How to cope in a crisis

GO in, stay in, tune in. That's the gist of the advice in the Government's new anti-terror leaflet being distributed to every household in the land in an attempt to prepare us for a terrorist attack.

The key message in the 22-page Preparing For Emergencies booklet, part of an £8 million Government awareness campaign, is that if the worst comes to the worst and we are hit by a bomb, gas cloud or biological attack, we should all go inside a safe building, stay there, and then tune in to the TV or radio for news.

Other advice includes:

Don't go home in the event of a chemical, biological or nuclear attack until you have been given the all clear. Going home could risk contaminating loved ones;

Don't try to collect your children from school until told it is safe to do so; again you could risk contaminating them;

If you are trapped in debris, get close to a wall and tap on pipes. Don't use a flame in case of gas leaks

Keep useful phone numbers somewhere handy, plus a battery radio and torch, cash, spare clothes and blankets and a supply of tinned food and bottled water.

The launch of the booklet, the first of its kind for 20 years, comes after Sir John Stevens, Britain's most senior police officer, warned recently that a terrorist attack on the UK was "inevitable".

Home Secretary David Blunkett stressed it had not been issued in response to any specific threat, and was intended only to make sure everybody had access to simple, practical advice in case the worst did happen.

The booklet has been slammed in some quarters as alarmist and useless, and has been compared to the Protect And Survive leaflet launched by Margaret Thatcher's government in the 1980s. That carried a photo of a huge nuclear mushroom and homespun advice about preparing a 'survival kit' of tinned food, batteries and candles.

York's Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate Clive Booth described the new booklet as fatuous and inept, and said it was bound to cause alarm.

On the contrary, said York MP Hugh Bayley - it contains sensible, reassuring advice that could make a real difference if an attack did come.

The recent flour-bomb attack on the House of Commons had shown how much we all needed to learn, he said. "One of the lessons we have learned is that the steps taken to quickly evacuate the House of Commons were absolutely the wrong thing to do," he said. "If it had been a biological agent we would all have been infected and it could have spread."

Emergency planning experts in York today welcomed the booklet, insisting it brings together the best advice available.

"There are a lot of people saying it is too simple," said City of York Council's emergency planning officer Graeme Findlay. "But the Government is not trying to insult your intelligence, just making sure you know what to do in an emergency. It is all good, common-sense advice brought together at your fingertips.

"If you know what to do in an emergency, the emergency services are not going to be worried about getting people into their homes, they can be directing their resources into dealing with the emergency."

So just what does the booklet tell you to do? We got Graham to talk us through it:

Go in, stay in, tune in

Very sensible advice, Graeme says. It will keep you out of harm's way and out from under the feet of the emergency services, provide a measure of protection if for example there is a gas cloud loose, and also, if there is contamination (whether nuclear, chemical or biological) help stop it from spreading.

Bombs

Advice: If there is a bomb at work, follow the instructions of those in charge. If you are trapped in debris, stay close to a wall and tap on pipes so rescuers can hear you. Do not use matches in case of gas leaks. If a bomb goes off outside your building, stay inside (away from windows, lifts and outer doors) in case there is a second bomb.

Graeme: Advice about not striking matches may seem obvious, he says. "But do we always remember it?"

Chemical, biological or radiological incident

Advice: The fire service has been equipped in recent years to decontaminate large numbers of people quickly. This involves showering with soap and water and then dressing in temporary clothing. It is vital that this takes place where the incident happened, so that other areas, including homes, are not contaminated. Advice is therefore to;

- Move away from the immediate source of danger

- Wait for the emergency services to arrive, examine you and if necessary decontaminate you

- If you go home, you could contaminate others and make any incident worse.

Graeme: It may be hard if you are frightened or worried about loved ones, but it really would be best to wait and be dealt with by the emergency services. Even going to the hospital could risk causing contamination. If you are frightened, worried or unsure, contact the emergency services by phone (mobile if you have one, work phone if you're in your office) and ask for advice.

Schools

Advice: If your children are at school you will naturally be desperately worried about them. But it may not be safe to do so. So tune in to your local radio station for advice and for details of the arrangements your local council has made for letting parents know about when to collect their children. All schools have plans to deal with emergencies, so your children will be well looked after.

Graeme: This may seem desperately hard, but it would be best for everyone if you followed the instructions. "The school will get the children indoors, close windows and doors. If you leave your house to go to the school, you may cause contamination."

First Aid

Advice: If people are injured, call 999 immediately. Keep calm, make sure you and the injured person are not in any immediate danger, then assess them using simple first aid steps provided in the booklet (covering unconsciousness, bleeding, burns and broken bones). Keep an eye on the injured person until the emergency services arrive.

Graeme: the best thing you can do to prepare yourself for such an emergency is to get some first aid training. Plenty of organisations like the Red Cross or St Johns Ambulance run courses. "If you are concerned about looking after your children, it is a very simple way of doing something."

Preparing for an emergency

Advice: Try to keep a list of useful telephone numbers handy (doctor, emergency services, close relatives). Keep a First Aid kit, spare clothes and blankets, a battery radio with spare batteries, and a supply of bottled water and tinned food. If asked to leave your home by the emergency services, turn off electricity, gas and water supplies and unplug all appliances.

Graeme: Tinned food may be a lifesaver if you are stuck indoors for days. Bottled water could be important in case water supplies are contaminated.

Helping prevent a terrorist attack

Advice: be alert for suspicious activity, and if you see something call the Police Anti-Terrorist Hotline (0800 789 321). If there is an immediate threat to life, call 999. Terrorists need a place to live (are you suspicious about any tenants or guests?); money (they may try to set up bogus bank accounts, copy credit cards or return goods for large cash refunds) and equipment (if you are a retailer, do you have any cause to be suspicious about anything being bought?)

Graeme: The arrest of Mark Hobson in York is an example of how ordinary people remaining alert and aware can help.

Emergency contact details

The Preparing For Emergencies booklet has a tear-off back page where you can list important numbers, such as 999, NHS Direct, the Anti-Terrorism Hotline; your doctor, the local police, your work and your child's school.

Graeme: fill the numbers in and keep the list somewhere handy.

Updated: 09:35 Wednesday, July 28, 2004