LB Alert is the new emergency information website for Lothian and Borders
Thursday, October 5 2006
A pioneering website giving vital information to the public in an emergency went live across the Lothians and Scottish Borders on Wednesday (October 4).
Lothian and Borders Alert is the first of its kind in Scotland and offers an innovative new way of providing guidance and advice during an emergency or critical situation.
The website, known as LB Alert, is supported by the Scottish Executive, and will be operated jointly by Lothian and Borders emergency services with the City of Edinburgh Council, East Lothian Council, Midlothian Council and Scottish Borders Council.
It will provide information and advice to the public as well as the media, and any other organisations, during civil emergencies such as severe flooding or transport accidents and major or catastrophic incidents.
Travel and weather information, school closures and health and safety advice will also be available on the website, with links to other agency websites, such as government departments, for more specialist advice.
Launching the website at Lothian and Borders Police HQ in Edinburgh yesterday, SBC Chief Executive David Hume said, “This website is a first for Scotland. It has two main purposes: to inform and update the public as an emergency unfolds, and to make sure that the emergency services and other agencies have the best possible shared communications system to manage the situation. LBAlert will be used to manage information for a whole range of events from localised flooding and sudden snowstorms to possible epidemics and school closures.”
Ian Hogarth, SBC Emergency Planning Officer, who has steered the project, added, “Since the tragic events at the World Trade Centre on 9/11, emergency planners have been reviewing how they would prepare for larger and more complex threats. Information sharing between key responding agencies and between these agencies and the public emerged as key areas for action.
The need for this work was further illustrated by the lessons learned following events in London in July 2005.
“Lothian and Borders Alert represents a significant step forward in multi-agency incident management and communications. Additionally it will assist the agencies in Lothian and Borders to meet a number of new duties under the Civil Contingency Act 2001.”
Tom Aitchison, Chair of the Lothian and Borders Emergency Planning Strategic Co-ordinating Group and Chief Executive for the City of Edinburgh Council, said, “Lothian and Borders Alert will be the official source of emergency information across the Lothians and Scottish Borders.
“The website will give additional support to an already well-established arrangement between emergency response agencies. It will help to avoid duplication of effort and improve response times with each other, and the public.”
Ian Dickinson, Assistant Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police, commented, “Events such as the London bombings and G8 highlight the importance of effectively warning and informing the public in a co-ordinated and timely fashion. Finding all the essential information in the one place can save time, and crucially, avoid confusion for the public who need reassurance and guidance during an emergency.
“Most people are familiar with online technology and will find the website easily accessible whether at work, at home or at school. We would encourage people to log on and check the site regularly so that they are familiar with what information is available to them, and keep a note of the web address handy just in case the worst should happen.”
The website - www.lbalert.info - went live at 10am on Wednesday, 4 October. Information about the website will be available in a number of public places following the launch and will be downloadable from the website.
Lothian and Borders Alert (www.lbalert.info) is the first website of its kind in Scotland and complies with the requirements of the Civil Contingencies Act 2001 in warning and informing the public during an emergency.
The current partners signed up to LBAlert are Lothian and Borders Police, Lothian and Borders Fire & Rescue Services, the City of Edinburgh Council, Scottish Borders Council, West Lothian Council and East Lothian Council.
It is based on a similar site, SurreyAlert. (www.surreyalert.info)
The website is provided and maintained by Anite Group Plc, an international IT consultancy and software solutions company. For further information on this company, go to www.anite.com
Unified Solutions.