Power Resilience Strategy
North Lanarkshire Council · 8 February 2023
Back to Environment and Climate Change Committee — 8 February 2023 and its agenda
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Environment and Climate Change Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref: AM Date 08/02/23 Power Resilience Strategy From Chief Officer (Community Operations) E-mail mcphersona@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07939 280467 Executive Summary A Black Start event is the name for the recovery process following a complete (or partial) shutdown of the Great Britain (GB) electricity system (National Electricity Transmissions Failure) where the planning assumption is that full power restoration could take up to seven days. The timeframe to a full power cut is likely to be less than 2-minutes, meaning there will be no preparation time. The planning arrangements for such a recovery process are described under the term Power Resilience. Within the last United Kingdom Government National Risk Assessment, Black Start is rated as a medium likelihood with significant impacts. Although the Council has well documented and comprehensive business continuity planning measures in place, all of these are based on the assumption that there will be a national power supply available. As a consequence, the Scottish Government have requested that in addition to normal business continuity arrangements all public bodies should also have a stand-alone Power Resilience Strategy which would be enacted in the event of any failure of the national grid system. The report provides details of the Power Resilience Strategy that is now in place for the Council. Recommendations It is recommended that Committee: 1. Supports the implementation of the Power Resilience Strategy for the Council. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities Ambition statement (14) Ensure the highest standards of public protection
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1. Background 1.1 A Black Start event is the name for the recovery process following a complete (or partial) shutdown of the Great Britain (GB) electricity system (National Electricity Transmissions Failure) where the planning assumption is that full power restoration could take up to seven days. The timeframe to a full power cut is likely to be less than 2-minutes, meaning there will be no preparation time. 1.2 The planning arrangements for such a recovery process are described under the term Power Resilience. Within the last United Kingdom Government National Risk Assessment, Black Start is rated as a medium likelihood with significant impacts. 1.3 Although the council has well documented and comprehensive business continuity planning measures in place, all of these are based on the assumption that there will be a national power supply available. As a consequence, the Scottish Government have requested that in addition to normal business continuity arrangements all public bodies should have a stand-alone Power Resilience Strategy which would be enacted in the event of any failure of the national grid system. 1.4 Full details of the council’s Strategy are contained at Appendix 1. All appendices for the document have been removed due to the sensitive and personal information contained within them. 1.5 It should also be noted that although this specific strategy relates to a Black Start event, the resilience measures that are being put in place would also cover the key recommendations outlined within the recent Storm Arwen report and would also enhance the resilience of the council and local communities in the event of a more localised power failure or any other emergency incident. 2. Report 2.1 In the event of a Black Start event, it is anticipated that around 70% of properties will start to receive a power supply within 3 days, however as this will be a unique event and any reconnection will most likely be subject to severe disruption, the planning assumption from the Scottish Government is to assume a potential Black Start event lasting for a period of up to 7 days. The table below provides an indication of anticipated timeline of restoration: Timeline Recovery Point of failure Point of failure to full NETS failure is estimated at less than two minutes, leaving no opportunity for alert or mitigation. 0-2 Hours Some power stations expected back online as part of re- establishing the National Grid but where and when unknown. 2-6 Hours Power progressively restored to customers (circa 5%) as power stations restart and form power islands. 6-12 Hours Power islands begin to join up to form skeleton transmission network (circa 10% restored).
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12-48 Hours Rota load disconnections used to ration power if needed (circa 60% restored). 2-7 Days Continuation of rota load disconnections. • Day 3 circa 70% restored • Day 4 circa 85% restored • Day 5 circa 90% restored • Day 6 circa 95% restored • Day 7 circa 100% restored 7–14 Days Potential of intermittent widespread disruption via rota load disconnection. 2.2 The Power Resilience Response Centre (PRRC) will act as the site for the strategic response to a Black Start event and this will be located at the Community Safety Hub, Unit 1E North Caldeen Rd, Coatbridge, ML5 4EF as at present this is the only building in the Council estate with back-up generator capability and therefore power resilient. 2.3 Police Scotland will notify designated key personnel of the council of the Black Start event together with the Community Safety Hub. Upon receiving this notification, all other key personnel will be contacted by officers within the Community Safety Hub and the Power Resilience Management Team (PRMT) stood up and chaired by the Chief Executive or nominated depute. The PRMT will coordinate the overall Council response and will liaise with all external partners though the Lanarkshire Multi Agency Co- Ordination Centre (MACC) located at the Police Scotland Offices, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell. 2.4 Throughout the event, all available resources of the Council will be solely focussed on the preservation of life and accordingly all resources will be channelled into maintaining and supporting the following key critical service areas: Service Area Purpose Social Care To identify and support vulnerable persons where there is risk to life or limb. Fleet/ Fuel Provision of fuel and fleet vehicles to allow delivery of key critical services throughout the district. Housing Solutions Delivery of services relevant to sheltered housing complexes and high-rise buildings and provision of accommodation for those homeless either because of the Black Start or otherwise. Asset and Procurement Solutions Opening of key buildings that will be used in response to Black Start and staffing of these facilities. Communications Initiate and maintain communication with staff, the public and Elected Members Roads In severe weather, keep access roads clear for critical buildings (including care homes) to allow key personnel and emergency services access.
