other bodies involved in the handling of such an incident were invited to join. Today the group has representatives from over 12 organisations serving London and concerned in the response to, and recovery from, a major incident. These include the Metropolitan Police Service, City of London Police, British Transport Police, the London Fire Brigade, the London Ambulance Service and local authorities. The Port of London Authority (PLA), Marine Coastguard, RAF, Military and voluntary sector are also represented. Providing guidance LESLP (pronounced lezlep) isn’t just a talking shop: for 40 years it has been providing guidance to London’s emergency services personnel in the form of a Major Incident Procedures Manual. Now in its eighth edition, the document describes the agreed procedures and arrangements for the effective coordination of their joint efforts. The manual is the prime source of guidance for people working on emergencies in London and all frontline responders responding to an incident will refer to it at some point. From the IRA bombing campaign though to rail crashes such as Moorgate and Cannon Street, the Marchioness sinking, the Kings Cross fire and the bombings of 7/7 the procedures found in the manual have been applied, then revisited and refined. Terms found in the manual such as inner and outer cordon and JESCC (Joint Emergency
Services Control Centre) are all familiar to frontline responders and supervisors, many of whom have, at some stage or another, implemented the procedures to which they refer. Adoption by JESIP So successful has the manual been that other emergency response bodies both in this country and abroad have adopted its format. In this country the recently established Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) has objectives (below) that emulate those of LESLP: • A shared ethos towards emergency response • Embedding joint guidance • Improving situational awareness and mobilisation procedures • Establish Joint Operating Principles to support locally agreed plans • Raise awareness and understanding of others roles and responsibilities within blue light services • Agree common language and terminology between blue light services at all levels. Well, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so LESLP must be doing something right! If you would like to know more about what’s in the manual, you can download a copy from the
LESLP website (www.leslp.gov.uk). As its introduction states it ‘may be used by any other responsible organisation which may have to respond to a major incident’. www.Leslp.gov.uk
Welcome and congratulations Contents Words: Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, Metropolitan Police Service. I wish to congratulate colleagues of all the participating partner agencies that make up the London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP) on the occasion of attaining the 40th anniversary of its founding. The principles of multi-agency working incorporated into LESLP since 1973 continue to set the standard for major incident response planning, and have stood the test of time despite being tested repeatedly in the face of grave threats and severe risks. No one serving in London during 2005 will forget the way in which partner agencies worked together in response to the 7 July terrorist attacks, and the subsequent attempted bombings a fortnight later. That all the partners’ responses to these events, under the spotlight of the attention of the world’s media, were coordinated using LESLP principles as the bedrock framework was great testimony to the underlying strategic, tactical and operational principles that were originally formulated back in 1973 and refined as necessary over the years. As the great city of London, still deservedly receiving praise following the successful holding of last year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, moves
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into the next 40 years, I am reassured that colleagues still come together to help ensure that LESLP remains the fundamental planning and response manual for dealing with major incidents. May I give the panel my very best wishes for its future success.
The Metropolitan Police Service
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City of London Police
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The British Transport Police
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Local authorities
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London Fire Brigade
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London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority
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Maritime and Coastguard Agency: London Coastguard
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London Ambulance Service
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Port of London Authority
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London's voluntary sector
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Final thoughts
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The Metropolitan Police Service Since my colleague Kevin Taylor’s article appeared in the Emergency Services Times 30th anniversary LESLP Supplement in 2003, much has changed in London, and famous and infamous events continue to shape its destiny. However, the primary areas of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) responsibility at major incidents remain constant. Words: Inspector Alan Heaton, Emergency Procedures, Metropolitan Police Service The primary areas of the MPS responsibility at major incidents are: • The saving of life together with the other emergency services • The coordination of the emergency services, local authorities and other organisations acting in support at the scene of the incident • To secure, protect and preserve the scene and to control sightseers and traffic through the use of cordons • The investigation of the incident and obtaining and securing of evidence in conjunction with other investigative bodies where applicable • The collection and distribution of casualty information • The identification of the dead on behalf of Her Majesty’s (HM) Coroner • The prevention of crime • Family liaison • Short-term measures to restore normality after all necessary actions have been taken. The MPS unit tasked with the portfolio and policy lead for the LESLP Manual (Specialist Crime and Operations Command- SC&O 22) now has a wider remit within the MPS to support and train borough police planners, to advise senior officers performing Gold and Silver roles at major incidents, and to represent the MPS at pan London multi-agency planning forums.
In this latter aspect much has changed. The introduction of the Civil Contingencies Act (CCAct) in 2004 has formalised many of the looser arrangements that were already in place in London, and elsewhere in this supplement you can read more about the role now played by the London Resilience Team (LRT) in facilitating the work performed under the Act. For this reason LESLP has continued to adapt, and it is good that LRT have become a LESLP member, so representing the interests of a myriad of other organisations as well as having its own say on the Panel. What, how and when I now see LESLP as part of a three-pronged approach to multi-agency planning in London: the first being the CCA helping to determine what
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arrangements are necessary for emergency preparedness and response; the next being LESLP, which determines how the response will be conducted; and lastly the consequence and resilience array of meetings, which highlight particular events when this response might be required. Looking back over the last 40 years, I wonder if those colleagues who set out to form the first LESLP Panel in 1973 would know that the LESLP principles were still being faithfully followed in 2013. Having been involved in the review of both the 7th and 8th Editions of the manual, I am always struck by the amount of work that goes into the careful crafting of each and every sentence. Although users of the manual might take the clarity of the guidance very much for granted, they may well be unaware of the determination of partners to ensure the manual stays accurate and relevant.
