Flood Resilience
Introduction
Flooding remains one of the UK’s biggest risks, and the responsibility for effective emergency planning and response extends from Central Government, through LRFs, Category 1 and 2 responders, to residents, property owners and businesses.
The Flood Resilience Professional Working Group will:
- act as the Emergency Planning Society’s main liaison body to facilitate the ongoing; development and continuous improvement of flood emergency planning and incident response;
- be at the forefront of discussions and progress in emergency planning and resilience for flooding from fluvial, pluvial, coastal, groundwater and foul sources; and
- where necessary align with existing professional working groups.
Committee Contacts
EPS -Terms of Reference
Progressing the sector
- To act as the Emergency Planning Society’s (EPS) main liaison body to support the ongoing development and continuous improvement of flood resilience practices, procedures and guidance.
- To share information with the wider EPS membership and external bodies to promote good practice and innovative solutions.
- To liaise with, and influence, the ongoing refinement and update of national flood policy through the relevant UK agencies.
- To establish internal working sub-groups as necessary, to progress specific areas of main Group activities.
Promoting and representing the EPS
- To promote the EPS through the delivery of presentations and attendance at other forums.
- To promote the EPS as a lead organisation in terms of providing advice on flood emergency planning and incident response (fluvial, coastal, surface water, groundwater and sewage flood sources).
- To represent the EPS on key national working groups.
Administration
- To report key activities of the Group to the main body of the EPS through the Director of Business Services.
- To prepare and maintain an annual Business Plan and report activity against targets.
- To review Group membership annually to ensure an appropriate balance of expertise and to confirm that members are still active.
- To hold annual elections for the posts of Chair, Vice-chair and Secretary.
The PWG can
- Provide support, advice, guidance and updates on key changes and news within the field to the EPS.
- Share best practice, learning points, innovative solutions and advancements in the field, ideas for progressing flood emergency planning and incident response, and signpost to relevant and useful organisations, reports and websites.
- Promote best practice and innovative solutions and advancement in the field of flood resilience
- Bring together representatives across the flood risk industry and get involved in training and exercising procedures.
- Support member who have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 with training, exercising and best practice coordination (specifically those that need to be developed in a multi-agency environment).
- Support the accreditation of trainers in the flood resilience industry (CIWEM accredited courses, post nominal MEPS, CPD, PGCert, Masters etc.)
- Promote standardised systems and technologies for flood incident management
- Support the preparation of multi-agency plans and other such documentation, such as Community Risk Registers.
- With the National Flood Forum, support community flood group plans, and the training and exercising of local food wardens, for improvements in local response.
Creation of the PWG – Next steps
Group membership
Group membership will initially be advertised via the branches with opportunity for existing members to express an interest. As time progresses, should there be a need to draw in additional expertise this will be sought as necessary via invitation from across industry and academia.
Promotion of the PWG
Promotion will be through the EPS website, and various social media platforms listed below:
- Facebook (EPS page in the process of being created)
To help reach the widest possible audience, members of the PWG will be encouraged to actively self promote the group through these sites (with a disclaimer that views are personal and don’t necessarily represent those of the wider group / society).
Regular promotion of the PWG via a quarterly ‘Blog’ can then be included in the EPS Resilience magazine.
Planning of the first meeting
An inaugural meeting will be organised before summer 2019.
PWG agenda – Year 1
- Creation of the group/ approach specific members/ organisations
- Creation of Board (at first meeting)
- Regular promotion the PWG through EPS website/ social media platforms, and by the PWG members
- Publish a quarterly ‘Blog’ as both an educational and promotional tool
- Set specific objectives for the year with new members
