What is Major Emergency Management?
What types of major adverse events are involved in Major Emergency Management
What is the Framework for Major Emergency Management?
What is a Major Emergency?
Did the 2006 Framework replace a previous version?
What is the purpose of the Framework?
What are the Principal Emergency Services?
What are the Principal Response Agencies?
How is the response to a Major Emergency organised under the framework?
What is a Major Emergency Plan?
Does the Framework deal with the detail of each agency's response?
Is the Framework supported by legislation?
How does the Framework achieve this?
Does the Framework align with international best practice?
How does the Framework reflect international best practice?
What is the All Hazards approach to Major Emergency Management?
What is the Systems approach to Major Emergency Management?
What are the main elements of the Major Emergency Planning/Preparedness process?
What is co-ordination and in what way is it different from command?
What are the main elements of co-ordination during the response to a Major Emergency?
Why is co-ordination so important?
What is the Lead Agency?
How is the Lead Agency decided?
How does the Framework assist co-ordination?
How does the Framework deal with "National Emergencies"?
Is terminology important in Major Emergency Management?
What is the framework's approach to terminology?
Can there be different types of Major Emergency?
Who decides that a Major Emergency has occurred?
How is a Major Emergency Declared?
Can there be issues in some situations with the decision to Declare or not Declare a Major Emergency?
Can there be particular issues with Declaring a Major Emergency during a "Rising Tide" type event?
Do Severe Weather type emergencies present particular problems for the PRAs?
Can the principles, arrangements and structures of the Framework be used outside of Major Emergency situations?
What is the role of the Defence Forces in the response to a Major Emergency?
What is the difference between the Defence Forces providing "Aid to the Civil Power" and "Aid to the Civil Authority?
What role can the Voluntary Organisations perform in the response to a Major Emergency?
Does the Declaration of a Major Emergency have legal implications?
What happens once a Major Emergency is Declared?
What is a METHANE Message?
What is the difference between a METHANE message and an ETHANE message?
Who is "in charge" at a Major Emergency site?
What is the role of the On-Site Co-ordinator?
Can the On-Site Co-ordinator take decisions on inter-agency issues?
What is a PRA Controller of Operations?
What is the role of the Controller of Operations?
How is the response away from the site managed?
Where does the Local Co-ordination Group meet?
How is the Local Co-ordination Group mobilised?
Who attends meetings of the Local Co-ordination Group?
What is the Role of the Local Co-ordination Group?
When will a Regional Co-ordination Group be activated?
How is the local response linked to the national level?
What is a PRA Crisis Management Team?
What is the Information Management System?
Are there different groups responsible for Planning/Preparedness and Response?
What are the main groups involved in Planning/Preparedness?

Appendix 1 - Sequence of Events for a "Big Bang" Type Major Emergency
Appendix 2 - Glossary of Key Terms

What is Major Emergency Management?
Major Emergency Management is the name given in Ireland to the process by which the relevant statutory agencies prepare for and respond to the major adverse events which can affect communities, infrastructure and/or the environment.  In other countries this process is known by a variety of names, such as, Civil Protection, Major Incident Planning, Disaster Planning, etc.   

What types of major adverse events are involved in Major Emergency Management?
The major adverse events involved in Major Emergency Management include explosions, major fires, aircraft, train and bus crashes, chemical and other hazardous substance incidents, as well as, flooding, storms and other forms of severe weather. Examples include the Bantry Bay Ship Explosion/Fire (1979), the Buttevant Rail Crash (1980), the Stardust Fire (1981), the Cherryville Rail Crash (1983) and the Air India Disaster (1985)

What is the Framework for Major Emergency Management?
The Framework for Major Emergency Management is a framework of policies, structures and arrangements for preparedness and response to Major Emergencies at the local and regional levels, which was agreed by the Government and issued in September, 2006.

What is a Major Emergency?
The Framework defines a Major Emergency as any event which, usually with little or no warning, causes or threatens death or injury, serious disruption of essential services or damage to property, the environment or infrastructure beyond the normal capabilities of the Principal Emergency Services in the area in which the event occurs, and requires the activation of specific additional procedures and the mobilisation of additional resources to ensure an effective, co-ordinated response.

