The Northumbria Local Resilience Forum (LRF) is a partnership made up of blue light services, local authorities, hospitals, health organisations and other public and private bodies across the North East.
Each region has its own LRF with the partnerships ensuring a co-ordinated and effective response to any incident or event that impacts on communities.
Much of the work takes place behind closed doors, with tests and exercises taking place among agencies to prepare their staff for any incident that may take place in our towns, cities and countryside.
That could be a mass power outages, storms, wildfire or a pandemic, among other high impact events or major incidents that could take place at any time.
The register includes details of those incidents identified as being of greater risk but also includes information on how communities themselves may prepare for them.
Chair of the Northumbria LRF, Chief Fire Officer Peter Heath of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS), said the pandemic and recent extreme weather events demonstrate the value in communities being prepared.
He said: “All the agencies represented in the LRF want to reassure our communities that we prepare for all eventualities and as a region our plans are well tested and co-ordinated.
“Whatever the incident, we will be there to prioritise risk to life and ensure those in need receive the appropriate response from the appropriate agency.
“In recent years we have seen Storm Arwen cause widespread disruption in our rural communities, wildfires lead to widespread destruction of nature reserves and a global pandemic that changed life as we know it.
“The LRF was at the heart of our regional response but these are incidents that impacted on all communities and each incident has taught us a lesson in it’s own right.
“One main theme is the preparedness of our communities, and how often residents will mobilise themselves to ensure the most vulnerable among us are supported. That community cohesion is what makes our region so great.
“Through the Community Risk Register residents can better prepare themselves for some of those high risk incidents.
“As a partnership, we will be communicating advice and guidance on those risks identified in the register throughout the year so keep your eyes out and help us keep our communities safe.”