“To think that a response manual can do so much within its original remit while still comprising less than 100 pages is testimony to its clarity and relevance.” Olympic endorsement When I, along with the other London emergency preparedness partners assembled for the first planning meeting of the Olympic Games, I recall that the first thing Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison (as the national Olympic Security Coordinator) said in his speech was that all aspects of Olympic Emergency Planning will conform to LESLP principles. What a splendid endorsement for the LESLP concept and for the efforts of panel members over the years that have made the manual as famous as it is. The popularity of LESLP grows. In the last few years alone the MPS has welcomed audiences from Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Americas as well as Europe that have desired to know more about our LESLP procedures. The clarity of writing and simplicity of the guidance have again reinforced the usefulness and relevance of the LESLP manual. London bombings Inevitably the events of 7 July 2005 had a profound impact on London and its emergency services. LESLP principles were tested to the limit, and the Panel have since readily taken into account the subsequent GLA and Hallet enquiry recommendations. In particular, emphasis was
All aspects of Olympic Emergency Planning conformed to LESLP principles.
placed upon the identification of RVPs and the promotion of shared training between the blue light services. The recommendations arising from enquiries such as these will have particular resonance when the future intended scope of the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) is taken into consideration. More recently, the LESLP approach was brought to the fore when a helicopter crashed on the streets of Vauxhall in South London in January this year, causing two fatalities and leading to the evacuation of tower block occupants and leading to widespread traffic disruption. The subsequent ‘Gold’ partnership meetings were held nearby in the MPS Lambeth Central Communications Command and the multi-agency operational debrief was held in March, closely following the approved guidance laid down in LESLP. I am working on several recommendations that will aim to further improve communication between partners at cordons, and to identify areas of training likely to be necessary. Adoption at other incidents Although the LESLP manual’s prime purpose is to give guidance and direction to major incident response, it is becoming more and more the case that many of its principles can be adopted for other incidents. During the Olympic Games it was necessary to identify disruptive incidents that would benefit from being dealt with under the Gold, Silver and Bronze arrangements as used in major incident response. Indeed, the concept of ‘Gold’ meetings is now regularly extended to both multi and single agency frameworks addressing matters ranging from pandemic planning to fuel crises and even internal crisis management planning. And in many ways this again reinforces the usefulness of the LESLP principles and of its flexibility and adaptability. To think that a response manual can do so much within its original remit while still comprising less than 100 pages is testimony to its clarity and relevance. Whatever the challenges the future brings in terms of multi-agency partnership planning and response, I am sure LESLP will remain in the vanguard of this work. Next stop, 50 years! www.met.police.uk
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The City of London Police The City of London Police (CoLP) was created by an Act of Parliament in 1839, some 10 years after the Metropolitan Police Service. The force area covers the administrative district that is served by the City of London Corporation. This area is about 1.5 square miles in geographical size and is situated in the heart of the capital. Words: Peter Clarke, Inspector, Emergency Planning & Business Continuity, City of London Police The importance of this district to the nation has no correlation with its geographical size. The ‘Square Mile’ is the world’s leading international financial and business centre, a global powerhouse at the heart of the UK’s economy. It is home to some of the world’s most famous historic buildings, bridges and monuments. The City is the financial capital of the world: many banking and insurance institutions have their headquarters there. It is home to the London Stock Exchange (shares and bonds), Lloyd’s of London (insurance) and the Bank of England. Over 500 banks have offices there, and the City is an established leader in trading in Eurobonds, foreign exchange, energy futures and global insurance. Each day over 352,000 people from an estimated 189 different cultures and nationalities travel to work in the City. Meanwhile, each night 8600 residents return to the City they call their home – not forgetting the transient population who pass through the five mainline railway stations and another 13 railway stations operated by London Underground Limited. As well as all this, the City of London Police also has many national institutions and iconic sites within its policing area.
major incidents in the City that have warranted the implementation of the protocols drawn up by LESLP and detailed within the LESLP Major Incident Procedure Manual: • River Thames (Marchioness): August 1989 – 51 dead, 80 injured • Cannon Street Train Crash: January 1991 – two dead, 265 injured • St Mary Axe Bomb: April 1992 – three dead, 93 injured • Bishopsgate Bomb: April 1993 – one dead, 37 injured Complex policing environment Due to the complex nature of its policing environment, the CoLP has to face a range of diverse challenges across a wide spectrum. The force engages with these issues in cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Service, The British Transport Police and many other partners. One of the main forums facilitating this process is the London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP). CoLP has been a member of LESLP since its inception and the force fully supports its tenets and objectives. Since then there have been a number of
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• Smithfield Cinema Fire: February 1994 – 11 dead, 12 injured • London terrorist explosions, central London: July 2005 – 56 dead, 700+ injured. CoLP further supports LESLP through active participation in joint exercises and through a programme of in-house training for its staff. Recent events in the world have highlighted the continued necessity for effective cooperation between all agencies when responding to events that are outside the previous arenas of expectation. www.cityoflondon.police.uk
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The British Transport Police The British Transport Police (BTP) is the national police service for the railways and covers the whole of the rail system throughout England, Scotland and Wales. BTP also polices the High Speed One international rail link from St Pancras, London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, the Midland Metro tram system, Croydon Tramlink, Sunderland Metro, Glasgow Subway and Emirates AirLine. Words: Inspector Rob Darg, Force Resilience Planning Manager & Driving Standards Officer, BTP BTP is a specialist police force operating within a safety critical environment, so although often dealing with the same crimes and criminals as the local police, the nature of the railway environment demands that its staff have certain specialist skills so they can operate safely and effectively. Its task is to deliver a service that both deals with crime, disorder and other incidents, and to keep the transport system running. BTP officers provide a specialist service to the railway industry and its users. The force has developed particular expertise in: major incident handling; anti-terrorist strategy; tackling of metal theft; prevention of pickpocketing; graffiti; and policing of travelling sports fans. Partnership working Britain’s railways run over 10,000 miles of track through more than 3000 stations and depots. Every day 2.5 million people travel on the national rail system and another 3 million plus on London’s Underground system and Docklands Light Railway. Around half of all rail journeys in the UK are made within the London area, which provides some of the densest and most heavily utilised rail infrastructure in the world. Virtually any major incident in London, from a power outage to a chemical release, impacts on the rail or
BTP at a glance: • 2878 police officers (including 305 CID) • 370 PCSOs • 1435 Police Staff • 164 police stations spread throughout England, Wales and Scotland • 53,885 crimes dealt with in 2012/2013 • 38,300 minor (non-notifiable) offences – travel fraud, drunkenness etc – dealt with in 2012/20131. This ‘patch’ comprises:
Underground systems, so BTP will have a role working with other agencies to see through the rescue and recovery operation. As a member of the London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP), BTP has developed protocols with other agencies that have proved themselves in practice – following the rail crashes at Grayrigg and Ladbroke Grove and the terrorist attacks in London in 2005, for instance. LESLP provides a forum in which experience and expertise can be shared, where procedures are agreed in advance and effective communications links put in place. Sharing experience and expertise BTP brings a wealth of experience in dealing with many aspects of major incidents to that forum and derives considerable benefit by learning from others and ensuring that its operations are properly coordinated with the other emergency services. Because BTP is a specialist organisation, it works closely with local police, to complement their activity, and with its partners in the rail industry.
