Northamptonshire Local Resilience Forum - Annual Report 2025

Foreword

It is a pleasure to introduce the second Annual Report for the Northamptonshire Local Partnership Forum, which highlights the work of emergency services and partners in Northamptonshire and the wonderful examples of community action in response to incidents.

As I am now taking over as the Chair of the LRF from Deputy Chief Constable Ashley Tuckley, I would like to thank Ash for his leadership and commitment whilst in the chair's seat.

The partnership is thriving and whilst there is still progress to be made, I take the chair of a vibrant and successful collaboration.

I am passionate about supporting communities to be safe, and committed to working in partnership in order to achieve this. The strength of the forum lies in the quality of relationships and partnerships developed across agencies, and 2025 has seen another series of milestones and events which have brought us closer.

I look forward to 2026 as a year of continued collaboration, innovation, and shared commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our communities.

I would like to extend my thanks to all partners, practitioners, and community representatives who contribute their time, expertise, and energy to create safer, stronger, and more resilient communities.

Nikki Watson, QPM, Chief Fire Officer, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, Chair of Northamptonshire Local Resilience Forum

The Partnership

Northamptonshire Prepared is the county’s Local Resilience Forum (LRF), a multi-agency partnership between Police, Fire, Ambulance, Military, NHS, Local Authorities, Environment Agency and Utilities supported by a Government Liaison Officer from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Forum works to identify, plan and prepare for major civil emergencies, to ensure the region is better prepared to cope with potential risks and able to recover following a major incident.

The Northamptonshire LRF does not directly respond to emergencies; rather, it coordinates the efforts of its partners, ensuring that emergency responders and other agencies work together effectively to manage incidents on the ground.

The LRF assesses the risks that might affect Northamptonshire, puts plans in place to address various civil emergencies, delivers training and carries out exercises to test the plans, ensures staff in all organisations are adequately trained, communicated to, and provides advice, information and assistance to the public, businesses and voluntary organisations.

• Category One Responders: Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner, West Northamptonshire Council, North Northamptonshire Council, Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service, East Midlands Ambulance Service, Environment Agency, NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board, UK Health Security Agency
• Category Two Responders (supporting organisations): Met Office, National Highways, HSE, Anglian Water, National Grid
• Cooperating Bodies: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, H.M. Coroner, Army, RAF, Royal Navy, Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire

Structure of the LRF

Governance

The partnership forum is organised across three main layers of governance. The direction of travel and strategy of the forum is set by an Executive Group, made up of the Chief Executive Officers of the various partner agencies, with a Strategic Leads Group providing the oversight of the work carried out across a number of multi-agency groups. The tactical level sees a number of multi-agency and multi-disciplinary groups which develop work and make recommendations to the Strategic Leads Group. The Tactical Groups mirror the main areas of activity and risks identified for Northamptonshire, and allow specialist resources to bring together their expertise to develop the relevant response plans to mitigate these risks.

The LRF Secretariat creates the capacity needed to coordinate the activity of the groups, hold the working groups accountable against a work plan and ensure there is clear communication between all parties, as well as an accurate audit trail of work and decisions.

Multi-agency training events

Reception Centre Training

Our response during emergencies depends greatly on the dedication of our volunteers. When incidents require us to open triage and reception centres to support people who have been displaced, their contribution is invaluable. West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has developed and delivered comprehensive training for Reception Centre Managers and Assistants, as well as for the voluntary organisations that work alongside us, including Re:ACT, Northants 4x4, the British Red Cross, the Emergency Welfare Group and the Rapid Relief Team.

Magic Training

MAGIC training (Multi-Agency Gold Incident Command) brings together senior leaders from across partner organisations to strengthen their strategic response to major incidents. The programme focuses on high level decision-making, joint working, and maintaining a shared situational awareness during complex and rapidly evolving emergencies. Recently, Gold-level partners from across the LRF attended the training to refresh and maintain their knowledge and skills, ensuring they remain prepared to lead collaboratively and effectively should a significant incident occur.

September is Preparedness Month

The 30 Days 30 Ways UK 2025 campaign is now in its eleventh year. It is a month-long initiative designed to encourage individuals families and communities to build their resilience to emergencies. Throughout the 30 days, participants are invited to complete simple, practical tasks — from creating an emergency plan to checking in on neighbours — that help them feel more prepared and confident should an incident occur. The campaign promotes shared responsibility and highlights how small actions, taken consistently, can make a significant difference in strengthening community resilience across the UK.

As part of the national campaign, there has also been a survey running along side each year to understand how prepared people are.

