• Sudden Impact - This type of event or situation happens with little or no prior warning. The effects are usually felt immediately and include transportation accidents, utility failure, industrial accidents or acts of terrorism etc.
• Rising Tide - This type of event or situation has a lead in time of days, weeks or even months and includes health pandemics, flooding, Foot and Mouth Disease, industrial action etc. The onset can be gradual and the final impact may not always be apparent early on.

Definition of a Major Incident

A Major Incident is any emergency that requires the implementation of special arrangements by one or all of the emergency services and will generally include the involvement, either directly, or indirectly, of large numbers of people. For example:

• The rescue and transportation of a large number of casualties and/or fatalities
• The large scale combined resources of the Police, Fire and Rescue Service and North East Ambulance Service National Health Service (NHS) Trust
• The mobilisation and organisation of the emergency services and support services, for example local authority, to cater for the threat of death, serious injury or homelessness to a large number of people
• The handling of a large number of enquiries likely to be generated both from the public and the news media