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Progress Report - July 2002

Summary of Main Conclusions and Recommendations

1. A new legislative framework should be introduced, setting out which agencies have responsibility for issuing public warnings
2. A single national agency should be made responsible for strategy and policy
3. A single local agency should be made responsible for the command and control of public warnings prior to/during/after a major incident
4. The Cabinet Office and NSC should hold exploratory talks with a) the Information Commissioner on the potential relaxation of current constraints concerning the Data Protection Act (1998), and (b) OFTEL, re: current telephony regulations, to enable the BT Emergency Database to be utilised for public warning and informing purposes by the emergency services, local authorities, Environment Agency, Met Office, and the utility companies.
5. A national siren system should not be introduced, as it is not required at present
6. A British Standard for wide-area sirens and their use in public warning packages, should be introduced
7. The designation of a) a single UK warning tone, and b) a single UK all clear tone, should be introduced for all hazards
8. The Cabinet Office, and the NSC, should initiate exploratory discussions with a) BT and the Metropolitan Police on the possibilities of adding a public warning module to the Islington trial of a mass warning and information system b) BT about expanding the trial, so that the regional and national concept can be tested and analysed.
9. Further discussions should be held with Intrado and other similar key manufacturers on the potential use, and trialling, of their systems in the UK.
10. Discussions and investigations into the 4Warn Alert (Powerline communication system) product should be continued, and the NSC and Cabinet Office should fully support the concept by facilitating the setting up of an appropriate trial
11. Further investigations should be made into the various low power/conventional solutions and systems
12. The Cabinet Office and NSC should encourage and facilitate the establishment of closer working relationships between the media and the emergency planning community.
13. The Media Issues Group (MIG) of the NSC should engage in the BBC's roll-out process of its new initiative "Connecting in a Crisis" through a programme of regional workshops in order to disseminate guidance and, thereby , promote the NSC's work
14. The MIG should continue to work with the BBC to produce guidance for emergency planners, in order to develop understanding of each others role in the event of an emergency
15. The MIG should provide a supporting service to both the Sirens and New Technology Group, and the Public Education Group by jointly designing a media strategy to promote and disseminate their activities, research and findings
16. The MIG should identify opportunities to share good practice with emergency planning practitioners working in Europe in order to develop a coordinated approach to the media response
17. A UK public safety website should be established, linking all existing sites which offer and promote public safety
18. The video "Go In, Stay In, Tune In" should be reviewed following research of it's use, and due emphasis given to the role of the BBC in developing "Connecting in a Crisis", and similar future initiatives by commercial bodies as they arise. Also the marketing strategy originally developed by the COI (GNN) should be revisited, options costed and bids made of funding prior to a relaunch of the new generation video
19. There should be an exploration of avenues where educational materials can be produced and linked into the UK education curricula, and a development of dialogue with the relevant education departments at national level. A range of safety educational materials should be identified for use within multi-agency safety training programmes
20. "Key Messages" to be directed to the public in times of crisis should be identified, and incorporated into a public information campaign in the UK
21. The PEG should integrate it's activities with those aligned to the development of new technology for communicating with the public: in line with future initiatives/campaigns at the appropriate time