UK Resilience
Last updated: 01 December 2008
Good public communication is vital to the successful handling of any emergency and should be incorporated in all contingency planning. This section supports the key communications objectives in emergency response - to deliver accurate, clear and timely information and advice to the public so they feel confident, safe and well informed. It also identifies some of the technical and practical issues that will arise for those working with the media in an emergency.
The Civil Contingencies Act includes two specific duties for Category 1 responders in relation to communicating with the public. Firstly, there is a duty to inform the public about civil protection matters so that the public are better prepared to deal with emergencies if they occur. Secondly, there is a duty to maintain arrangements to warn the public and provide appropriate advice if an emergency occurs.
In addition, the Government has issued the Preparing for Emergencies booklet [External website] to help ensure that the public is informed and prepared.
There have been considerable changes in the news media in recent years with the development of 24-hour rolling news and the advent of multiple channels provided through cable and satellite connections, plus 24-hour news websites. These developments mean that in an emergency, there will be a constant requirement from the media for accurate, timely and up-to-date information. Where it is not provided, rumour and misinformation may flourish.
The Media Emergency Forum (MEF), and since their establishment in 2003, increasingly the Regional MEFs (RMEFs), have been working with the media to establish arrangements to ensure the delivery of information to the public in an emergency. A protocol on the delivery of urgent public safety information has also been agreed with national broadcasters.
As an emergency develops, there will be a requirement for a more comprehensive media response structure to ensure consistency in the information provided at all levels of the response. The Cabinet Office Communications Group may activate the News Co-ordination Centre (NCC). The NCC supports the Lead Government Department (LGD) in their communications management of the overall incident. This UK Resilience website forms part of the NCC operation and carries information for local responders, while the Preparing for Emergencies website has information for the general public.
You should refer to:
You may also wish to refer to:
You may also wish to refer to:
General enquiries: Cabinet Office, 22 Whitehall, London SW1A 2WH.
[Terms and conditions, privacy and copyright] [Complaints procedure] [Document readers] [
RSS Feeds] [This website is speech enabled]
