Domestic Civil Defence -
A Personal Information Site

The writer Richard Edkins had some years in Emergency Planning as a volunteer and as a local authority officer in the 1980s. Recent wars in former Yugoslavia, in the Gulf and elsewhere, show that a need exists for Civil Defence. Government and local authority arrangements make a good start, but the writer is sadly aware that the United Kingdom has a diminished capability to provide Civil Defence services to the population.

This site is directed at the crisis needs of the householder faced by a variety of emergencies and makes the following assumptions :-

• The Home Office information issued in March 2003 has to be the starting point.
• Readers will mostly want practical advice on equipment, action in a crisis and improvisation.
• Information will be of use in an array of potential crisis situations as well as in wartime or a long-duration terrorist incident or disaster.
• Costs must be kept to a minimum or people will believe that only the rich can survive - most people would have to improvise from what they have to hand.
• Readers can stay in sections giving basic information, or link to pages and sites giving deeper knowledge if they so need it.
• Links will be provided to sites providing information of genuine relevance. The content of those sites is not controlled by the writer of this website so neither the philosophy nor the reliability of some material on those sites can be guaranteed.
• The experiences of those wishing to comment on the site will be read and where appropriate given credit.

This site is intended to provide a source of information that can be downloaded in a crisis to educate and assist the population. Every effort will be made to provide accurate information. Whilst debate to improve the material is encouraged, the writer will not enter into arguments intended to prevent civil defence information from being given to those who need it.