Major Emergency Plan

A Major Emergency is an event which, usually with little or no warning, causes or threatens injury or death, or serious disruption of essential services. It may also cause damage to property, the environment or infrastructure beyond the normal capabilities of the principal emergency services in the area in which the event occurs. It requires the use of additional procedures and the use of additional resources to ensure an efficient and effective response.

Since 1984, the Framework for Co-ordinated Response to Major Emergency has underpinned major emergency preparedness and response capability in Ireland. This Framework has now been replaced with the Framework for Major Emergency Management.

The purpose of this new Framework is to put in place arrangements that will enable the principal emergency response agencies, the local authorities, An Garda Síochána and the Health Service Executive to co-ordinate their efforts whenever a major emergency occurs, enhancing Ireland’s capability to meet the challenged posed by such an event.

Each principal response agency is required to prepare its own individual Major Emergency Plan which sets out its arrangements to respond to events occurring in, or impacting on, its functional area which require the declaration of a major emergency.

The following events could constitute a major emergency:

  • Severe weather
  • Flooding
  • Chemical spills
  • Major pollution
  • Transport accident
  • Accident at sea
  • Bomb explosion
  • Nuclear incident
  • Influenza pandemic
  • Animal disease outbreak (e.g. avian flu, foot and mouth)

This following download details Sligo Local Authority’s plans for major emergencies. It has been developed to bring together current available information on Sligo’s planning, response and management with regard to a wide range of emergencies.

The purpose of the plan is to give the public practical, useful information with more detailed information available on major emergencies planning.

The Plan helps

  1. to outline generally the procedure to be followed and the functions to be undertaken by the Local Authority, and
  2. to co-ordinate the procedures to be followed and functions to be undertaken by the Local Authority, with those of the Health Service Executive, Gardai and any other agencies responding to the emergency.  The Major Emergency Plan is the combined co-ordinated plans of the Sligo Local Authorities, Health Service Executive and Gardai in the area where the emergency occurs.  
Sligo's Major Emergency Plan - 2,055 kbs  PDF