FAQs
What is the purpose of the service?
The main purpose of the service is to provide
interpreted and informed scientific advice during significant
pollution incidents in Scotland. This will assist partners
such as Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and Fire & Rescue
Services in making decisions to protect the public and the
environment.
How much does the service cost to
implement?
The Scottish Government has provided funding
of £2 million over three years for the project. A substantial
proportion of this funding has been spent on scientific monitoring
equipment. The service has a fully equipped mobile laboratory,
two response vehicles and a range of scientific equipment dispersed
across the country which will be deployed in the event of a
significant incident and onsite air monitoring will continue until
the threat from the incident has passed.
Who are the partners involved in the
service?
SEPA, Health Protection Scotland (HPS), Fire
& Rescue Services, the Met Office, the Police, Scottish
Government, Health Boards, Food Standards Agency Scotland, local
authorities, Health & Safety Laboratory and the Environment
Agency in England and Wales.
Which incidents will this service
respond to?
Significant incidents that may result in
airborne hazards and that may pose a significant risk to human
health e.g. a large chemical fire.
Who is the scientific advice and
information provided to?
In the first instance to HPS. The information
is used with partners to help make decisions to protect public
health and the environment.
What areas will be covered by the
service?
This is a national service which will make use
of SEPA’s dispersed office and laboratory network.
How many response vehicles do SEPA
have?
We have two dedicated response vehicles. One
will be based in Aberdeen and the other based in the Central
Belt.
Do you have any other
vehicles?
Yes, SEPA and partner agencies have a range of
vehicles which will support the response to a significant
incident. As part of the AHER service, SEPA has invested in a
fully equipped trailer, which is designed for use during longer
term incidents and is essentially a mobile laboratory.
Will you be able to analyse everything
onsite?
SEPA has expert scientific laboratories which
will support its response vehicles by analysing samples collected
during an incident.
When is this service
available?
The service is being officially launched on 15
November 2011 by the Minister for Environment and Climate Change
and is designed to provide assistance 365 days a year, 24 hours a
day.