“BTP is unique as the only national police force that has a daily, direct interface with the public.”
• 20,000 miles of track • 3000 stations and depots • Passenger numbers have grown 50 percent from 976 million to 1.46 billion in 10 years; four million passengers every day. • In 2011/12 rail freight transported 101.7 million tonnes of goods worth over £30bn. 1
http://www.btp.police.uk/pdf/ BTPA-National-and-Area-Policing-Plan-2013-14.pdf
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Partnership working is at the centre of how BTP operates. Within the forum of LESLP, BTP provides links with the rail infrastructure operators that are effective because they are forged out of constant contact at ground level, dealing with daily, often hourly, problems and crises and finding solutions to them. The nature of BTP’s operating environment confers both advantages and disadvantages compared to local police. In many cases, when
dealing with crime, disorder or other incidents, BTP has the advantage of an easily contained scene, working alongside partners from the industry who have staff on the ground to provide immediate and expert assistance. In others, criminals use the flexibility and speed of the system to their advantage – crime scenes and witnesses can be miles away within seconds. Similarly, relatively minor incidents – reports of children trespassing on the line, minor criminal damage to equipment – may have knock on effects that reverberate down the network causing disruption to tens of thousands of people. Flexibility to respond quickly BTP has the flexibility to respond quickly to a major incident when it occurs and, through LESLP, the experience to make the maximum contribution it can to its resolution. BTP is unique as the only national police force that has a daily, direct interface with the public. That means that it is a key partner in dealing with national priorities such as terrorism and anti-social behaviour. The force deals with all crimes (except bigamy!) from homicide, crimes of violence, sexual offences, robberies, thefts, fraud (including major commercial fraud) downward. There are also particular railway offences – endangering safety, obstructing trains etc, which have serious safety implications. In particular, the service has had great success in reducing cable theft, which was down 46 percent last year (2012-13). Over the nine-year period to the end of 2012/13, BTP has reduced notifiable offences by 35 percent, and in doing so, made significant reductions in priority crimes such as robbery (down 80 percent), violence against the person (down 7 percent), and notifiable route crime (down 71 percent). The notifiable detection rate for BTP during 2012/13 was 31 percent, which is well above the average when compared with other police forces. The rate has increased significantly since 2004 when it was 17 percent. BTP has particularly high detection rates for priority crime such as robbery (45 percent), staff assaults (58 percent) and violent crime (50 percent). Every fatality, including approximately 210 suicides every year on Britain’s railways, has to be assessed to ensure there are no suspicious circumstances and then dealt with taking into account the needs of the deceased’s relatives, and the needs of the coroner’s inquiry, while trying to minimise disruption to the rail system. www.btp.police.uk
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Recovery role of local authorities Local authorities are not a blue light service but they play a vital role in supporting the emergency services and other organisations during a major incident as they have the means to get hold of the necessary resources and equipment that might be required Words: Lynette Russell, Head of Emergency Planning and Resilience, Royal Borough of Greenwich & Keith Robins, Contingency Planning Officer, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, local authority LESLP representatives. Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 local authorities have a number of duties placed on them which include: cooperating and sharing information with other local responders to enhance coordination and efficiency; to have emergency and business continuity management plans in place; to carry out risk assessments; and to include arrangements to warn and inform the public in the event of an emergency. They also have a duty to provide advice and assistance to businesses and voluntary organisations on business continuity management to aid their recovery following a major incident.
“Once the emergency services have left a major incident scene, the local authority will take on the lead role in the recovery phase of the incident.” The local authorities’ generic emergency and business continuity management plans contain information on the roles and responsibilities of those officers that could be activated during a major incident. Key to this preparation is the function of the Borough Emergency Planning Manager/Officer whose role it is to coordinate the council’s response to a major incident and to ensure that sufficient staff have been trained and exercised in their potential roles. It is essential that the staff receive the appropriate training and exercising both in-house and externally in a multi-agency capacity. This aids their understanding of the roles of the other organisations and individuals that they could be working alongside in an emergency. These include the emergency services, members of the faith communities and the voluntary organisations. Under the Civil Contingencies Act Enhancement Programme 2012 the London Local Resilience Forum was required to maintain, in respect of each local authority area, a Borough Resilience Forum (BRF). These are responsible for multi-agency emergency planning at the local level as determined by borough risks and needs. The membership of BRFs is determined by Category 1 members of the LRF itself. Once training needs have been identified a multi-agency group would be formed to work on scenarios, which can then be practised at a desktop, tabletop or a live walk-through exercise on a variety of themes, linked to the Borough Risk Register.
Exercise Blue Lagoon.
Photo: Royal Borough of Greenwich Emergency Planning & Resilience Unit
Command and control To ensure a consistency in the emergency response within each local responder LESLP clearly defines the Gold, Silver and Bronze concept. Gold To enable local authorities to be in a position to follow the LESLP principle given they are not a blue light service, every London Borough Chief Executive has signed up to the London Local Authority Gold Resolution, which empowers a Chief Executive from one borough to act on behalf of all London’s local authorities in a major incident. London Borough Chief Executives would set up a strategic group made up of chief officers from housing, social services etc to look at the implications of the incident on their boroughs. Silver The tactical response of the council includes the activation of a Borough Emergency Control Centre (BECC). This will be the main focal point for the council’s response. All incoming and outgoing messages relating to the incident will be handled here. At the scene of the incident would be a Local Authority Liaison officer (LALO) who acts as the eyes and ears of the council, attends meetings with the other responders and actions the requests for assistance or provides information on the incident via the control centre.
