Skip to main content

Coping with major incidents or events

The Royal Borough of Greenwich's Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Team is based in Woolwich.

The team plans for a wide range of emergency scenarios, and coordinates the tactical response of the Royal Borough of Greenwich in support of the emergency services. This is when they're dealing with any major incident and smaller events that may affect the safety or well-being of residents, businesses, communities and visitors throughout the borough.

What does the team do?

The role of the Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Team, in partnership with the emergency services and other responding organisations, is to coordinate the Royal Borough of Greenwich's activities to:

  • prevent or prepare for emergencies
  • reduce or control the effects of emergencies
  • warn, inform and advise if an emergency takes place and make the public aware of arrangements that are being made
  • cooperate and share information with other responding organisations
  • promote business continuity management in the local business community and voluntary groups

The team and other officers from across the Royal Borough of Greenwich take part in validating emergency plans through a variety of exercises along with the emergency services and other responding organisations.

Being prepared

Our emergency plans set out the information and procedures needed to ensure an effective, flexible and timely response to an emergency, supporting the emergency services and working with other partner organisations.

Download the Royal Borough of Greenwich emergency and business continuity plan

This pre-planning is intended to reduce the distress and disruption caused by any major incident, as well as to ensure that critical services may continue.

Community risk register

The London Risk Register is a list of potential hazards that could affect London.

It has been compiled by a wide variety of organisations, including local authorities and the emergency services, representing the groups that would be responsible for dealing with emergencies if they were to occur.

The London Risk Register can be found on the Greater London Authority website

View the Royal Greenwich's Community Risk Register

Other partner organisations

The Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Team works with a range of partners through the Borough Resilience Forum to plan for the effects of any major incident. These partners include:

  • Metropolitan Police Service
  • London Fire Brigade
  • London Ambulance Service
  • Army
  • British Transport Police
  • Business groups, companies and organisations
  • Ecumenical borough deans
  • English Heritage
  • Environment Agency
  • Greenwich faith community leaders
  • Greenwich Multi-Faith Forum
  • Heritage and leisure organisations
  • Maritime and Coastguard Agency
  • Met Office
  • Ministry of Defence Police
  • National Health Service including acute, mental health and primary care
  • Port of London Authority (PLA)
  • Royal Navy
  • Transport companies
  • University of Greenwich
  • Utility companies

Voluntary agencies including:

  • The British Red Cross Society
  • CRUSE
  • Greenwich Action for Voluntary Service
  • Greenwich Association of Disabled People
  • Radio Amateurs' Emergency Network
  • Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)
  • Salvation Army
  • St John Ambulance
  • Victim Support
  • RVS (Royal Voluntary Service)

Guidance for residents

The Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Team has produced a booklet that gives some background information and practical ideas on how you can help yourself to be prepared for any emergency:

Download the residents' guide to preparing for emergencies

There is also more information on this website that give a little more detail on specific risks and what you can do to protect yourself: