CBRN preparedness in a small community: How the Isle of Man has integrated responding and support services
Abstract
The Isle of Man was not included in the rollout of the UK Government’s New Dimension programme to equip the civilian emergency services for dealing with large-scale terrorist-led incidents. Threat analysis for the island deemed this scenario to be a low-risk, low-frequency event, but one that would have a high impact upon the community, infrastructure and stability of this well regulated and highly successful international financial centre. A practical, pragmatic and integrated approach by the responding emergency services, government departments and volunteer agencies has resulted in the establishment of a credible response capability for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. This paper details how the initial risk analysis was carried out, and describes the updating of the emergency management plan and the development of the interoperability of the emergency services, including the link between preplanning and operational command. Ongoing training and improvements in disaster management are also discussed.
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Author's Biography
Bruce Kirkham is the former Deputy Chief Fire Officer of the Isle of Man (IOM) Fire and Rescue Service. He served for 35 years with the IOM Government, including 25 with the fire and rescue service. Since 2002 he has been a lead officer not only within his own department but across government on business continuity, emergency preparedness and risk management, including the response to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents. He was a founder member of the IOM Government Event Safety Advisory Group, a member of the Chief Fire Officers Association North West Regional Health and Safety Working Group, and served for ten years as an examiner with the UK Fire Services Examination Board. He is now a consultant working with Capstone Ltd, a risk analysis and mitigation consultancy, and continues to offer advice to government on the development of CBRN preparedness response with the IOM Civil Defence Corps. He is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers, a member of the Institute of Civil Defence and Disaster Studies, an Associate of the Emergency Planning Society, and is currently studying for an MSc in Resilience with Cranfield University.
Citation
Kirkham, Bruce (2009, February 1). CBRN preparedness in a small community: How the Isle of Man has integrated responding and support services. In the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, Volume 3, Issue 2. https://doi.org/10.69554/KWFG6341.
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