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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

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Contingency and emergency planning – a checklist

Contingency and emergency planning – a checklist

Please note that this is general guidance only: you will need to develop detailed plans based on a careful assessment of the situation in your area.

  • Take advice (for example from the Environmental Health and Emergency Planning Departments of your local authority, the Fire and Police Services and the Health Service).
  • Build your links carefully, well before the event.
  • Appoint one member of the planning team with the responsibility to develop and test the contingency and emergency plan.
  • Involve as wide a range of people as possible in preparing the plan (use staff meetings to brainstorm ideas, etc).
  • Test the plan to see whether the proposed procedures will work.
  • Record the plan carefully, make sure that it is up-to-date and that everyone who needs one has a copy (make sure you have back up copies off site).
  • Accidents (eg nearby motorway or airport).
  • Acts of nature (eg storm).
  • Acts of criminals (eg public disturbances).
  • Have a proactive risk management programme with risk assessments fully completed and recorded.
  • Have clear health and safety instructions for staff and participants.
  • Encourage a safety culture amongst support staff and adult leaders.
  • Ensure that medical, fire-fighting and security arrangements are in place.
  • Put a reporting system in place (with frequent reviews) so that problems can be spotted and prompt action taken.
  • Have a clear contingency and emergency plan and be prepared to implement it.
  • Management structures which ensure that there is always (24 hours a day during the event) a duty officer who can make decisions.
  • A clear command and control structure which the duty officer can implement quickly.
  • Operations centres (one on site, another off it, all with communications and other necessary equipment) for use by the command and control structure.
  • Methods of raising the alarm on the site.
  • Communications, both routine and emergency.
  • Medical care and counselling.
  • Dealing with hazardous materials.
  • Fire-fighting.
  • Site layout.
  • Emergency security and evacuation arrangements.
  • Emergency transport.
  • Liaison with local authorities (with named contacts agreed before the event).
  • Media contacts (remembering the requirements of Policy, Organisation and Rules).
  • Arrangements for contact with parents/guardians of participants.
  • Arrangements for follow-up and review after implementation of the plan.