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It should be emphasised that no other services will be delivered over the course of the event as every effort will be provided to ensuring that the above key services are delivered. Each of these areas have a dedicated power resilience plan to ensure that this will be done – a copy of which is included within the overall strategy. 2.5 Although each of the critical service areas detailed above will have a detailed plan as to how they will be delivered, there will be several routine tasks that will require to be delivered throughout the period of the event outwith or in support of the above critical service areas. This may include communication tasks, vehicle delivery etc. As this response will be on a 24 hour basis a sizeable number of volunteers will be required. A pool of around 100 volunteers will therefore be kept within the strategy so that they can be contacted in the event of any such incident occurring. 2.6 Effective communication throughout any Black Start event will be critical but also extremely challenging. The Power Resilience Strategy outlines the key groups of people who will require regular contact and the methods of providing that communication: • General Public – to provide reassurance that the event is being effectively managed to prevent/ limit social unrest. • Key Elected Members – Leader/ Depute Leader/ MP/ MSP • Members of the PRMT and operational support • Strategic Partners – Police Scotland, NHS Lanarkshire etc. 2.7 Although there are several methods which will be utilised to ensure effective communication to all parties (face to face visits, billboards etc) communication between the PRMT and the operational support teams delivering the Council response will be time critical and an immediate and reliable communication method must therefore be available. The Scottish Government planning assumption is that no power based telephony system will be available although it may be that mobile telephony will be available for the first four hours. Considering this, and in the absence of any national solution, the Resilience Planning Team have assessed that the only guarantee of effective internal communication over this event will be through satellite telephony. In response, 20 satellite phones have now been purchased and will be retained within the Community Safety Hub and deployed in the event of any Black Start or other emergency incident which would benefit from their use. 2.8 Together with the provision of satellite phones, regular communication with residents will be critical to maintaining public confidence and limit any level of unrest. Although national messaging will be available to residents with battery-operated or in-car radios, it is important that some evidence of this being managed at a local level is also evident. To deliver regular local messaging, public information boards will be provided on the gates of most primary schools so the message is delivered to all local communities. This messaging will be delivered through A3 inserts to boards which will have already been put in place at the entrance to all primary schools. Again, these Boards would also be available for community/ school use at all times and not just exclusively for the purpose of a Black Start event. 2.9 Although the entire resource of the Council will be focussed on the preservation of life, it is accepted that there will be an expectation from the public that there will be some front facing contact made available to allow direct contact with those persons involved in the overall response. To accommodate this, 9 Public Assistance Centres (PACs) will be deployed across the Council area with one in each of the nine Community Board areas.
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2.10 A full list of the PACs, together with a location map, is contained within the Strategy and attached at Appendix 2 of this report. The purpose of these facilities will be to comply with the Power Resilience Guidance which has been issued for such centres: • To provide a destination where members of the public can physically attend to speak to someone involved in the Black Start response and be provided with the most up to date position. This will provide a physical point of contact which is an important part of the response. • To provide a base should emergency services require shelter or where emergency supplies (water etc) can be dropped off and made ready for distribution. • To provide a facility of last resort for emergency evacuation/ shelter for any individual(s) e.g. passengers stranded at a railway station in freezing temperatures. • Facilities will be manned and operational 24 hours per day. • A vehicle will be deployed to each PAC which can be utilised in the event of any emergency and to assist with communication with the PRRC. • Each PAC will be provided with a satellite telephone which will allow direct and immediate contact with the PRRC. • For operational and safety reasons, a minimum of three people will be deployed at each PAC. 2.11 At present none of the PACs are provided with any power resilience. To address this, nine mobile generators have been purchased and will be deployed at each of the sites to allow each building to be provided with heat and light. Discussions have also taken place with Scottish Power Energy Networks with a request that they contribute towards this cost. This fits with the outcomes from the recent Storm Arwen report which recommends that power resilience should be increased across public bodies and the energy network. 2.12 In keeping with the principle that anything purchased in preparation of a Black Start event should also be multi-purpose, the generators purchased are mobile which will allow their use in any other council response, and their purchase would also increase the overall emergency resilience of the council by making nine of the current designated rest centres power resilient. 2.13 Irrespective of the effectiveness of the council response and indeed that of our strategic partners, key to the successful management of any Black Start event will be an effective community response. To facilitate this, the Resilience Planning team together with the council’s Community Partnership Team have delivered enhanced ‘Resilience Grab Bags’ to all key community groups. The purpose of these bags is to provide both information and equipment which will assist communities in dealing with events affecting their local area. Along with the standard winter response equipment, this will also include information and equipment to assist in the event of any Black Start event e.g. walkie talkies. Further to this, full details of the strategy will also be presented to all Community Boards so they are fully sited. 