The approach to Major Emergency Management involves a five-stage systems approach including:
Hazard Analysis / Risk Assessment is a process where the hazards facing the community are identified and assessed in terms of the risk which they pose. Initially, Sligo County Council is responsible for undertaking the risk assessment process from its own perspective.
The information from each Principal Response Agency was provided to the North West Region Major Emergency Regional Working Group who undertook to produce a regional risk assessment from an inter-agency perspective. The relevant outcomes from the regional process were then incorporated into Sligo Local Authority’s Major Emergency Plan. The primary purpose of the Risk Assessment is to establish priorities for Major Emergency Planning.
The Framework for Major Emergency Management requires that:
“Each Principal Response Agency shall, in association with its partner principal response agencies, carry out a risk assessment in accordance with the procedures set down in Section 2 of the Framework for Major Emergency Management and The Guide to Risk Assessment in Major Emergency Management. The initial risk assessment shall be reviewed and updated annually, or as circumstances require.”
The characteristics of County Sligo will influence both the likelihood and impact of a major emergency. Establishing the context enables a better understanding of the vulnerability and resilience of the area to emergencies. The context of the County Sligo is summarised in four main areas: Social context, environment, infrastructure, hazardous sites.