Belfast Tests Against Emergency

Belfast’s emergency plans have been put to the test as part of an exercise to improve multi-agency responsiveness to a large scale emergency, it was revealed today.

The one-day exercise “Connect 3” designed by the PSNI and Belfast City Council to test Belfast’s resilience against a large scale emergency was completed recently at Hewlett-Packard’s business continuity recovery services facilities.

Over 20 different agencies participated in what was described by planners as “a multi-agency approach” in the implementation of emergency plans. Organisations included Belfast City Council, the Emergency Services, Health Services, Government Departments, Northern Ireland Office and various public, private and voluntary bodies. The exercise was designed to assist planners test and improve communications and co-ordination when managing major emergencies.

Assistant Chief Constable for Urban Region Duncan McCausland said that the exercise was extremely beneficial in ensuring all the key agencies are well prepared to deal with a major incident.

"The exercise was part of an ongoing multi-agency approach to dealing with major emergencies in Belfast. The scenario was an explosion at a major oil depot in Belfast, similar to the explosion at Buncefield in England in December 2005. It was invaluable in giving all the agencies involved the opportunity to test their own response, as well as test the multi-agency approach. Everyone will be able to learn from the experience.

"I hope that we will never be the situation in which we have to respond to a major incident. However, we are dealing with a modern city with modern risks and there is no doubt that the exercise and the ongoing planning could help save people’s lives - that is what we all must work for."

The “Connect 3”exercise comes on the back of a recent study which highlights that although some ninety percent of organisations, both North and South of Ireland, have some form of risk management plan in place up to a third of organisations, in some sectors, fail tests for emergency plans which could lead to widespread paralysis.

“The purpose of ‘Connect 3’ was to promote an integrated approach to emergency management by testing a multi-agency response to a simulated major incident,” says Peter McNaney, chief executive of Belfast City Council. “We are confident the existing plans are well tried and tested and could be quickly put into action if required.”

The exercise took place at a 28,000 sq ft HP continuity facility which has the capacity to host three hundred office positions to enable organisations to function normally in the event of an emergency. Brendan Houston, new Regional Manager for HP, Northern Ireland said the need for testing such plans against risks facing the city is equally important for businesses across Northern Ireland.

“The multi-agency approach taken by Belfast City Council and PSNI along with other partners in the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, Health Services and other agencies in testing their continuity plans is an exemplar of effective emergency planning. In an environment of increased security and data dependence emergency planning and the testing of such plans are also of critical importance to the businesses across Northern Ireland if they are to keep functioning after a disruptive event.”

Findings of a report by iReach, a research and market intelligence company, entitled ‘What’s the risk? Business Continuity and Disaster recovery in Ireland’ has highlighted that whilst most organisations on the island of Ireland have emergency plans in place many fail to test them viewing disaster as an unlikely event. In contrast, manufacturing companies were the best prepared: 96 per cent had plans running.