Helen Cope

Employer: London Borough of Hillingdon
Area of work: Emergency planning
Qualifications: BSc development and heath in disaster management, Coventry University

During my degree I spent a year out working for four months in the emergency planning department of a police force, a fire brigade and a local authority. After graduation I decided that working in a local authority would offer me a wider range of experience, so I applied for a position at the London Borough of Hackney. I was successful and stayed at Hackney for two years.

My job

I moved to my current role at Hillingdon in May last year. I manage a team of five people on a day-to-day basis, looking after their training and assessment needs and I also manage the emergency planning and business continuity functions for the council. My day-to-day activities change depending whether I work on emergency planning procedures or on business continuity. 

Emergency planning involves monitoring and updating plans to ensure that, if one is put into action, it will meet the needs of the community. Business continuity is a new rea of focus and looks at how we can implement strategies to ensure that in an emergency situation the council can continue providing services to the community. However, my ultimate responsibility is to make sure the service keeps moving forward, by identifying areas for improvement and devising action plans to make sure they are addressed.

My employer sponsors me to study for a diploma in management studies and I have received specific training in project management and people management. We also receive training when new guidance or legislation is introduced to make sure that we implement it in the correct way.

Highs and lows

In the past couple of years I have helped co-ordinate the response to a number of high profile incidents. I was involved with the ‘Hackney Siege’, for example, making sure people were evacuated from the area, put in hotels and provided with food and clothing. I was also involved in the response to the tsunami in Asia, looking after people who returned to Heathrow and arranging the temporary mortuary for tsunami victims. 

I work with lots of different people across London, both in the emergency services and councils, which gives me a lot of opportunities to learn from other people but the paperwork can be a bit daunting. I would definitely advise graduates to complete a placement year if possible as it offers invaluable experience and means employers will look more favourably on your application.