FireMet
FireMet is a weather system designed to provide fire and rescue service (FRS) responders with the latest weather information to help them identify a safe approach when dealing with a major incident.
CHEMET (CHEmical METeorology)
Similar to PACRAM, CHEMET can be used to track the dispersion of a chemical release. On demand, the customer is provided with instant telephone advice in the form of a simple short-range prediction of the anticipated behaviour of the plume. Within 15 minutes, this is followed by meteorological and dispersion maps which provide a more detailed forecast. A map of areas at risk is faxed to the emergency services. The situation is constantly monitored, and updates given until the emergency is over.
Incidents ranging from volcanic eruptions to radioactive leaks all pose problems for society. In such situations, the Met Office can provide the necessary help and advice to those who need it. Whether alerting the emergency services of significant tidal surges affecting coastal regions or providing weather advice during pollution events, our specialist environmental forecasts play a vital role in the integrated management of environmental incidents.
RIMNET (Radiation Incident Monitoring NETwork)
RIMNET, the national radiation monitoring network and emergency response system, enables any increases in radiation levels within the UK, which arise from a nuclear accident overseas, to be detected via a network of monitoring sites in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The system sends out automatic alerts when it detects such increases.
RIMNET was set up following a review of the Chernobyl accident. The government published a national response plan to deal with the consequences for the UK of overseas nuclear accidents.
PACRAM (Procedures And Communications in the event of a release of RAdioactive Material)
PACRAM is a comprehensive service which streamlines our response to any potential incident at a UK nuclear power plant. The service allows the nuclear industry and overseeing government bodies access to predictions of the trajectory of the contamination plume. These come from our atmospheric dispersion predictions from NAME.
We also offer stand-alone computer programs to industry to allow them to make immediate forecasts of where accidental emissions may go. This helps significantly in handling accidents on the site, and for providing the workforce with vital safety information.
This service is funded by Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (DBERR), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Met Office is regarded as a vital and integral part of a highly organised group of government departments and agencies who will deal with nuclear releases.
Airborne spread of disease
Foot and mouth
We provide advice on the airborne spread of diseases, in conjunction with the Institute for Animal Health (IAH). We operate a facility on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to assess the possible airborne spread of the foot-and-mouth virus. Defra is responsible for reacting to outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and other potentially contagious diseases, such as fowl pest.
Bluetongue
During 2007, bluetongue was first confirmed in the UK. The disease, which affects cattle and sheep, is spread by midges infected with bluetongue virus. Their activity is highly dependent on environmental conditions, especially temperature, wind speed and precipitation. Research is currently taking place at the Met Office into how our sophisticated dispersion models, together with our weather forecasting models, can predict the potential spread of the disease.
Public Weather Service Advisors
The Met Office has a team of regionally based Public Weather Service Advisors with responsibility for Government Office regions in England and Wales, and for the Devolved Administrations and regions of Scotland and Northern Ireland. These advisors work with regional emergency planning groups to assist in devising plans and exercises and respond to real-time emergency incidents.
More about the Public Weather Service