Bronze These are operational roles, such as those in a rest or reception centre, street cleaning etc. As well as the LALO, the strategic group and any bronze teams on duty would report into the control centre The recovery phase Once the emergency services have left a major incident scene, the local authority will take on the lead role in the recovery phase of the incident (a recovery management group would have been set up adjacent to the strategic group handling the incident). The local authority will consult and liaise widely within its own community as it manages the restoration of normality. The council will be seen as the one local organisation that can provide cohesion, advice and assistance to the affected community. Local welfare needs of those affected by an incident are a crucial part of the recovery process. The support required may be very practical, but this may often affect the ability of the authority to provide its normal service delivery. Local services will need to be resumed, disruption minimised, and public confidence restored as soon as possible. More information For more information on local authority emergency management issues, please contact the relevant London borough. www.londoncouncils.gov.uk
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The London Fire Brigade The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is one of the busiest fire and rescue services in the country and is one of the largest in the world. It provides services across the Greater London area, serving London’s 8.2 million residents, as well as those who work in or visit the city. London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) governs the brigade and is responsible for strategic direction and determining policy, setting priorities and monitoring performance. Words: Steve Innis, Emergency Planning Officer, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, London Fire Brigade Emergency Planning The London Fire Brigade aims to ensure that the capital has the very best response possible in an emergency. This means answering 999 calls and getting the right vehicles, equipment and staff to an incident as quickly as possible. Its fire fighting staff are highly trained professionals who also plan, train and work in partnership with the other blue light emergency services, the London boroughs and a wide range of other organisations and groups to develop plans that will make sure there is a coordinated response if a major incident occurs. The brigade currently operates 113 fire stations, including one river station, and employs approximately 7000 staff, of which 5600 are operational firefighters and officers. It provides an emergency response 24 hours a day, all year round and its staff are internationally recognised for the work that they do at a wide range of incidents. In 2012/13, firefighters attended around 20,000 fires and dealt with 52,000 false alarms including 1700 hoax calls and 39,000 automatic fire alarms. The brigade also handled 5000 calls that were challenged or identified as hoax so no attendance was necessary. 12,500 fire safety inspections were carried out. Community safety focus The LFB will always respond to fires and other emergencies, but its work has changed over the years with a much stronger emphasis now on prevention and community safety. The brigade works to stop fires and other emergencies happening, gives advice, and helps to protect people if an incident does occur. A key priority for the organisation is to prevent fires in the home, as this is where most casualties occur. The brigade has a long history of giving fire safety advice and education to Londoners, and more recently fitting smoke alarms too, and it believes this is one of the major reasons for the fall in fires and deaths and injuries from fire over the past decade.
A number of incidents have tested LESLP both individually and collectively, including the public order disturbances in August 2011.
powers of fire authorities. It puts prevention of fires at the heart of legislation by, for example, creating a duty to promote fire safety and by providing the flexibility for fire and rescue authorities to work with others in the community to carry out this duty. The brigade’s core objectives London Fire Brigade’s core activities and objectives are: • Prevention – including influencing and working with local authorities, housing and care providers, and other agencies to improve safety and reduce risk, especially those most at risk from fire • Protection – a key priority for the brigade over the next couple of years will be to lobby for more fire safety measures, especially sprinklers, in buildings • Response – being able to respond quickly to fires and other emergencies quickly and effectively • Resources – among other things, the brigade will provide nine new fire stations through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI); focus its efforts on its work with young people and review its property services • People – work in this area includes the brigade working with its training providers to secure a modern, best in class training programme for its staff from two new and nine refurbished training facilities • Principles – the brigade aims to continue to improve the health, safety and welfare of its staff; and to continue to reduce its CO2 emissions.
The brigade also works with businesses and industry to make sure that the owners and occupiers of a wide range of buildings understand their responsibilities under the fire safety laws. The brigade is governed by legislation and one law that is particularly important is the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, which sets out the duties and
Resilience and emergency planning The brigade has a statutory duty to ensure that it has appropriate arrangements in place to respond to emergencies as defined by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. This includes preparing for civil emergency risks, including naturally and accidentally occurring hazards, and malicious threats. Incidents could include large-scale emergencies such as large rail crashes, coastal pollution or severe floods.
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The Government’s National Risk Register (NRR) provides advice on how people, businesses and emergency services can better prepare for civil emergencies and provides an assessment of the likelihood and potential impact of a range of different civil emergency risks that may affect the UK. Subsequent assessment of the nature and potential impact of these risks in London informs the way the brigade develops its capabilities, resources, and plans to deal with them based upon identified planning assumptions. The brigade has a role with other partners in the London Resilience Forum to identify and assess local risks that could cause an emergency. A wide variety of risks are assessed, including flooding, pandemic flu and utility failures. The chance of a risk occurring and the possible consequences are assessed and the risk is given a score. This information has been collated to produce a Community Risk Register for London. LFB uses the identified risks in the register along with other intelligence to ensure it is operationally ready to respond to all significant threats and hazards in the capital.
“Making sure London is prepared for a major incident or emergency is a priority for the brigade.” Planning for emergencies Making sure London is prepared for a major incident or emergency is a priority for the brigade and planning for emergencies is a well established part of its work. The brigade works in partnership with other emergency services, the London boroughs and other emergency response organisations to develop plans that will ensure a coordinated response in the event of an emergency. The brigade’s approach is recognised as best practice in this area, and many councils and other organisations make use of this expertise. Partnership working is vital because the actions of one organisation in an emergency could impact on all of the other organisations involved. The brigade’s Emergency Planning team supports multi-agency partnership working within London. The brigade, like all of London’s emergency services, is familiar with dealing with threats and actual terrorist attacks and is well prepared to deal with such incidents. LFB’s planning and operational procedures have been tried and tested on numerous occasions in the past, including the terror attacks in 2005, the outbreak of swine flu in 2009, the extremely cold weather of 2010, the riots across London in 2011 and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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ESTLESLP | S9 • Makes emergency plans for the 350km of pipelines that carry hazardous substances through London.