Did the 2006 Framework replace a previous version?
The 2006 Framework replaced an earlier Framework which came into effect in 1984. The present Framework was issued on September 12th, 2006, with a two year development programme. The new plans, arrangement and structures set out in the Framework came into effect on September 30th, 2008.

What is the purpose of the Framework?
In developed nations, such as Ireland, the public expects that the relevant statutory agencies will respond quickly and effectively to protect people, property, infrastructure and the environment whenever a Major Emergency occurs. The purpose of the Framework is to enable Divisions of An Garda Síochána, Regions of the Health Service Executive and Local Authorities (known in the Framework as the Principal Response Agencies) to prepare for and make a co-ordinated response to any Major Emergency which occurs in their area.

What are the Principal Emergency Services?
The Principal Emergency Services are the blue light services which respond to normal emergencies on a day to day basis, namely An Garda Síochána, the Ambulance Service and the Fire Service. A fourth Principal Emergency Service, the Irish Coast Guard, is responsible for the initiation, control and co-ordination of maritime emergencies in the Irish territorial waters, harbours and coastline. The Principal Response Services are normally the first services to respond to major emergencies.

What are the Principal Response Agencies?
The Principal Response Agencies (An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive and the Local Authorities) are the agencies which have been designated by Government to respond to Major Emergencies. Each Principal Emergency Service is part of a larger Principal Response Agency, eg, the Fire Service is a Local Authority service. Due to the nature and complexity of Major Emergencies, the staff and resources of the wider agency are required, both to manage the consequences and aftermath of the Major Emergency event and to co-ordinate its response with the responses of the other agencies.

How is the response to a Major Emergency organised under the Framework?
The Framework provides for an overall, combined response by the Principal Response Agencies (PRAs) as soon as a Major Emergency is Declared. Any one of the PRAs may Declare a Major Emergency and the Major Emergency Plans of all local PRAs are activated immediately once they are notified of the Declaration.

What is a Major Emergency Plan?
Major emergencies require special arrangements to ensure a co-ordinated and effective response by the PRAs. Each PRA has a Major Emergency Plan that sets out the detail of that agency’s response, as well as its contribution to the combined response of all of the agencies. Similar plans are in place in An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive and Local Authorities and these plans are reviewed on a regular basis.

Does the Framework deal with the detail of each agency’s response?
The functions and responsibilities of each Principal Response Agency in a Major Emergency situation are set out in the Framework, so as to ensure that the overall response to a Major Emergency is both comprehensive and co-ordinated. However, the Framework does not, and is not intended to, address the detailed response procedures of the different agencies. Each agency is required to develop its own procedures and arrangements on which its response to specific incidents or hazards (such as flooding or the release of a dangerous chemical) are built.

Is the Framework supported by legislation?
There is no specific legislation in this country on Major Emergency Management; each PRA operates during an emergency response under its own legislative process. The main Framework document was adopted by Government decision and is signed by the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Minister Health and Children and the Minister Justice Equality and Law Reform.

The Framework is designed primarily to provide for the protection, support and welfare of the public in times of emergency. Effective arrangements to ensure public safety in times of emergency also have the benefit of helping to safeguard the environment, the economy, infrastructure and property.

The Framework aims to ensure that local PRAs are in a position to respond to emergencies, and that these responses can be scaled up to regional level, if required, and link with the national level, so as to ensure that essential services (food, water, transport, health, etc.) keep operating.

The Framework builds on current strengths and makes full use of the core competencies and organisational strengths of the PRAs as the basis of any response.

How does the Framework achieve this?
The Framework sets out arrangements which facilitate the Principal Emergency Services in scaling-up the response required, so as to utilise the full resources of each of the Principal Response Agencies, and to work together in the management of large-scale incidents, be it major transportation accidents, severe weather, etc.

The Framework also sets out arrangements by which other services, such as the Defence Forces, voluntary emergency services, utilities, transport companies, industrial and other participants, and not least the communities affected, can support and work with the PRAs in reacting to and managing Major Emergencies.

Does the Framework align with international best practice?
The inter-agency group which prepared the Framework began its work by considering the available research on best international practice in the area of Major Emergency Management. To reinforce this process, international consultants, OCTO, were retained to provide expert input as well as external oversight of the entire process.

