Emergency Planning Unit

The Emergency Planning Unit ensures that we can respond effectively to any major emergency that might happen in the borough. By working with the Emergency Services and other partners, we create, maintain and regularly review a variety of plans to keep the borough safe.  

What we do

The Emergency Planning team manages a group of officers who are on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ready to respond to an emergency.  In the event of such an emergency, the Council will:  

• Send a Local Authority Liaison Officer (LALO) to the scene to help the Emergency Services deal with the incident
• Make arrangements for a rest centre to be opened if evacuation is required
• Provide information and advice to those affected
• Manage the recovery of services after an emergency to help things return to normal

Contact us

If there is an emergency that could cause harm to people or property, telephone the emergency services on 999 immediately.

The Emergency Planning Unit is available Monday to Friday from 8am to 5.30pm. Contact us by email at emergency.planning@richmond.gov.uk.

For out of hours enquiries, please telephone our 24 hour Emergency Control on 020 8891 7999.

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Feedback

We always take feedback from the public seriously, and welcome any comments or suggestions that you may have. We are interested in hearing your views on our service, the website, how you think we could improve or requests for any further specific information. 

We aim to acknowledge all correspondence within two working days. We will investigate any complaints and provide a full response within 10 days.  

Send your feedback to emergency.planning@richmond.gov.uk.

Local  Authority Liaison Officer (LALO)  

The emergency services (fire, police and ambulance) may request we support them during a major incident or emergency. We have Local Authority Liaison Officers (LALO's) who can attend an emergency scene to liaise with the emergency services.   

As the senior representative for the Council at an emergency scene, the LALO reacts to request for assistance from the emergency services and provides information about the resources that we can and cannot provide in the incident response. The LALO can make arrangements to close roads and clear debris such as fallen trees after a storm, establish a rest centre for displaced residents impacted by fire or flood, link vulnerable displaced residents in with social care services, organise temporary accommodation for displaced persons.   

For most major incidents/emergencies, we will not be able to provide temporary accommodation for private residents impacted by an emergency. We cannot repair or replace damaged property such doors damaged by the emergency services evacuating residents. If you have private insurance, you may be able to make an insurance claim to be housed in temporary accommodation or for damage caused during an emergency. Residents impacted by an emergency can ask the emergency services or LALO for a reference number (sometimes called a CAD number) to provide with an insurance claim.