The London Fire Brigade is in regular contact with the Metropolitan Police and other agencies, and the brigade’s officers receive regular updates from colleagues at New Scotland Yard. LFB’s work in emergency planning is best divided into three sections: 1. Its response to terrorism 2. How the brigade helps plan for London emergencies 3. Working with other agencies. Major incidents After the 9/11 terror attacks on New York, LFB started working to see whether its planning assumptions still held good. The brigade carried out this work in conjunction with all of London’s emergency services through the London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP). The procedures in place are robust and the panel regularly reviews them to see if improvements can be made. With the ever-present terror threat to the capital, a substantial investment has been made to meet this threat. This is most notable in the brigade’s capacity to undertake mass decontamination, which is tested at many multi-agency and service exercises. All of LFB’s procedures, its command structures, systems, operational response and deployment are geared up to deal with any eventuality. The brigade already has long-term experience of dealing effectively with terrorist attacks and has trained with other emergency services. LFB crews are trained to use a wide range of specialist equipment. The equipment is allocated to stations around London and includes protective
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clothing for dealing with hazardous materials, breathing apparatus, decontamination equipment, equipment for reducing water damage and specialist cutting and spreading equipment for rescue. London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson CBE QFSM and other senior officers also work hard to assure the public that the brigade is prepared. The main responsibility for emergency planning in London rests with the London boroughs. Each London borough employs an emergency planning officer and this role varies from borough to borough. London Fire Brigade has a statutory responsibility to help the boroughs make arrangements for dealing with emergencies, mainly through training and arranging exercises, but it also: • Makes plans to limit the off-site consequences to people and the environment of potential accidents at industrial sites in London • Makes plans to limit the off-site consequences to people and the environment of potential accidents at radiological sites in London and provide information to the public in the event of a radiological incident
Working together to help London plan for emergencies LFB also works with the government, police, ambulance and other services to make sure it coordinates its emergency planning and response to major incidents of whatever kind. This is done through two groups: 1. The London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP), which coordinates the individual roles and responsibilities of the emergency services at major incidents in London 2. The London Borough Emergency Planning Forum, which meets quarterly and includes representatives of all the emergency services and the Cabinet office and other agencies. As a leading participant in LESLP, the London Fire Brigade has a clear-cut set of primary responsibilities in the event of a major incident. These are: life saving through search and rescue; fire fighting and fire prevention; rendering humanitarian services; management of hazardous materials and protecting the environment; salvage and damage control; and safety management within the inner cordon. The brigade aims to ensure the capital has the very best response possible in an emergency, whatever the circumstances. This means answering emergency calls and getting the right equipment and staff to an incident as quickly as possible. www.london-fire.gov.uk
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The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) not only acts as the fire authority that meets statutory obligations to provide a fire and rescue service for the capital, it also acts as an emergency planning authority. Its emergency planning duties are discharged by the London Fire Brigade’s Emergency Planning team (LFB-EP), based at the London Operations Centre in Merton. The Emergency Planning team, headed by Andrew Pritchard, recently joined with the brigade’s water office and team and has been rebranded as the London Fire Brigade Emergency Planning and Water Team. The LFB Emergency Planning Team has provided a highly effective programme of support to multiagency emergency planning and response capability. This has been achieved by providing the mechanisms by which the capital’s 33 local authorities respond strategically to regional events, managing the work of the Local Authorities’ Panel and a thorough undertaking of regional planning work in support of boroughs and other agencies. This planning was rigorously and successfully tested by events such as the local authority response to 7/7, swine flu in 2009, the freezing temperatures of 2010, the public disorder in the summer of 2011 and the 2012 Olympics.
The London Local Authority Co-ordination Centre (LLACC).
Typical Plans required in COMAH work and Lead provider.
The Emergency Planning Team’s core activities are: • The provision of Gold arrangements including: The London Local Authorities Co-ordination Centre (LLACC), including maintenance of equipment and the training and exercising of LLACC personnel; Gold briefing and training for LLAG teams; representation of LA Gold at regional planning meetings and exercises and updating of protocols in conjunction with other partners • Exercising and training for Gold regional arrangements, including only those within a multi-agency setting • Support to non-Gold activations both to on-call Gold, borough teams and partnership meetings, such as swine flu and severe weather
The team is also responsible for the writing, testing, reviewing and amending of Multi Agency Emergency Response Plans under the Control of Major Accident Hazard (COMAH) Regulations, Pipeline Safety Regulations (PSR) and the Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations (REPPIR). The scene management, command and control, response and communications elements of these plans all embrace the protocols enshrined in the LESLP Major Incident Response manual. Water Office Team The Water Office Team plays a vital role in ensuring that there are adequate water supplies for fire fighting via hydrants and that they are installed, maintained and available for fire fighting purposes. The brigade is currently working closely with Thames Water to look at boosting waters supplies at incidents.
• Professional and technical advice, together with administrative support for the Local Authorities’ Panel and the Local Authorities’ Panel – Implementation Group, including representation thereof
• Maintaining hydrants in a operable condition by supporting the brigade’s inspection programme and dealing with defective or inoperable fire hydrants • Inspecting and testing new installations and repairs carried out by water companies and developers • Managing the annual programme of hydrant inspections by fire stations. If you want to find out more about the London Fire Brigade Emergency Planning and Water Department please e-mail: emergencyplanning@london-fire.gov.uk.
• Coordination of agreed areas of cross-borough working, such as Minimum Standards (MSLs) and regular briefings for Borough Emergency Planning Managers • Facilitating local authority input into regional multi-agency plans and support to other agencies as applicable.
Boosting water supplies New agreements with Thames Water mean that from now on, upon receipt of notification from brigade control about fires that require at least six fire appliances, Thames Water will immediately investigate the potential for boosting water supplies to the area by opening network valves remotely from their control centre at Reading. In addition, for fires requiring four fire engines, the brigade’s control officers will notify Thames Water that the brigade is attending and, if requested, they will seek to improve water supplies where possible from their control centre. The Water Office Team’s activities include: • Working with water companies and private developers ensuring that there is access to adequate water supplies for fire fighting and that fire hydrants are installed where needed on new sites and where water mains are relocated
Local Authority Players in Exercise Preparer May 2013.
