Emergencies happen every day in the UK and across the world. They can be caused by; severe weather or natural hazards, be deliberate actions, or because of accidents or infrastructure failure. They can be events that occur quickly or develop over the course of a longer period, so consider taking the time to plan for emergencies.
For emergencies that require you to be indoors, the advice from the emergency services is most likely to be go inside, stay inside and tune-in to local radio.
During an emergency we along with the police will utilise local radio stations to broadcast emergency warnings and information.
We use this method as radio is incredibly reliable and can still be broadcast and received during power outages.
In most incidents, the safest place to be is indoors with the windows and doors securely closed.
Unless instructed by the emergency services just follow these simple steps
Go in
- Close all windows, outside doors and shut down ventilation systems.
- If you are away from home go into a close shop or other public building.
Stay in
- Extinguish any naked flames if it is safe to do so.
- Remain inside and await further instruction.
- If you have missing pets do not go out to find them.
- The police, us and education establishments will ensure that children attending school are safe and looked after.
- Dial 999 but only if there is a risk to life or limb and if someone is in immediate danger
- Call the police on 101 for non-emergency enquiries
- Call our out of hours number to report emergencies on 020 893 71234
Tune in
Tune into local television or radio stations or look at local news websites and follow any instructions given to you.
Local Brent radio stations
For language options:
- Radio Net - select London and other language options
- BBC Sounds - You will need to create an account to listen
- 1458 AM Sunrise
Updates from the council
We regularly update the news area of our website and our website has a translation, text to speech and reading support tool.
You can also be informed via the dedicated Brent Council WhatsApp channel and our social media accounts:
If you are asked to evacuate your home remember to:
Turn off electricity, gas and water supplies, unplug appliances and lock all doors and windows.
Refer to preparing for emergencies for list of items to take with you.
If you have one take your grab-bag with your essential items.
If you leave by car, take bottled water and blankets, and tune in to local radio for emergency advice and instructions.
When you are told that it is safe to return home, open windows to provide fresh air before reconnecting gas, electricity and water supplies.
You can also review relevant sections from the Government's Prepare for emergencies guidance and the Think Before You Share campaign which contains guidance on how to stay safe and what you post online.