Author(s): Jessie Walsh; Ba . Micpem
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The Framework for Major Emergency Management issued by Government Directive in 2006 is a template for the coordination of the response to Major Emergencies in Ireland. The Framework coincided with a worldwide recognition of the need for a more holistic approach to emergencies. This approach involved a five-stage planning cycle and the establishment of a structure for coordination between those agencies involved in the management of emergencies. Ireland is divided into eight major emergency planning regions, with representatives from each of the principal response agencies engaged in inter-agency planning via a number of planning groups. The designated Principal Response Agencies of the East Region, An Garda Siochana (Irish Police Service), The Health Service Executive and the Local Authorities, have agreed that flooding is one of the top risks in their area of operation. The Major Emergency Plans of each agency are written to the same standard and the definition of what constitutes a major emergency is common to all. Scenario considerations and the actions required to respond are generally based on historical evidence. However where flooding is concerned actions based on historical evidence may not always be valid. This became apparent in the response required to the pluvial flood event which struck the city in August2008; this presented a very different set of circumstances from the coastal flooding of areas of the City in February 2002. Planning assumptions were based on the lessons learned from 2002 and previous coastal and fluvial flood events, whereas the pluvial event presented the response agencies with a very different set of circumstances. This paper provides an overview of the structures for inter-agency coordination described in the Irish Framework for Major Emergency Management and outlines the contents of the National Flood Guidance and Protocol issued in support of the Framework. Finally the paper considers the future needs for flood response and how the large body of knowledge gained from previous events can be translated into a more comprehensive response to future flood incidents.
Year: 2010