The needs of faith communities in major emergencies: some guidelines

People of many different faith backgrounds and belief systems live in the United Kingdom. We have a rich mixture of beliefs and ethnicities in this country and that is something to be proud of as a source of economic strength and cultural vitality. However, natural and man made disasters and terrorist incidents do not differentiate between people of different beliefs and backgrounds. It makes sense, therefore, for our emergency planners and emergency services to be prepared to deal appropriately with casualties and their families from all sorts of faith backgrounds. It is, of course, terrible and shocking to discover that a close family member or friend has been killed or badly injured in an incident.