2.14 Throughout the period of the event there will be no mechanism for the general public to purchase any food. Any attempt by the Council to assist in the delivery of food to all 360,000 residents over this period is completely unrealistic. Residents will be encouraged to work together, supporting others through existing resilient community and voluntary groups and this is included within the information provided to communities through the Resilience Grab Bags. It should be reiterated that the PACs will not be utilised to deliver a drop in facility for local residents seeking food and they
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will only be made available to members of the public who are facing a serious threat to life. 2.15 Similar to food, the priority for Scottish Water will be to keep drinking water flowing/available where possible with a focus on hospitals, prisons and critical national infrastructure. Bottled or tankered water will not be supplied to Local Authorities however we will facilitate the distribution of water supplies through the PACs if this is required. 2.16 As with the Council being advised of the start of a Black Start event, the Council will also be notified when the event has ended. Receipt of this notification will then allow the Council to move from an incident response phase to a recovery phase. The recovery process from a Black Start may be challenging and long-term and priority will continue to be given to those most in need throughout the recovery process. The recovery phase from a Black Start event will also be included as a specific item within Business Continuity Plans for all Service areas. 3. Measures of success 3.1 An effective response to any Black Start event affecting the Council area. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 – Power Resilience Strategy 4.2 Appendix 2 – List and Map Showing all Public Assistance Centres Andrew McPherson Chief Officer (Community Operations)
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5. Impacts ( http://connect/report-template-guidance ) 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality-and-fairer- scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts have been discussed and agreed with Financial Solutions? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Prior to approval of the proposed strategy, funding was secured from current capital and revenue resources for the purchase of the items detailed above. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts have been discussed and agreed with People and Organisational Development? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts have been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic Solutions? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Contingency Planning) (Scotland) Regulations 2005 define local authorities as Category 1 Responders and as such we are required to fulfil the statutory obligations in respect of contingency planning and business continuity. 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐
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5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Agreement now in place with Datavita to allow access to their facility from designated officers from Health and Social Care. Where the impact identifies a requirement for technology, has an assessment been carried out (or scheduled) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Communications Team fully involved in the development of the Strategy and details of their input are included within the Strategy. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? The absence of any strategy relevant to a Black Start event would expose the Council to criticism and potential legal challenge. The risk with regards to Power Resilience is a stand-alone Corporate risk.
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Appendix 1 – Power Resilience Strategy
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POWER RESILIENCE STRATEGY NOVEMBER 2022
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Document Control Title Power Resilience Strategy Owner Contact Governance Group Author T Murphy Contact Revision History Number Originator Date Review Commenced Revision description / record of change Version 1 Nov 2022 Document approvals Number Governance Group Date approval granted Date approval to be requested (If document still draft) CMT Consultation Record (for most recent update) Status of document consulted upon Stakeholders consulted / date Strategic Alignment Next review date Review date December 2023 Andrew McPherson mcphersona@northlan.gov.uk Corporate Resilience Management Team murphyte@northlan.gov.uk Version 1 CMT 22/11/2022 N/A Live All services wihtin the Council during year before document approved at CMT. Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities.
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3 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 Contents 1. Background and Purpose of Document 4 2. Planning Assumptions 5 3. Power Resilience Response Centre 6 4. Activation 7 5. Governance 9 6. Critical Services 11 7. Communications 12 8. IT Capability 14 9. Community Engagement / Resilience 15 10. Power Resilience Volunteers 16 11. Food/Water 17 12. Recovery 18 Appendices 1. Power Resilience Response Centre Map ? 2. PRRS Generator Monitoring / Maintenance Procedure ? 3. Power Resilience Response Kit ? 4. PRRC Activation Procedure ? 5. Key Contacts / Confirmation of contact ? 6. PRMT Agenda ? 7. Action Log ? 8. Social Care Power Resilience Procedure ? 9. Fleet Power Resilience Procedure ? 10. Housing Solutions Power Resilience Procedure ? 11. Asset & Procurement Solutions Power Resilience Procedure ? 12. Communications Power Resilience Procedure ? 13. Roads Power Resilience Procedure ? 14. Message Template ? 15. Public Assistance Centres ? 16. Public Information Boards ? 17. Example Information Notice ? 18. Power Resilience Support Team ?
