Emergency Planning College

Last updated

The Emergency Planning College also known as "the Hawkhills" foremost a college, based in the United Kingdom which is involved in activities to promote organisational resilience. Since 2010 the college has been operated on behalf of the Cabinet Office by Serco, delivering training approved by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) of the Cabinet Office. The college buildings are located at Easingwold near York in England.

Contents

College history

Since 1989, it has been the British Government's centre for running short seminars, workshops and courses on an inter–agency basis in the field of crisis management and emergency planning. [1] The United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation disbanded in 1992. By 2000 the college was costing around £3 million per year to run, and was increasingly accommodating delegates from businesses. [2] By 2003 there were 6,500 delegates attending courses, 10% of whom were from the private sector. [3]

In 2010 the Home Office awarded the contract for running the college to Serco, with the contract valued at being worth around £55 million over 15 years. [4] [5]

Staff

In 2003 Major-General Michael Charlton-Weedy was appointed as CEO. [1]

In 2013, Kate Betts, director of Barnsley-based media and PR agency Capital B Media, was appointed by the college as an associate trainer and consultant. [6]

Hawkhills

The buildings were previously a private country house, then in 1937 the site was acquired by the Ministry of Works and became the second Home Office "Anti-Gas" School, as Britain prepared for the possibility of chemical warfare. [2] The property went on to become a Civil Defence Corps training facility before eventually becoming the emergency planning college for the Home Office's F6 Emergency Planning Division.

See also

Related Research Articles

Civil defense Protection of citizens from natural disaster and military attack

Civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation and recovery. Programs of this sort were initially discussed at least as early as the 1920s and were implemented in some countries during the 1930s as the threat of war and aerial bombardment grew. It became widespread after the threat of nuclear weapons was realized.

Federal Emergency Management Agency United States disaster response agency, part of Department of Homeland Security

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders on April 1, 1979. The agency's primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities. The governor of the state in which the disaster occurs must declare a state of emergency and formally request from the President that FEMA and the federal government respond to the disaster. The only exception to the state's gubernatorial declaration requirement occurs when an emergency or disaster takes place on federal property or to a federal asset—for example, the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, or the Space Shuttle Columbia in the 2003 return-flight disaster.

The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS), created in July 2001, is the executive department of the British Cabinet Office responsible for emergency planning in the UK. The role of the secretariat is to ensure the United Kingdom's resilience against disruptive challenge, and to do this by working with others to anticipate, assess, prevent, prepare, respond and recover. Until its creation in 2001, emergency planning in Britain was the responsibility of the Home Office. The CCS also supports the Civil Contingencies Committee, also known as COBR.

Serco British company

Serco Group plc is a British company with headquarters based in Hook, Hampshire, England. Serco primarily derives income as a contractor for the provision of government services, most prominently in the sectors of law & order, health, transport, justice, immigration, defence and citizens services.

Continuity of government Principle of emergency government

Continuity of government (COG) is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of a catastrophic event such as nuclear war.

National Security Council (Pakistan) Institutional and consultative body of the Government of Pakistan

The National Security Council is a federal institutional and consultative body chaired by the Prime Minister of Pakistan as its chairman. The NSC is a principal forum that is mandated for considering national security and foreign policy matters with the senior national security advisers and Cabinet ministers. The idea and inception of National Security Council was first conceived in 1969 under the President Yahya Khan, its functions were to advise and assist the president and prime minister on national security and foreign policies.

Emergency management Dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies

Emergency management is the organization and management of the resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies. The aim is to prevent and reduce the harmful effects of all hazards, including disasters.

HMNB Clyde Royal Navy base in Scotland

Her Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde, primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy. It is the navy's headquarters in Scotland and is best known as the home of Britain's nuclear weapons, in the form of nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles.