Emergency Services Times October 2013
www.london-fire.gov.uk/fireauthority.asp
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ESTLESLP | S11
Managing major maritime incidents London Coastguard is the most recent Category 1 Responder to join the LESLP group. Words: David White, Rescue Coordination Centre Manager, Maritime and Coastguard Agency HM Coastguard and Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Lifeboat operations were introduced on the Thames in London in 2002 in response to the independent review of river safety arrangements that followed the collision, sinking and the loss of 51 lives of persons on board the pleasure boat Marchioness in 1989.
London Coastguard has responsibility for the coordination of search and rescue on the tidal section of the River Thames in London. Unlike other emergency services, it routinely deploys and coordinates river and landside resources provided by other LESLP partners, namely The RNLI, Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade and the Port of London Authority. For this to work, multi agency arrangements and communication
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interoperability options have been developed to help achieve near seamless response and rescue activity and communication operability between partners. Use of LESLP procedures During more significant river-based incidents and major river incident exercises LESLP procedures are used. These have been demonstrated to provide the recognised structure and clarity of purpose necessary to ensure common understanding between all with an active role and helped ensure a smooth transition of responsibility between agencies during the incident phases. The River Thames is a high-risk environment. It has significant tidal rate and range and is one of the busiest, most crowded rivers in the world. Unlike land-based incidents, the scene of a major incident on the Thames is likely to drift and over time expand, crossing borough, possibly county boundaries. Addressing these challenges led to the formation in 2002 of a LESLP sub group; The Thames SAR sub committee. Answering directly to LESLP, its role is to develop, plan and test emergency procedures for a major maritime incident on the Thames in London and to provide the guidance to River Thames Incidents that can be found in appendix D of the LESLP manual.
Exercises on the Thames The Thames SAR sub group has, since beginning in 2002, organised numerous table top and a number of live major incident exercises on the Thames, the last being Exercise Orange Tree, which in the river just east of Tower Bridge successfully tested the application of LESLP procedures to major river incident at night. The LESLP model is easily applied to river incidents. Its use has provided command structure and role clarity, which in turn has helped ensure understanding and cooperation during the critical rescue stage of a major river incident when survivors are still at risk of drowning. While recognising the value of LESLP over the last 40 years, the Thames SAR sub group is committed to continuing to improve understanding among partners and to test and improve LESLP river incident procedures through its involvement in the London Resilience Training and Exercise Testing Programme.
Emergency Services Times October 2013
S12 | ESTLESLP
The London Ambulance Service The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the emergency arm of the NHS in the capital and last year received over 1.7 million calls. We have responded to many major incidents in London, the most notable in recent years being the bombings on 7 July 2005. During large-scale incidents of this nature, we work closely with the other emergency services and organisations in London to save lives. Words: Liam Lehane, Head of Resilience and Special Operations, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust. In the event of a major incident being declared by any one of the emergency services or local authorities, we are able to mobilise the necessary ambulances, personnel and command teams to respond effectively. Our response We also act as the gateway into the wider National Health Service and coordinate the provision of Medical Emergency Response Incident Teams (the need to bring advanced pre-hospital expertise to the scene for the delivery of extended interventions and advanced triage) and the deployment of London’s Air Ambulance to provide advanced trauma management to the critically injured.
“We welcome the expansion of joint working opportunities and the continued multiagency approach to work at major incidents.” We are able to send a number of specialist units to the scene of incidents, which include our Hazardous Area Response Team, who are able to work within the Hot Zone of a hazardous incident and have skills for urban search and rescue, working at height, on water and providing a CBRN response. We can also deploy our command support vehicle, which is able to send images and information from the scene back to our command suites, provide local communication for the incident management and a focal point for other emergency services and NHS staff attending the scene. In addition to this, we also have a number of support vehicles that carry additional equipment that may be needed, including oxygen, stretchers, dressings, lighting and shelters. Role of the LAS It is our responsibility to place the capital’s major trauma centres and other local emergency departments on ‘major incident declaration’ so that each nominated hospital has the maximum time to prepare to receive the casualties. Our role at the scene of a major incident can be simply described as ‘saving life’ – a commitment shared with the other emergency services – and includes the triage, treatment and transporting of patients. To work effectively within the context of the LESLP principles, we have for many years worked with the Gold (strategic), Silver (tactical) and Bronze (operational) command and management structure,
which is underpinned by the Skills for Justice National Occupational Standards and competences. Major incidents are commanded at the most senior level by our strategic commander (Gold) from our Gold Command Suite in our headquarters building, and they are supported by a resilience and emergency planning specialist advisor along with a medical advisor (Gold Doctor). The strategic commander is responsible for ensuring sufficient resources are available to the incident commander, as well as ensuring that a response to other emergency calls continues to be maintained across London. They will be integrated into the strategic debate and discussions with the emergency services and other organisations at the Strategic Coordinating Group and to maintain the critical role of ‘looking over the horizon’, anticipating demands not only from the scene but also from the rest of the service. It is important to pay tribute to the voluntary aid agencies, in this case St John Ambulance and British Red Cross. Although they may not be deployed to the front line of the incident, both will almost inevitably have a vital role to play in ‘back filling’ and wider support to the core ambulance fleet. They will also be available for ‘casualty removal’ and hospital-to-hospital transfers, as well as working at the survivor reception, evacuation and rest centres as required. We maintain our command and control function (Silver – tactical) from one of our Incident Command Rooms at our Waterloo headquarters or in Bow, with the incident commander based there and supported by a number of staff. The Silver commander is responsible for ensuring enough resources are deployed to the scene, along with equipment and specially trained staff, and that appropriate and effective triage is carried out in pairs by ambulance and other medical staff. As a result of learning from the 2005 London Bombings, this includes looking for signs of life, basic airway manoeuvres and use of airway adjuncts, the prevention of blood loss through catastrophic haemorrhage and any patient with an altered level of consciousness being placed in the recovery position. Finally, the Silver commander must ensure all injured patients have received treatment and transportation from the scene to the most appropriate medical facility. Our role is unique as while we need to initially respond to the major incident, we also need to leave the scene on a regular basis to transport casualties. Another distinguishing feature of ‘ambulance service work’ within LESLP is that our time within the area of the major incident is usually short when compared with other responding colleagues. Once all casualties have been successfully removed, there is no reason to remain other than to provide a ‘health and safety standby’ for the other emergency
Emergency Services Times October 2013
services and agencies responsible for the consequence management (making safe, removal of debris, renovating and reopening) and the evidence recovery and investigation. The ambulance response at an operational level (Bronze) requires a significant number of officers on scene, including Bronze Forward, as well as other functional roles responsible for safety, ambulance parking, equipment, casualty clearing and patient loading. Following the learning from the 2005 London Bombings, a new role of ‘Bronze Patients’ was introduced. The purpose of this is to communicate with, and provide information to, those who are injured and explain how we intend to deal with their needs.