How does the Framework reflect international best practice?
The Framework reflects international best practice in a number of ways. In particular, the Framework adopts two key, internationally recognised, components of successful Major Emergency Management, ie, the All Hazards approach and the Systems approach. The Framework also places a major emphasis on the importance of co-ordination. This emphasis on co-ordination is in contrast to a more traditional “command” approach which, although adequate and appropriate in the context of a single service, is no longer considered best practice in a multi-agency response.

What is the All Hazards approach to Major Emergency Management?
The All Hazards approach is based on the fact that there are common features to the response to a Major Emergency, regardless of its origin. Therefore, planning and preparedness are concentrated on the predictable and common consequences of Major Emergencies.

What is the Systems approach to Major Emergency Management?
The Systems approach involves a continuous cycle of activity beginning with risk assessment; leading to planning and the development of preparedness, based on likely scenarios; leading to response, whenever a Major Emergency occurs; followed by recovery and a review, which feeds back into the process of planning and the development of preparedness.

What are the main elements of the Major Emergency Planning/Preparedness process?

• Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment
• Mitigation of Risk and Risk Management
• Preparation of Major Emergency Plans
• Identification and training of individuals to play key roles in response
• The holding of exercises
• Appraisal and Review

This is a cyclical process which is designed to continually improve the level of preparedness of local PRAs so that in the event that a Major Emergency occurs, the response is the best possible in the circumstances.

What is co-ordination and in what way is it different from command?
Co-ordination is a process by which the different elements of a complex activity are brought into an efficient working relationship through a negotiated process. Command is a process of directing the operations of a service, or group of services, by giving direct orders.

What are the main elements of co-ordination during the response to a Major Emergency?
In the Framework the co-ordination function is recognised as including:

• Ensuring that information on the nature of the emergency situation is shared between all responding organisations
• Ensuring that co-ordination (ie, inter-agency) decisions are made promptly and communicated to all involved
• Ensuring that public information messages and media briefings are co-ordinated
• Ensuring that all aspects of the management of the incident are dealt with before the response is stood down

Why is co-ordination so important?
International research on the response to Major Emergencies makes it clear that the co-ordination of all of the services involved is a vital component of a successful response. The Framework recognises this co-ordination as a specific function and assigns responsibility for it clearly and unambiguously to the Lead Agency. Having all agencies working to common objectives is the key.

What is the Lead Agency?
The Lead Agency in any Major Emergency situation is the PRA which has both the responsibility and the mandate to deliver on the co-ordination function, not only at the site, but also at any other locations where inter-agency groups are meeting.

How is the Lead Agency decided?
Table 7.1 of Appendix F7 of the Framework provides a list of Lead Agencies for most common incident types, and this is the primary basis for determining the Lead Agency. However, in the event of an incident where the categorisations in Table 7.1 do not seem to apply and the Lead Agency is not obvious, the Local Authority will be the default agency. As soon as they meet at the site, the Controllers of Operations of the responding PRAs should determine which is the Lead Agency, based on these criteria.

Note: The Lead Agency role may, in certain circumstances, change over time and the methods for doing this are set out in Appendix F7.

How does the Framework assist co-ordination?
One of the main benefits of the Framework is that it establishes simple co-ordination structures and processes at the site and away from the site, which enable inter-agency issues to be decided quickly at the most appropriate level.

Does the Framework deal with “National Emergencies”?
The Framework is primarily concerned with preparing for and responding to local and regional emergencies. However, the Framework recognises that local and regional emergencies can have national implications. For that reason, the Framework establishes arrangements by which the planning and response processes at both the national level and the regional/local level are closely linked. For example, relevant Government Departments are notified whenever a Major Emergency occurs, so that the national dimension can be managed.

The Framework also makes provision so that, in certain situations, such as the activation of the National Emergency Plan for Nuclear Accidents (NEPNA), regional and local response groups can be activated in a top-down way.

Is terminology important in Major Emergency Management?
The use of consistent terminology is a critical component of successful communication in a multi-agency context, such as Major Emergency Management. The use of incorrect terminology causes confusion and has the potential to seriously undermine inter-agency working from the beginning of a response.

