Public Safety
Public Safety is usually regarded as a matter for the police and in a lot of cases they are rightly the first point of contact in an emergency situation. However, the Council does contribute to dealing with public safety in certain situations and we have described the most common of these below:
- flooding
- flood prevention
- emergency cleaning
- snow and ice
- electrical safety (lighting)
- high winds
Flooding
Times of flood are a worry to anyone who lives near a river or burn that can be turned into a raging torrent through excessive rainfall. Even if you live some distance from the watercourse, to have murky brown water lapping at your door is unnerving, to say the least.
No one organisation in Scotland has a legal responsibility for providing assistance to deal with flooding. The Council has a role in planning to prevent watercourses flooding, but when it actually happens, the householder or company can feel pretty isolated in coping alone. The Council recognises this and does what it can to help by providing basic prevention methods such as sandbags, but with limited resources, this has to be on a priority basis, with those households being most severely affected getting help first. Often, though, even this priority treatment can come too late to save the trauma of ruined carpets, furniture, electrical appliances and treasured belongings.
The Scottish Government website FAQ's points out that the responsibility for the protection of property rests with the owner. It therefore makes good sense to make your own plans to protect your property, and have them ready at the first signs of a potential flood. (If you are a tenant, while it is your landlord's responsibility to protect the property, your must make arrangements to look after any personal contents). We suggest you visit the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) web site, where:
- Their flooding section gives advice on taking precautions and also shows what is available to you on the market to put that advice into practice.
- You can see SEPA's Frequently Asked Questions on flooding. These will be of help should you need to know who to contact when the water level is rising towards your threshold.
- You can also see if you live in an area that is considered to be at risk from flooding on SEPA's second generation flood risk maps.
What to do in severe weather
Make sure you know what to do when severe weather is forecast. The first and most vital is check local and national weather forecasts . Met office website - http://www.meto.gov.uk/weather/europe/uk/advice/index.html
Flood Prevention
The Council has a legal duty to carry out assessments of watercourses in the Borders area where they are likely to affect
developed land (i.e. towns and villages) and instruct cleansing operations where it appears that the watercourse is in a condition
likely to cause flooding. We prepare and publish a biennial report on this. We also offer advice in relation to Planning Consents where they are likely to have an effect on flooding and manage
the Flood Liaison and Advice Group. Contact our Flood Prevention Service for advice about the condition of a watercourse.
Emergency cleaning
The Council has a specialist cleaning squad that can quickly respond to requests for clearing up after incidents involving the spillage of body fluids, non-hazardous chemicals and oil, can safely dispose of used syringes and can clean up graffiti and fire damage.
Snow and Ice
The Council has a duty to "take such steps as they consider reasonable to prevent snow and ice endangering the safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles over public roads". The Council fulfils this duty in accordance with its Winter Service Plan, developed from a UK national code of practice called "Delivering Best Value in Highway Maintenance".
Electrical safety (lighting)
There are two reasons that street lighting equipment can become hazardous. The first is where older street lights rust at their based causing them to become potentially unstable. There are various reasons for this, not least of which is the acidic nature of dog urine, over a long period of time. The Council is well aware of this problem and regularly inspects lighting columns, removing them to a safe height when they are considered to pose a hazard to the public.
The second hazard is where the internal electrics of a light stop working properly, or become exposed due to an access cover being vandalised or the column being struck by a vehicle. There is a danger that live wires could be exposed or the whole metal column could become live. Again, routine electrical inspections cover this and any suspect unit is disconnected immediately.
However, if you see a streetlight that has electrical wires exposed, or you have any suspicion at all that it is in any way unsafe, please contact our Street Lighting Service.
High Winds
High winds can cause havoc on country roads by blowing branches and sometimes whole trees on to the road. Similarly, roof slates and sometimes whole roofs can be deposited on to roads and footways in towns.
The responsibility for removing debris rests with the owner of the damaged property. However, if there is judged to be a danger to the travelling public, the Council has a power to remove or protect against that danger as it sees appropriate. It has a right to recoup any expense it incurs in doing this from the owner. In such circumstances, please contact our Road Network Management Service. You can also get more information on potentially dangerous roadside trees.
Preparing for an emergency
The Government has set up a website to advise the public on how to prepare for an emergency and what to do in an emergency at www.preparingforemergencies.gov.uk.
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