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Incident Procedures and Process Policy

Revolution Performing Arts’ Incident Procedures and Process Policy is in place to respond effectively to health and safety incidents and other emergencies that might occur at any RPA event.

Key Risks

These emergency procedures are to be followed by staff and volunteers during a significant incident or emergency, such as sudden bad weather, a fire or structural failure.

Counter-Terrorism

The National Counter Terrorism Security Office has produced specific advice to help mitigate the threat of a terrorist attack in crowded places.

The key message for the public is: Run, Hide, Tell.

  • Run – run to a place of safety. This is a far better option than surrendering or negotiating. If there is nowhere to go, then hide.
  • Hide – it is better to hide than to confront. Remember to turn your phone to silent and turn off vibration. Barricade yourself in if you can.
  • Tell – when it is safe to do so, tell the police by calling 999.

Sharing Our Plans

For all but the smallest events with low risks, or events held in fixed venues with established procedures, RPA will draw up and discuss its plans with:

  • The police.
  • The fire and rescue service.
  • The ambulance service.
  • Emergency planning services.
  • Venue management for fixed premises such as stadiums and arenas.

RPA’s Emergency Plan

RPA’s emergency plan is to:

  • Get people away from immediate danger.
  • Summon and assist the emergency services.
  • Attend to casualties.
  • Assist people who have been displaced but not injured.
  • Liaise with the emergency services and other authorities.
  • Hand responsibility for the incident or emergency to the appropriate authorities where the situation is serious.
  • Protect property.

Emergency Procedures

During an emergency, staff and volunteers should:

  • Raise the alarm and inform the public.
  • Deliver an onsite emergency response, such as using fire extinguishers.
  • Summon the emergency services and continue to liaise with them.
  • Facilitate crowd management, including evacuation where necessary.
  • Facilitate the evacuation of people with disabilities.
  • Facilitate traffic management, including access for emergency vehicles.
  • Implement incident control.
  • Provide first aid and medical assistance.

First Aid, Medical Assistance and Ambulances

As well as considering workers, Revolution Performing Arts will include visiting members of the public in its assessment of first-aid, medical and ambulance requirements.

Revolution Performing Arts will ensure that sufficient medical assistance and ambulances are available onsite and will liaise with the local NHS and ambulance service so that needs can be balanced against local capacity.

Except for small, low-risk events where ambulances may not be required, and events where ambulances are not onsite, plans will be drawn up in conjunction with the local NHS ambulance service to clarify how patients will be taken to hospital.

Emergency Roles and Responsibilities

RPA appoints people to implement procedures if there is an incident or emergency.

RPA will make sure that all relevant staff members, whatever their normal role, understand what they should do in an emergency, including:

  • The location of exits.
  • How to use emergency equipment.
  • How to raise the alarm.
  • From whom they should receive instructions.

Evacuation

Emergencies can develop very rapidly. RPA will make sure it is equipped to move the audience to a place of total or relative safety without delay.

The following actions will help with the implementation of an evacuation.

Escape Routes and Exits

  • Plan escape routes and make sure they remain available and unobstructed.
  • Make sure all doors and gates leading to final exits, as well as the site exits themselves, are available for immediate use at all times.
  • Make sure exits are unlocked. If security is an issue, exits should be staffed rather than locked.
  • Make sure exits are free from obstructions.
  • Make sure exits open outwards in the direction of escape.

Signs and Lighting to Assist Evacuation

  • Provide appropriate signs for people who may be unfamiliar with the escape routes.
  • Ensure all escape routes are sufficiently lit for people to use them safely during an emergency.
  • Ensure emergency lighting complies with the requirements of British Standard BS 5266-1.
  • Use an independent power source, such as a generator, in case the mains electricity supply fails.
  • If floodlighting, lighting towers or similar equipment are used as temporary lighting, ensure they do not shine into people’s faces along the escape route and make evacuation more difficult.
  • Consider festoon lighting along escape routes to prevent glare.

Places of Safety

RPA will plan how people will be evacuated to a place of relative safety, from where they can make their way to a place of total safety.

Vulnerable People

  • Plan to provide additional assistance to people with disabilities, people with learning difficulties, people with limited mobility and children.
  • Where children are separated from their parents, such as in play areas, make arrangements for their safe evacuation clear so that parents do not attempt to reach them against the normal direction of escape.

Communicating with the Public

RPA will plan how official event messages will be communicated to the public in conjunction with the emergency services, including through social media where appropriate.

Show Stop

An effective response to an emergency can sometimes require a rapid and controlled halt to a performance to prevent further risk to the audience or initiate an evacuation.

This type of show-stop procedure involves:

  • Identifying the key people involved, particularly those who can:
    • Initiate a show-stop procedure.
    • Communicate with performers or participants.
    • Communicate with the audience.
  • Deciding how these key people will initiate the show-stop procedure.
  • Preparing agreed wording for public announcements.
  • Considering appropriate lines of communication, such as radios and public address systems.
  • Briefing the management of performers or participants in advance about the show-stop procedure.

After the Incident

Once the risk has been reduced to a tolerable level, consideration may be given to restarting the performance or event.

The performance should only be restarted after consultation with other key agencies onsite, such as the emergency services.

Before restarting, make sure all staff are back in position and the necessary services are ready.

Transfer of Authority During an Emergency or Major Incident

If the emergency services declare an emergency or major incident onsite, all event personnel and resources will work under the command of the police.

However, the police may declare one part of the event to be under their authority while responding to the emergency or major incident, but leave other parts of the event under the control of RPA as the event organiser.

Testing and Validation

In many cases, validation of RPA’s emergency plan may take the form of a tabletop exercise, during which those involved work through a range of scenarios and establish the effectiveness of their responses.

RPA will test communication systems, including radios and public announcement equipment, before the event.