What is the Framework’s approach to terminology?
The Framework sets out a common terminology in Major Emergency Management which is designed to facilitate co-ordinated and safe working. This terminology is summarised in a Glossary of Terms in Appendix F3 of the Framework.

Can there be different types of Major Emergency?
Traditionally, planning for Major Emergencies was largely concerned with “Big Bang” type events, such as aircraft accidents, train crashes, major fires, explosions, and the release of hazardous substances. However, Major Emergencies can also arise from “Rising Tide” type events, such as escalating severe weather, or an infectious disease outbreak, where an initial emergency situation can, over a period of time, transform into a Major Emergency. For example, a flooding emergency could become a Major Emergency either because of the increased severity of the flooding and/or the length of time for which it continues and/or the size of the area affected.

Who decides that a Major Emergency has occurred?
Each Principal Response Agency has personnel authorised and trained to decide that a Major Emergency has occurred and “Declare a Major Emergency”. These are known as Authorised Officers.

How is a Major Emergency Declared?
When a Principal Response Agency becomes aware that a serious event has occurred, information on the nature and scale of the event is collected as quickly as possible. This information is considered by an Authorised Officer (who may or may not be at the site) and if, in his/her opinion, the event satisfies the definition of a Major Emergency, s/he Declares that a Major Emergency exists.

Can there be issues in some situations with the decision to Declare or not Declare a Major Emergency?
In some situations Authorised Officers may hesitate to Declare a Major Emergency, even though such a Declaration might well be justified by the circumstances, because of an understandable concern that the Declaration of a Major Emergency can have consequences across many services (including, for example, hospitals) and that an inappropriate Declaration may reflect poorly on the service involved. In all circumstances the decision to Declare a Major Emergency is taken on the basis of the best available information on the expected impact of the event and the resources available to respond. However, in situations where further information becomes available and it becomes clear that, on balance, a Major Emergency should not have been Declared, it can be stood down without significant consequences.

Can there be particular issues with Declaring a Major Emergency during a “Rising Tide” type event?
A “Rising Tide” type emergency can continue over an extended period (days or weeks) and, in such a situation, it is not always easy to define exactly the point at which the event moves “beyond the normal capabilities of the Principal Emergency Services in the area” and becomes a Major Emergency. In many such situations, PRAs may decide that, although stretched, they are not overwhelmed. Also, in situations where the relevant co-ordination structures have been activated, the primary benefits of a Declaration may already have been achieved.

Do Severe Weather type emergencies present particular problems for the PRAs?
With most “Big Bang” type Major Emergencies there is a defined event, which occurs at a particular location and at a particular time, and, once these details are known to the PRAs, a Major Emergency response can be initiated and organised. In contrast, most severe weather emergencies tend to develop across a wide area over an extended period of time and thus the extent of the impact is not always immediately obvious. Furthermore, with a severe weather event, the capacity of the PRAs and the Principal Emergency Service to provide normal services, as well as responding to the emergency, can be severely compromised by the event itself, for example, transport difficulties on icy roads, services displaced from flooded buildings, etc.

Can the principles, arrangements and structures of the Framework be used outside of Major Emergency situations?
The Framework makes it clear that the arrangements and structures set out in the Framework can and should be activated and used in all emergencies, even where a Major Emergency has not been declared. This approach proved extremely useful during the severe weather events of 2010, where Major Emergency arrangements and structures were used successfully, even though a Major Emergency had not been declared.

What is the role of the Defence Forces in the response to a Major Emergency?
The Framework recognises that the Defence Forces can provide significant support to the Principal Response Agencies during the response to a Major Emergency and sets out detailed arrangement for requesting Defence Forces assistance and the integration of the Defence Forces into the response arrangements.

What is the difference between the Defence Forces providing “Aid to the Civil Power” and “Aid to the Civil Authority”?
The major distinguishing feature between the two types of aid is that the Defence Forces response to requests for “Aid to the Civil Power” is primarily an armed response while the Defence Forces response to requests for “Aid to the Civil Authority” is unarmed.