Government of Pakistan National government

The Government of Pakistan abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territories, and one federal territory of a parliamentary democratic republic, constitutionally called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Her Majestys Naval Service Maritime service of the British Armed Forces

Her Majesty's Naval Service, also known as the Senior Service, is the United Kingdom's naval warfare and maritime service. It consists of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve and Naval Careers Service. The term Naval Service should be distinguished from the "UK Naval Services", which consist of the Naval Service and the Merchant Navy. The Naval Service as a whole falls under the command of the Navy Board, which is headed by the First Sea Lord. This position is currently held by Admiral Sir Ben Key. The Defence Council delegates administration of the Naval Service to the Admiralty Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence.

United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation

The United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation (UKWMO) was a British civilian organisation operating to provide UK military and civilian authorities with data on nuclear explosions and forecasts of fallout across the country in the event of nuclear war.

Central Government War Headquarters Underground complex in Wiltshire, England

The Central Government War Headquarters (CGWHQ) is a 35-acre (14 ha) complex built 120 feet (37 m) underground as the United Kingdom's emergency government war headquarters – the hub of the country's alternative seat of power outside London during a nuclear war or conflict with the Soviet Union. It is located in Corsham, Wiltshire, in a former Bath stone quarry known as Spring Quarry, under the present-day MoD Corsham. In 1940, during the Second World War, the site was acquired by the Minister of Aircraft Production and used as an underground engine factory.

Babcock International British Aerospace & Defence Company

Babcock International Group plc is a British aerospace, defence and nuclear engineering services company based in London, England. It specialises in managing complex assets and infrastructure. Although the company has civil contracts, its main business is with public bodies, particularly the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and Network Rail. The company has four operating sectors, with overseas operations based in Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Australia.

Civil defense in the United States

United States civil defense refers to the use of civil defense in the history of the United States, which is the organized non-military effort to prepare Americans for military attack. Late in the 20th century, the term and practice of civil defense fell into disuse. Emergency management and homeland security replaced them.

The National Emergency Management Agency is the public service department of New Zealand responsible for providing leadership and support around national, local and regional emergencies. It is an autonomous departmental agency hosted by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Wartime Broadcasting Service

The Wartime Broadcasting Service is a service of the BBC that is intended to broadcast in the United Kingdom either after a nuclear attack or if conventional bombing destroyed regular BBC facilities in a conventional war. It is unclear if the Wartime Broadcasting Service is still operational as plans are kept mainly secretly with the BBC and government officials. According to an article by the BBC, recordings of a nuclear attack warning are still re-recorded and kept up to date periodically.

National Security Council (United Kingdom) British government Cabinet committee

The National Security Council (NSC) of the United Kingdom is a Cabinet Committee.

Civil defence in Finland

Civil defence in Finland is the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior under the Civil Defence Act of 1958. It is directed to provide civil defence to protect persons and property in wartime as well as in peacetime. The act stipulates that the ministry is responsible for providing shelters in high-risk areas, for evacuating civilian population from threatened areas, and for limiting damage from natural disasters. In emergency situations, firefighting, rescue, ambulance, and first-aid services are coordinated with the civil defence effort. Civil defence operations are entirely a civilian responsibility.

Many countries around the world have civil defense organizations dedicated to protecting civilians from military attacks and providing rescue services after widespread disasters. In most countries, civil defense is a government-managed and often volunteer-staffed organization.

Custume Barracks

Custume Barracks is a military installation at Athlone in Ireland.

References

  1. 1 2 "New Chief Executive of the Emergency Planning College" . Local Government Chronicle . 10 February 2003. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 "No secrets at The Hawkhills". The Press . 25 January 2000. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  3. Doke, DeeDee (1 September 2003). "Crisis? What crisis?". The Guardian . Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  4. "Serco appointed to manage UK Emergency Planning College" (PDF) (Press release). Serco. 22 February 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  5. "Serco cashes in on the cuts with profit leap to £101 million". Evening Standard . 25 August 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  6. "PwC strengthens its corporate finance team in the region". The Yorkshire Post . 9 April 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2015.

Coordinates: 54°06′03″N1°10′44″W / 54.10079°N 1.17887°W / 54.10079; -1.17887