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4 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 1. Background A Black Start event is the name for the recovery process following a complete (or partial) shutdown of the Great Britain (GB) electricity system (National Electricity Transmissions Failure), where the planning assumption is full power restoration could take up to seven days. The timeframe to a full power cut is likely to be less than 2-minutes, meaning there will be no preparation time. The planning arrangements for such a recovery process are described under the term Power Resilience. Within the last United Kingdom Government National Risk Assessment, Black Start is rated with medium likelihood and significant impacts. Although the Council has well documented and comprehensive business continuity planning measures in place, all of these are based on the assumption that there will be a national power supply available. As a consequence, the Scottish Government have requested that in addition to normal business continuity arrangements all public bodies should also have a stand-alone Power Resilience Strategy which would be enacted in the event of any failure of the national grid system. In short, the delivery of any Council Services during a Black Start event will be limited to those critical services which are required to preserve life and every available resource available to the Council during this event will be dedicated to this task. All other normal Council services and priorities will be suspended over this time. The aim of this document is to provide a framework for and to enhance the Council’s power resilience arrangements. The objectives of this plan are to: • Outline and develop arrangements to be progressed in preparation for a Black Start. • Establish an activation framework to ensure an appropriate response to these conditions. • Outline the measures to ensure effective communications with the community, Council Officers, Elected Members and partner organisations. • Facilitate a corporate, coordinated response to Black Start. • Provide the framework for continued provision of essential services to the community to protect human life. • To minimise the harmful effects of the emergency. • Suspend all non-critical services to maintain and enhance essential services at an appropriate level. • To provide mutual support and co-operation between responders. • To open and operate community-based emergency Public Assistance Centres. • To support the local community and their part in response and recovery. • To promote a swift return to a normal life.
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5 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 2. Planning Assumptions This Power Resilience Strategy is based on the following planning assumptions: • The National Electricity Transmission System (NETS) failure is identified by the Scottish Risk Assessment (SRA) as a High civil emergency risk. • Government support will be limited so local responders need to manage the incident with local resources. • Power resilience planning arrangements assume no power for a period of up to 7 days but many of the legacy impacts will take longer to resolve. • Business continuity impacts on private, public and third sector organisations, including transport, finance, retail, manufacturing, and the production and distribution of food and fuel will place unprecedented, unconventional demand on emergency responders to sustain critical services and support communities. • Total failure of the NETS will impact multiple sectors and disrupt day to day activities creating direct and indirect threats to life and challenges for operational capacity. • Impacts will be widespread and cumulative as infrastructure and sectors struggle, further compounding challenges. • Continuous Airwave radio operation is not guaranteed, mobile telephony and access to the internet / internet telephony will not be available. Limited landline and RAYNET capability may be available in some areas. • Partners will develop specific power resilience business continuity plans. • In looking for information, welfare support and security the public may gravitate to any place or building with a functioning power supply regardless of its primary purpose, be that a hospital or police station for example. • Public order and the security of premises may become an issue. • The anticipated timeline for the restoration of mains electricity supplies from the initial point of a failure is noted below: Timeline Recovery Point of failure Point of failure to full NETS failure is estimated at less than two minutes, leaving no opportunity for alert or mitigation. 0-2 Hours Some power stations expected back online as part of re-establishing the National Grid but where and when unknown. 2-6 Hours Power progressively restored to customers (circa 5%) as power stations restart and form power islands. 6-12 Hours Power islands begin to join up to form skeleton transmission network (circa 10% restored). 12-48 Hours Rota load disconnections used to ration power if needed (circa 60% restored). 2-7 Days Continuation of rota load disconnections. • Day 3 circa 70% restored • Day 4 circa 85% restored • Day 5 circa 90% restored • Day 6 circa 95% restored • Day 7 circa 100% restored 7 – 14 Days Potential of intermittent widespread disruption via rota load disconnection.
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6 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 3. Power Resilience Response Centre It will be critical to have a central Power Resilience Response Centre (PRRC) where the response to the Black Start will be coordinated from. Obviously, this facility will have to be power resilient. The Community Safety Hub, Unit 1E North Caldeen Rd Coatbridge ML5 4EF will be the site for the strategic response to a Black Start event as at present this is the only building in the NLC estate with back-up generator capability. The generator can provide power for 5-7 days and can be refuelled while operating if fuel is available. A location map for the facility is contained within Appendix 1 to this document. To ensure generator capacity is maintained, regular checks and testing of the generator are undertaken by the Community Safety Hub which will also include sufficient fuel supply to guarantee 7 days of operation. Further details on the testing is contained within Appendix 2 and will be implemented and monitored on an ongoing basis by the Community Safety Hub. A Black Start Response Kit has been deployed at the Community Safety Hub. This has a copy of the Power Resilience Plan and instruction for personnel at the Hub as to what action should be taken immediately in the event of notification of a Black Start by Police Scotland. A copy of the information and equipment contained within the response kit is contained at Appendix 3.