What role can the Voluntary Organisations perform in the response to a Major Emergency?
The Framework recognises that there are a number of voluntary organisations which may be called on to assist the PRAs in responding to a Major Emergency. These include Civil Defence, the Irish Red Cross, the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps, the St. John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland, Mountain Rescue Teams, Cave Rescue Teams, Search and Rescue Dog Associations, River Rescue Units, Community Inshore Rescue Units, the RNLI, Sub Aqua Units, etc. The Framework recommends that each PRA should provide for the inclusion of relevant voluntary emergency services to be part of, and to work in, the response to a Major Emergency.

Does the Declaration of a Major Emergency have legal implications?
The Declaration of a Major Emergency has no direct legal implications. In other countries, the Declaration of a Disaster can have specific consequences, in accordance with the relevant legislation, typically triggering the release of funds and/or the coming into force of emergency powers. For example, in the United States, under the Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, a State Governor can request the President to Declare a Disaster and this Declaration triggers supplementary Federal assistance. There is no such implication in Ireland.

What happens once a Major Emergency is Declared?
The Authorised Officer of a PRA who Declares a Major Emergency will first notify that PRA’s Communication Centre, using a standard message format and will provide all available information using a METHANE message.

The Communications Centre will activate the PRA’s Major Emergency Plan and notify the two other relevant PRAs of the Declaration of the Major Emergency, providing all available information using a METHANE message.

Each Principal Response Agency will respond to the activation of its Major Emergency Plan in a manner appropriate to the nature and scale of the Major Emergency. For a typical “Big Bang” type event this will usually include:

• The despatch of extra resources to the site
• The activation of the agency Crisis Management Team
• The activation of resources away from the site (such as hospitals)
• The notification of the Parent Government Department

What is a METHANE Message?
A METHANE message is a standard information message, issued after a Major Emergency has been Declared, as follows:

M A Major Emergency has been declared
E Exact location of the emergency
T Type of emergency (Transport, Chemical, etc)
H Hazards, both present and potential
A Access and egress routes
N Number of types of casualties
E Emergency services, both present and required

What is the difference between a METHANE message and an ETHANE message?
An ETHANE message is essentially a METHANE message without the first line. A METHANE message is used in situations where a Major Emergency has been Declared by an Authorised Officer. An ETHANE message is used to structure and deliver information, for example to an Authorised Officer, before a Major Emergency has been Declared.

Who is “in charge” at a Major Emergency site?
Responsibility at the site of a Major Emergency for the co-ordination of all activities (and the delivery of an efficient and effective response) lies with an inter-agency group known as the On-Site Co-ordination Group. This group consists of the Controllers of Operations of the three PRAs and is chaired by the Controller of the Lead Agency, who acts as On-Site Co-ordinator.

At the site of a Major Emergency, therefore, the Controllers of Operations of the three PRAs come together as quickly as possible to form the On-Site Co-ordination Group.

What is the role of the On-Site Co-ordinator?
The On-Site Co-ordinator has responsibility for the co-ordination function (in addition to his/her own functions as a PRA Controller) including:

• Ensuring that there is sharing of information between the three PRAs and the Principal Emergency Services
• Ensuring that co-ordination decisions are made promptly and communicated to all involved
• Ensuring that Site Management issues are addressed and decided
• Ensuring that public information messages and media briefings are co-ordinated and implemented
• Operating the generic Information Management System 
• Ensuring that all aspects of the incident are dealt with before the response is shut down and
• Ensuring that a post incident report on the co-ordination function is prepared. 

Can the On-Site Co-ordinator take decisions on inter-agency issues?
To facilitate co-ordination, the On-Site Co-ordinator is empowered to make certain decisions, but the Framework makes it clear that these decisions should generally be arrived at by a consensus of the On-Site Co-ordination Group. Where consensus is not possible, the On-Site Co-ordinator should only make decisions after hearing and considering the views of the other two Controllers.

What is a PRA Controller of Operations?
Apart from inter-agency co-ordination issues, each Principal Response Agency exercises command and control over its own resources at the site of a Major Emergency and a Controller of Operations is designated by each PRA to discharge this function. At the start of an incident, the most senior officer at the site will usually act as Controller of Operations for his/her PRA, until relieved by a more senior officer.