The 2025 survey shows strong community willingness but highlights gaps in practical preparedness measures at household level. Future campaigns should focus on:

• Promoting simple emergency plans
• Encouraging grab bag preparation
• Increasing awareness of recommended supply levels
• Continuing to harness strong community volunteering interest

With targeted engagement and clear guidance, there is significant opportunity to strengthen household and community resilience in the coming year.

Multi-agency incidents

March

March 30, 2025: Fire on Sheep Street, Northampton, leading to the evacuation of over 100 residents

A fire took place shortly after 5.50am on Mothering Sunday morning. Fire and Rescue colleagues worked tirelessly with other agency partners to ensure the scene was made safe and for residents to be able to safely return to their homes within the following days.

West Northants Council provided a rest and reception centre, with volunteers stepping up to support the community. The Re:ACT group of volunteers acted on the day to support not just the displaced, but also the emergency services teams on site throughout the day. Housing services provided longer-term support, and thanks to excellent partnership working, the impact on the community was managed despite the significant size of the fire.

May

May 2025: Large scale fire on retail estate in St James, Northampton

The Fire Service responded to an extensive fire on May 31st. This affected a number of retail units and the neighbouring area. Fire and Rescue handled the incident, with the deployment of the Joint Command Unit to allow for multi-agency coordination at the scene.

June

June 2025: Rushden Fire affecting a large industrial estate

A large fire started shortly before 6.30am on the Sanders Lodge industrial estate at a recycling warehouse in Rushden in June 2025.

Engagement with the local residents to mitigate the impact of the large smoke plume and the full evacuation of the affected building, as well as neighbouring industrial premises, were handled by Fire and Rescue colleagues with support from utilities providers and the local council.

Cross-border support was also provided by Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service in dealing with this incident.

Human aspects in an emergency

Human Aspects Plan and Human Aspects Cell

The Northamptonshire LRF has launched its updated Human Aspects Plan, setting out how we coordinate welfare and humanitarian support during and after emergencies. 

The plan ensures that individuals, families and communities affected by incidents receive timely, compassionate and coordinated support. It can be activated by the Strategic Coordinating Group (SCG) when an incident impacts communities, causes displacement or distress, or requires a multi-agency welfare response.

At the centre of the plan is the Human Aspects (HA) Cell, led by the Local Authority, which coordinates services such as rest centres, housing support, health provision, emergency helplines and psychosocial support. The plan also supports longer-term recovery and captures learning to strengthen future responses.

A structured training and exercising programme is underway to embed the plan across all partners in 2026, including awareness sessions, scenario-based exercises and a full multi-agency simulation in 2027.

All LRF organisations are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the plan, nominate representatives for training, and continue working together to ensure Northamptonshire remains resilient and people-focused during emergencies.

Silverstone 2025

Keeping hundreds of thousands of race fans safe at the British Grand Prix

Around 500,000 people visited the Silverstone circuit for the UK’s largest sporting event in early July 2025 stretching over four days, with more than 160,000 spectators in attendance on the Sunday alone to watch the latest round of the Formula 1 World Championship.

This is the biggest event in the county, and sees the second highest numbers of attendees at any one venue in Britain, surpassed only by the Glastonbury festival.

Uniformed and plain-clothes Police Officers were on duty throughout the event patrolling the circuit, campsites and surrounding villages and road network. They were supported by colleagues from Thames Valley Police, and the Special Constabulary from both counties.

Specialist resources, including armed officers, search teams, disruption officers and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) units, also carried out extensive patrols, while the national Live Facial Recognition team provided additional security support.

In addition, many people worked hard behind the scenes providing vital assistance to the operation, including the event organisers at Silverstone, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, East Midlands Ambulance Service, West Northamptonshire Council, Buckinghamshire Council and the Highways Agency. The event takes months of planning and multi-agency coordination, and is an excellent example of partnership in action.

Multi-agency exercises

Exercise Silver Siren

May 2025: Exercise Silver Siren

Public bodies across Northamptonshire took part in an extensive live exercise to test the county’s emergency response procedures.

Police, Fire and Rescue, Ambulance, West Northants Council, the Integrated Care Board and NHS partners, responded to a mock scenario on Tuesday, 13 May to test their incident plans. Other organisation's such as the Environment Agency, UK Health Security Agency and the military also took part in the exercise in St James, Northampton.

The RAF and other agencies heavily supported this exercise which ran in real time and involved more than 300 people handling a simulated emergency in the St James area of Northampton.

Organisation’s including Northamptonshire Police, the Fire Service, West Northants Council and health partners were alerted to the details at around 9.30am.

The purpose of the exercise was to practice, in as near a real environment as possible, the readiness of Northamptonshire’s LRF to deal with a complex major incident as it unfolds.

