The Emergency Services will always have to prioritise those in greatest needs, especially where life is in danger. There may be times when your community is affected by an emergency but lives are not in immediate danger. Being able to help yourselves and those around you will assist the emergency responders and reduce the impact of an emergency on your community, both in the short and longer term.

It may not be necessary to create a new community network but rather enhance existing structures and relationships.

Identify the networks that already exist and consider how you could work together before, during and after an incident. Think about how different groups could fit resilience into their agenda, for example parish councils, Neighbourhood Watch groups, Scout groups, residents associations, youth groups etc., and how they could collaborate to develop a Community Response Plan. LLR Prepared can help you identify whether any community resilience initiatives already exist in your location. It is also advisable to identify a Coordinator to steer the planning process forward. The co-ordinator should be willing to take a lead role in organising and taking forward the work of the Community Response Team.

It is important to be aware of the risks that could affect your community, and understand how you could be affected by them, in order to improve your community's resilience. Individuals and communities should then prepare for the risks they feel are relevant to their area.

LLR Prepared looks at local risks and produces a Community Risk Register for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Visit the LLR Prepared website section on Risks for links to both the National Risk Register and the Community Risk Register.

It is also important to consider the social risks, environmental and commercial risks to your community.

Funding from Leicestershire County Council is now available to provide communities which develop a Community Response plan with items to value of £600 to create a Community Emergency store. This can include road signage, hi-viz clothing, sandbags, tools, communications equipment and other items

A number of areas in Leicestershire have prepared community response plans. To find out information about the plans near you, click below: