Preparing for emergencies
The emergency services are trained to cope with a wide range of emergency situations, but there is a lot that you can do to help them and yourself.
Fire prevention and safety
"Do not wait until a fire occurs to think about it. Act now. Nearly all fires are preventable. You can get further practical, easy to follow advice on preventing fires and protecting your home from your local fire station."
Alan Doig, President of the Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers' Association
If there is a bomb warning at your place of work, follow the advice of those in charge.
If a bomb goes off in your building, look for the safest way out.
If you are trapped in debris:
If a bomb goes off outside your building, stay inside (away from windows, lifts and outer doors) in case there is a second bomb in the area.
If you saw the explosion, stay in the area in a safe place and tell the police what you saw.
The Fire and Rescue Service has become equipped in recent years to decontaminate large numbers of people quickly. This involves showering with soap and water and then dressing in temporary clothing that would be provided. It is important that this takes place where the incident happened so that other areas, including homes, are not contaminated. If necessary you would also be assessed by health service personnel.
Move away from the immediate source of danger
But wait for the emergency services to arrive and examine you and, if necessary, decontaminate you
If you go home untreated you could contaminate others and make any incident worse
If there is a major power cut, turn off electrical appliances that will automatically switch on when power is restored - if several restart at once, they may overload the system. TUNE IN to local radio for advice and updates using a battery powered radio.
In all of these situations - keep calm, think before you act and listen to the advice of the emergency services.
Emergency plans exist in all areas of the UK
The police, fire and ambulance services have tried and tested plans for responding to incidents, from fires to explosions, whether they are at your home, your school or affecting transport networks.
Health and hospitals
Emergency equipment, vaccines and antibiotics are stored around the UK and are quickly available to doctors.
Emergency planning exercises
Every year, many exercises are held involving the emergency services and all agencies responsible for recovery. These exercises practise our response to a range of emergencies, including terrorism, by testing our preparedness.