Other organisation’s such as the Environment Agency, UK Health Security Agency and the military also supported the exercise.

The scenario imagined that a Hawk jet and a Wildcat helicopter collided 250ft above Northampton and debris fell across the area.

Those taking part in the exercise were required to quickly liaise with all relevant agencies, risk assess the situation and decide on a course of action. Students from Northampton College were on hand to act as casualties and around 150 front-line emergency services staff were involved in the operation.

This included gauging the level of risk to emergency services staff responding to the situation while ensuring casualties could be reached and treated. Years of partnership working and collaboration meant that the responding and supporting agencies deal with the incident remarkably, and lessons were taken away from the day to improve processes even further.

Ten second triage multi agency exercise

In May an exercise to test how quickly emergency services can assess multiple injured patients has been held in Northampton.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service took part in Ten Second Triage – alongside colleagues from Northamptonshire Police and East Midlands Ambulance Service – to practice how fast the three services could triage fake casualties.

Each emergency service was given their own scenario and responded separately to a staged incident at Northampton College’s Booth Lane campus, using live actors.

Ten Second Triage is a system used by emergency responders at major incidents to identify how urgently someone needs treatment. The exercise was recommended after the Manchester Arena inquiry. Findings from the inquiry highlighted the triage process needed to be standardised across the emergency services

Exercise Solaris

April 2025:

Exercise SOLARIS was a multi-agency exercise designed to test partnership response to a significant incident requiring coordinated action across emergency services, local authorities and partner organisations. The scenario enabled agencies to practise working together at Strategic, Tactical and Operational levels, focusing on information sharing, situational awareness, public communications and resource management. The exercise provided valuable opportunities to validate plans, clarify roles and responsibilities, and identify areas for improvement. The outcomes from SOLARIS are helping to further enhance joint working arrangements and overall Local Resilience Forum preparedness.

Exercise Tangra

April 2025:

Exercise TANGRA was an NHS-focused exercise designed to test health system resilience and response arrangements during periods of sustained operational pressure. The exercise explored how NHS partners would manage increased demand, maintain critical services, and coordinate effectively across acute, community and primary care settings. It also examined escalation processes, communication pathways, and system-wide decision-making under pressure. The learning from Exercise TANGRA has strengthened multi-agency coordination with health partners and helped refine local healthcare surge, recovery and business continuity plans.

Exercise Aegia

September 2025:

This NHS England-led winter planning exercise brought together strategic leaders from across the Health and Care system, including the Integrated Care Board (ICB), East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), acute hospitals, Primary Care and Local Authorities. Operating at a strategic (Gold) level, partners worked collaboratively through a series of escalating winter scenarios designed to test system resilience under increasing pressure.

The exercise explored how organisations would manage rising demand, workforce pressures, bed capacity challenges and ambulance handover delays, while maintaining patient safety and essential services. By stress testing winter preparedness arrangements in a controlled environment, the exercise provided valuable insight into system dependencies, escalation triggers and decision-making processes. The learning identified will help strengthen coordination, improve surge planning and ensure the Health and Care system is as prepared as possible for the challenges of the winter season.

Exercise Pegasus

Sept-November 2025:

Exercise Pegasus was a national pandemic preparedness exercise delivered locally across Northamptonshire through the LRF. Designed to test the UK’s ability to respond to a future pandemic, the exercise involved agencies operating at Strategic (Gold), Tactical (Silver) and Operational (Bronze) levels, ensuring that decision-making and coordination were tested at every tier.

Locally, more than 200 representatives from across Northamptonshire LRF partner organisations took part over a three-month period. To support the exercise, a number of dedicated working groups were established to plan, coordinate and manage different strands of activity, reflecting the complex and multi-agency nature of a pandemic response.

The exercise provided invaluable insight into how we would prepare for and manage the local impacts of a national pandemic, from health system pressures and workforce resilience to community support and communication. It also allowed us to test and challenge the latest draft of the Northamptonshire Pandemic Plan, identifying strengths as well as areas requiring further development. The learning gained through Exercise Pegasus will directly inform the refinement of our plans, ensuring we are better prepared, better coordinated and more resilient in the face of future public health emergencies.

Community Resilience Project in West Northants

Building Resilience Together

Across West Northamptonshire, communities are coming together to be better prepared for flooding and other emergencies - and there's a new programme building on years of local experience to help make that happen.

Current communities

1. Harpole
2. Harlestone
3. Weedon
4. Northampton Town
5. Great Houghton
6. Kislingbury
7. Yardley Hastings
8. Tiffield
9. Caldecote
10. Far Cotton
11. Delapre

Why this matters

In West Northants our towns and parishes are rural, small, or geographically spread out. In an emergency, that can mean help takes time to arrive. The Community Resilience Programme is about making sure communities have the knowledge, confidence and tools to support one another until professional responders get there - and to recover more quickly afterwards.

