The Bedfordshire and Luton Local Resilience Forum (BLLRF)
Large scale emergencies rarely occur but when they do they can
have a huge effect on people’s lives.
By planning ahead it is possible to reduce the effects and
lessen the impact such events can cause to local communities. The
Bedfordshire and Luton Local Resilience Forum (BLLRF) is designed
to coordinate the response to such incidents.
Through this page we aim to provide you with advice on how best
to deal with an emergency.
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What is the Bedfordshire and Luton Local Resilience Forum
(BLLRF)?
BLLRF was formed in 2004. It brings together the emergency
services, local authorities, National Health Service and other
agencies which are all required to respond to any major emergency
in the county.
As well as dealing with the aftermath of an emergency, all
services and organisations work together to ensure that the best
possible plans are in place. These are regularly tested and updated
so that agencies can respond immediately and effectively to any
threat. All responders work to a set of common objectives, which
will help to:
- Prevent the disaster getting worse
- Save life
- Relieve suffering
- Restore normality as soon as possible
- Protect property
- Facilitate a criminal investigation and judicial process if
necessary
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Member organisations include:
Bedfordshire Police, Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue
Service, East of England Ambulance Service, NHS Bedfordshire, NHS
Luton, Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Bedford Hospital, Bedford
Borough Council, Luton Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire
Council, Environment Agency, Health protection Agency and
London Luton Airport
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What is a major incident or emergency?
Major incidents and emergencies could include:
- Health alerts which can include the outbreak
of disease, Foot and Mouth, Rabies, or a biological attack. If you
have concerns about your health contact your GP or NHS Direct on
0845 4647.
- Security related incidents could include bomb
warnings and explosions, public disorder, major crime and terrorist
incidents.
- Severe weather can cause emergencies in a
number of ways, including flooding, snow and gales.
- Flooding check if your property is at risk of
flooding by visiting the flood section on http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/
and entering your post code in the flood map window or by ringing
Floodline on 0845 988 1188. If you are shown to be at risk of being
flooded make sure you are up to date with the latest flood advice
available.
- Transport accidents A major accident on the
transport network (road, rail or air) could cause a wide range of
disruption, depending on what was involved in the incident.
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How do I prepare for an emergency?
Would you know what to do if you were caught up in an emergency
or natural disaster? Visit http://www.whatwouldyoudoif.co.uk/
to find out how partners across Bedfordshire and Luton are
preparing the public to plan for every eventuality.
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How do I get information in the event of an emergency?
"Go in, Stay in, Tune in"
In the case of most major emergencies the simple advice to
follow is to go inside, stay inside and tune into the local
radio.
With most incidents the safest place to be is indoors, and with
correct preparation you should be able to stay there safely for
some time (remember in the case of a fire in a building – get out
and stay out).
BLLRF and the county’s radio stations work together to make sure
they can give out accurate and up to date information to keep
people fully informed on what to do if there is a major
incident.
Radio is easily accessible. You can listen to it in the car and
as long as you have a battery powered or wind-up radio you can
still listen even if there is a power cut.
Local radio stations:
BBC Three Counties 95.5fm, 103.8fm, 104.5fm, 630mw and
1161mw
Heart FM 97.6fm and 96.9fm
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What help is there for businesses?
Log onto the following web sites for a range of useful
information relevant to the business community.
- The Business Continuity Institute site
promotes business continuity management and provides guides and
good practices to businesses. http://www.thebci.org/
- UK Resilience provides emergency planning
guidance and information on a wide variety of emergencies and
crises that can affect the UK.http://www.ukresilience.info/
- The Home Office a government site with
information on threat, what to do in the event of a major
emergency, what the government is doing plus reports and guidance.
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/
- MI5 The security service, or MI5 is
responsible for countering threats to the UK’s national security
and economical well-being. A key part of its work is to provide
practical security advice on how organisations and businesses can
protect against terrorism and other threats. http://www.mi5.gov.uk/
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office offers
up-to-date and practical information to British Citizens travelling
or resident overseas. http://www.fco.gov.uk/
- London Prepared is a government run site for
the London Resilience Team to help prepare for and cope with
emergencies and disasters. The site includes practical advice for
businesses: checklists and templates for assessment, business
continuity and emergency response. http://www.londonprepared.gov.uk/
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Useful contact details
Emergency advice
|Health advice
Emergency services (for urgent assistance always
call 999)
Local Authorities
Voluntary Agencies
Utility Companies
Weather and Flooding
Travel