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7 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 4. Activation This protocol will be activated by Lanarkshire’s Divisional Chief Superintendent or Divisional Superintendent, based on information passed to Police Scotland Service Overview by power companies including SPEN who manage Lanarkshire’s electricity distribution network. A NETS failure event will prompt Police Scotland to declare a Major Incident on behalf of Scotland’s Resilience Partnerships. There will be no further information cascade by power companies whose priority will be to restore power to the national grid. Police Scotland Service Overview and Area Control Rooms will therefore take responsibility to cascade notifications to Category 1 and 2 Responders. If during office hours, initial contact will be attempted by telephone to LRP partner resilience leads and thereafter police officers will be sent to the headquarters / main offices of partner responders. If outwith office hours, contact will be attempted via details held by Police Area Control Rooms. Partners will provide representation at the designated local Multi-Agency Coordination Centre (MACC) location (as detailed below) to facilitate management of the incident. • Police Scotland Divisional HQ (127 Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, ML1 1RZ) Representation to the MACC will be through the Head of Regulatory Services and Waste Solutions or in their absence the Resilience Development Co- Ordinator. The local MACC will be co-ordinated by Police and partners will agree meeting frequency, mindful that remote comms will be very limited, so face to face meetings may be the norm. The West of Scotland on-call Police Emergency Planning Adviser will inform the West of Scotland Regional Resilience Partnership (WoSRRP) Co- ordinators who will advise multi-agency partners if a Regional Resilience Partnership meeting is convened. External Notification Police Scotland will inform the Council of the declared Black Start through contact with the following key personnel: • Des Murray • Derek Brown • Andrew McPherson • Teresa Murphy • Community Safety Hub This will be completed through an immediate SMS message to the designated phone numbers and by a visit by a police officer to the Community Safety Hub.
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8 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 Internal Notification Following notification to the Community Safety Hub by Police Scotland the Black Start response will be initiated by relevant personnel at the Hub which will then formally transfer to the PRRC until such times as the Black Start event is stood down. An appropriate Black Start Response Procedure (Appendix 4) is held within the PRRC and this will be accessed by the nominated personnel within the PRRC. To facilitate this initial response, all staff operating within the Community Safety Hub will immediately be deployed to assist in the initial contact process. The first response will involve contacting all key personnel who will form the Power Resilience Management Team and will be responsible for coordinating the Council response. A full list of the key contacts is contained within Appendix 5 and will contain core members of the Corporate Management Team and Corporate Resilience Management Team. Members of the PRRC initiating this response will contact all key personnel and then record how they have been contacted. This will be through several different options: 1. Global SMS message 2. Telephone while available. 3. In person through a visit to the home address if there is no response to the above two options. All contacts will be asked to attend the PRRC as soon as possible. On arrival at the PRRC the Power Resilience Management Team (PRMT) will be stood up and this will be chaired by the Chief Executive or in his absence the Head of Regulatory Services and Waste Solutions. It will be the intention to commence the first meeting of the PRMT within two hours of the initial notification of the Black Start event from Police Scotland.
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9 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 The overall governance for the black start response is summarised in the diagram below: 5. Governance SGoRR / SCG LRP / MACC PRMT Comms Public Information Staff Information Elected Member Information Operations General Public Public Protection Care for People Home Care / Persons at Risk Fuel SGoRR – Scottish Government Resilience Room When the scale or complexity of an emergency is such that some degree of central government co- ordination or support becomes necessary, Scottish Government will activate its emergency response arrangements through SGoRR. The precise role of SGoRR will vary depending on the nature of the emergency. SGoRR will: • provide strategic direction for Scotland • co-ordinate and support the activity of SG Directorates • collate and maintain a strategic picture of the emergency response with a particular focus on response and recovery issues • brief Ministers • ensure effective communication between local, Scottish and UK levels, including the co-ordination of reports on the response and recovery effort • support response and recovery efforts as appropriate, including the allocation of scarce Scottish resources • determine the Scottish Government’s public communication strategy and co-ordinate national public messages in consultation with SCGs and other key stakeholders • disseminate national advice and information for the public, through the media • if appropriate, liaise and work in partnership with the UK Government. SCG – Strategic Coordination Group Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 Category 1 responders have a duty to co-operate/share information. This undertaken through Regional Resilience Partnerships (RRP), and Local Resilience Partnerships (LRP). In cases where it becomes clear that the complexity or scale of an emergency requires resources, expertise or co-ordination beyond the capacity of the tactical level, it may be necessary to invoke the strategic level of management to take overall command and set the strategic direction. Once this occurs, tactical commanders will direct operations within the context of any direction or parameters set by the strategic group.