What is the role of the Controller of Operations?
The Controller of Operations controls the activities of all of his/her PRAs resources at the site; participates in the On-Site Co-ordination Group with the Controllers of Operations of the other two PRAs; requests the attendance of such extra resources as are deemed necessary for the response (including resources from outside the PRA); and keeps the PRA’s Crisis Management Team briefed on the handling of the emergency at the site.

How is the response away from the site managed?
Away from the site, the inter-agency response is managed by a Local Co-ordination Group, where representatives of the relevant PRAs meet to provide strategic level management for the immediate, medium and long term consequences of the incident. This group is chaired by the senior representative of the Lead Agency.

At the same time, the response of individual PRAs is managed by their internal Crisis Management Teams.

Where does the Local Co-ordination Group meet?
In each Local Authority area at least one Local Co-ordination Centre has been fitted out for use by the Local Co-ordination Group. Most of these centres are located in Local Authority buildings, but they are used by the Local Co-ordination Group, regardless of which PRA assumes the role of Lead Agency.

How is the Local Co-ordination Group mobilised?
When a Major Emergency has been declared and the Lead Agency is agreed at the site, the Controller of Operations of the Lead Agency will inform his/her headquarters of that decision and the relevant officers of the Lead Agency will begin to activate the designated Local Co-ordination Centre and mobilise the Local Co-ordination Group.

Who attends meetings of the Local Co-ordination Group?
When the Lead Agency informs the two other PRAs that the Local Co-ordination Group is to meet, the Crisis Management Teams of these PRAs will nominate appropriate officers to represent them at meetings of the group. These officers will be joined by the representatives of the Lead Agency, as well as support staff from the Lead Agency, including an Information Management Officer and a Media Liaison Officer. (Note: the first meeting of the group may be held by teleconference). The representatives of other agencies, who are involved in the incident, as well as appropriate specialists, may also be requested to attend meetings of the group.

What is the Role of the Local Co-ordination Group?
In general the role of the Local Co-ordination Group is to:

• Establish high level objectives and a strategic direction for the response
• Anticipate issues arising
• Ensure co-ordination of the response activity away from the site
• Provide support for the on-site response
• Resolve issues arising from the site
• Take over the task of providing information for the public
• Co-ordinate and manage all matters relating to the media (other that on site)
• Establish and maintain links with the lead Government Department/National Co-ordination Centre
• Commence planning for recovery.

When will a Regional Co-ordination Group be activated?
In certain circumstances, the Framework provides that the local response to a Major Emergency may be scaled up to a regional level or where:

• The resources available in the local area (generally, a county or city) do not appear to be sufficient
• The consequences of the emergency are likely to impact significantly outside the local area
• The incident is spread over more than one Local Authority or Garda area and/or
• The incident occurs at or close to the boundary of several PRAs. 

In such a situation, the Local Co-ordination Group may be expanded by inviting in representatives from other PRAs and in this way a Local Co-ordination Group becomes a Regional Co-ordination Group

How is the local response linked to the national level?
In every situation where a Major Emergency is declared, each PRA is required to inform its parent department of the declaration. Once they are so informed, the three parent departments of the PRAs (Justice and Law Reform, Health and Children, and Environment, Heritage and Local Government) consult and agree on which Government Department will be designated as the Lead Department, in accordance with Strategic Emergency Planning Guidance of the Office of Emergency Planning. (Note: the Lead Department will not always be one of the parent departments of the PRAs).

When designated, the Lead Department is responsible for activating its own internal emergency/crisis management arrangements and making contact with the relevant Local Co-ordination Group, which will provide a briefing on the situation.

The Lead Department has responsibility for providing information on the emergency to other Government Departments and, where necessary, activating an Interdepartmental Emergency Response Co-ordination Group at the National Emergency Co-ordination Centre, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

What is a PRA Crisis Management Team?
A Crisis Management Team is a strategic level management group within a PRA which is assembled (or meets by teleconference) during a Major Emergency to:

• Manage, control and co-ordinate the agency’s overall response to the situation
• Provide support to the agency’s Controller of Operations on site
• Mobilise recourses from within the agency, or externally, as required
• Liaise with national headquarters, in the case of An Garda Síochána and the HSE, and the relevant Government Department on strategic issues
• Ensure appropriate participation in the inter-agency co-ordination structures.

