5
www.politicalanimal.org.uk/cawf
www.rspca.org.uk/cawf
During the worst sea surge to hit Essex for 60 years, in
December 2013, a school in Clacton-on-Sea was used as an
emergency overnight rest centre. The local residents did not
want to leave their pets in the bicycle sheds, which were
outside in the school grounds, on a cold December night, so
they stayed with their animals. This was a risk to their safety,
caught on film by the BBC
5
.
It is therefore important to have a contingency planning
document, and to practise exercises that include animals, to
ensure effective preparation for emergency situations. It is
important that local authorities and LRFs do not work alone
when developing such plans and that they consult experts, for
example experts in animal welfare and handling. As is often
the case, multi-agency working is the most effective way
forward, so this guide to good practice seeks to cover some
of the key considerations and provide a blueprint.
Companion animal welfare should be included in all
written contingency plans
While human welfare will always remain the priority, there
must be a provision for animals, for example pets and
livestock. People have been seen to risk their own lives in
order to rescue their animals. This is difficult for some to
understand, but studies have shown that many owners view
their pets as valued members of the family and that they can,
for example, play an important role in the lives of the elderly6
.
It will be easier to evacuate people from their homes if they
know that their animals will be safe, therefore any
contingency plan should be designed to consider the welfare
needs of any animals that may need to be evacuated.
Pauline Patton at AGMA
Tel: 0161 234 4444
Email: contingencies.agma@manchester gov.uk
AGMA Civil Contingencies and Resilience Unit
The 3 Ps
In 2013 the Association of Greater Manchester
Authorities (AGMA) entered the Contingency Planning
Footprint for the first time as a multi-agency group of
local authorities and first responders. The
consideration of animals as part of the contingency
planning process led to the group not only receiving a
gold Footprint but also becoming the proud winners of
the RSPCA Innovator award 2013 in the Multi-Agency
Group category.
Following a serious gas explosion in Oldham in June
2012 and the evacuation of the local area, AGMA
reviewed the process and the lessons learned to
develop a pets plan across the 10 local authorities of
Greater Manchester. Learning from their experiences
in Oldham, AGMA recognised that the welfare of
animals needed to be embedded into future plans
across Greater Manchester. In response, AGMA
developed a pioneering approach to emergency and
contingency planning which they call the 3 Ps:
• People
• Pets
• Possessions
This approach to emergency planning will, in future,
ensure that pets are always among the priorities in
an emergency response.
5
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25261968
6
www.scas.org.uk/human-animal-bond/pets-and-older-people/
© Cavendish Press