What actually is risk? A quick Google search will probably lead you to a very popular board game and then a bit further down you are likely to find something perhaps slightly less exciting to do on a Sunday afternoon, but risk is something we think about in some way or another every day. This risk we are going to concentrate on is: ‘Risk – the possibility of something bad happening’
We consider this every day in different forms, for example:
What is the risk I will be late if I have 10 extra minutes in bed?
What is the risk that the Jenga tower will fall over if I move this piece?
What is the risk someone will notice if I have an extra biscuit?
Almost everything we do in life has an element of risk. However, what we are interested in here is how to mitigate risk to prevent an emergency or major incident occurring, or to reduce the impacts should such an event happen. Part of the planning process is also to deal with the consequences when an incident occurs.
The Government periodically publishes the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) which highlights a number of scenarios that could be faced across the UK that need to be planned for locally. Failure to plan for these could lead to increased and more extreme emergency situations.
Risk Rating Matrix
Catastrophic (5)
Significant (4)
Moderate (3)
Minor (2)
Insignificant (1)
Low (1)
Medium Low (2)
Medium (3)
Medium High (4)
High (5)
Low Risk (Likelihood 1 / Impact 1)
There are currently no registered risks with a likelihood of 1 and an impact of 1.
There are currently no registered risks with a likelihood of 5 and an impact of 1.
Medium Risk (Likelihood 5 / Impact 2)
There are currently no registered risks with a likelihood of 5 and an impact of 2.
High Risk (Likelihood 5 / Impact 3)
There are currently no registered risks with a likelihood of 5 and an impact of 3.
Very High Risk (Likelihood 5 / Impact 4)
There are currently no registered risks with a likelihood of 5 and an impact of 4.
Very High Risk (Likelihood 5 / Impact 5)
There are currently no registered risks with a likelihood of 5 and an impact of 5.
Key:
Risk Rated Very High
Very High (VH) risks are classed as primary or critical risks requiring immediate attention. They may have a high or low likelihood of occurrence, but their potential consequences are such that they must be treated as a high priority. This may mean that strategies should be developed to reduce or eliminate the risks, but also that mitigation in the form of (multi-agency) planning, exercising & training for these hazards should be put in place & the risk monitored on a regular frequency. Consideration should be given to planning being specific to the risk rather than generic.
Risk Rated High
High (H) risks are classed as significant. They may have a high or low likelihood of occurrence, but their potential consequences are sufficiently serious to warrant appropriate consideration after those risks classed as ‘very high’. Consideration should be given to the development of strategies to reduce or eliminate the risks, but also mitigation in the form of at least (multi-agency) generic planning, exercising & training should be put in place & the risk monitored on a regular frequency.
Risk Rated Medium
Medium (M) risks are less significant but may cause upset & inconvenience in the short term. These risks should be monitored to ensure that they are being appropriately managed & consideration given to their being managed under generic emergency planning arrangements.
Risk Rated Low
Low (L) risks are both unlikely to occur & not significant in their impact. They should be managed using normal or generic planning arrangements & require minimal monitoring & control unless subsequent risk assessments show a substantial change, prompting a move to another risk category.
The LRF is required to interpret the NSRA in a local context by producing and publishing a Community Risk Register (CRR). Risks are categorised as ’Very High’, ‘High’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Low’. ‘Very High’ and ‘High’ are assessed annually, ‘Medium’ are assessed biannually and ‘Low’ are assessed every 2 -3 years. To two main elements in assessing are Likelihood and Impact. Risk ratings change regularly due to a number of different factors such as changes in impact on health, economy, life and environment.
Showing you these risks is only one part of our mission to engage the community in resilience matters. Hopefully, within this website you will also see some detailed information on these individual risks alongside what action we are taking to mitigate and reduce them, and what you can do yourself and as a community.
Community Risk Register
Grab a copy of our LRF’s publication of the Community Risk Register
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people about the best ways to stay safe while staying warm this winter – especially with the cost of living still high.