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10 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 MACC/LRP A local Multi Agency Co-ordination Centre (MACC) will be convened at the Police Scotland Q Division HQ at Motherwell Police Station, Windmillhill Street, ML1 1RZ to enable communication and co-ordination of the response between partner agencies that make up the Local Resilience Partnership (LRP) i.e. North and South Lanarkshire Councils, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service and Category 2 Responders (the Utility Companies). The frequency of meetings will be determined by Police Scotland who will chair the meeting and North Lanarkshire Council will be represented at this meeting by the Head of Regulatory Services and Waste Solutions (or Depute). Initially Airwave handsets or mobile telephony will be used for communication between the MACC and PRRC but in the failure of this designated runners will be required to communicate information between the two groups. The on-call Police Emergency Procedures Advisers will also inform the West of Scotland Regional Resilience Partnership (WoSRRP) Co-ordinators. WoSRRP Co-ordinators will contact multi-agency partners in event that a Regional Resilience Partnership meeting is convened. PRMT The role of the Power Resilience Management Team is to: • Determine the strategic aim and objectives for response (see below). • Establish a policy for the overall co-ordination of the corporate response and ensure appropriate resourcing and access to expertise at all levels. • Liaise with strategic managers of other agencies and ensure that the aim, objectives and policies are integrated with those of the LRP and Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). • Liaise with the Local Resilience Partnership (LRP) / Police Scotland Divisional Commander at the MACC at Motherwell Police Station. • Integrate key communication with the public. Where possible establish liaison with local radio. • Prioritise the demands of tactical managers and allocate limited strategic resources (such as fuel) and expertise to meet high priority tactical requirements in line with prevailing environmental conditions. • Provide a focus for liaison and communication with LRP (local Police Scotland Divisional Commander). • Where possible establish communication with the Leader, Senior Elected Members, local Members of Parliament (MPs) and local/regional Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). • Plan and co-ordinate recovery and a return to a state of normality. The agenda for PRMT meetings will follow a standard format contained as Appendix 6 although the Chief Executive/ delegate will have discretion to vary the agenda as response needs emerge. The agenda will focus on the critical services i.e. those services previously identified by Heads of Service that are essential to preserve human life. All actions emerging and agreed at the PRMT will be logged in accordance with Appendix 7 and the recording of all meetings will be undertaken by a trained loggist.
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11 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 6. Critical Services All available resource of the Council will be focussed on the preservation of life and accordingly all resources of the Council will be channelled into the following key critical service areas: Service Area Purpose Social Care To identify and support vulnerable persons where there is risk to life or limb. Fleet/ Fuel Provision of fuel and fleet vehicles to allow delivery of key critical services throughout the district. Housing Solutions Delivery of services relevant to sheltered housing complexes and high- rise buildings and provision of accommodation for those homeless either because of the Black Start or otherwise. Asset and Procurement Solutions Opening of key buildings that will be used in response to Black Start and staffing of these facilities. Communications Initiate and maintain communication with staff, the public and Elected Members Roads In severe weather, keep access roads clear for key personnel and emergency services to critical buildings including care homes. Updates on all the above Services will be delivered through the standard PRMT agenda, however specific Black Start response documents for each activity are included within Appendices 8-13. These documents outline how that service will deliver its critical function. It should be emphasised that throughout the period of the Black Start event, no other service areas will be delivered by the Council and every resource will be channelled into delivery of the above critical service areas.
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12 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 7. Communications Internal The reasonable worst case planning assumption is that all forms of communication (mobile, internet, and landline) will be lost immediately or degrade over the first day. Although any short- term mobile connectivity (potentially up to 4 hours) will be exploited as much as possible, this is not guaranteed and will not be a long-term option. Outwith the PRMT meetings detailed above, internal communication shall be maintained through the following mechanisms taking into account this planning assumption. • Air Wave Capability There are 2 air wave radios currently held by the Resilience Development Co-ordinator and Resilience Development Officer. On activation of this plan one will be used in the PRRC and the second used by the representative at the MACC or as required. The planning assumption will be that full Airwave connectivity will be available. • Satellite Telephone System In the absence of any definite mobile telephone capability, satellite telephones/ batteries and chargers will be utilised to allow 24-hour connectivity with the Public Assistance Centres locations and key facilities such as Bellshill depot as required. The hand-held units and batteries will be stored in the Community Safety Hub when not in use. During an incident the batteries will be recharged as required in the PRRC. • Face to Face Council vehicles will be positioned at the PRRC and PACs and used to transfer staff to allow face to face communication between PRRC and PACs, key staff, MACC, external agencies and Elected Members. Where communication is made by any member of the public with any employee at the PACs the details of this conversation/ request will be recorded in accordance with the template message form contained at Appendix 15. The purpose of this will be to ensure that the requests from members of the public receive a decision. External Partner Communication Communication with Resilience Partners will be through attendance at the MACC meetings by the Head of Regulatory Services and Waste Solutions or depute. Public Communication Communicating with the public will be crucial to: • Provide reassurance and alleviate concerns • Provide practical information and support • Outline what is being done to bring the situation to a conclusion It is inevitable in a Black Start event that people will panic as communication through the normal channels (tv, digital, radio, print) will not be available. Alternative ways to communicate to the public is therefore essential to deliver key messages providing assurance that the incident is being effectively managed and that public order is maintained. It has been identified that several Public Assistance Centres will be established and supported by Public Information Boards which will provide updated information at key points throughout the day.