This programme builds directly on the success of the Pathfinder flood resilience projects, which supported 32 local communities between 2015 and 2023. Those projects showed something important: when communities are informed, connected and equipped, they cope better during emergencies and bounce back faster.

What's happening now

The new scheme takes the lessons learned from Pathfinder and applies them more widely. Up to 15 communities will be supported through a practical, community-led approach that includes:

• Clear, easy-to-understand local flood risk information
• Support to create or refresh community emergency and flood plans
• Training and support for local volunteers, including Flood Wardens
• Help spreading key preparedness messages through newsletters, schools and events
• Practical equipment — including a Community Hub Box — to support local response during emergencies

The focus is on working with communities, not doing things to them.

The Community Hub Box - what is it?

One of the most visible outcomes of the programme is the Community Hub Box. Think of it as a shared emergency toolkit, tailored to local risks. Boxes may include items like torches, radios, first aid supplies, high-visibility clothing, blankets, and basic welfare equipment.

In real terms, this means communities can:

• Respond quickly in the first hours of an incident
• Support vulnerable neighbours
• Communicate clearly and safely
• Work more effectively alongside emergency services

Just as importantly, the Hub Box acts as a focal point — a reminder that preparedness is a shared responsibility.

Who's involved

This is a partnership effort. The programme is led by West Northamptonshire Council’s Emergency Planning & Business Continuity team, working closely with emergency services, flood risk partners, local councils, schools, volunteers and community groups.

Larger towns and Local Area Partnerships are a particular focus, helping strengthen connections where engagement can be more challenging.

What success looks like

By the end of the programme, we expect to see:

• Stronger local networks and volunteer groups
• Better awareness of flood and emergency risks
• Communities that feel more confident and informed
• Faster, more coordinated local responses during incidents

For more information contact: [email protected]
https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/emergency-planning/protecting-your-community

Communities that are better prepared, better connected, and better supported.

Looking forward

Strengthening resilience across Northamptonshire

Over the coming year, the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) will continue to build on the strong partnerships and collaborative working that underpin effective resilience across Northamptonshire. Several key initiatives are planned to further enhance preparedness, capability and shared learning among partner organisations.

Following the success of 2024's event, the LRF will host its second Prepared Conference this September. The conference will bring together resilience practitioners from across Northamptonshire to share knowledge, explore emerging challenges and highlight innovative resilience work taking place across the UK. The LRF is currently seeking themes and speakers who can showcase best practice, lessons learned and new approaches that can support the continued development of local resilience.

Collaboration beyond county borders also remains a priority. The LRF Secretariat is continuing to strengthen relationships with neighbouring Local Resilience Forums, including undertaking cross-border training with Leicestershire LRF. This joint working helps ensure that partners are well prepared to respond collectively to incidents that may cross administrative boundaries, while also sharing expertise and experience between regions.

Another significant area of focus is the development of resilience standards for Northamptonshire. These standards are based on national resilience frameworks designed to provide a consistent and progressive approach for Local Resilience Forums and their partner organisations to self-assure their capabilities and readiness. They aim to support continuous improvement against mandatory requirements, as well as recognised good and leading practice.

Importantly, these standards do not introduce new statutory duties for emergency responders. Instead, they outline expectations of effective practice that build upon existing responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) and other relevant legislation. Crucially, local emergency responders have played a central role in shaping the framework, ensuring it reflects a widely agreed understanding of “what good looks like” for LRFs and what they should aim to implement, achieve and demonstrate.

In parallel, the LRF is working towards the introduction of an overall LRF Strategy tailored to the specific risks and challenges faced within Northamptonshire. This strategic approach will help guide long-term planning and coordination across partner agencies.

While no major multi-agency exercises are currently scheduled, there is an ambition to deliver a large-scale exercise in the near future. The arrival of a new Training and Exercising Officer within the Secretariat will support the development of a more comprehensive programme of exercises and continuing professional development (CPD), helping ensure partners maintain and strengthen their operational readiness.

The appointment of this new Training and Exercising Officer marks an important step forward for the Secretariat, providing additional capacity to expand training opportunities, coordinate exercises and further embed a culture of learning and improvement across the partnership.

Together, these initiatives reflect the LRF’s ongoing commitment to strengthening resilience, enhancing collaboration and ensuring Northamptonshire remains well prepared to respond to the challenges ahead.

Andrea Honor, Northamptonshire LRF Manager

For further inquiries, please reach out to: The Northamptonshire LRF Secretariat [email protected]