Lydford Parish Council

LYDFORD PARISH EMERGENCY SELF-HELP PLAN

BACKGROUND

1.            Lydford is a rural parish on the north-western side of Dartmoor, lying approximately halfway between Okehampton and Tavistock.  Much of the Parish lies within the National Park boundary, and there are a number of outlying properties located some distance from the village centre. There is one A-road (A386) running through the parish, all other roads leading in and out of the village are smaller with constrictions along sections of their length requiring single file traffic flow.  The River Lyd flowing from the moor onwards into Lydford Gorge, divides the main part of the village from some of the outlying properties.

2.            The population is around 400 adults.  Many earn their living either as farmers/agricultural workers, local artisans, service industry employees and professionals commuting to Tavistock, Okehampton, Exeter, Plymouth and beyond.  A significant number of parishoners work from home. There is also a sizeable retired/elderly population.  A Pre-school (operating in the Sports field pavilion) and Primary School are in the village with most youngsters going on to secondary education at either Tavistock College or Okehampton College, the education authority catchment areas of these two schools dividing the parish roughly in half.  The Church of England Parish Church of St Petroc’s is the only recognised dedicated religious building in the parish.

3.            There is no shop in the parish, and most parishoners bring home the majority of their requirements from either Tavistock, Okehampton, Launceston or beyond.  There are two pubs – the Dartmoor Inn on the A386 and the Castle Inn in the centre of the village, both are historic Inns providing meals and accommodation.  Other businesses providing hospitality include the Lydford House Hotel (hotel accommodation, restaurant and tea garden), Downtown Farm (tea room and self-catering accommodation) and Lydford Gorge (tea room).   The Nicholls Hall provides a focus for the many activities in the village and has a commercial specification kitchen and disabled toilet facilities. Outdoor activities take place at the Sports Field, which also has a pavilion with a small kitchen, toilets and showers.

4.            Risks that might require the community to act independently include isolation caused by inclement weather or being unable to receive assistance from the emergency services due to a large-scale disaster or pandemic.  The community might also need to act alone during the first stages of a disaster such as a major spillage, flood, aircraft crash or lost person and would, upon the arrival of the emergency services, be able to provide local knowledge and specialist resources.  The community might also react alone to incidents too small to require the attendance of the emergency services such as a fallen tree or loss of services or heating not being available to older people.

5.            Small scale emergencies might occur in individual households.  These could include the emergency admission to hospital of the single adult responsible for the welfare of children, pets or farm stock, or the failure of a private water supply, sewage system or household heating system.  Sometimes there is a temporary need for emergency assistance whilst next of kin or other family members travel from a distant location.

6.            A larger emergency would be caused by contamination of the mains water supply (as happened in Camelford) or failure of the mains sewage system (which is known to be old and only just coping under normal circumstances) or electricity supply.  There is no mains gas in the Parish, and therefore no need to plan for emergencies associated with it.

7.            An emergency could also occur if a number of non-residents were unexpectedly stranded in the parish as a result of storm, snowfall or other cause of blockage of the roads in and out of the parish, as happened on the M11 when snowfall caused a complete breakdown of the road network and large numbers of motorists were stranded in their cars overnight.

8.            Major flooding is not thought to be a problem in Lydford due to the topography of the parish, but localised flooding may occur, including on the roads in and out of the village, and this is known to have occurred in the past.

9.            The Civil Contingencies Act 2005 requires parish councils to prepare a contingency plan for self help in case of emergency.  Nearly all emergencies affecting our communities will normally be dealt with by the emergency services, higher tier local authorities and the major utility companies.  However, there may be rare occasions, such as those outlined above, when the community will have to help itself.  The Parish Council has therefore resolved to prepare a community self-help emergency plan.

AIM

10.        The aim of this plan is to provide a framework for Lydford Parish to cope with emergencies affecting our community.

CONCEPT

11.        Wherever possible the emergency services, the local authorities and major utility companies will attend and take the lead in dealing with incidents affecting Lydford.  However, if they are unable to attend, the Parish Emergency Plan Management Team (PEPMT) (see Para 10 below) has been delegated by the Parish Councils to implement this Parish Emergency Plan (PEP), and to lead and coordinate appropriate action.  Because of the many situations that could arise, the PEP provides a generic framework that can easily be adapted to any emergency.  After the immediate response, the PEPMT will assess the situation before drawing up a plan to deal with the specific emergency.  The plan will be revised at frequent intervals as the situation develops and becomes clearer.  The Parish has been divided into areas and a neighbour coordinator appointed to provide local liaison and support.  Where possible, existing organisations and structures will be used to provide support.  Volunteers, identified in advance, will be co-opted to assist with specialist skills and equipment.  Once the emergency services have deployed, the PEPMT will be able to provide expert assistance, local knowledge and specialist equipment.

ACTIVATION

12.        This plan will be activated whenever the PEPMT considers it necessary.  Parishioners should contact the Chair or another member of the Emergency Management Team to notify them of emergencies as they arise.  West Devon District Council are to be advised that the PEP has been activated using the following contact numbers:

In working hours: ………01822-******.

Out of hours:         ………01822-******.

RESPONSIBILITIES

13.        The PEP Management Team, appointed by the Lydford Parish Council, consists of:

14.        They are responsible for revising this Plan at least annually, arranging rehearsals and training, liaising with the emergency services/local authorities and major utilities and activating this Plan in case of an emergency.

15.        The Neighbourhood Coordinators and their contact details are listed at Annex B.  They are responsible for coordinating activity in their areas, keeping the PEP Management Team informed of the situation, identifying persons at risk and providing, together with persons they co-opt, support to their neighbours.