There are also roles that are provided that are not at the incident site but at the trauma centres and emergency departments, known as hospital/ambulance liaison officers. These staff are a crucial link to ensure that we and the hospitals are constantly aware of the number of casualties and what category of injury the hospital is able to receive, while at the same time liaising with the police documentation team. Most importantly, they assess the welfare needs of each ambulance crew that attends the hospital with a casualty. Training One of the essential features of integrated working (interoperability) is the opportunity to train and exercise together. There are regular opportunities to practice emergency ‘arrangements’ in London, while the procedures and processes adopted from major incidents are utilised in the management of stadium events, state ceremonials, the London Marathon, Notting Hill Carnival, demonstrations, New Year’s Eve celebrations and other events that take place across the capital. Multi-agency training is achieved through both live and tabletop exercises and is another feature of the ‘London Resilience Partnership’ and approach to resilience and response. We welcome the expansion of joint working opportunities and the continued multi-agency approach to work at major incidents, as well as in our day-to-day work within London, and wish the LESLP Partnership congratulations on its 40 years of achievements. www.londonambulance.nhs.uk
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S14 | ESTLESLP
Managing the Thames – the role of the Port of London Authority The Port of London Authority (PLA) works to ensure the safety of all users of the River that flows through the capital. As well as this central role of managing navigational safety on the tidal Thames, the PLA also promotes use of the river and protection of the marine environment. Words: Julian Parkes, Deputy Chief Harbour Master, Port of London Authority The 95 miles of river and estuary that the PLA oversees runs from Teddington in west London through the heart of the capital and out to the North Sea. This is a very busy and complex tidal river – the busiest inland waterway in the UK. Key points of activity include: • Over 70 port facilities and terminals – handling over 40 million tonnes of cargo a year • A diverse and busy passenger boat sector: with over six million passenger journeys a year. This central aspect of activity on the 21st Century Thames ranges from high speed catamarans that are a key and growing part of London’s public transport network through to a vibrant passenger tourist boat trade. Other passenger vessels provide everything from upmarket corporate ‘wining and dining’ events through to ‘river party’ and ‘disco’ boats • Extensive recreational activities, including rowing, canoeing, yachting and small private motor boats • Global events, including the university boat race and the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant.
“The key for us is partnerships and dialogue: working with others using the Thames for business, transport, and recreation.” The PLA’s job is to make sure this vital transport artery is clear and safe to navigate, 24 hours day, 365 days a year. Central to the PLA’s ‘frontline’ in ensuring safety on the Thames are: Britain’s biggest vessel traffic monitoring (VTS) service; specially trained river and sea pilots with expert knowledge of the Thames and its estuary; river patrol boats keeping an eye on safety on the water and assisting river users; and marine services teams keeping the river clear and marking channels. Together, these PLA teams help oversee some 230,000 commercial and leisure vessel movements each year. The frontline staff are backed by a sophisticated in-house underwater survey capability – using the latest sonar imaging techniques to map the depths of 400sqm of shifting, changing riverbed, including sunken objects and wreckage. Self-evidently, a substantial part of the PLA’s jurisdiction falls within the Greater London area
and, as such, any major incident occurring on or adjacent to the River would be subject to the LESLP Major Incident procedure.
daylight and darkness – have sought to test the emergency plans and to further build partnerships with the different emergency and response agencies.
Planning and preparing One vital part of managing safety on the Thames, therefore, is working in partnership every day with the emergency services and other resilience partners in the London Resilience Partnership. The PLA has, for many years, played our part in the continuing work of London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP), and is committed to doing so into the future. This includes planning and preparing not only for the ‘worst case scenario’ of a major incident on the river itself, but also ensuring the PLA is ready to respond to less serious incidents, which require a coordinated approach from the emergency services involved. This may also include incidents adjacent to the river or which impact on river use indirectly. In recent years major incident scenarios such as Exercise Palm Tree and Orange Tree have been rehearsed on the river. These exercises – in both
Critical highway Summing up, PLA Deputy Chief Harbour Master, Julian Parkes, says, “This river is a critical highway for London. We share our marine expertise to help everyone navigate the river safely, from captains of container ships and tankers to passenger boats, kayakers and rowers. The key for us is partnerships and dialogue: working with others using the Thames for business, transport and recreation. “This partnership approach is underlined by the commitment of the PLA to LESLP. The successful role of LESLP in bringing together police, fire and ambulance services and more recently, HM Coastguard together with the PLA, local authorities and others remains a key part in planning and preparing for incidents and major situations in and around the capital’s River.”
