Public perceptions of pre-incident information campaign materials for the initial response to a chemical incident: The “Remove, Remove, Remove” campaign

Abstract

Purpose

In the event of a hazardous chemical release incident in the UK, affected members of the public would undergo improvised and interim forms of decontamination (the “Initial Operational Response” (IOR)). To enable members of the public to take recommended actions quickly, the Home Office and National Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Centre have developed the “Remove, Remove, Remove” pre-incident information campaign. This is designed to raise awareness amongst a broad range of people with a public safety role, as well as members of the general public. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Public perceptions of the utility of “Remove, Remove, Remove” pre-incident information materials were assessed using focus group discussions and questionnaires.

Findings

Perceptions of the “Remove, Remove, Remove” campaign poster were generally positive, and the groups agreed that releasing this type of information prior to an incident occurring is a positive step. There was consensus that the poster contains useful information, and that members of the public would benefit from receiving this information prior to a chemical incident occurring.

Originality/value

The findings from this study have been used to inform the development of the “Remove, Remove, Remove” materials. These materials have been disseminated to all emergency services in the UK to further embed IOR principles, as well as to crowd safety professionals.

Citation

Carter, H., Weston, D., Symons, C. and Amlot, R. (2019), "Public perceptions of pre-incident information campaign materials for the initial response to a chemical incident: The “Remove, Remove, Remove” campaign", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 28 No. 5, pp. 565-584. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-10-2018-0342