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13 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 Public Assistance Centres Public Assistance Centres (PACs) will be set up in 9 Council facilities, with one in each of the nine Community Board areas. These facilities will be opened and staffed by council employees and a full list of the PACs, together with a location map, is contained at Appendix 15. All PACs will have generated power which will allow basic lighting, heat and the provision of hot drinks. The purpose of these facilities will be: • To provide a destination where members of the public can physically attend to speak to someone involved in the Black Start response and be provided with the most up to date position. This will provide a physical point of contact which is an important part of the response. • To provide a base should emergency services require shelter or where emergency supplies (water etc) can be dropped off and made ready for distribution. • A vehicle will also be deployed to each PAC which can be utilised in the event of any emergency and to assist with communication with the PRRC. • The intention will be to keep these facilities manned and operational 24 hours per day. • Each PAC will be provided with a satellite telephone which will allow direct and immediate contact with the PRRC. • For operational and safety reasons, a minimum of three people will be deployed at each PAC. • Provide a facility of last resort for emergency evacuation/ shelter for any individual(s). It should be emphasised that these facilities will not be used to make people comfortable; rather only when they need shelter to prevent any threat to life e.g. passengers stranded at a railway station in freezing temperatures. Due to these 9 facilities being power resilient, it will be likely that this will also draw unwanted attention. At the outset of the Black Start event, details of the 9 PACs will be provided to Police Scotland at the first meeting at the MACC which will allow use of the facilities of all emergency services but also allow a police presence in and around the facilities when required. The opening of each of the PACs is contained within the specific black start response procedure listed at Appendix 11. Public Information Boards To complement the PACs, every primary school within the area will be utilised as a Public Information Board (PIB). This will allow regular updates on the event to be posted at agreed time frames. These time frames will need to be flexible, but at the start of the event updates will be posted at 9am, 2pm and 8pm. The boards, where possible, will be placed and secured to the front gate of the school but decisions will be made for the most appropriate location at each school so that it is clearly visible and all information bulletins will be highlighted so they are easily recognisable. Each PIB will also provide information on the nearest PAC. A list of all PIBs together with location maps are contained within Appendix 16 and an example of the first information announcement is contained at Appendix 17. National Messaging It is possible that members of the public will still have access to broadcasts (mobile phones with power, car radios, wind up or battery powered radios etc) which will be maintained nationally throughout the Black Start period and accordingly the public will be advised to listen for public service announcements through BBC Radio Scotland on the appropriate radio frequencies. Elected Member Communication All elected members have a supportive role to play within their local communities and they will be provided with Black Start information packs which will provide the key messages of the overall response e.g. position of the PACS/PIBs etc. In addition to the information to be provided to every elected member, during any Black Start event, regular visits will be made to the Leader and Depute Leader of the Council by a representative from the PRMT to advise of the actions being taken. Where possible, visits will also be made to all MP’s and MSP’s to provide a similar update. The frequency of any face to face visits will be determined by the PRMT and will depend upon the level and criticality of information available.
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14 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 8. IT Capability In short, the assumption will be that there will be no access to any Council or national IT systems through the PRRC due to potential power failures interfering with internet suppliers. To address this issue and allow access to critical systems if required, arrangements are in place with Data Vita. Seven disaster recovery desks will be available at the Data Vita base in Chapelhall and appropriate location maps, access arrangements etc are included within the resilience response document for Health and Social Care at Appendix 8.
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15 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 9. Community Engagement/Resilience Irrespective of the effectiveness of the Council response and indeed that of our strategic partners, key to the successful management of any Black Start event will be an effective community response. To facilitate this, the Resilience Planning team together with the Council’s Communities Team have engaged with local community organisations and all Community Boards. This has allowed details of the action that will be taken in accordance with this strategy to be conveyed which in turn will provide assurance to communities and reduce the risk of public concern and civil unrest. Together with this, ‘Resilience Grab Bags’ have been provided to all key community groups. The purpose of these bags will be to provide both information and equipment which will assist communities in dealing with events affecting their local area. Along with the standard winter response equipment, this will also include information and equipment to assist in the event of any Black Start event. This will give details of PACs, PIBs and radio stations where national information will be broadcast along with torches, battery operated radios etc.