What is the Information Management System?
The Framework recognises that the quality of the information that is presented to decision makers during a Major Emergency is a key determinant of outcome. To this end, the Framework establishes a standard Information Management System and nominated individuals in all PRAs have been trained to operate this system.

The system is inherently simple and uses four standard boards on which are set out:

• The Recognised Current Situation
• The Key Issues, against which the overall response needs to be constantly assessed
• The Strategic Aim and Priority Items, that must be actioned in order to meet the aim; and
• The Actions that have been decided on in order to bring the situation under control

The Information Management System is used at meetings of all groups involved in the response to a Major Emergency, including the On-Site Co-ordination Group, the Local Co-ordination Group and the Crisis Management Teams.

Are there different groups responsible for Planning/Preparedness and Response?
The Framework makes it clear that Planning and Preparedness for Major Emergency is a different process from Response and establishes different groups to take responsibility in each case. The fact that there are different groups, however, does not mean that the same individuals will not be involved in both Planning/Preparedness and Response. One of the benefits of this is that the individuals who are involved in an inter-agency response to a Major Emergency may already be well known to one another, as a result of their work together on a Regional Steering Group or a Regional Working Group.

What are the main groups involved in Planning/Preparedness?
At a national level, the Government decision in 2006, which included the launch of the Framework, also created a National Steering Group to guide the implementation process. This National Steering Group includes representation from the principal Government Departments and their agencies. The group is supported by a National Working Group.

At a regional level, the Framework established eight Regional Steering Groups, with representation from the PRAs. Each Regional Steering Group is supported by a Regional Working Group.

 

 

Appendix 1: Sequence of Events for a “Big Bang” Type Major Emergency

Introduction

This is an illustrative sequence of events for a hypothetical Major Emergency involving a train crash.  The sequence of events is, of necessity, incomplete and is provided only to illustrate the inter-agency processes involved in activating the principal plans, groups and structures which are activated in the response to a “Big Bang” type emergency, as per the Framework.

The Accident

A commuter train is involved in a high speed collision with a concrete truck at a level crossing, resulting in significant numbers of fatalities and seriously injured casualties.

The Response

Many 999 calls are made by the public and, as a result, a number of Garda patrol cars, ambulances and fire appliances are despatched to the site. At the site, the first responders from each service conduct a rapid assessment of the situation and report back to their respective Communication Centres.  Each PRA begins to organise its response at the site, to call in extra resources as required and to commence liaison, cooperation and co-ordination with the representatives of the other PRAs at the site.

 

The Declaration of a Major Emergency – Option 1 – When there is an Authorised Officer of one of the PRAs at the site at this time

The Authorised Officer takes the decision (possibly in consultation with others) that the event satisfies the definition of a Major Emergency; s/he Declares that a Major Emergency exists; communicates this information with a METHANE message to his/her PRA Communication Centre; and informs the representatives of the other PRAs at the site.

 

The Declaration of a Major Emergency – Option 2 – When there is no Authorised Officer from any of the PRAs at the site at this time

 

If there is no Authorised Officer at the site at this time, the most senior officer from each PRA communicates the details of the incident to his/her Communications Centre, using an ETHANE message.   This information is passed to an Authorised Officer of the PRA (s/he may be in the Communications Centre, in Head Office, on their way to the site or elsewhere) who assesses the information provided from the site; s/he takes the decision (possibly in consultation with others) that the event satisfies the definition of a Major Emergency; s/he Declares that a Major Emergency exists; and communicates this information, with a METHANE message, to his/her PRA Communication Centre. 

 

The Activation of the Major Emergency Plans

Once a PRA Communication Centre is notified by an Authorised Officer of that PRA that s/he has Declared a Major Emergency, the Communications Centre activates the PRA’s Major Emergency Plan and notifies the two other PRAs of the Declaration, providing them with all available information, using a METHANE message.  These two PRAs then activate their Major Emergency Plan.

 

As a failsafe mechanism, each of the two PRAs, which are notified of the Declaration by the PRA which has declared the Major Emergency, confirms to the two other PRAs involved that its Major Emergency Plan has been activated.

 

Each PRA responds to the Declaration of the Major Emergency in a manner appropriate to the nature and scale of the emergency, as per the information provided in the METHANE message.

