Purpose

Proposed
Decision:
 
To give delegated
authority to the Director for Growth and Communities, to
take any necessary actions to enter into a contract
for the provision of temporary emergency facilities, including
mortuary facilities, in the event of a mass fatality
incident
 
 

Reason for the decision
 
KCC currently has a
contingency contract for the provision of temporary emergency
facilities in the event of a mass fatality incident. That contract
expires on 31st May 2024, having been previously
extended.
 
Whilst the retainer
element of the contract represents relatively small expenditure of
approximately £4100 per year, in the event that it is
required to be called upon the expenditure is likely to be in
excess of £1m.
 

Background
 
KCC has
legal duties to plan and prepare for emergencies which may occur in
Kent. The potential for an emergency to occur which results in mass
fatalities is recognised. In relatively recent years other local
authorities have had to manage such situations including the
Grenfell Tower fire, the Shoreham air crash and the Manchester
Arena bombing.

 
A mass
fatality incident is defined as being an incident where one or more
of the following key elements are present:

 

·    
there are multiple deceased (actual or
potential);

·    
the nature of the incident is likely to make
identification of the deceased difficult;

·    
some or many of the deceased are lying in difficult
to access locations;

·    
there are fragmented human remains;

·    
the incident was as a result of terrorist or
criminal activity;

·    
hazards are present at the scene, for example,
asbestos, chemicals, radiological debris, that need to be
considered before recovering the deceased, property and
evidence;

·    
mortuary capacity is, or may become, exceeded or
overwhelmed.

 

There are existing arrangements in place to
designate one or more hospital mortuaries in the event of such an
incident. If the incident were to be of large scale or occur at a
time which corresponded with peak mortuary occupation, for example
during winter pressures, then local facilities might be unable to
cope and emergency, temporary facilities would be required to allow
for the management and identification of the deceased whilst
maintaining appropriate dignity and respect.

 

KCC holds the existing contract on behalf of the
Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) partners. The contract allows for KRF
partners to call down elements of it to support their roles and
responsibilities. Each partner organisation is responsible for
meeting the costs of the elements that they call down. It is
proposed that the new contract will be on the same
basis.

 

Options (other options considered but
discarded)

 

-     
Do nothing. This would leave KCC exposed to not
meeting its duties to provide the facilities necessary to
accommodate the coroners in carrying out their work and also to
significant reputational risk in the event that there is nowhere to
accommodate the deceased with dignity and respect out of public
view.

-     
Rely on national government, local mutual aid
agreements or military support. National government no longer
maintains capability in this area. Mutual aid agreements are
already part of the emergency plan for this type of event, but they
are limited in scope and are unlikely to be able to provide the
physical accommodation for the deceased which would be required.
Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) may be sought in such
an incident but it cannot be guaranteed and, again, is unlikely to
be able to provide appropriate physical accommodation.
MACA requires that all civil options have been
exhausted before it can be undertaken.

 

How the proposed decision supports
Framing Kent’s Future 2022-2026: (https://www.kent.gov.uk/about-the-council/strategies-and-policies/corporate-policies/our-council-strategy)

 

The decision concerns the provision of
infrastructure for the community in the event of an emergency and
forms part of KCC’s role in making Kent’s communities
safe.

 

How the proposed decision supports:
Securing Kent’s Future:democracy.kent.gov.uk/documents/s121235/Securing
Kents Future - Budget Recovery
Strategy.pdf

 

The decision results from a review of an existing
contract. The new contract will be of a ‘call off’
nature, allowing KCC to only call off the elements it needs to
support its duties. It will also provide the framework to allow
partners to call off elements for their own purposes but will
provide the means and clarity to ensure that KCC only pays for
those elements which it calls off itself.

 

 

 
 
 

Decision

As Cabinet Member for Community &
Regulatory Services, I agree to delegate authority to the Director
of Growth & Communities to take any necessary actions to enter
into a contract for the provision of emergency facilities,
including mortuary facilities, in the event of a mass fatality
incident.