The justifications for the three councils agreeing to form a joint team are:
- Greater resilience in the response to complex and/or prolonged emergencies, due to having more trained staff with trans-boundary responsibility.
- Minimise duplication at liaison and co-ordination meetings.
- Streamline systems for plan updates, emergency contact directories and communication methods.
- Pool expertise to draw on best practice such as rolling-out support staff initiatives, creating a combined pool of officers to act as advisors for the authorities strategic representatives and develop other mutual aid initiatives for pan-Ayrshire emergency response.
- Unify existing standby emergency duty officer arrangements, which would create a robust single system that would guarantee an appropriately skilled and equipped officer being available for any immediate co-ordination of an emergency response.
- Increasing capacity for future specialisation, rather than the current generalisation of emergency planning officers’ skills. This could be realised through unifying existing training and plan writing skills, as required for:
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- hazardous sites
- outbreaks of human disease
- pollution
- animal health
- emergency rest centres
- Staff development in a larger structure would offer improved personal development opportunities leading to improved retention, promotion opportunities and increased morale.