WMRMB - keeping you informed

Resilience A firefighter tackles a car fire

This section of WMRMB’s website has been provided to provide information to the public, businesses and voluntary and community groups on risks that exist and on what to do when incidents occur. This part of the site tells you what the Government and the fire and rescue services are doing to prepare for emergencies. The Government's aim is to reduce the risk from emergencies so that people can go about their business freely and with confidence. This means that the Government is working hard to make sure that the UK is as prepared as it can be in the event of an emergency. The Government also has a comprehensive programme of work to ensure an effective response to a range of disruptive emergencies that might affect the UK.

Communities and Local Government works with the fire and rescue services (FRS) of WMRMB and other regions to counter the loss of lives and livelihoods through fire. Communities and Local Government has a target to reduce domestic fire-related deaths by 20 per cent and arson by 10 per cent by 31 March 2010 by working with the FRS. This means a renewed focus on fire prevention and action developed locally to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable groups.

Communities and Local Government also works towards ensuring the UK’s ability to respond to major emergencies by providing infrastructure, equipment and training to the FRS and working regionally and locally to develop plans in collaboration across government and with other stakeholders.

The concept of 'resilience' has long been used to describe individuals with the ability to withstand or recovery easily and quickly from illness or hardship. It is a term that can easily be applied to organisations or even societies. The Government uses the term resilience when talking about national security and emergency preparedness. Resilience in this sense means ensuring that the country as a whole can handle and recover quickly from any emergency, such as a major flood, terrorist attack or industrial accident.