Emergency planning & resilience - Saltford - Saltford Parish Council

The Saltford Emergency Coordinators Group was created to assist emergency response organisations, and to aid community resilience, in the case of a large-scale or village-wide acute emergency (e.g. train accident, unexploded WWII bomb etc).

In an emergency, residents are reminded to contact the emergency services on 999.

Information on this page:

  • What emergencies will the group respond to?
  • What external authority support is available to assist the group?
  • Places of Safety in Saltford
  • How can residents, local organisations and businesses offer support?
  • Communications during an emergency
  • How can residents help during an emergency? (Prepare; Support friends and neighbours; Know what to do if your children are at school)
  • Emergency Alerts

The group is made up of individuals acting in a voluntary capacity, who are part of Saltford Parish Council and Saltford Community Association, as well as the two Saltford B&NES Ward Councillors. Please be aware that the group does not have any responsibility for handling hazards or emergencies directly. B&NES Council is the authority responsible for emergency planning.

Saltford Parish Council has agreed to host Saltford Resilience and Emergency Planning information on its website for ease of access by residents, but the group is independent of the Parish Council.

If there is an acute emergency in or near Saltford that may benefit from a local coordinated response, members of the group will aim to meet immediately to:

  • Act as a point of contact and liaise with the appropriate authorities (emergency services, B&NES Council etc.).
  • Communicate essential information with Saltford residents via SPC’s and/or SCA’s social media / websites / noticeboards (see right sidebar of this page for SPC’s posts).
  • Agree key actions and assign roles within the group to achieve these actions.
  • Request support and/or resource from residents and/or external organisations if required.
  • Look to support vulnerable people (if able and relevant) or signpost residents to support .

What emergencies will the group respond to?

It is impossible to anticipate or prepare for all emergencies. There are some emergencies that the group will be able to act on or support external organisations, whereas others will solely be the responsibility of the appropriate authorities (e.g. the police, B&NES Council or a utility company).

The Saltford Emergency Coordinators Group will assemble and act only when it considers that it can be of use. For instance, if it can assist the emergency services or when its actions would be beneficial for people in Saltford. It is up to the group to decide whether it will meet and/or take action.

The group recognises it is ultimately up to the relevant and responsible authority or authorities to take the lead in any emergency.

What external authority support is available to assist the group?

Emergency Planning for Saltford is the responsibility of B&NES Council, and it is possible (pending the type of emergency) that the group will follow the lead set by the B&NES Council Emergency Planning Team. Their webpage details information on B&NES Council’s role, activity and how the the B&NES Emergency Planning Team can help. Residents can report an emergency to B&NES Council also. The Saltford Emergency Coordinators Group would look to work closely with the B&NES Council Emergency Planning Team if required to support the B&NES team in their work.

B&NES Council is also the Lead Local Flood Authority for Saltford.

B&NES Council is part of the Avon and Somerset Resilience Forum, a multi-agency partnership of different organisation’s including the emergency services, health services, Maritime and Coastal Agency, Environment Agency, voluntary agencies, utility companies, transport providers and local councils. The Avon and Somerset Local Resilience Forum (LRF) is responsible for the Community Risk Register; this provides information on emergencies that could happen within the Avon and Somerset area, together with an assessment of how likely they are to happen and the impacts if they do. Please download a copy of the Community Risk Register (PDF) for full details.

The Avon and Somerset Local Resilience Forum aims to:

  • plan and prepare for emergencies
  • deliver an effective and efficient response to an emergency
  • support and enable communities 
  • prepare for and increase resilience to emergencies.

Places of Safety in Saltford

If you need to evacuate from your home due to a large-scale emergency, or if the emergency services require an emergency assembly point following a significant incident locally, Saltford Hall is the village’s assigned place of safety.

If Saltford Hall is not accessible during an emergency, a second assembly point will be identified. This information will be shared by the Saltford Emergency Coordinators Group and the appropriate authorities, likely via social media and websites.

Saltford’s main place of safety or emergency assembly point is Saltford Hall

Address: Saltford Hall, Wedmore Road, Saltford BS31 3BY.

Map: Click here

What3words: ///inspector.buns.dollar

Directions: Saltford Hall is situated halfway between Bristol and Bath, and access is gained from the A4 Bath Road by turning into either Norman or Beech Road. If accessing from the A4 onto Norman Road, turn left onto Brockley Road, then at the end right onto Stratton Road then immediately left onto Broadway. You will see Saltford Hall directly in front of you. If accessing from the A4 onto Beech Road, turn left at the end of Beech Road onto Norman Road, then turn right onto Stratton Road, follow round and turn gentle right onto Chelwood Road and follow round – just beyond the play park is Saltford Hall on the right.

If leaving home for a place of safety, you may wish to bring personal belongings such as: medication; warm clothes; phone & charger; snacks/water; ID; keys; essential toiletries; wallet/cash/card; glasses; torch.

Saltford Hall has a large hall and five meeting rooms meaning it has a capacity for a high number of people if required. Saltford Hall has: accessible entry; tables; chairs; toilets (inc. one disabled toilet); heating; kitchen; cooker; fridge; refreshment facilities; small office area; telephones; good quality WiFi; baby changing facilities (in accessible toilet); some storage space; parking in the nearby Wedmore Road car park. Please note it does not have: designated changing space; washing facilities other than in toilet areas; a children’s area, creche or toys; or a multi-faith room. Pets are allowed in Saltford Hall an emergency if caged / under control.