 

At each PRA Communications Centre

• Extra resources are mobilised to the site, as required
• Senior Officers of the PRA are notified
• The PRA Crisis Management Team is activated

 

At the Site

• The most senior officer from each service assumes the role of Controller of Operations until relieved by a more senior officer.
• The three Controllers of Operations come together as soon as possible to form the On-Site Co-ordination Group.
• Following an initial exchange of information, this group decides on which of the PRAs is to be the Lead Agency for the Major Emergency. 
• The Controller of the Lead Agency becomes the On-Site Co-ordinator and, thereafter, chairs meetings of the On-Site Co-ordination Group.
• The Controller of the Lead Agency informs his/her PRA management that it (his/her PRA) is the Lead Agency.
• The support team of the Controller of the Lead Agency sets up the Information System and other elements of the On-Site Co-ordination Centre.

 

Actions of the Lead Agency away from the Site

• A meeting of the PRA Crisis Management Team is convened (this meeting may be held by teleconference)
• Procedures for the activation of the Local Co-ordination Group are activated, including the nomination of the individuals who will act as chair of the Local Co-ordination Group, Information Management Officer, Media Liaison Officer and other support officials
• The management of the two other PRAs involved are notified of the location of the Local Co-ordination Centre and the time of the first meeting of the Local Co-ordination Group (this first meeting may be held by teleconference). 
• The relevant National Headquarters, where appropriate, and parent Government Department are/is notified.
• The process of mobilising all appropriate resources continues.

 

Actions of the two other PRAs away from the Site

• A Meeting of the PRA Crisis Management Team is convened (this meeting may be held by teleconference).
• Individuals are nominated who will represent these PRAs at meetings of the Local Co-ordination Group. 
• The relevant National Headquarters, where appropriate, and parent Government Department are/is notified.
• The process of mobilising all appropriate resources continues.

 

At the Local Co-ordination Centre

• Support staff from the Lead Agency, including an Information Management Officer, a Media Liaison Officer and an Action Management Officer (where considered appropriate) commence setting at the Local Co-ordination Centre.

 

At a National Level

• The three parent Departments (Justice and Law Reform, Health and Children and Environment, Community and Local Government) consult and agree that the Department of Transport is the Lead Government Department
• The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government contacts the Department of Transport and informs it that it is the Lead Government Department, transfers to it the basic information it has available on the Major Emergency and provides contact details for the chairperson of the Local Co-ordination Group
• The Department of Transport responds in accordance with its own internal emergency/crisis management arrangements and makes contact with the chairperson of the Local Co-ordination Group
• The Department of Transport contacts other Government Departments, provides them with information on the Major Emergency and activates an Interdepartmental Emergency Response Co-ordination Group at the National Emergency Co-ordination Centre, Kildare Street, if required.

 

 

Appendix 2: Glossary of Key Terms

 

Controller of Operations	The person given authority by a principal response agency to control all elements of its activities at and about the site.
Crisis Management Team	A strategic level management group, which consists of senior managers from within the principal response agency, which is assembled to manage a crisis and deal with issues arising for the agency both during the emergency and the subsequent recovery phase.
Lead Agency	The principal response agency that is assigned the responsibility and mandate for the coordination function, see Appendix F9.
Local Co-ordination Group	A group of senior representatives from the three principal response agencies (An Garda Síochána, HSE and  Local Authority) whose function is to facilitate strategic level co-ordination, make policy decisions, liaise with regional/national level coordination centres, if appropriate, and facilitate the distribution of information to the media and the public.
Major Emergency Plan	Each principal response agency has its own Major Emergency Plan, based on the Framework guidance, which sets out its arrangements to respond any event occurring in, or impacting on, its functional area which requires the Declaration of a Major Emergency
On-Site Co-ordination Group	Group that includes the On-Site Co-ordinator and the Controllers of Operations of the other two agencies, an Information Management Officer, a Media Liaison Officer and others as appropriate.
Principal Response Agencies (PRA)	The agencies designated by the Government to respond to Major Emergencies, ie, An Garda Síochána, the Health Services Executive and the Local Authorities.
Resilience	Resilience describes the inherent capacity of communities, services and infrastructure, to withstand the consequences of an incident, and to recover/restore normality.

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