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16 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 10. Power Resilience Support Team In addition to the critical service areas detailed above, there will be several routine tasks that will require to be delivered throughout the period of the event – attendance at PACs, vehicle delivery and refuelling, change of public information boards etc. To assist with this, a list of volunteers has been established who will be deployed by the PRMT to provide the necessary assistance and is contained at Appendix 18. This initial list will be the principal contacts and contact with these individuals will commence following the first PRMT meeting, and reference is included within the initial agenda. That said, depending on the extent of the event and unforeseen issues that may emerge, the PRMT may need to commence further contact with other members of staff that would be available through normal emergency contact details.
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17 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 11. Water and Food Supply Water During a Black Start event the priority for Scottish Water will be to keep drinking water flowing/ available where possible with a focus on hospitals, prisons and critical national infrastructure. Bottled or tankered water will not be supplied to Local Authorities however we will where possible facilitate the distribution of water supplies through the PACs. Food It is not within the remit of the council to supply food to the public. Residents will be encouraged to work together, supporting others through existing resilient community and voluntary groups and this will be included within the information provided to communities through the Resilience Planning Grab Bags.
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18 Power Resilience Strategy November 2022 12. Recovery/Stand Down The PRMT will take the decision to stand down response measures, only once it is clear that the ‘incident response’ phase has concluded, and the focus shifts to recovery. This decision may be taken in consultation with multi agency partners. The recovery process from a Black Start may be challenging and long-term, and priority will continue to be given to those most in need throughout this recovery process. The recovery phase from a Black Start event is also included as a specific item within Business Continuity Plans for all Service areas.
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This document can be made available in a range of languages and formats, including large print, braille, audio, electronic and accessible formats. To make a request, please contact Corporate Communications at: corporatecommunications@northlan.gov.uk ’S urrainn dhuinn an sgrìobhaidh seo a chur ann an diofar chànanan agus chruthan, a’ gabhail a-steach clò mòr, braille, cruth claisneachd agus cruthan dealanach agus ruigsinneach. Gus iarrtas a dhèanamh, cuir fios gu Conaltradh Corporra aig: corporatecommunications@northlan.gov.uk Niniejszy dokument można otrzymać w wielu różnych językach i formatach, w tym również dużym drukiem, alfabetem Braille’a, w wersji dźwiękowej, elektronicznej i w innych dostępnych formatach. Prośby należy składać na ręce zespołu ds. komunikacji drogą elektroniczną na adres: corporatecommunications@northlan.gov.uk 此文件可以多种不同语言和格式提供，包括大字体、点字、音频、电子和易读格式。 如想提出请求，请联系企业传讯部：corporatecommunications@northlan.gov.uk ۔ ہے سکتا جا ایکیا ہمافر یمیں ںتورصو ئیسار بلقا روا نکار ٹ یلیکٹرا ،وی�ڈآ ، ی�بر ،فوحر ےبڑ لبشمو ںتورصو روا ںنوباز مختلف کو ر�ی�وستاد سا corporatecommunications@northlan.gov.uk : ی ئیں �مافر بطہار پر سا سے ر����ش�ی�کی���و یکمیو ٹ ی�رپورکا یلیے کے ستاخورد مکر ہابر CC_2022_00341 Produced by NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Resilience Community Operations Civic Centre Windmillhill Street Motherwell ML1 1AB t. 07939 280152 e. contingencyplanning@northlan.gov.uk NORTHLANARKSHIRE.GOV.UK
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Appendix 2 – List of Public Assistance Centres 1 Airdrie Airdrie @home Centre 2 Clark St Airdrie ML6 6HD 2 Viewpark Viewpark Community Education Centre Old Edinburgh Rd Viewpark G71 6PG 3 Chryston Gartcosh Hall Lochend Rd Gartcosh G69 8AB 4 Coatbridge Charlotte Toal Centre Dundyvan Rd Coatbridge ML5 1DN 5 Cumbernauld Muirfield Community Education Centre 1A South Muirhead Rd Cumbernauld G67 1AX 6 Kilsyth Garrel Vale Community Education Centre Duncansfield Kilsyth G65 9JW 7 Motherwell Pat Cullinan Community Centre Logans Rd Motherwell ML1 3PB 8 Shotts Shotts Leisure Centre Benhar Rd Shotts ML7 5EP 9 Wishaw Pather Community Centre Caledonian Rd Wishaw ML2 0HZ