East Sussex residents urged to plan for emergencies

September is national preparedness month when people are asked to think about how they would cope with everything from power cuts to road closures.

Chief fire officer Dawn Whittaker said, “We are often called in when things are already going wrong and we are there to help in the first response.

“The reality is that gas leaks, floods, and serious road accidents all have an impact long after we have left the scene. We also know that the more people have thought about what they would do, the better it is for everyone involved.”

30 Days, 30 Ways UK aims to turn the idea of preparedness into a community challenge and asks people to plan for a range of emergencies including fires in the home, power cuts and flooding.

The campaign will be taking place all over the UK, with local resilience partners such as the emergency services, local authorities, utilities and health taking part.

ESFRS said preparedness is the steps you take to make sure you are safe before, during and after an emergency.

An ESFRS spokesperson said, “Having a plan is important for both natural and man-made disasters as this will enable you to respond well and act accordingly if there is any kind of unexpected, serious and/or dangerous occurrence.

“Resilience is also often referred to as ‘bounce back-ability’ because it describes an individual, organisation or community’s ability to respond to and recover following an emergency or natural disaster. Resilience describes the capacity to withstand adversity and move forward from difficult or dangerous events.”