How can residents, local organisations and businesses offer support?

Residents, local groups and businesses can help support the ‘Emergency Co-ordinators Group’ by offering skills, resource and time if a large-scale or village-wide emergency occurs.

If you are able to offer help during an emergency please follow SPC’s and SCA’s social media feeds for support and resource requests (if the internet is down, please check the noticeboards by the shops). Saltford Parish Council is on Facebook and X (with posts shared on the right-hand bar of its website also), and Saltford Community Association is on Facebook.

If you are able to help in an emergency and have skills (electrician, plumber etc); resources (vehicles, a supply of blankets, wholesale food); or are medically trained, please respond to any posts requesting specific help. A phone number may also be set up for people to call to offer support. A member of the Saltford Emergency Coordinators Group will aim to respond to any messages received (this may take some time pending the nature of the emergency and members of the group available).

In agreeing to help in an emergency, please note that you agree to your personal information being held by members of the Saltford Emergency Coordinators Group and to your details being shared with other people as necessary. Your details will not be held or shared for any other purpose.

Physical lists of those who may be able to offer help and support are not being kept as it is unknown what emergency the village may encounter, when an emergency may occur and who may be available to help. Lists go out of date very quickly and can therefore be unreliable.

Residents are encouraged to report issues directly to the appropriate authorities. Contact information can be found on SPC’s Report It page. As above, in an emergency call 999.

Communications during an emergency

As above, messages from the Saltford Emergency Coordinators Group will be shared with residents via Saltford Parish Council’s and Saltford Community Associations social media feeds.

Saltford Parish Council uses Facebook and X. Its social media feeds are also displayed on the right-hand side of its website. Residents do not need to be active members of Facebook and X to view posts on SPC’s website.

If the internet is down, hardcopy notices will be displayed on the noticeboards by the parade of shops on the A4 Bath Road (nearest shop to noticeboards is Day Lewis Pharmacy – 493 Bath Rd, BS31 3HQ). Noticeboard at What3words ///evoked.static.repeating

How can residents help during an emergency?

Prepare:

The best way for residents to help in an emergency is to take practical steps to ensure and improve their own resilience. Taking practical steps to improve resilience and prepare for emergencies will help the emergency services cope if the worse happens.

To prepare for an emergency, please see the Government website page ‘Preparing for emergencies’.

Residents may wish to create and print their own Household Emergency Plan. Plans need to be kept in a safe and accessible place. These can vary in content, so find one to suit your needs. Household Emergency Plan templates can be found here and here. Prepare a kit of essential items such as your insurance documents, a torch, a wind-up or battery radio, warm clothing and blankets, a first aid kit and any prescription medicine, bottled water and nonperishable foods.

If flooding is a particular concern a Property Flood Resilience Toolkit has helpful preparation information. Please also see here and here for a checklist of actions, and here for an emergency grab list of items you may need if leaving a flooded property.

Please also refer to Saltford Parish Council’s Report It webpage, which has useful contact information including for the police, B&NES Council and the Environment Agency. The ‘Report It’ page also contains guidance or links on what to do and relevant contact details in instances of flooding, gas leaks, power cuts, and water leaks. This page also has guidance from the Met Office about flooding advice; and community resilience during rain, snow and ice, thunderstorms and lightning, strong winds and gales, fog and extreme heat.

Saltford Parish Council’s Local Community Organisations webpage has helpful contact information. This includes St Augustine’s Surgery’s ‘Help us to Help You – How to Access Care and Support’ document which contains a list of contact information and the link to St Augustine’s NHS Wellbeing and Health Directory.

Support friends and neighbours

Residents can help by checking on their friends and neighbours and sharing resources and information. Please only do this if it is safe to do so.

In particular, please make contact with friends or neighbours who may be vulnerable. For example in extreme weather or during a power/utilities shortage please check that any elderly or disabled neighbours are keeping hydrated, warm and well.

Please also share information with those who may not have access to the internet (key messages from the Saltford Emergency Coordinators Group will be shared via social media, see above under ‘communications’).

Know what to do if your children are at school

If children are at school and there is an emergency it is understandable that their parents and guardians will want to collect them as soon as possible.

Please remember all schools have plans to manage local emergencies, such as flood and fire. They also have their own assigned place of safety if they need to leave the school site. Teachers and other school staff will do all they can to look after pupils in their charge. To find out more about school emergency planning, visit www.teachernet.gov.uk/emergencies

Emergency information will be made available on individual school websites, see here for Saltford Primary School and Wellsway School. Local radio stations may also provide information and advice, as B&NES Council may provide local media outlets with information about where and how to collect children during an emergency. The Saltford Emergency Coordinators Group will share any information if received from local schools.

Emergency Alerts

Emergency Alerts to phones were nationally trialled in April 2023. Please find out more about Emergency Alerts in a factsheet here. More information can also be found here https://www.gov.uk/alerts

You may get alerts about severe flooding, fires and/or extreme weather.

Emergency alerts will only be sent by the emergency services, government departments, agencies and public bodies that deal with emergencies.

When you get an emergency alert – Your mobile phone or tablet may make a loud siren-like sound, even if it’s set on silent, vibrate and/or read out the alert. The sound and vibration will last for about 10 seconds.

Saltford Hall is Saltford’s assigned place of safety.
Address: Saltford Hall, Wedmore Road, Saltford BS31 3BY.
Map: here What3words: ///inspector.buns.dollar Directions above.
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