Emergency Services Times October 2013
www.pla.co.uk
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ESTLESLP | S15
London’s voluntary sector This article intends to explain where the voluntary sector now sits within LESLP, and how, having been represented for many years formally ‘came to the table’ and took its place in the current structures that relate to emergency planning, response and recovery (as defined by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004(CCA)). The term ‘voluntary sector’ is not intended to refer to any single organisation, as to do so would be to demean the actions of the others that are not mentioned; indeed it may be suggested that at a really local (borough) level it is the smaller voluntary agencies that can make the most significant difference. Words: Seamus Kelly OBE, Deputy Chief Officer (Volunteers), Resilience Planning, St John Ambulance & Chair of the Voluntary Sector Panel The role of the voluntary sector in London has always been in preparedness, response, recovery and aftermath, leading to a return to normality. However, the introduction of the CCA in 2004 formally introduced the concept of Integrated Emergency Management (IEM). Through the generic framework set out in ‘Emergency Preparedness’1 a requirement was placed on Category 1 Responders to include (appropriate) parts of the voluntary sector when considering their plans. Early involvement was key, with mutual understanding of role and capability equally important. As a result of this simple statement the voluntary sector has been drawn into work with the Category 1 authorities more closely than before. Of course, within 12 months of the passing of the CCA a wide range of voluntary organisations were working alongside their Category 1 colleagues in the aftermath of the London bombings, 7 July 2005; voluntary organisations provided support to all those affected not only in the days after the attack but in the weeks, months and years that followed. Closer cooperation Greater liaison, of course, is one way of ensuring that the capabilities of relevant volunteers are both understood and suited to the intended roles at the scene of a major incident or elsewhere in support of a statutory Category 1 authority. This liaison, and the concept of IEM, has allowed closer cooperation in terms of planning, testing, exercising and review of plans, ensuring that the best possible use can be made of the voluntary sector when assistance is requested and deployment required. Elsewhere the wider voluntary sector itself has been drawn together through the Greater London Assembly, from which London Resilience has established a Voluntary Sector Panel. The Chair of the Voluntary Sector Panel attends the London Resilience Forum where matters relating to London and the city’s response to the whole tapestry of threat and risk can be communicated to the all responding organisations. The Voluntary Sector Panel also continues to send a representative to the quarterly LESLP meetings. Both the Chair and the representative report back on relevant matters and events that have taken place. More locally voluntary sector organisations attend the Sub-Regional Resilience Fora and contribute to local plans as these are considered. Better understanding Whereas in the past LESLP was the principal cornerstone relating to the voluntary sector response in terms of major incidents, the past 10
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The work undertaken in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings in London relating to the continued development of Humanitarian Assistance Centres is a good example of the emergence of voluntary agencies as organisations worthy of early consultation.
years have seen the development of planning and preparation through a wider variety of agencies and representation elsewhere, encouraged by the CCA. This has ensured that the roles and responsibilities of the various organisations have become much better known. Thus, for example, many voluntary agencies were able to provide very large numbers to support the Olympic Games at a variety of venues and locations, if not within the Stadia, in support of Olympic Road Events, various concerts and similar public events. The work undertaken in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings in London relating to the continued development of Humanitarian Assistance Centres is a good example of the emergence of voluntary agencies as organisations worthy of early consultation. Assistance and support Planned and spontaneous events occur in London on an almost daily basis and appropriate volunteers can be found providing help to the public, when contacted or by prior arrangement with Category 1 organisations, including the local authorities. Indeed, such events are not only operational occasions but serve to continue to both ‘prove’ and ‘validate’ processes and systems that would be put into place in the event that a major incident is declared, whether, for example, from a spontaneous terrorist or transportation incident or a longer term health threat (eg flu pandemic). To summarise, expect to find voluntary sector volunteers present at, or close to the scene of, an incident, supporting Category 1 responders,
helping with casualties and/or evacuees, at Rest and Reception Centres, Survivor Reception Centres, Friends and Relatives Reception Centres, Humanitarian Assistance Centres, Community Assistance Centres, from virtually the beginning of the incident until the return to normality and beyond. Capabilities document Examples of the support that can be provided by the voluntary sector within a number of generic areas include: welfare support; psychosocial support; medical support; support from faith communities; search and rescue; transport and logistics; communications; documentation; and training and exercise. These elements may be requested by more than one agency at any time and local protocols exist to determine priorities. The core document that indicates the real width of the voluntary sector in London and expands the headlines shown above is The London Resilience – London Voluntary Sector Capabilities Document (http://tinyurl.com/oalcdox). This reference names the various major voluntary organisations together with their respective abilities and capabilities, phone and web addresses and all the facilities available from first aid and medical to fork lift trucks, counselling to clothing, hard hats to care of cats. The voluntary sector continues to be corporately proud of its contribution to ‘London – A Resilient City’. www.london.gov.uk 1
Chapter 14 – the Role of the Voluntary Sector
Emergency Services Times October 2013
S16 | ESTLESLP
Final thoughts . . . the right response more efficiently Words: Peter Clarke, Inspector, Emergency Planning & Business Continuity, City of London Police It is nearly 10 years since the last supplement featuring the partners of the London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP) appeared in Emergency Services Times magazine. In that time there have been a number of incidents and occasions that have tested us as organisations both individually and collectively, most notably the bombings of 7 July 2005, the public order disturbances in August 2011 and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. However, the consensus has been that the training we have provided and the guidance given in the LESLP manual have enabled individuals within these organisations to acquit themselves well when faced with the challenging experience of a major incident. Revised and improved The feedback following incidents has enabled the manual to be revised and improved so that now, in its eighth edition, it provides the reader with a description of the agreed procedures and arrangements for the effective coordination of the joint efforts of the partner agencies. Experience and expertise Over the years our partnership base has widened. Having started with the core blue light services
LESLP now encompasses a plethora of other agencies, including the voluntary sector, local authorities, maritime support and the military. Using the protocols agreed and established under LELSP, all are able to work together with their fellow responders at a major incident, providing their experience and individual expertise in order to provide the best possible outcome to it. While today the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) is seen as the way forward for the country in terms of ensuring joined up thinking by our emergency services, it was London that pioneered this approach 40 years ago. Indeed the Joint Doctrine document developed by JESIP incorporates sections of the LESLP manual in a clear endorsement of our approach. What does the future hold? LESLP as an organisation has never been one to rest on its laurels. At its regular
Emergency Services Times October 2013
meetings, experiences and lessons learnt are shared and discussed with a view to further improving our response. At the same time increasing austerity measures mean that we have to do more with less – the ‘right response more efficiently’ seems to be the phrase for the future. LESLP has always met the challenges in the past and I am convinced it will do so in the future. Roll on the next 40 years. www.leslp.gov.uk
Following the helicopter crash in Vauxhall in January 2013, regular press briefings were provided and the blue light spokespeople worked together to ensure that lines were reassuring, but perhaps most importantly, consistent.
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Emergency Services Show 2013 This year visit Bence to see the latest designs for the Emergency Services.