Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council

There are three Emergency Preparedness Group areas (Belfast, Northern and Southern) in Northern Ireland.

Each Emergency Preparedness Group is jointly chaired by a Senior Police Commander and Local Government Chief Executive/Senior Officer. The purpose of each Emergency Preparedness Group is to ensure an appropriate level of preparedness to enable an effective multiagency response to emergencies, which may have a significant impact on the local community.

Representation on these Groups broadly includes senior officers from all the emergency services, health trusts, councils, government departments, Education Authority, NI Housing Executive, NI Environment Agency, Met Office, Utilities Organisations, Voluntary Sector, Ministry of Defence, Airports, Ports, Translink and other relevant organisations essential to ensure an integrated approach to emergency management. This composition ensures a robust and co-ordinated response to emergency management, combining a wealth of knowledge, skills and resources.

Emergency Preparedness Groups are not legal entities, but many of the partners have statutory duties to respond to emergencies.

Met Office CR Online Climate Change Course

Aims and objectives:
This 1½-hour session will set out to explain Climate Change, what the current state of the climate is within the UK and around the globe, plus a look at what the future climate may hold. This will lead to an increased knowledge around the issues and potential impacts we may face in the future and where further information can be found to assist with planning and preparation.

Tuesday 21 July, 4:00 PM

Monday 5 October, 4:00 PM

Met Office CR Online Winter Weather Hazards Course

Aims and objectives:
This course is designed to provide further information about specific weather risks associated with winter, which is often one of the more active seasons of the year. Over the 1½ hours we will look at the risks and the products provided by the Met Office for community responders and the public along with selected examples of previous events.

Thursday 8th October, 4:00 PM

Monday 2nd November, 4:00 PM

The team published the 2025-30 Northern Ireland Emergency Preparedness Group Resilience Strategy in June 2025. The strategy is underpinned by a series of strategic priorities informed by consultation with stakeholder organisations involved in emergency management preparedness, response and recovery. These priorities will direct the focus, energy and effort of the Northern Ireland Emergency Preparedness Group (NIEPG) over the next five years in pursuit of its vision and core mission, namely:

OUR VISION: The NIEPG Resilience Strategy 2025 – 2030 will provide the delivery mechanism for local resilience in NI, building on existing relationships to further co-operation and ensure the region is best prepared to deal with potential risks and respond to emergency situations.

OUR MISSION: To build a resilient Northern Ireland through co-ordinated emergency planning and management which puts people and communities at the centre of a civil contingencies response.

Community Resilience Officers from the Building Resilience in Communities, BRIC Project, attended the Keep Safe Keep Well Conference at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, organised by the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Policing and Community Safety Partnership.

Welcoming over 100 older people from across the borough, the event highlighted a wide range of important issues around staying safe and keeping well.

The Community Resilience display featured practical items designed to encourage visitors to engage in conversations about being prepared in the event of an emergency.

Attendees also had the opportunity to visit information stands from key service providers, offering guidance on topics that directly affect older people and supporting them to feel informed, connected, and confident within their community.

There was interest amongst the attendees in the items on display with some commenting that it would encourage them to write down emergency and personal contact numbers if their mobile phone batteries lose their charge.

There was also the realisation that keeping a supply of bottled water and non-perishable, tinned goods are recommended to prepare for future emergencies.

The BRIC Community Resilience Officers, Keith Cullen and Kathy Dawson continue to work in collaboration with Emma Daly, Home Accident Prevention Officer, Southern Health, and Social Care Trust – Home Safety Team who can provide items such as battery-operated torches amongst other home safety items.
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The Building Resilience in Communities (BRIC) project was officially launched on 21st January 2026 at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre. The launch was well attended by over 80 multi -agency partners from a wide range of organisations and provided a networking opportunity to discuss collective community resilience activities and building preparedness and resilience within communities.

The aim of the project is to strengthen community resilience across Northern Ireland by linking with existing structures to promote and embed community resilience, aligned with the strategic objectives of the Resilience Strategy, 2025- 30.

Kathy Dawson and Keith Cullen, BRIC project Community Resilience Officers will collaborate with community resilience groups to support and facilitate planning and preparation for community response and recovery activities. The officers will promote household and community preparedness resources and planning. The BRIC project is funded by Department of Infrastructure (Rivers Directorate) reporting to the Regional Community Resilience Group (RCRG).

Community Resilience Officers, Keith, and Kathy are available to speak to community groups and can display household emergency kits and resources.

For further information please contact: