Civil Contingencies Act 2004

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 creates a single framework for civil protection of the UK.

What is the Civil Contingency Act 2004?

The legislation and accompanying non-statutory measures give us a single framework for civil protection in the UK. This improves the UK's ability to deal with the consequences of major disruptive incidents by improving the planning process at a local level, building better contacts between agencies and improving the link between local areas and central government.

The Act is separated into two substantive parts: local arrangements for civil protection (Part 1) and emergency powers (Part 2).

What is an emergency?

The CCA 2004 it defines an emergency as:

  • an event or situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare;
  • an event or situation which threatens serious damage to the environment; or
  • war, or terrorism, which threatens serious damage to security.

What is a major incident?

A major incident is defined as:

"An event or situation with a range of serious consequences which requires special arrangements to be implemented by one or more emergency responder agency."

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