| Throughout the UK, the BBC can be at its most effective when an emergency erupts suddenly and without warning. Letting the public know what to do for their own safety becomes an instant priority, and circulating information quickly can be a matter of life and death. Chemical plant explosions demand an immediate response from local radio stations. The threat to neighbourhoods from toxic smoke and gases and the possibility of whole neighbourhoods being evacuated, means that broadcasters and their suppliers of information need to get their act together in minutes rather than hours. In Cleveland, a protocol has been agreed for delivering warnings and advice quickly and accurately when there is an emergency at one of the area's 40 chemical plants. Emergency planners and the industry itself have developed a public interest relationship with BBC Radio Cleveland that triggers the use of pre-agreed on-air messages. 'The message behind this guidance could not be clearer: don't live with the illusion that emergency preparedness is simply the application of common sense to crisis scenarios. 'It demands some complex, detailed planning to establish effective and efficient systems and protocols which will work when they are needed. It is never too soon to begin.' Denis Hampson, Cleveland's Emergency Planning Officer | 
