Terrorist activities

The Government has produced and distributed a booklet called "Preparing for emergencies: what you need to know" . It lets you know what you should do in an emergency. It includes general advice as well as information for specific emergencies. Please read this booklet and keep it somewhere safe. You should also familiarise yourself with any plans or procedures at your workplace in connection with bomb warnings.

If a bomb goes off in a building that you are in, look for the safest way out and follow the advice of people in charge. If you are involved in a bomb incident and trapped in debris:

• stay close to a wall, and tap on pipes so that rescuers can hear you.
• do not use lighters or matches in case there is a gas leak.

If a bomb goes off outside a building that you are in, stay inside away from windows, lifts and outer doors just in case there is a second bomb in the area. If you see an explosion, stay in the area in a safe place and tell the police everything you saw.

Chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incident

If you are very near the site of a CBRN incident and think you may have been contaminated, wait for the emergency services to arrive and provide decontamination facilities. This will involve showering in a decontamination unit and dressing in temporary clothing provided by the emergency services. This must take place near to where the incident happened so that other areas are not contaminated.

If you are directly involved in a CBRN incident:

• Move away from the immediate area of danger - but wait for the emergency services to arrive to examine and if necessary decontaminate you
• Do not go home untreated as you could contaminate others and make the incident worse.

If you are not directly affected, follow this advice:

• Go indoors and stay there
• Bring pets inside
• Close all doors and windows and block obvious vents (remember to unblock before switching equipment on again)
• Switch off air conditioning, ventilation units and fans
• Tune into local radio and/or television and listen for local announcements
• Do not try to collect children from school unless instructed to do so as they will be looked after
• If there is a power cut, turn off all appliances as when power comes back it may overload the system if all appliances turn on at the same time.